A technique used in some industrial processes in which solid particles suspended in a stream of gas are treated as if they were in the liquid state. It is useful for transporting powders such coal dust

Fluidized beds, in which solid particles are suspended in an upward stream, are extensively used in the chemical industry, particularly in catalytic reactions where the powdered catalyst has a high surface area. They are also used in furnaces, being formed by burning coal in a hot turbulent bed of sand or ash through which air is passed.

The bed behaves like a fluid, enabling the combustion temperature to be reduced so that the production of polluting oxides of nitrogen is diminished. By adding limestone to the bed with the fuel, the emission of sulphur dioxide is reduced

High-pressure fluidized beds are also used in power-stations furnaces in a combined cycle in which the products of combustion from the fluidized bed are used to drive a gas turbine, while a steam-tube boiler in the fluid bed raises steam to drive a steam turbine.

This system both increases the efficiency of the combustion process and reduces pollution.