CHE 454A

Unit Operations Involving Particulate Solids for

Chemical Engineers

Dr. Raju Kumar Gupta,

Associate Professor,
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,
Kanpur 208016, India
 Cletus ( Lecture l -

2)
-

unit process
unit operation
-

*
upstream process :
-

unit operation :
crushing , grinding ,

washing filtration drying

-

, ,

mining ,
etc .

* Reaction :
chemical Mxn takes place
material
-

raw →
products

Downstream
processes
*
:

unit operation : Distillation ,

evaporation ,

extraction
, settling , centrifugation
etc .

United :
physical / or mechanical
procedure occurring
individually or parallel to chemical
Mxn .

physical steps of preparing reactants

-

separating a
purifying products
-

Recycling unconverted reactants

into
-

controlling energy transfer or

out of the reactor

mechanism .

purely based on
physical or

mechanical forces such as

* Gravitational force
* centrifugal face

* mechanical & kinetic forces

arising from flow
* Final property of product depend
on unit
operation used
⑨ solid
-
-
solid operations :

crushing , gain ding , sieving ,

compaction ,
cutting , storage 4

transport of bulk solids etc .

⑤ solid -

fluid operations :
-

Filtration ,
sedimentation , centrifugation ,

floatation .
cyclone separators
 61 Dp
sphericity :

④
-

4S
-
=

setup
-

Dp -

nominal alia .

of particle
SP
surface battle
-

area
of one

Up volume of particle
-

one

For a
sample of uniform particles of dis .

Dp
,

FT m
total
of sample
-

µ up = mass

Pp -

density of particle
Total surface area
of particle ,

A = N
Sp
M 6 up
Msp
A
.
-
-
= =

Ep
-

Up Dp %
Ep up

a-⇐gseT④*
6 m

specific surface area

of mixture
( total surface per mass
of particles)
area

62 , 6am
Ass =
Aw =
+
GRI
t
Ep
+
-4g
-

, Cp Dps & GDI

ki -
mass faction in a
given increment
n - no
of increment
 Dpi -

Average particle dia

,
taken as

arithmetic smallest
average of
&
largest particle diameters in

increment

:/ I
opening
mesh Average particle
screen

D#¥m
Y 4699 4.699

÷: : :: :::¥o .

8+10 I O
l 65
-

I } 2.007

-
E¥i:÷ .

dig
Volume
-
mean
, surface

DTs =

qA÷p=E¥
it Bpi
 ]
Problem 1 :
Pp = O '
00265
81mm
-

As =
O
'

571
For the material b/w 4 -
mesh of 200 mesh
in
particle size calculate specific surface
,
-
in
area mm
1g .

h
6
ki
Ass -

E
E
-

El Dpi
 Particle
Understanding of Particle SizeSize Distribution
and
Particle Shape
Particle Size

Particle size or grain size refers to the diameter of a grain of

granular material
 Particle
❑ The size of a spherical homogeneous particleSize Distribution
is uniquely
defined by its diameter.
❑ For regular, compact particles such as cubes or regular
tetrahedra, a single dimension can be used to define size.
❑ With some regular particles it may be necessary to specify
more than one dimension: For a cone the base diameter
and height are required whilst for a cuboid three
dimensions are needed.
❑ For irregular particles, it is desirable toParticle Size
quote the Distribution
size of a
particle in terms of a single quantity, and the expression most
often used is the "equivalent diameter".

❑ The assigned equivalent diameter usually depends on the

method of measurement.

❑ Several equivalent diameters are commonly encountered.

For example, the Stokes' diameter is measured by
sedimentation and elutriation techniques; the projected
area diameter is measured microscopically and the sieve-
aperture diameter is measured by means of sieving.
Influences of Particle Size Particle Size Distribution

❑ Particle size influences dissolution

Small particles dissolve more rapidly than large ones, which is important
in various manufacturing processes.

❑ Particle size influences flow properties of powders

The flow properties of powders are strongly dependent on particle size
and, in particular, particle shape. Since most powders are moved from one place to
another by flowing, control of flow behavior is highly important. Generally, coarse,
roughly spherical particles flow much more easily than small or elongated particles.

❑ Particle size influences stability of dispersions

The stability of dispersions, such as suspensions and emulsions,
depends on the size of the dispersed material. The forces between colloidal
particles depend on their dimensions, and the settling.
 Particle Size Distribution
Effect of Particle Shape

❑ Particle shape influences such properties as:

➢ Flowability of powders

➢ Packing

➢ Interaction with fluids

❑ The variation between the diameters increases as the particles

diverge more from the spherical shape.

❑ Different results from different techniques can be compared by

applying shape factors and shape coefficients.

 Particle Size Distribution
Particle Size Distribution

❑ The particle size distribution (PSD) may be defined as

“Particle size distribution (PSD) of a powder, or granular material,

or particles dispersed in fluid, is a list of values or a mathematical

function that defines the relative amounts of particles present,

sorted according to size.”

 Particle Size Distribution
Significance of Particle Size Distribution (PSD)

❑ The PSD of a material can be important in understanding its

physical and chemical properties.

❑ It affects the strength and load-bearing properties of rocks and

soils.

❑ It affects the reactivity of solids participating in chemical

reactions, and needs to be tightly controlled in many industrial

products such as the manufacture of printer toner and cosmetics.

 Particle Size Distribution
Sieve Analysis

❑ Sieve analysis is one of the oldest methods of size analysis.

❑ Sieve analysis is accomplished by passing a known weight of

sample material successively through finer sieves and weighing

the amount collected on each sieve to determine the percentage

weight in each size fraction.

❑ Sieving is carried out with wet or dry materials and the sieves

are usually agitated to expose all the particles to the openings.

 Particle Size Distribution
Process of Sieving

❑ The process of sieving may be divided into two stages.

❑ First, the elimination of particles considerably smaller than the

screen apertures, which should occur rapidly and, second, the

separation of the so-called "near-size" particles, which is a

gradual process rarely reaching final completion.

❑ The effectiveness of a sieving test depends on the amount of

material put on the sieve (the "charge") and the type of movement

imparted to the sieve.

 Particle Size Distribution
❑ The woven sieve is the oldest design, and it is normally made
by weaving fine metal wire into a square pattern, then soldering
the edges securely into a flattish cylindrical Container.
❑ Woven-wire sieves were originally designated by a mesh
number (the number of wires per inch or the number of square
apertures per square inch)
16 Mesh 6 Mesh 3 Mesh
 Screen Analysis & Standard Screen Series
❑ Testing sieves are made of woven wire screens, the mesh and
dimensions of which are carefully standardized. The openings are
square. Each screen is identified in meshes per inch.

❑ The actual openings are smaller than those corresponding to mesh

numbers because of thickness of the wires.

Tyler standard screen scale

Tyler standard screen scale
 Typical Screen Analysis

The notation 14/20 means ‘through 14 mesh and on 20 mesh’

Dpi means the particle diameter equal to the mesh opening of screen i
Screening equipment

Gyrations at one end,

Gyrations in horizontal plane Gyrations in vertical plane
shaking at other

Shaking Mechanically vibrated Electrically vibrated