Powder Pointers Spring 2008 Volume 2 No A

Brought to you by:

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Material Flow Solutions, Inc.
3536 NW 97 Blvd. Gainesville, FL 32606 Phone: 352-303-9123 E-mail: [email protected]

In This Issue
Optimal Blender Choices Feature Article:
Optimal Blender Choices 1
New Approach for Predicting Attrition
Selecting the right blender is often considered an art rather than a science. And Comminution 2
However, knowledge of basic material flow properties and segregation Powder Pointer Preview 2
tendencies provides guidance in selecting the right blender for the task. Regular Feature: Learning the Trade:
Permeability 4
Two issues affect blending quality and effectiveness. First, a blender
must produce residence time distribution functions that involve all
In this article, we will address
material in the blender. Stagnant zones or regions result in poor blending
three – sifting, angle of repose,
and blender velocity profiles must be steep enough to achieve a wide
and air entrainment segregations –
range of transport velocities. Second, segregation occurring during
and discuss how they relate to
blending operation will undo the mixing created by blending. Therefore,
blending and blender selection.
blending action must be compared with actions that result in segregation.
Any blender that enhances any segregation mechanism is a poor choice.
Sifting. Sifting is caused when
fine particles pass through the
Blending Action. Blending of bulk solids occurs because of velocities
inter-particle pore structure of the
and velocity gradients in a given blender. Normally we think of diffusion
material during shear or vibration.
and convection as the active mixing means where convection causes large
The rate at which this happens
scale mixing and diffusion provides mixing on a smaller scale. This is
depends on the size of the voids
true in liquid systems, but not in solids systems. Mixing of solids on the
relative to the size of the fine
small scale also occurs by convective velocity gradients. This process is
particles, the degree to which the
called dispersion and means that all material in a blender must be subject
pore structure is already filled, the
to velocities and velocity gradients to mix. At Material Flow Solutions
amount of cohesion of the fines,
we can rank a specific blender based on its ability to generate velocity
the degree of exposure to new pore
profiles that lead to intimate mixing of bulk materials. The key variables
structures during movement, rate
are blender geometry, cohesive flow properties, wall friction angles, and
of shear, and induced external
mode of operation.
forces. If the entire void structure
of a bulk material is filled with
Blending and Segregation. Blending is the act of bringing distinct bulk
fines, there will be no sifting. As
material particles into intimate contact so as to produce a mixture of
shown here, sifting segregation
consistent quality at a prescribed scale of scrutiny. Each blender mixes by
a particular set of actions (i.e. formation of a pile, paddle movement).
Segregation undoes blending by inducing the separation of distinct
particles. If material segregates due to a particular blending action, then
any blender causing that specific action is a poor choice for the material
mixture in question. Thus, we rank blending effectiveness based on the
type of segregation which may occur with the mixture. Let’s review some
segregation mechanisms and discuss how they relate to blending and produces a radial pattern or a
blender selection. Any difference in bulk or particle scale property can directional segregation down the
cause separation of material during handling and blending. There are at pile with the fines at the top and
least 14 distinct segregation mechanisms for bulk mixtures. the coarse material at the bottom
of the pile.
(Continued on page 3)
New approach for predicting attrition and comminution 2

The following outlines an approach to generate a process specific prediction of the attrition or comminution in your
processes. This approach combines experimental and multistage modeling steps.

Conduct a population balance model study of your process or a representative attrition/comminution

process. A population balance model quantifies the causes of particle scale attrition/comminution (fracture,
abrasion, and fatigue). Obviously, the best method is to conduct this study on your process. It requires the
ability to generate time sequence particle size data. If your process is not conducive to generating time
sequence data, then a suitable independent attrition/comminution process can be selected to generate
reasonable time sequence particle size data. This data is used to identify critical causes of particle
attrition/comminution (both magnitude and type).

Conduct a SEM or optical analysis of the structure of your particles. What we are looking for here is a
description of the grain size, grain size distribution, size of contact zones, and contact fabric structure. This
data will be fed into a model describing the breakage of particles.

Conduct a finite element analysis (FEM) of key aspects of your process and generate the expected impact
velocities distribution, and impact angle distributions in the proposed process.

Use the structure information found from SEM work to generate a statistical representation of a single
agglomerate consisting of the grain structure observed in SEM using discrete element modeling (DEM).
Next, impact this agglomerate on wall surfaces at various angles comparable to those computed from the
FEM model. The size and amount of sub-particles produced will be compared to the population balance
model to validate the approach.

Once these steps are completed, a model describing breakage of your specific material in your particular system
will be ready for use. This model can then be used for a parametric study to analyze the effect of change in grain
size, grain size distribution, inter-grain bond strength, or grain structure. Change of processes can also be
accommodated. The beauty of this approach is that it de-convolutes the elements that result in
attrition/comminution and allows independent control of each.

If such an analysis and model generation interests you: contact Kerry Johanson (352) 303-9123

Powder Pointers Preview Future Topics

Coming Next Quarter – Milling Issues
Milling is an important operation in many processing plants. Optimization of • Erratic flow rates
a milling operation is typically approached from an energy conservation (cost • Successful
reduction) perspective. This is fine if we wish to minimize the energy that
agglomeration
goes into milling. However, the trouble with this approach is that very little
of the energy consumed by the mill actually translates into change in particle • Product design
size. Hence, true optimization of milling operation from an energy • Process design
perspective must focus on the mechanical attributes of the mill – friction in
the bearings and energy to move material. We encourage and welcome
your suggestions and special
Sometimes we wish to optimize selection or production of the type of fines requests for powder flow
exiting our mill. In this case, it is useful to understand the type of particles a topics which you would like to
mill produces. This particle size selectivity will be the discussion of our next see included in future editions
newsletter. of Powder Pointers.
Optimal Blender Choices 3
Continued from page 1

Angle of Repose. Angle of repose segregation occurs when two (or more)
components of the material mixture have different frictional characteristics.
As the bulk material mixture flows down a pile, the component with the
flattest repose angle accumulates at the bottom while the steeper repose angle
particles accumulate at the top of the pile. A two degree difference in repose
angle between mixture components is enough to cause significant segregation.
The particle shape also affects segregation. Rounder particles accumulate at the bottom of the pile. Piles must
form in the equipment for this type of segregation to take place. Cohesion also affects the separation of materials.
Cohesive materials tend to form agglomerates. Thus, a round particle coated with angular particles tends to have
similar repose angles as separate angular particles and reduce segregation tendencies.

Air Entrainment. Air entrainment segregation occurs as the mixture impacts

on a surface. Air carried with the bulk material transports fines to other points
in the process equipment. There must be a difference in particle size for this
mechanism to be a problem. Fines must be sufficient in size to be carried by
air currents. The bulk material must be compressible and fine enough to store
air during the impact. The pattern is also a radial pattern with the fines at the
bottom of the pile and the coarse at the top.

If we consider the blending action in a given blender, we find that some blenders rely on pile formation to mix.
Rotary shell blenders (V-blenders, twin cone, and tumble blenders) all induce shear with tumbling action. Mixing
occurs in a thin layer along the top as material slides down a continually forming pile. Rotary shell blenders are a
poor choice for materials that segregate via angle of repose. Alternatively, the blending action in vertical shaft
blenders (day paddle mixer, plow mixer, Forberg® mixer) occurs as paddles transport material to different areas in
the blender. The paddles or plows rotate at speeds that prevent pile formation. Material sensitive to angle of
repose segregation will blend effectively in these style blenders. However, the paddles can induce entrained air in
the mixture and resulting in air entrainment segregation during operation. Thus, the vertical shaft blender is a poor
choice for use with material sensitive to air entrainment segregation.
Blender Segregation Ranking It is obvious that the selection of an
Type Mechanism 1 = poor : 10 = perfect optimal blender depends on the type
Angle of repose 3 of segregation that happens in a
Rotary Shell Sifting 3 blender. If we consider only these
Air entrainment 8 three types of segregation
Angle of repose 8 mechanisms and limit our analysis
Plow / Paddle Sifting 7 to general blender types we can
Air entrainment 5 produce a ranking of blender
Angle of repose 5 effectiveness based on segregation
Tube Sifting 5 mechanism. The ranking in the
Air entrainment 7 table below is the result of this
Angle of repose 4 analysis where 1 is a poor blender
Nauta Sifting 4 and 10 is perfect blending.
Obviously, a measurement of the
Air entrainment 7
key segregation tendencies is
Angle of repose 4
required to evaluate a blender
Ribbon Sifting 4
performance. We routinely evaluate
Air entrainment 8
the five most common segregation
Angle of repose 7 mechanisms and provide blender
Cone-in-Cone Sifting 8 evaluation and selection
Air entrainment 8 recommendations.
Learning the Trade 4
Knowing and understanding key material properties is power to characterize bulk material flow behavior. We will
empower you quarterly as we discuss one of these fundamental flow properties and its industrial application.

Permeability (air flow rate). Permeability is the superficial velocity of gas or fluid passing through the bulk
material when the pressure drop across the material equals the weight density of the bulk solid. It can be thought of
as an incipient fluidization velocity, except it is measured as a function of the stress applied to the bulk material.
However, the value of the permeability extrapolated to zero stress is identically equal to the incipient fluidization
velocity. Permeability data is used to determine the pressure drops in packed bed operation. It is also used to
determine the limiting flow rates where the resistance to gas flow is the key limiting factor to solids flow. With an
understanding of permeability, the engineer can calculate the necessary de-aeration time and/or installation of air-
flow-aid devices in the equipment to achieve required process flow rate and/or break bridges and ratholes that are
negatively affecting the system. It is a useful tool when designing or retrofitting a new or existing solids flow
processing system when the primary goal is to “get it right the first time.”

Material Flow Solutions, Inc.

3536 NW 97th Blvd.
Gainesville, FL 32606