Powder Pointers Spring 2009 Volume 3 No A

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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
Successfully Dealing with Feature Article:
Successfully Dealing with Erratic Flow
Erratic Flow Rates Rates
Powder & Bulk Southeast Conference
1

Flow Rate Limitations. Industries requiring continuous and/or semi- and Exhibition 1
Powder Pointer Preview 2
continuous flow for proper operation are sensitive to flow rate limitations. Introducing: The SPECTester 3
In addition, many unit operations that claim to be based on mass control Regular Feature: Learning the Trade:
are actually volumetric processes with a mass control device attached. Critical Rathole Dimension 4
Volumetric processes are very sensitive to erratic flow rate issues.
Normally with mass control small variations in volumetric flow rates can
be easily handled with simple feedback control systems. However, fine See Us at Powder & Bulk
bulk materials often exhibit very erratic flow rates that span several orders
of magnitude. In these cases, volumetric control is not enough and
Engineering’s Southeast
positive flow control devices and/or feed techniques are required to bring Conference and Exhibition
the process under control. What causes these erratic flow rates? How
can flow rate variations be limited? These are questions of paramount Dr. Kerry Johanson will present:
importance to robust process control. This is especially true when dealing
with control of small additives to master batch systems, etc. Most “A Mechanistic Approach to
frequently these flow excursions or limitations are due to the degree of air Reducing Particle Size”
entrained within the flowing bulk solid material. Air may be entrained in Tuesday, April 28: 9:00 am – Noon
the system even when no external source of air injection exists. A falling Session 102
bulk material can entrain air during the free fall process. This air is then “Preventing Attrition in
compressed in bulk solids voids as the falling stream impacts the free Process Equipment”
material surface. Additional material can cover this aerated material Thursday, April 30: 8:00 – 11:00 am
before the fine powder low permeability allows the compressed air to vent Session 502
from the bulk solid. Thus, fast filling systems can generate semi-fluidized
material in the storage hopper and feed system. Alternatively, external air Booth #541
sources can cause material aeration in feeders and hoppers. Aerated
material generally flows from process equipment at velocities dictated by Visit our booth on the exhibition
gravitational acceleration. Aerated flow rates can be in accordance with floor for a demonstration of the
the following equation for conical hoppers and can produce large flow newest and best segregation tester
rate through small outlets. on the market. Just released for
retail sale, the SPECTester is a
marvel of technological initiative.
There will be special incentives for
those who stop by for a preview.
We look forward to meeting with
you. See page 3 of this Newsletter
Aerated Material and Storage Time. Conversely, the same fine material for a preview of the SPECTester’s
when left in a container for long enough periods of time can deaerate. unique capabilities.
The stress levels in the process equipment first increase as the depth of the For further information contact:
material increases and then decreases as the flowing material reaches the Susan at 352-332-9476
(Continued on page 2)
Successfully Dealing with Erratic Flow Rates 2
Continued from page 1

equipment outlet. Increasing stress consolidates material within the equipment, squeezing gas out of the
interstitial pores of the bulk material. This excess gas leaves the top free surface of the material. The
consolidated material then expands as it reaches the outlet, creating a lack of gas within the solids voids as
material exits the process equipment. This expansion causes a reduction in local gas pressure, resulting in
negative gauge pressures near the outlet. These negative gas pressures result in a decrease in the solids flow rate
from the outlet which can produce rates two to three orders of magnitude slower than those produced from
gravitational acceleration (see equation).
What are the Options? Thus, the same bulk solid material will
flow at high or low flow rates, depending on the material’s
aeration state, thereby causing fine powder materials to exhibit a
condition called flooding and flushing. Flooding and flushing
behavior produces erratic flow rates. Likewise, sudden collapse
of
ratholes can convert a fully deaerated material into a material with sufficient entrained gas to considerably
increase the solids flow rate, making volumetric control impossible. Additionally, uncontrolled gas injection to
local areas of the container produces zones of aerated material which eventually reach the outlet and cause
sudden increase (surge) in the solids flow rate from the process equipment. If volumetric control is an important
part of the process, then these surges must be controlled. This condition begs the need for special inserts to
deaerate bulk materials and controlled gas injection systems in order to eliminate limiting flow rate problems.
These two techniques can be used in tandem to handle many erratic flow rate issues with fine bulk solids. Often
small injection rates (much less than fluidization) can overcome significant erratic flow problems. Placement and
amount of gas injection are key parameters to successful flow rate problem mitigation.
The Bottom Line of Flow Control. If volumetric control is not an important part of the process, then an alternate
method of solving these erratic flow rate issues is to maintain material in an aerated condition and use positive
feed control to prevent uncontrolled flow rates through the system. Each of these methods is a plausible solution
to erratic feed problems. However, the successful implementation of any method depends on the flow properties
of the specific material. Obviously, bulk density and permeability are key parameters that determine the limiting
flow rate as well as the time material hangs onto entrained air. However, unconfined yield strength also affects
this process behavior in both a positive and negative manner. More cohesive material creates a more porous
material, causing material to lose entrained gas quicker. These cohesive flow properties may also prevent or limit
the ability of gas injection to uniformly fluidize material, making fluidization solutions to erratic flows
problematic. Cohesion can also increase the frequency of rathole collapse. We routinely measure the important
flow properties that are used to predict these behaviors and can model these flow problems using our proprietary
gas/solid modeling techniques. This gives us the information required to provide you with robust designs that
prevent erratic flow rate problems. It is important that solutions to these erratic flow rate problems be based on
sound engineering theory, principles and experience. Random or uncontrolled injection of gas can make matters
much worse.

Powder Pointers Preview Future Topics

Coming Next Quarter – Successful Product Design
• Process design
Almost all products are a mixture of various particles. Many of the
particles placed in the mixture are expected to create a particular • PAT implementation
chemical benefit for the product: i.e., color-fast bleach, taste, color, a • Successful agglomeration
specific pharmacological effect, UV blocking agent, etc. A great deal of We encourage and welcome your
study has been done internally by companies to understand these effects. suggestions and special requests
However, the role these additives play in process flowability and quality for powder flow topics which you
assurance is not well understood. These issues, as they relate to would like to see included in
successful product design, will be the primary topic addressed in the future editions of Powder Pointers.
next issue of Powder Pointers. Contact: Susan at 352-332-9476
 3
INTRODUCING…
The innovative SPECTester measures your
sample, of up to 6 unique components and, with
The
a touch of the finger, reports how much as well as
SPECTest er why your material is segregating. Fully
automated, it provides data about: component
concentrations, particle size differences, product
An innovative product by:
Material Flow Equipment, LLC
uniformity, and up to 4 specific segregation
www.matflowsol.com mechanisms. This segregation tester can be used
in R&D facilities as well as in production plants
(patent pending) for mid-stream quality control.
Comparison of Segregation Testers for Sale
Jenike Jenike
Testing Capabilities SPECTester Sifting Fluidization
Tester Tester®
Segregation by particle size YES YES YES
Segregation by chemical component YES no no
Segregation by sifting YES YES no
Segregation by fluidization YES no YES
Segregation by angle of repose YES no no
Segregation by air entrainment YES no no
Identifies primary segregation mechanism YES no no
Identifies process design parameters YES no no
Identifies process quality control issues YES no no
Results scaleable to process conditions YES no no
Provides uniformity index for sample YES no no
Provides segregation variance data YES no no
Measures segregation upon hopper discharge YES YES no
Measures segregation within hopper YES no YES
Number of segregation points measured within sample 50 - 3
Number of segregation points measured on discharge 50 24 -
Number of components in sample up to 6 2 2
USB output to printer YES no no
Touch-screen/pad control YES no YES
Automatic analysis YES no YES
Additional equipment required for data acquisition NONE required none

Materials of different sizes, shapes, colors and/or chemical compositions

The SPECTester handles them all
Touch-screen data entry
Fast graphical and
numeric results

The

For further information contact: Kerry Johanson 352-303-9123 SPECTester

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.
Critical Rathole Dimension. The critical rathole dimension is the diameter of the largest flow channel that will
result in stable rathole formation in a funnel flow bin design. Active flow channels in a funnel-flow bin must be
greater than this dimension to prevent stable rathole formation. The critical rathole dimension is a function of the
maximum stress level in the bin and, hence, depends on the maximum diameter of the bin. It is important to note
that ratholes can not form in mass flow hoppers. Therefore, ideal process designs include specifications that create:
Funnel-flow with outlet diameters large enough to eliminate rathole formation, or mass flow where rathole
formation is not possible. Engineers who understand and utilize critical rathole dimensions in design of their
specific system are able to avoid costly process downtime caused by equipment hang-up due to ratholes formed in
bins and hoppers.

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Material Flow Solutions, Inc.

3536 NW 97th Blvd.
Gainesville, FL 32606