CHARACTERIZATION
OF SOLID PARTICLES
CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• SIGNIFICANCE
• MEASURING TECHNIQUES
• EQUIPMENT LIST
• PARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION
• DIFFERNTIAL AND CUMULATIVE
ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
Most important characteristics of an
individual particle are its composition,its
size and its shape.
Particle size is important characterization
as this affects properties.
For example such as the surface per unit
volume and the rate at which a particle will
settle in a fluid.
Instead of particle size, it is vital to know the
distribution of particle sizes in the mixture.
Mean size can be defined which inturn
represents the behaviour of particulate
mass as whole.
It is noteworthy to reduce the size of
particles,or form them into aggregates.
In the flow of fluids through beds of
granular particles,the characterization of
the porous mass as a whole is the principle
feature
SIGNIFICANCE
The characterization of solid
materials can be important in
understanding their physical and
chemical properties.
It affects the strength and load
bearing properties of rocks and soils.
It affects the reactivity solids
participating in chemical reactions
and needs to be tightly controlled in
many industrial products.
Measuring techniques
Fractionation and particle
characterization by sieve analysis
-most traditional approach to separate
specified particle size fractions
- used to fractionate a heterogeneous
sample into size fractions
-used to work in the range of 37µm-
10mm
-The measurements are performed
on ATM, Retsch or Stork Veco sieves.
- Retsch and Stork Veco sieves are
applied in a mechanically operating
sieving machine
- Particle characterization results
obtained from the sieve analysis are
given in sieve fractions
Microscopic analysis
-particle size of 1-100µm can be
analysed
-microscopic examination permits
measurement of the projected area
of the particle
-enables an assessment to be made
of its two-dimensional shape.
Sedimentation and Elutrication
methods
-particles of the size(>1µm) can be
analysed- --These methods depend
on the fact that the terminal falling
velocity of a particle in a fluid
increases with size.
-Sedimentation methods are of two
main types.
1. . In the first, the pipette method,
samples are abstracted from the
settling suspension at a fixed
horizontal level at intervals of time.
Each sample contains a
representative sample of the
suspension, with the exception of
particles larger than a critical size, all
of which will have settled below the
level of the sampling point.
2. In the second method, the use of
the sedimentation balance, particles
settle on an immersed balance pan
which is continuously weighed. The
largest particles are deposited
preferentially and consequently the
rate of increase of weight falls off
progressively as particles settle out.
- Elutrication method is a reverse
sedimentation process in which the
particles are dispersed in an upward
flowing stream of fluid. All particles
with terminal falling velocities less
than the upward velocity of the fluid
will be carried away. A complete size
analysis can be obtained by using
successively higher fluid velocities.
- Permeability methods (>1 μm)
It depend on the fact that at low
flowrates the flow through a packed
bed is directly proportional to the
pressure difference
The proportionality constant being
proportional to the square of the
specific surface
(surface : volume ratio) of the
powder.
From this method it is possible to
obtain the diameter of the sphere
with the same specific surface as the
powder.
The reliability of the method is
dependent upon the care with which
the sample of powder is packed
Photoanalysis
Materials are analysed through
photoanalysis procedures.
It can be time-saving and accurate
taking a photo of a sample of the
materials to be measured and using
software to analyze the photo can
result in rapid.
Photoanalysis equipment and
software is currently being used in
mining, forestry and agricultural
industries worldwide.
Optical counting methods
-PSDs can be measured
microscopically by sizing against a
graticule and counting, but for a
statistically valid analysis, millions of
particles must be measured.
-Instead of this, automated analysis
of electron micrographs is now
commercially available.
Electrostatic counting methods
-momentary changes in the
conductivity of a liquid passing
through an orifice that take place
when individual non-conducting
particles pass through.
-The particle count is obtained by
counting pulses, and the size is
dependent on the size of each pulse.
-A particular advantage is that the
technique can generate a continuous
measurement for analyzing process
streams
Ultrasound Attenuation Spectroscopy
- It is also termed as acoustic
spectroscopy
-Instead of light, this method employs
ultrasound for collecting information on
the particles that are dispersed in fluid.
- dispersed particles absorb and
scatterultrasound similarly to light.
-Instead of measuring scattered energy
versus angle, measuring the
transmitted energy versus frequency is
a fruitful choice.
- The resulting ultrasound attenuation
frequency spectra are the raw data for
calculating particle size distribution.
- It can be measured for any fluid
system with no dilution or other sample
preparation.
Equipment list divided into following
categories
Particle sizing and characterization
Interface and surface charge charact
erization
Particle separation and modification
Viscosity characterization equipment
Various laboratory equipment
particle sizing and characterization
* nanometer to centimeter scale
* From dry powders to
sprays
* From perfect spheres to completely
irregularly shaped particles
* From very dilute to concentrated
samples
* From monodisperse standards to
polydisperse mixtures
The different techniques are:
Dynamic light scattering (DLS)
Static light scattering (SLS)
Image analysis (combined with
microscopy for small particles)
Centrifugal photo sedimentometry
Electrical sensing zone
Transition of time (TOT)
Centrifugal particle size analyzer
coulter counter
Galai
Mastersizer
Particle characterization
The simplest shape of a particle is the
sphere in that, because of its
symmetry.
Since the particle looks exactly the
same from whatever direction it is
viewed and behaves in the same
manner in a fluid, irrespective of its
orientation.
No other particle has this
characteristic.
Frequently, the size of a particle of
irregular shape is defined in terms of
the size of an equivalent sphere
Фs =( surface area of sphere of same
volume as particle)/(surface area of
particle)
Another method of indicating shape is
to use the factor by which the cube of
the size of the particle must be
multiplied to give the volume.
Before a size analysis can be carried
out, it is necessary to collect a
representative sample of the solids
Then to reduce this to the quantity
which is required for the chosen
method of analysis.
Mixed particle size and size analysis
In a sample of uniform particles of diameter
Dp the total volume of particles is m/(ρp)
where m and
m – mass of particle
ρp - density of particles .
Since volume of one particle is ρp no. of
particles in sample N is
N= m/ (ρp*Vp)
Total surface area of particles is
A= N*Sp = (6*m)/(Фs* ρp*Dp)
mass or number fraction in each
size increment as a function of
average particle size in the
increment.
An analysis tabulated in these way
is called a differential analysis.
The results are often presented as a
histogram.
A second way to present information
is through a cumulative analysis
obtained by adding, consequently,
the individual increments, starting
with the containing the smallest
particles and tabulating or plotting the
cumulative sums against the
maximum particle diameter in the
increment.
Specific surface of mixture:
If particle density ρp, and sphericity Фs are
known, the surface area of particles in each
fraction is calculated and the results for all
fractions added to give Aw, the specific
surface.
If ρp and Фs are constant, Aw is given by
Aw = {6/( Фs* ρp)}*Σ(Xi/Dpi)
Xi= mass fraction in a given increment
n= no. of increments
Dpi= average particle diameter
