Entrainment behaviour of high-density Geldart A powders with different shapes

Atomised and milled Ferrosilicon with average particle diameters of 38 and 50 µm respectively were fluidised with air at ambient conditions. The entrainment rate of the more spherical atomised particles was on average six times that of the irregularly shaped milled particles over the range of superficial velocities investigated. In an attempt to decouple the effect of particle size from shape, the bed was divided into theoretically isolated bins based on the distributions of particle sizes. This indicated that the atomised particles had a higher entrainment rate for particles smaller than approximately 25 µm whereas the opposite was true for particles greater than this size. None of the entrainment correlations investigated was able to predict the switch in entrainment behaviour as a function of particle sphericity and diameter. Furthermore, the traditional critical particle diameter associated with cohesive Geldart A particles was not observed for either of the two particle shapes. It is therefore concluded that neither the hydrodynamic nor Van der Waals forces acting on the particles can adequately explain the entrainment rate behaviour of differently shaped high-density Geldart A particles.     

气固流化床中颗粒的夹带和扬析特性

在内径0.5 m、总高6 m的流化床中对玻璃珠和白刚玉颗粒的夹带和扬析现象进行了实验研究,两种颗粒通过筛分配比得到不同粒径分布的实验物料,以0.25~0.76 m/s的速度分批进行流态化试验,考察了表观气速、床层物料粒径分布以及颗粒粒径对颗粒夹带和扬析速率的影响,得到了颗粒的扬析速率常数(Ki*)。实验结果表明,夹带量和扬析速率常数随着表观气速呈指数增加;扬析速率常数随着颗粒粒径减小先增加,达到一个临界粒径(dcrit)后,扬析速率常数会随着粒径减小趋于平缓或降低。提出了一组经验关联式,分别用于预测临界粒径两侧颗粒的扬析速率常数,关联式能很好地预测本工作实验条件下的数据,误差在30%以内,并且关联式能够对文献中的实验数据进行较好的预测,可以用于流化床装置的放大。     

Effect of particle and fluid properties on the pickup velocity of fine particles

Systems involving fluid-particle flows are a key component of many industrial processes, but they are not well-understood. One important parameter to consider when designing a conveying system is pickup velocity, the minimum fluid velocity required for particle entrainment. Many theoretical and experimental analyses have been performed to better understand pickup velocity, but there is little consistency with regard to system conditions, fluid properties, and particle characteristics, which makes comparisons between these studies very difficult. Although the proper design of many conveying systems requires the utilization of expressions that are applicable across a broad range of operating parameters, most expressions are system specific, which means that they are not extendable to other conditions. Also, there is currently an absence of a universal expression to predict particle entrainment in both gases and liquids.In this work, the pickup velocity of glass spheres, crushed glass, and stainless steel spheres in water has been measured for particles less than 450 μm. The effects of particle size, particle shape, and particle density are discussed and compared to the pickup velocity trends previously determined for similar gas-phase systems. In addition, the experimental data are used to assess an existing force balance model previously developed for gas-phase systems.     

Influence of particle size and particle/fluid combination on particulate fouling in heat exchangers

The influence of particle size on particulate fouling rates during convective sensible heat transfer to liquids has been investigated. Experiments have been carried out using aluminum oxide particles with nominal diameters ranging from 0.06 μm to 15 μm, suspended in an organic solvent for a wide range of concentrations. The observed influence of particle size on the asymptotic fouling resistance is compared with the predictions of the Watkinson–Epstein model. The results of this comparison suggest that, in addition to the changes of mass transfer coefficient with increasing particle size, reduced adhesion forces between particles and wall and increasing removal forces have to be considered as well. Additionally, the influence of different particle/fluid combinations was investigated. Experiments were performed with aluminum oxide particles suspended in isopropanol, isobutanol or water, and with kaolin particles suspended in water.     

Effect of blade angle and particle size on powder mixing performance in a rectangular box

This study focuses on the understanding of flow over a single blade and its impact on powder mixing. The Discrete or Distinct Element Method (DEM) is used and the flow of a single blade through a bed of a binary particle mixture is studied. Mixing performance with respect to a blade-rake angle and particle size is investigated using the Modified Generalized Mean Mixing Index (MGMMI) and the maximum mean instantaneous velocities. A wide range of angles and different loading scenarios of the binary particle mixture were studied. Velocity profiles for all these cases were computed, as well as the forces on particles and the blade. The results showed an inverse relation between the interparticle force and blade-rake angle. Systems with a higher number of larger particles experienced a higher interparticle force. Similar results were obtained for the blade force. The results for mixing efficiency showed that if the smaller particles are placed at the top this leads to a higher mixing performance. The mixing performance was highest for blade-rake angles that offered a maximal surface area or maximal resistance to the flow of particles, which occurred for blade-rake angles from 70° to 90°.     

Discrete particle simulation of agglomerate impact coalescence

This paper describes computer simulations of pendular state wet agglomerates undergoing pair-wise collisions. The simulation method is based upon a ‘soft’ discrete particle formulation. Each agglomerate comprised 1000 primary particles with the interparticle interactions modelled as the combination of the solid–solid contact forces and also the forces developed at discrete liquid bridges between neighbouring particles. For the range of collisional velocities implemented, the agglomerates invariably coalesced. The energy dissipated was associated primarily with the viscous resistance of the fluid and the interparticle friction rather than by liquid bridge bond rupture. The structure of the resultant coalesced agglomerate was highly disordered and depended on the impact velocity. As the impact velocity approached zero, the agglomerates behaved like two rigid bodies bonded together. When the impact velocity was increased, the size of the circumscribing sphere of the coalesced agglomerate decreased and reached a minimum value at a critical velocity above which an increase in the circumscribing sphere size occurred due to extensive flattening. An increase in the viscosity of the interstitial fluid resulted in an increase in the proportion of energy dissipated by viscous resistance and a decrease in the proportion dissipated due to interparticle friction. An increase in the fluid viscosity also resulted in an increase in the critical impact velocity at which the size of the circumscribing sphere of the coalesced agglomerate was a minimum.     

液速陡变时液固流化床中颗粒浓度的变化模型

在液速陡变时,分别考察了铅直管液固流化床内粒径为225 μm和511 μm的玻璃微珠的体积分数分布随时间变化的规律,发现大小颗粒在不同的液速变化幅度下都呈现出同样的体积分数变化趋势.联立颗粒速度和颗粒的连续方程式模拟颗粒的体积分数变化过程,建立了一个相对简单的颗粒体积分数变化的数学模型.在模型中,用定常状态的空隙率方程...     

The use of latex rubber-modified polystyrene as a model system for HIPS: Effect of particle size

The effect of particle size in high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) is difficult to determine because of a size polydispersity and changes in particle morphology during the HIPS synthesis process. In this study, poly(n-butyl acrylate) rubber core/polystyrene shell particles were made by emulsion polymerization methods such that the only difference was in particle diameter, which ranged from 0.4 to 6.2 μm. The latexes were subsequently incorporated into a polystyrene matrix to form a toughened composite that acted as a simple model for HIPS. Charpy impact energies (notched and unnotched) of the composites showed that there was no toughening for particle sizes less than 2μm in diameter. The optimal impact energy was obtained with particle diameters in the region of 2–3 μm at 8 wt % rubber loading. The results imply that craze stabilization is the most important aspect of the toughening process. A simple toughening model based on the crack opening displacement of craze breakdown between adjacent rubber particles is suggested, with interparticle distance as the most important variable. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

THE ELUTRIATION OF FINE AND COHESIVE PARTICLES FROM GAS FLUIDIZED BEDS

Experimental work on the entrainment of an FCC powder was carried out in 76  mm and 152  mm glass columns. Fluidization tests were carried out batchwise and continuously at velocities between 0·2 m/s and 0· 8 m/s. Non-cohesive fine powders and cohesive superfine powders were added to a coarse base FCC powder in proportions which ensured that the mixture remained within Geldart's Group A. The entrainment rale constant, K_i∞^*, is found to depend slightly on the fines concentration in the bed. Our work has confirmed that there is a critical particle size at which K_i∞^* no longer increases as particle size decreases, and may even decrease. Several mechanisms are postulated to explain this but from the experimental results it is concluded that interparticle adhesion forces between the very fine particles play an important role. An empirical correlation to predict K_i∞^*, below the point where levelling off occur is proposed.     

Pickup, critical and wind threshold velocities of particles

This work presents experimental results on pickup velocity measurements for a variety of particulate solids in gases and in liquids. Based on our previously published experimental results for pickup in gas flow in pipes a three-zone master-curve is defined by establishing simple relationships between modified Reynolds and Archimedes numbers. The zones are distinguished by cohesive forces (van der Waals): Zone I represents negligible cohesion forces, Zone II represents considerable cohesion forces that increase the required pickup velocity of individual particles, and Zone III represents significant cohesion forces that cause pickup of agglomerates. Previously published experiments by others encompassing about 121 measurements for a wide range of particle sizes, shapes and densities picked up by liquids, were added to our master-curve with excellent agreement. The cohesive forces did not affect the critical velocity in case of liquid-particle systems. Therefore, these experiments extend the line fitting the pickup velocity of big dry particles. In most cases, the critical shear velocity (reported for liquid-particle systems) had to be converted to the average pickup velocity. Furthermore, additional 16 measurements of pickup velocities (in air) conducted in big wind tunnels were added to the master-curve with excellent agreement. We can conclude that our simple master-curve is appropriate for threshold velocities defined in three fluid-particle systems with a maximum error of only ± 30%.     

磷矿颗粒流态化特性的实验研究

在高1 m、内径42mm的流化床中,对粒径54-600 μm、密度2 252-2 665 kg/m3的磷矿颗粒的流态化特性进行实验研究.实验结果表明:磷矿颗粒粒径和密度对磷矿颗粒流态化行为有较大影响,床层膨胀比随着磷矿颗粒粒径的增大而逐渐减小.当磷矿颗粒属于Geldart B类颗粒时,流化较好;而当颗粒平均粒径为82 ...     

Effects of particle size and color on photocuring performance of Si3N4 ceramic slurry by stereolithography

Due to high absorbance of UV light and low solid loading, the stereolithography-based additive manufacturing of gray-colored and dense Si₃N₄ ceramic is of significant difficulty and challenge. The effects of geometric properties of ceramic powders on the curing performance were investigated by studying the absorption difference of the Si₃N₄ ceramic particles with different colors and particle sizes and ultraviolet light. The results show that the transmission of ultraviolet light and curing performance of the darker Si₃N₄ ceramic slurry are much poor. Under the same particle size, the Si₃N₄ ceramic slurry using lighter particles presents the smaller scattering coefficient. The scattering coefficient (～202) of the gray powder with ～0.8 μm average particle size is the smallest. Under the same color, the larger the particle size, the smaller the scattering coefficient. The smallest scattering coefficient of the white powder with ～2.0 μm average particle size is ～110.     

High voidage fluidization — the prediction of particle and fluid velocities

A fluidized system in which there is a combination of small particle size, low density difference between solids and fluid, and high fluid viscosity is characterized by high voidage and a low value of interparticle fluid velocity. In a ‘flow-through’ reactor in which these conditions prevail it is possible to define the net upward velocities of the solids and fluid in a way which takes account of the size distribution of the solids, so that there is a unique upward velocity for each particle size. From this, the equilibrium particle size distribution in the reactor can be predicted.     

Parametric study of fine particle fluidization under mechanical vibration

Investigations into the effects of vibration on fluidization of fine particles (4.8-216 μm average in size) show that the fluidization quality of fine particles can be enhanced under mechanical vibration, leading to larger bed pressure drops at low superficial gas velocities and lower values of u_mf. The effectiveness of vibration on improving fluidization is strongly dependent on the properties (Geldart particle type, size-distribution and shape) of the primary particles used and the vibration parameters (frequency, amplitude and angle) applied. The possible roles of mechanical vibration in fine particle fluidization have been studied with respect to bed voidage, pressure drop, agglomeration, and tensile strength of particle bed. Vibration is found to significantly reduce both the average size and the segregation of agglomerates in the bed, thus improving the fluidization quality of cohesive particles. Also, vibration can dramatically reduce the tensile strength of the particle bed. Obviously, vibration is an effective means to overcome the interparticle forces of fine powders in fluidization and enhance their fluidization quality.     

Experimental study of particle trajectory in electrostatics powder coating process

Experimental studies of particle trajectory were conducted in an isolated Plexiglass coating booth. Polyester particles were injected with a Norsdon® electrostatics spray gun with a fixed distance from the gun to a grounded plate. Using a Dantec® Particle Dynamic Analyzer, the particle velocity and size distribution were measured simultaneously. The experimental results showed that the effect of electrostatics charging on the particle trajectory is strong in the close vicinity of the target, but can be neglected at locations away from the target. The influence on particle size and velocity profile due to the electric field between the charged particles and grounded target was weakened as more particles deposited on the target. When no charge is introduced on the coating powder, particle segregation is observed for particles larger than 100 μm. Particle gravitational settlement is noticed even near the gun tip. However, particle charging largely eliminates the segregation at a gun-to-target distance of 25 cm and helps break agglomerates formed in the spray system. The gun-to-target velocities of larger particles exhibited noticeable deviation from those of the flow field as the grounded target was approached. The study revealed that the onset of electrostatic coating is an important period that can affect the transfer efficiency and film thickness.     

The effects of air and particle density difference on segregation of powder mixtures during die filling

Segregation of mono-disperse binary mixtures with different particle densities during die filling in the presence of air was numerically analysed using a coupled discrete element method (DEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. Die filling with powders of different particle density ratios (i.e. the ratio of the heavy particles to the light particles) at various shoe speeds was simulated, in order to explore the effects of air and particle density difference on segregation. For die filling from a stationary shoe, the air can induce significant segregation by hindering the deposition of light particles (i.e., air-sensitive particles). As the particle density ratio increases, the light particles are deposited into the die at even lower speeds compared with the heavy ones due to the effect of air drag, resulting in an increase in the degree of segregation. For die filling with a moving shoe, segregation occurs due to different post-collisional velocities resulting from different particle inertia; and the degree of segregation increases as the particle density ratio increases due to the increasing difference in particle inertia. It is found that, as the shoe velocity increases, the powder flow pattern changes from nose flow dominated to bulk flow dominated and the degree of segregation generally decreases. The effect of air is limited for nose flow dominated die filling because the air can easily evacuate through the gap between the die walls and flowing powder stream. When bulk flow dominates in die filling, the air can be entrapped in the die, which has a significant impact on the powder flow and segregation behaviours. Finally, the effect of interparticle friction on segregation was investigated.     

Influence of particle size distribution on rheology and particle packing of silica-based suspensions

The effect of particle size, particle size distribution and milling time on the rheological behaviour and particle packing of silica suspensions was investigated using slurries containing total solids loading of 46 vol.%. Three silica powders with different average particle sizes (2.2, 6.5 and 19 μm), derived from dry milling of sand, and a colloidal fumed silica powder with 0.07 μm were used. Different proportions of colloidal fumed silica powder were added to each of the coarser silica powders and the mixtures were ball-milled for different time periods. The influence of these factors and of the particle size ratio on the rheological behaviour of the suspensions and densities of green slip cast bodies was studied.The results show that the flow properties of slips are strongly influenced by the particle size distribution. The viscosity of suspensions increases with the addition of fine particles, imposing some practical limitations in terms of volume fraction of fines that can be added. On the other hand, increasing the size ratio enhanced the shear thinning character of the suspensions, while decreasing the size ratio led to an accentuation of the shear thickening behaviour. For all mixed suspensions, green densities increased with increasing milling time, due to size reduction of silica powders and a more efficient deagglomeration of fumed silica. Increasing amounts of fumed silica led to a first increase of particle packing up to a maximum, followed by a decreasing trend for further additions. Good relationships could be observed between rheological results and packing densities.     

Cohesive strength of alumina powder compacts

In order to characterize the nature of the interparticle forces that causes particle agglomeration in submicron size alumina particles, eight commercial alumina powders were investigated. Since the strength of the agglomerates depends upon the interparticle forces and the packing density of the particles the Hartley model which relates the tensile strength, packing density of a powder compact, to the interparticle force has been applied. The present experimental results suggest that in the absence of any electrostatic forces (either force of attraction or repulsion between particles) van der Waals force is responsible for the agglomeration of alumina particles.     

Model filled rubber. VI: Dynamic property dependence on filler particle size of rubber compounds during curing

The effect of particle size on curing kinetics and dynamic properties was examined with model filled rubber compounds containing monodisperse size crosslinked polystyrene (PS) particles synthesized from emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization. In the process of curing, the magnitude of the dynamic moduli increased and the gelation time (GP) decreased as PS particle diameter decreased from 1.25 to 0.315 μm. GP was 5.5 hours for the pure matrix, 13 minutes for the composite containing 0.315 μ.m particles, 1.4 hours for 0.688 μm particles and more than 2 hours for 1.25 μm particles. We propose that in PS particle filled systems, the ability to form clusters was due to interparticle dispersive interactions which increase with decreasing particle size. The particle clusters function as physical crosslinks, so that the overall crosslink density was significantly enhanced. Rheologically, the dynamic moduli and gelation rate were increased with decreasing particle diameter.     

Multiscale Lattice–Boltzmann Approach for Electrophoretic Particle Deposition

In this work, a gas-particle flow over a structured sensor surface is numerically investigated. A system of parallel electrodes with an applied voltage is distributed on top of a nonconducting flat surface. The considered submicron particles (size range 25–200 nm) are electrically charged. The simulation takes into account the interaction between particle motion, fluid flow and electrical field causing the particles to deposit on the surface. As a result, dendrite microstructures of particles start growing on the electrode surface. To model these effects in detail the numerical simulations are carried out on a mesh with very high resolution of up to Δx = 0.5 μm. The fluid-flow is calculated with the Lattice–Boltzmann method incorporating automatic local grid refinement. The Laplacian equation describing the electrical field is solved by a finite-difference-scheme. The particle movement is calculated by the Lagrangian point-particle approach, accounting for drag force, Brownian motion, and Coulomb forces. Results of particle transport and dynamics of particle deposition are presented for different applied voltage, electrode configurations, flow velocities, and particle sizes.