Review on testers for measuring flow properties of bulk solids

 The author was asked by the International Fine Particle Research Institue (IFPRI) to write a critical review on shear testers for IFPRI-members. The review was delivered to IFPRI in summer 1999. Following the contract with IFPRI it was not allowed to publish the review elsewhere for at least two years. Granular Matter invited the author to submit the review in the original form; during the refereeing process (besides other changes) it turned out that some remarks should be added here for clarification: - Since 1999, the author is not aware of a really new device for testing bulk solid properties, which could lead to a change of the general comments and conclusions provided in the review. It was argued, that the review is referring too much to the work of Jenike, while the works of Johanson and Peschl were not adequately cited. Both are excellent engineers with a lot of experience, but their basic ideas are not available in published form, and if, they are not set in relation to alternative approaches so that an objective comparison in detail would be a future research issue rather than a topic in this report. A discussion on the influence of electrostatic charges was missing. There hardly is an influence, since the particles are in continuous contact. Only with non-conducting plastic particles electrostatic charges could cause problems. But no relevant experiments and results are known. In closed systems, the effect of electric charges is thus mainly neglected, but it is clear that electrostatic forces are eminent in flows with a free surface – an issue not addressed in this review. Received: 1 November 2002     

Flow dynamics or ‘quaking’ in gravity discharge from silos

This paper reviews the characteristics of pulsating or cyclic flow of bulk solids during gravity discharge in bins and silos. The dynamic load phenomenon is often referred to as “silo quaking” and is influenced by various factors related to the type of flow pattern developed in the bin and the flow properties of the bulk material. Of particular relevance is the influence of ‘slip-stick’ during shear flow, and the velocity at critical sections in the silo during discharge. An overview of recent and current research on this subject is presented.     

Simulation of Temperature Distribution in Stored Wheat without Aeration

A neural-deterministic simulation model applied for calculating distributions of temperatures and moisture content in a bed of wheat stored in a steel silo without aeration is presented in the article. The model consists of differential equations of heat and moisture transfer, initial and boundary conditions, and three artificial neural networks used during simulated ambient air conditions. Experiments and computer simulations were carried out in order to determine temperature fields in wheat grain stored in a steel silo for two months. The computer simulations were carried using MATLAB and FEMLAB software. The difference between measured and simulated temperature in grain near the silo wall at a height of 2.5 m from the bottom was less than 3.0°C. On the basis of the analysis performed it was concluded that the temperature distributions obtained with the model were consistent with the measured results obtained for grain stored in a steel silo without aeration.     

Silo music and silo quake: granular flow-induced vibration

Acceleration and sound measurements during granular discharge from silos are used to show that silo music is a sound resonance produced by silo quake. In tall and narrow silos, the latter is produced by stick-slip friction between the wall and the granular material. For the discharge rates studied, the occurrence of flow pulsations is determined primarily by the surface properties of the granular material and the silo wall. The measurements show that the pulsating motion of the granular material drives the oscillatory motion of the silo.     

火电厂贮煤筒仓安全监测系统的研究与设计

文中介绍了某3×135MW煤矸石综合利用电厂贮煤筒仓安全监测系统。系统采用研华IPO610工控机为上位机,通过传感器对筒仓内贮煤温度、一氧化碳、可燃气体、烟雾及煤位等参数进行在线监测,软件系统采用力控ForceControl2.61组态软件制作人机界面。文中对系统的功能、硬件配置和软件编写进行了讨论,分析了各I/O模块的功能,并给出了流程框图。该系统具有较好的实用性和稳定性,并已成功的运用在实际生产中,对防止贮煤筒仓事故、实现输煤系统安全运行有一定参考意义。     

Numerical Calculations of Wall Pressures and Stresses in Steel Cylindrical Silos with Concentric and Eccentric Hoppers

This article presents finite element (FE) calculations of stresses in a silo structure caused by the loads exerted by the discharging material. Two different conical hoppers were studied, concentric and eccentric withdrawal. The eccentricity was introduced by the change of the outlet position towards one side of the hopper, and the influence of this modification is presented. The simulation of silo flow with the common Drucker-Prager model for bulk solids was performed in order to obtain the wall pressure distribution. All FE calculations are carried out with aid of the commercial software ABAQUS. Significant differences are found in the hopper-wall stresses between the concentric and eccentric cases. Strong bending actions appear in the eccentric hopper, and they are influenced by stiffness of the hopper/cylinder junction.     

Hermetic storage for control of common bean weevil,Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)

This study evaluated hermetic storage as a method of controlling Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) in stored beans. Recently harvested “vermelhinho” cultivar of the common red bean was used, which had already been infested by A. obtectus in the field. Beans with a moisture content of 15.0% wet basis were stored in silo bags (3 kg), plastic bottles (1.5 L), or non-hermetic glass containers (3 L) (control) for 120 days. The packages were stored in an acclimatized chamber at 25 °C with a relative humidity of 70 ± 5%. At time intervals of 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days, three packages of each treatment were opened, and analyses were performed to assess the infestation percentage by insect pests, moisture content, density, electrical conductivity, germination percentage, and cooking time. There was no increase in infestation by A. obtectus in the grains stored in the silo bags and plastic bottles during the 120 days of storage; however, there was a significant increase in infestation in the grains in non-hermetic storage (control). The quality of the beans correlated with infestation; it was not altered in the hermetic storage systems and decreased in the control sample. Hermetic storage of common beans is an effective tool in the control of A. obtectus.     

坎儿井暗渠和竖井防护措施及施工技术

坎儿井是一项古老的地下水利工程设施和人类宝贵的文化遗产,但由于大部分坎儿井未采取有效的防护措施,致使坎儿井暗渠、竖井坍塌淤堵,进而正面临着急速干涸以至消亡的境地。本文通过分析坎儿井运行管理方面存在的问题,结合当地已取得的一些成功经验,提出了今后坎儿井暗渠和竖井防护加固的改进对策和建议。