Effect of particle-wall interaction on triboelectric separation of fine particles in a turbulent flow

Triboelectric separation is an effective way to separate fine powders with particle sizes and densities in the same order of magnitude. Many relevant process variables influence the charging behaviour; however, the corresponding effects on the subsequent separation of particles remain unknown. To utilize triboelectric separation as a powerful tool for fine powder separation, process parameters such as the choice of contact wall materials in the charging region have to be investigated. We report for the first time the influence of the tube’s wall material, in which particle charging took place, on triboelectric separation of fine protein-starch mixtures. Different electrically insulating materials along the triboelectric series were tested. No significant influence of the wall material on the separation selectivity and efficiency was found. In addition, particle-wall interaction was inhibited using an experimental setup which allows to control the flow boundary-layer by blowing out air through the tube wall. Also the results obtained by this novel setup showed no significant differences compared to the setup with particle-wall interactions. Additionally, CFD simulations were used to confirm the absence of particle-wall interactions in the boundary-layer control setup. A variation of the boundary-layer thickness leads to a constriction of the particle-containing flow region in the centre of the pipe. Experiments show that this compression of the particle flow zone results in no further increase in selectivity and efficiency of separation. Thus, particle-particle interaction is the prevalent triboelectric charging mechanism of fine powders charged in a turbulent flow regime.