Measurements and comparison of saltation and pickup velocities in wind tunnel

This work presents experimental results of the pickup velocity measurements for variety of particulate solids. The experiments were carried out in a horizontal wind tunnel. The influence of three initial arrangements of particle(s) on pickup velocity was investigated. Particle(s) were placed either on the bottom surface of the tunnel or on the horizontal layer of particles or the heaps of particles with various heights were created in the wind tunnel. A high-speed video camera was used to visualize the particle entrainment. However, the pickup velocity was defined in a qualitative manner by extrapolating the carried weight of particles as a function of air velocity. Comparison between the saltation velocity in dilute phase flow and the pickup velocity, both measured in the horizontal wind tunnel, provide an insight and guideline how the minimum operating air velocity in a pneumatic conveying line could be defined and determined.Authors would like to thank Mr. Rhye Hamey and Mr. Milorad Djomlija for their valuable comments and proofreading.