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Solids Processing

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Selection of Silos for Bulk Storage

To determine what kind of storage silo is best for your site and your materials, begin by answering the following five questions Selecting a silo for your bulk-solids storage needs isn’t like picking out a pair of socks. It’s a…

Biosludge Drying: System Design Schemes for the Sticky Phase

Drying biosludge from wastewater-treatment plants is complicated by the “sticky phase,” making the practice more of an art than a science. Discussed here are efforts to define the beginning and endpoints of this phase analytically The drying of biosludge from…

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Powder and Bulk Solids Handling: Particle Size and Distribution Analysis

The size and size distribution of particles are important determining factors in the design and operation of many process operations involving dry particles and powders. Follow this guidance to understand the impact of these key characteristics  Bulk solids are dry…

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Guarding Against Fires and Explosions Caused by Self-Heating

The two experimental methods presented here can be used to quantify powder self-heating hazards in layer and bulk conditions in industrial processes Bulk storage of heated powders and powder accumulations on hot surfaces or in heated environments can potentially lead…

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Powder Testing: Tips for Assessing Alternative Options

The advantages and limitations of three powder-testing techniques are reviewed here Powder testing is deployed to characterize products including pharmaceuticals, foods, metal powders, powder coatings and cement — at every stage of the product lifecycle. The resulting data-support product development…

Particle Impact Problems in Pneumatic Conveying

Pneumatically conveyed solid materials inevitably impact pipe walls and other particles, which can create processing and equipment problems. Provided here is an outline of potential problems related to particle impacts and the physics behind them Among the defining features of…

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Advances in Pin Mill Technology

Improvements provide finer grinding at lower energy costs compared to air-swept classifying mills that have long reigned supreme in particle-size-reduction efforts For decades, the ultimate performance in fine mechanical milling performance has been provided by the air-swept classifying mill (ASCM).…

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Dust Management in Bulk-Material-Handling Operations

Dust management can be divided into three main categories: prevention, containment and suppression. Understanding the key considerations for each can help bulk solids handlers arrive at an optimal dust control solution Dust management is an ongoing issue faced by virtually…

NFPA 652: Standardizing Combustible Dust Standards

The latest NFPA standard applies to many industry sectors, and aims to address the fragmented nature of the industry-specific standards currently in place On September 7, 2015, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA; Quincy, Mass.; www.nfpa.org) issued NFPA 652 (Standard…

Hopper Design Principles

When hoppers are designed without consideration of the actual materials being handled, problems inevitably arise. Follow this guidance to avoid common solids-handling issues, such as erratic flow and no flow Pivotal work on the development of the theory of bulk…