Solids Handling
Silo Design And Selection
There are a variety of reasons to consider the purchase of a new tank or silo1. As organizations grow, so does the need for increased storage capacity. Meanwhile, an old tank may become corroded or worn and require…
The Do’s and Don’ts Of Chute Design
The need to transfer bulk-solids materials from the outlet of a bin or from a conveyor, to a process, truck, or another bin is ubiquitous throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). Transferring material using equipment designed to mechanically…
Size Reduction Equipment
This improved planetary mill adds new safety features The premium line is a new generation of this firm's planetary mills for laboratory application (photo). Compared with traditional planetary mills, the premium line is said to provide 250% more…
Don’t Fall For Common Misconceptions
Myths and misconceptions become part of accepted practice if repeated often enough. They are propagated by lack of fundamental particle-technology knowledge and by certain commercial interests. The list of presented here is by no means exhaustive. We have,…
Weighing & feeding in the Spotlight
Making sure the correct amount of material is fed to a batch reactor, bag or storage bin is important to everyone in the chemical process industries (CPI). Because the CPI cover such a broad spectrum, manufacturers are faced…
Solid Tips for Project Success
Processes incorporating bulk solids handling are ubiquitous in the chemical process industries (CPI), including the chemical, petrochemical, polymer, biochemical, agricultural chemicals, paints/pigments, energy and power, pulp and paper, and pharmaceutical industries, to name a few. Studies conducted during…
Predicting Powder Flow Behavior – A New Approach
When faced with the complexity of predicting powder flow, it is tempting to reduce a material’s flow behavior to a single number or even a flow function. The method presented here, however, compiles a number of relevant parameters into a…
Will Mass Flow Solve All Your Segregation Problems?
Most chemical processes must produce products that are uniformly mixed. There have been many articles written about preventing particle segregation during bulk solids flow; and ensuring a mass flow pattern is a common suggestion. But mass flow alone is not…
Pneumatic Conveying: Before Stepping the Line, Look Into Air Extraction
Successively larger diameters downstream can raise problems. Physical removal of air is an attractive alternative In pneumatic conveying systems that operate under high positive pressure, it is common wisdom that as the downstream end is approached, the diameters of the…
Guidelines for Solids Storage, Feeding and Conveying
These observations and recommendations —reflecting decades of experience — can help operators avoid a lot of headaches and heartache when it comes to handling bulk solids Successful startup and operation of solids-handling processes depend on myriad small yet fateful decisions…