What We Have Learnt & What We Don’t Know

Bulk Solids Handling

Ling Yin

Semester 1, 2009
 What We Have Done
• Online Learning
• Classroom Lectures
• Tutorials
• Lab Project
• Case Study
• Literature Review
• Site Visit
• Industrial Lectures
• Talks by Justin & David – Mission Not Finished
What We Have Known - Bulk Materials Handling
Basics Involved in Bulk Solids Handling

© McGlinchey
Micro-scale particle and macro-scale parameters
contribution to bulk powder bahaviour

© McGlinchey
 Particles

Properties
of Bulk
Solids

Jenike Shear Testing - Shear Stress vs Compressive Stress

 Particles
Wall

Jenike Testing
Wall Friction
 Hopper Design

Half-angle equations for

different hopper outlet
shapes are different!
 Hopper
Design

Pressure Profiles
Mechanical & Cohesive Arches

Rat-Hole
Mass & Funnel Flow
 Hopper Design for Mass-Flow Silos
• Criterion – Flow/no flow
• Designed Parameters – Critical hopper half-angle
& Minimum size of the outlet for mass flow
• Needed Information
Effective angle of friction
Flow function (FF)
Flow Factor (ff)
Angle of wall friction
 Summary of Mass-Flow Hopper Design
• Using a Jenike shear cell, develop a family of yield loci (3-
4) and present the information on a critical half-angle and
the minimum size of outlet for mass flow.
• For each individual yield locus:
(i) draw a Mohr semicircle passing through the origin and
tangent to the yield locus. Read off the unconfined yield
strength, σc, from the point of intersection of the Mohr
semicircle and the abscissa.
(ii) draw a Mohr semicircle passing through the last point
and tangent to the yield locus, and thus obtain the major
principal stress, σmc, this is the point of intersection of the
semicircle and the abscissa.
EYC – Family of yield loci
Effective with the tangential
angle of Mohr semicircles
internal for unconfined
friction. yield strength, σc,
and major principal
IYC – Internal stress, σmc.
angle of
friction.
• Obtain the flow function (FF) for the material by
plotting values of σc/σ
σmc.
• From the family of yield loci, draw the tangent line to
the second Mohr circle that passes through the
origin and measure its slope; the slope defines the
effective angle of internal friction, δ.
• Using the Jenike shear cell, measure the angle of
friction, ϕw.

Wall shear
stress-normal
stress plot.
• From the measured δ and ϕw, calculate the hopper half-
angle, α, required to ensure mass flow using proper
Equations for slot or conical hoppers. Alternatively, use
the appropriate chart for this evaluation.

δ Conical Slot
 • Calculate the flow factor (ff) for the hopper and the
material under the investigation using proper
equations. Alternatively, the appropriate chart may
be used for this purpose.

Conical Slot

Flow factor (ff) charts for axisymmetric (conical) and plane

(slot) mass-flow hoppers.
Determine both α and ff
based on ϕw and δ.
Note: δ = 50°°, conical
hopper.
• On the flow function (FF) plot, draw a straight line
passing through the origin with a slope of 1/ff. The
intersection of the two lines gives the critical
unconfined yield strength.
• Determine the value of the function H(α
α).
• Evaluate the minimum hopper opening for
mass flow using Equation

Tutorials 1 & 2 Q&A at LearnJCU

 Conveying

Basic elements for each system

Advantages & Disadvantages
Applications
 Pneumatic Conveyors

Basic pneumatic conveying system (Woodcock 1987)

 Basic Parameters for Design
• Conveying velocity and volumetric air flow rate
• Solid mass flow rate and solid loading ratio
• Pipe diameter
• Pressure drop

Tutorial 3 Q&A at JearnJCU

Designing from Available Test Data
• Scaling for conveying distance
Example – 1. Scaling for conveying distance

Pilot Figure –
Conveying
characteristics for
pulverized fuel
ash. Pipeline: 50
mm diameter, 100
m long (Woodcock
1987).
Figure 1
Conveying
characteristics
for pulverized
fuel ash.
Pipeline: 55
mm diameter,
150 m long
(Scale from
Pilot Figure)
(Woodcock
1987)
2. Scaling for pipe diameter
Figure 2
Conveying
characteristics
for pulverized
fuel ash.
Pipeline: 75
mm diameter,
150 m long
(scaled from
Pilot Figure
via Figure 1)
(Woodcock
1987).
 Air-assisted gravity conveying

Air-assisting gravity
conveying system
 Design Parameters
• Optimal slope of channels
• Conveying distance
• Width of conveying channels
• Air pressure & air velocity requirement
• Prediction of minimum fluidisation velocity

Tutorial 4 Q&A at JearnJCU

 Hydraulic Conveying

The essential elements of a hydraulic conveying system

 Important Parameters
• Shear stress
• Pressure drop
• Velocity distribution
• Power required

Tutorial 4 Q&A at JearnJCU

 Belt Conveying

The basic principle of belt conveying

 Belt Conveyor Design
• Tensions - Carry (max), Return (min), Effective, Sag
• Resistance – Main, Secondary, Special, Slope
• Calculation of Belt Conveyor Capacity
• Powers – Conveyors, motors

Tutorial 5 Q&A at JearnJCU

 Screw Conveyors

Screw conveyor system

 Design Parameters
• Ability to convey bulk solids without jamming
• Prediction of the rate of bulk solids transport
• Prediction of power required to rotate the screw

Tutorial 5 Q&A at JearnJCU

 Other Conveyors –
Vibratory Conveyors
 Other Conveyors –
Bucket Elevators

A typical bucket elevator

(Woodcock 1987).
 What We Don’t Know
• Drawbacks in classical bulk testing, including Jenike
testing
• Empirical equations (assumptions)
• Industrial Experience
• Industrial Standards
• Numerical Simulation
 Acknowledgements
• Zhongxiao Peng for setting-up online materials
• Warren O’Donnell for supervising the lab project
• Col Hooper & Chris Leonardi for guest lectures
• David Whittering for helping the site visit & the special talk
• Justin Thomas for the special talk
• Brett Ellacott for helping the site visit