Properties of

Particulate Solids
Presented by:-
Dhaval N. Yadav
Lecturer (GES CL II),
Chemical Engineering Department,
Shri K. J. Polytechnic, Bharuch
Topics to be Covered

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• Unit operation and Unit process

• Properties of solids and its Calculation : 07 Hours;

09 Marks
• Particle density , Bulk Density,

• Sphericity, Equivalent Diameter,

• Specific surface area , Volume surface mean diameter

• Mass mean diameter , Shape Factor

2
Role of Engineer
• Create finished products from naturally/ synthesized raw

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materials which can earn money and benefit the society
at large .

• Create the best from the waste.

ex. Extraction of metal from ores (Natural products),

Production of Petrol and Diesel from Crude Oil,

Use of Synthesized Zeolite for water purification,

3
Chemical Engineering
• The American Institute of Chemical Engineering defines

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“Chemical Engineering is the profession in which the
knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and other natural
sciences, gained by study, experience and practise is applied
with judgement to develop economic ways of using materials
and energy for the benefit of mankind.”

• It is defined as branch of science and engineering which is

concerned with the design and operation of industrial
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chemical plants .
Role of Chemical Engineer
• Design, develop and engineer the process and

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equipment used.

• Selection of raw materials, type of reactor/equipment

etc

• Ensure safety of the chemical plant and workers

• Ensure the product quality and maintain standards

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6

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 Upstream Reaction : Downstream
Processing : Converting Processing :
Pre processing of processed raw Post processing
raw materials materials into of products
products

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Finished
Raw Materials Products
Chemical
Industry Physical and
Physical Changes
Chemical Change
Chemical 7

Changes
Upstream Processing
• First and primary step in any chemical industry.

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• It is concerned with the pre processing of raw materials.
It includes all physical process like:

Separation of raw material according to their size, shape,

quality etc

Preparing (size reduction, washing, drying, mixing

filtration etc.) the raw material to be fed to the chemical
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plant
Chemical Reaction
• Comes after the upstream processing and before

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downstream processing.

• It is this phase in which the processed raw materials are

converted into desired products.

• It includes both physical as well as a chemical change in

the raw material.

Ex. Suplphonation, oxidation, nitration, polymerization

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etc
Downstream Processing
• Last but very much essential step in any chemical

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industry.

• It is concerned with the post processing of finished

products. It includes physical process change like :

Separation of product obtained from the by product, un

reacted/excess chemicals, Purification, Drying of
obtained product etc using various operations like
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distillation, evaporation, extraction, settling, etc
 Unit Operations
• Major physical changes occur which are useful to chemical

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industries are known as unit operation.

• Unit operations are to be done to set up the condition to carry

out chemical changes.

Fluid Flow Operations Fluids transportation, filtration, solids

fluidization
Heat Transfer Process Evaporation, condensation
Mass Transfer Process Gas absorption, distillation, extraction,
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adsorption, drying
Thermodynamic Gas liquefaction, refrigeration

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processes

Mechanical Solid transportation, Crushing,

processes Pulverization, Screening

Combination Mixing

Separation Distillation, Extraction

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Unit Process
• Useful chemical transformations with or without physical

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changes occurs in the chemical industries are called as
unit process.

Ex. halogenations, oxidation, reduction, alkylation and

acylation etc.

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Mechanical Operations
• It is defined as branch of science and

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engineering dealing with the study of particles
(solids), its characterization, handling,
processing, conversion and use of solid both in
wet and dry form and size ranging from microns
to centimetres.
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Size Chart

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 Mechanical Unit
Operation

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Solid-Solid Solid-Fluid
Operations Operation
Filtration,
Size Reduction,
Sedimentation,
Screening, Storage,
Flotation, Cyclone 16
Transportation etc
Separation etc
Unit Operation
• Most of the unit operations aim at :

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Separation of solids from fluid/suspension : Flirtation
Separation of solids from solids on basis of size : Screening
Separation of solids from wide size distribution of solids
based on size by Gravity Settling
Separation of solid from fluid using Centrifugal Force,
Solubility etc
Separation of immiscible liquids using Centrifugal Force or
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Decantation
Properties of Solids
• Size, Shape, Hardness, Fragile

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• Particle Density, Bulk Density

• Surface Characteristics (smooth, rough, porous, non

porous etc)

• Sphericity, Equivalent Diameter, Specific surface area ,

Volume surface mean diameter , Mass mean diameter ,
Shape Factor
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Properties of Solids
• Density

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It is defined as mass per unit volume.

Homogenous solid mixture have the same density as bulk

material. Particles obtained by size reduction of a composite
material, may have different density from the bulk material.
Ex. Metal extracted from Ore

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Properties of Solids
• Hardness

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It is defined as the resistance of solid from breakage/wear and
tear.
• Fragile
It determines how easily a substance can be broken when
exposed to force of impact. Ex. Coal is both soft as well as
fragile, but Gypsum is soft and not fragile.

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Characterization of Solid
Particle

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Size Shape Density

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Particle Size, Shape, Area??
FEED PRODUCT

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Particle Size
REGULAR SIZED PARTICLE IRREGULAR SIZED PARTICLE

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?
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Particle Size
1. Maximum Linear Dimension

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2. Minimum Linear Dimension

3. Bisecting Line Dimension

4. Equivalent Diameter

Best method is representing the particle

in terms of Equivalent Diameter

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Particle Size
• Solids when subjected to size reduction yields a wide range of

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particle size distribution .

• The term “size” of crushed material or powder or particulate

material is very relative.

FEED PRODUCT

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Particle Size
• It is used to classify the crushed material or powder or

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particulate material

Particulate
Material

Fine Medium Coarse

(screen/mesh no) (in between) (cms)

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 19-07-2020
27
Taken from Lecture 2 Particle Size, Mechanical UnitOperations, Prof Nanda Kishore ,
IIT, Guwhati
 Diameter Definition
Surface Diameter Diameter of sphere having the same surface
(ds) area as of a sphere.

Surface Volume Diameter of sphere having the same surface

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Diameter (dsv) to volume ratio as the particle.

Volume Surface Diameter of sphere having the same volume

Diameter (dvs) to surface ratio as the particle.

Volume Diameter Diameter of sphere having the same volume

(dv) as the particle.

Mass Diameter Diameter of sphere having the same mass

(dm) as the particle. 28
Steps to calculate the Volume
Equivalent Diameter
STEPS :

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1. Write down the formulae for volume of a given particle
shape.

2. Write down the formulae for volume of a sphere.

3. Equate both the volumes and determine the volume

equivalent diameter of given particle.

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• Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of short
cylinder such that its length is equal to its diameter.

• Solution:

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Particle Volume of Volume of
Shape Particle Sphere
Short
πr2L =
Cylinder [πDp3]/6
[πD3]/4
( L =D)

Equivalent
Diameter
(Dp)
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1.7147 D
• Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of short cube
such that its length is equal to its diameter.

• Solution:

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Particle Volume of Volume of Equivalent
Shape Particle Sphere Diameter
(Dp)
Short cube
D3 [πDp3]/6 1.2407 D
( L =D)

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• Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of
hemisphere.

• Solution:

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Particle Volume of Volume of Equivalent
Shape Particle Sphere Diameter
(Dp)

Hemisphere [πD3]/12 [πDp3]/6 0.7937 D

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Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of Octahedron.

• Solution:

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Particle Volume of Volume of Equivalent
Shape Particle Sphere Diameter
(Dp)

Octahedron [20.5 x S]/3 [πDp3]/6 0.9656 S

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Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of Rectangular
Prism of sides (a, b, c) such that (b=a), (c=2a).

• Solution:

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Particle Volume of Volume of Equivalent
Shape Particle Sphere Diameter
(Dp)

= (a x b x c)
Prism [πDp3]/6 1.5631 a
= 2a3

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 Calculate the Volume Equivalent Diameter of Rasching
Rings such that (L = Do, Di = 0.5Do)

• Solution:

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Particle Shape Volume of Volume of Equivalent
Particle Sphere Diameter (Dp)

Rasching
[πDp3]/6 1.400 Do
Rings

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 Diameters

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36
Taken from Lecture 3 Particle Size, Mechanical UnitOperations, Prof NandaKishore ,
IIT, Guwhati
Particle Shape
• The shape of individual (each) particle obtained after size
reduction is conveniently expressed in terms of Sphericity Φs.

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• It is defined as ratio of surface area of sphere of same volume

as particle dived by surface area of particle.

• The surface area of sphere is given as πDp2

• The volume of sphere is given as πDp3/6

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 𝝅𝑫𝟐𝒑
𝝅𝑫𝟑𝒑

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𝟔
𝝋= 𝒔𝒑
𝒗𝒑

Diameter of Sphere
of Same Volume
vp is the volume of one particle

Dp is the equivalent diameter of one particle

sp is the surface area of one particle 38

 Material Sphericity Material Sphericity
Spheres, cubes, 1.0 Ottawa Sand 0.95
short cylinders

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Rasching Rings Rounded Sand 0.83
L=Do, Di = 0.5Do 0.60
L=Do, Di = 0.75Do 0.33

Berl Saddles 0.3 Coal Dust 0.73

Crushed Glass 0.65 Flint Sand 0.65

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Mica Flakes 0.28

Mixed Particle Size and Analysis

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Let,
m Total Mass of Sample
N Number of particles in sample size
ρp Density of Particle
Dp Uniform Particle Size Diameter
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vp Volume of Individual Particle
N Sample Size
• For a sample size (N) consisting of equal sized particles of
Diameter (Dp):

• The Total Volume of particle is given as :

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• Since volume of one particle is vp, The Total Number Of
Particles is calculated as

• If the surface area of one particle is sp, the Total Surface Area
Of Particles in sample size N is calculated as
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• Equation (4) represents the total surface area (A) of particles in
a particular sample size (N).

• The Specific surface area (Aw) of all particles in different sample

size i.e. N1, N2, N3...Nn is sum of individual total surface area(s)

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i.e. A1, A2, A3...An

: average particle diameter taken as arithmetic average of

smallest and largest particle diameters in increment
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Volume Surface Mean Diameter
• The most preferred method for expressing average particle

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size. It is given as

• Substituting value of Aw from Equation (6) in (7) we get

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Other Mean Diameters
• The Arithmetic Mean Diameter is calculated as

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• The Mass Mean Diameter is calculated as

• The Volume Mean Diameter is calculated as

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Number of Particles in a Mixture
• For a given sample size, the volume of any particle in a

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mixture is directly proportional to the cube of its volume.

• Then using equation (3) the total number of particles in a

mixture is calculated as

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a is the Shape Factor
Steps to Calculate the Sphericity
of Particle
STEPS :

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1. Write down the formulae for volume of a given particle shape. (vp)

2. Write down the formulae for volume of a sphere.

3. Equate both the volumes and determine the volume equivalent
diameter of given particle (Dp).

4. Write down formulae for surface area of particle (sp).

5. Calculate the sphericity using the following equation

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 Calculate the sphericity of a given sphere of Diameter (D)

• Solution:

Volume of [πD3]/4 [πD3]/4

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Particle (vp)
Surface Area of πD2 πD2
Particle (sp)

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) Dp = D

Sphericity (Φs) 1.0 47

 • Calculate the sphericity of a given sphere of short
cylinder such that its length is equal to its diameter.

• Solution:
Volume of

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= [πr2L] = [πD3/4]
Particle (vp)

Surface Area of
= 2πr(L+r) = [3πD2/2]
Particle (sp)

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) 1.1447D

Sphericity (Φs) 0.874

 • Calculate the sphericity of a given of short cube such
that its length is equal to its diameter.

• Solution:
Volume of [πD3]/4 [πD3]/4

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Particle (vp)
Surface Area of 6D2 6D2
Particle (sp)

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) 1.2407 D

Sphericity (Φs) 0.806 49

 • Calculate the sphericity of a given of hemisphere.

Volume of [πDp3]/12 [πDp3]/12

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Particle (vp)
Surface Area of 3πD2/4 3πD2/4
Particle (sp)

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) 0.7937 D

Sphericity (Φs) 0.840 50

 • Calculate the sphericity of Rectangular Prism of sides (a,
b, c) such that (b=a), (c=2a).

• Solution:
Volume of = (a x b x c) = 2a3

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Particle (vp)
Surface Area of 2ab + 2bc + 2ca = 2a3
Particle (sp)

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) 1.5631 a

Sphericity (Φs) 0.767 51

 Calculate the sphericity of Rasching Rings such that (L =
Do, Di = 0.5Do)

Volume of = [πDo2L/4]-[πDi2L/4] = 0.1875πDo3

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Particle (vp)
Surface Area of =[πDiL] + [πDoL] + = 1.875πDo2
Particle (sp) 2[(πDo2L/4)-(πDi2L/4)]

Volume of Sphere [πDp3]/6

Equivalent Diameter (Dp) 1.400 Do

Sphericity (Φs) 0.577 52

 19-07-2020
53
Taken from Lecture 3 Particle Size, Mechanical UnitOperations, Prof Nanda Kishore ,
IIT, Guwhati
References
• McCabe, Warren L., and Julian C. Smith. 1967, Unit Operations of

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Chemical Engineering, New York: McGraw-Hill.

• Gavhane K. A. 2015, Unit Operations -1, Nirali Prakashan, Pune

India.

• Dr. Shabina Khanam , “Mechanical Operations”, NPTEL Chemical

Engineering, 25 Sept 2016, https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103107123/

• Prof Nanda Kishore, “Mechanical Unit Operations”, NPTEL Chemical

Engineering, 27 May 2019,
https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103/103/103103155/ 54