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PT Lectures 3-4

This document discusses particulate solids and particle characterization. It describes how particle size, distribution, and shape determine bulk powder properties. Both regular and irregular particle shapes are discussed. Common diameter measurement methods using microscopes are outlined. Particle properties like size, shape, density, and sphericity are characterized. Equivalent diameter is defined as the diameter of an equal volume sphere, and is used to calculate sphericity for irregular particles.

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25 views10 pages

PT Lectures 3-4

This document discusses particulate solids and particle characterization. It describes how particle size, distribution, and shape determine bulk powder properties. Both regular and irregular particle shapes are discussed. Common diameter measurement methods using microscopes are outlined. Particle properties like size, shape, density, and sphericity are characterized. Equivalent diameter is defined as the diameter of an equal volume sphere, and is used to calculate sphericity for irregular particles.

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Particulate Technology

(CHE-346)
Lectures 3-4: Particulate Solids

1
Fertilizer particles

Small particles Large particles


• Lower dust content
• Higher compressive strength
• Good fluidity
• Can be transported in bulk
• Not easy to break and agglomerate
• Suitable for mechanized fertilization
• More expensive
Properties of particulate solids

• The small particles are the most important from a


chemical engineering standpoint

• Particle size and size distribution determine the bulk


properties of the powder

• An understanding of the characteristics of masses of


particulate solids is necessary in
̶ designing processes
̶ equipment for dealing with streams containing such
solids
In many industrial applications and engineering
calculations:
̶ Regular-shaped particles can be accurately described by
giving the shape and a number of dimensions
̶ Real particles with shapes that require more than one
dimension to fully describe them and real powders with
particles in a range of sizes
̶ a single number will be required to characterize the
particle size of the powder
̶ we have to perform calculations using diameter, need to
describe the size of non-equidimensional particles and
shapes of irregular particles
Common diameters used in microscope analysis

• Use a microscope (image analyser) to view the particles


and measure their size by looking at a projection of the
shape of the particles
̶ Martin’s diameter: length of the line which bisects the
particle image
Common diameters used in microscope analysis (Cont’d)
̶ Feret’s diameter: distance between two tangents on
opposite sides of the particle

̶ Shear diameter: particle width obtained using an


image shearing device
Common diameters used in microscope analysis (Cont’d)
̶ Equivalent circle diameters: the projected area
diameter (diameter of circle with same area as the
projected area of the particle)
Characterization of solids particles

• Individual solid particles are characterized by their size,


shape, and density.

• Particles of homogeneous solids have the same density


as the bulk material.

• Particles obtained by breaking up a composite solid (e.g.


metal-bearing ore) have various densities, usually
different from the density of the bulk material.

• Size and shape are easily specified for regular particles,


such as spheres and cubes, but for irregular particles (e.g.
sand grains or mica flakes) the terms size and shape are
not so clear and must be arbitrarily defined.
Particles shape
• The shape of an individual particle is conveniently
expressed in terms of the sphericity (Ф𝑠 ) which is
independent of particle size.
• For a spherical particle of diameter Dp, Ф𝑠 = 1
• For a non-spherical particle, the sphericity is defined by
the relation
6𝑣𝑝
Ф𝑠 = … . (1)
𝐷𝑃 𝑠𝑝
• Where
• Dp = equivalent diameter or nominal diameter of particle
• sp = surface area of one particle
• vp = volume of one particle
Equivalent diameter
• Define as the diameter of a sphere of equal volume.
• “equal to the diameter of the equivalent sphere
having the same volume as the particle”
• Dp is usually taken to be the nominal size based on screen
analyses or microscopic examination.
• Surface area is found from adsorption measurements or
from the pressure drop in a bed of particles, and then Eq.
(1) is used to calculate Ф𝑠
• For many crushed materials Ф𝑠 , is between 0.6 and 0.8
• Sphericity of particles rounded by abrasion may be 0.95

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