Characterising powder flow properties – the need for a multivariate approach

¹ Freeman Technology Ltd, Tewkesbury, UK
² ForS Instruments, Bailleau Pine, France

^* Corresponding author: tim.freeman@freemantech.co.uk

Published online: 30 June 2017

Abstract

Despite their widespread and well-established use, powders are challenging materials to work with, as evidenced by the common problems encountered during storage and processing, as well as in the quality and consistency of final products. The diverse range of unit operations used to handle and manipulate powders subject them to extremes of stress and flow regimes; from the high stress, static conditions present in hoppers to the dispersed, dynamic state of a fluidised bed dryer. It is therefore possible for a powder to behave a certain way in a given unit operation, but entirely differently in another. Many existing powder testing techniques don’t deliver the required information as the test conditions do not represent the conditions in the process. Modern powder rheometers generate process relevant data by accurately measuring dynamic flow, bulk and shear properties. This approach enables a powder’s response to aeration, consolidation, forced flow and changes in flow rate to be reliably quantified thereby simulating the conditions which a powder will be subjected to in process. This paper provides an introduction to powder rheology, including a comparison with traditional techniques, and uses case studies to demonstrate how powder rheology can be applied to optimise production processes and enhance product quality