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Mixing and Segregation in Powders
Mixing and Segregation in Powders
R. Hogg
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University1
Abstract
Mixing in powders generally results from relative motion of groups of particles convective
mixing or of individuals diffusive mixing. Segregation or demixing occurs when the motion of
individual particles is biased according to their particular characteristics size, shape, composition
etc. In the absence of such bias, individual motion invariably leads to homogenization of the mixture.
Relationships between mixing/segregation processes and the external and interpar ticle forces
responsible for causing or opposing relative motion are reviewed. Specific examples of mixing and
segregation in flow over surfaces, in rotating cylinders and other applications are described.
Keywords: Homogeneity, macromixing, micromixing, diffusive mixing, convective mixing, demixing, role of agita-
tion and shear, percolation, mixing and segregation in flow systems
Percent
over the surface until they become trapped in a sur- 40 Total
WeightPercent
40 Coarse
Coarse
face void. Since the finer material is more likely to
30
30
encounter a sufficiently large void, the result is that
Weight
coarse particles travel further down the slope and ac- 20
20
cumulate around the lower edges of the heap leaving
10
excess fines in the core. This effect has often been 10
Percent
WeightPercent
Coarse
Coarse
lead to segregation. In practice, however, material
20
is normally projected as a fairly dense, continuous 20
Weight
stream carr ying the adjacent air along with it. As
a result, aerodynamic drag acts on the stream as a 10
10
whole rather than on individual particles, thereby
minimizing the segregation effect. Obser vation of
0
segregation in such systems can probably be attrib- 0
0
0
10
10
20
20
30
30
40
40
50
50
60
60
uted to existing segregation, prior to projection. This Horizontal
Horizontal Displacement,
Displacement, cm
cm
effect was demonstrated by Augenstein19,20) and is Fig. 1 Distribution of trajectories for mixtures of coarse (30×40 US
illustrated in Fig. 1. Mixtures of coarse and fine par- mesh) and fine (70×100 US mesh) particles projected from in-
ticles projected from chute surfaces were collected clined chute surfaces. Data of Augenstein 19).
Transverse Mixing T
To r
ro
were estimated using the trajector y procedure de- Distance Along Surface, cm
0.4
results could be fitted using the same values of the
parameters D0 and α provides strong support for the Tracer Above
0.2 Tracer Below
applicability of Equation 6 to this system. It appears 0 cm
Richard Hogg
Richard Hogg is Professor Emeritus of Mineral Processing and GeoEnvironmental
Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. He received a B.Sc. from the Uni-
versity of Leeds and the M.S. and PhD degrees from the University of California
at Berkeley. Dr Hogg s research interests include fine particle processing, particle
characterization, and colloid and surface chemistry.