T7

Q3. Discuss the various handling characteristics associated with bulk cargoes.

Bulk materials are loose rather than in packaged form and are handled by pumps, shovel
devices, conveyor belts, or the mere force of gravity. One handling characteristic for bulk
materials is density, and this can affect the amount of product that can be loaded onto a
transport vehicle. A material’s angle of repose is the size of angle that would be formed by
the side of a conical stack of that material; the greater the angle, the higher the pile of
material that can be placed on a specific land area. Bulk liquids have unique handling
characteristics and their resistance to flow is measured as viscosity, which can be lowered by
increasing the temperature of a liquid. Gases have unique handling properties, although most
of them are handled within completely enclosed pipeline systems.