ChE-205 Particle Size Analysis

ChE-205 Particle Technology
Characteristics of particulate materials
Saeed GUL, PhD

Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar, PAKISTAN
 Of all the shapes and sizes that may be found in solids, the
most important from a chemical engineering standpoint is the
small particle
 An understanding of the characteristics of masses of
particulate solids is necessary in designing processes and
equipment for dealing with streams containing such solids
Individual solid particles are characterized by their size, shape,

and density
Density
 Particles of homogeneous solids have the same density as the
bulk material
 Particles obtained by breaking up a composite solid, such as a
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
Shapes Sphere Cylinder Cone Cube Cuboid
Dimensions Radius Side Length Radius and Side Length Three side
Height lengths
For irregular particles ( such as sand
grains or piece of broken glass) the
terms size and shape are not so clear
and must be arbitrarily defined
 The shape of an individual particle is conveniently expressed in
terms of the sphericity Φs, which is independent of particle size
 For a spherical particle of diameter Dp, Φs = 1
 For irregular particle:
( S S / VS )
φS =
( S P / VP )
(Why Sphere)
 It’s a regular shape
 Only one parameter is needed to define more
 Because of its symmetry
 Any question of orientation does not have to
be considered
Some of the important sizes of equivalent spheres
 The sphere of the same volume as the particle.
 The sphere of the same surface area as the particle.
 The sphere of the same surface area per unit volume as
the particle.
Surface area of sphere = 4πr2 (Sphericity of miscellaneous materials)
As r = d/2
Surface area of sphere = πd2
4𝜋𝜋𝑟𝑟 3
Volume of sphere =
3
As r = d/2
𝜋𝜋𝑑𝑑 3
Volume of sphere =
6
𝜋𝜋𝑑𝑑 2 6
Surface to volume ration of Sphere: SS/VS = 𝜋𝜋𝑑𝑑3 =
𝑑𝑑
6
( S S / VS ) (6 / d s ) 6𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝
φS = φS = =
( S P / VP ) ( S P / VP ) 𝑠𝑠𝑝𝑝 𝑑𝑑𝑠𝑠
A Single Particle
McGraw Hill’s Dictionary of scientific and technical terms defines a
particle as “any relatively small subdivision of matter, ranging in
diameter from few angstroms to a few millimeters”
Particles that one wishes to measure for size may be composed of

organic and inorganic molecules; they may be molecularly
homogeneous or inhomogeneous; they may be in solid or liquid
state; they may be of any shape; and may be suspended in various
media.
So according to their nature; according to their shape; according to

their composition the measuring technique differs.
Particle Size
why to measure the particle size
 The particle size is important as it affects properties such as
surface area per unit volume
 particle size affects the property which are directly related
with the success and failure of the product. So therefore it is
important to measure the particle size
Particle are three dimensional objects, its three
dimension like length, breadth, and height
should be measured to describe it completely.
Impossible to describe a particle using a single number
Most sizing techniques therefore assume that the
material being measured is sphere
Particle Size
Now if all fine particles to be considered as a sphere, their size
would be defined exactly by their diameter or radius only
if the particle are of cubical shape the length along one edge would
be the characteristic, if of some other regular shape another
equally appropriate dimension could be chosen.
However in actual , particles are quite irregular in geometry. And if

we define all three dimension of this it will be very time consuming.
The area occupied by the particle is determined by counting the

number of pixels that represent the particle and then calculating
the diameter of the particle assuming a circular shape. The
example shows how a digital image analyzer would sample the
particle.
The Particle Diameter
The term particle diameter as a quantitative measure of particle
size should be used with caution
The term diameter would be well

representative of a spherical
particle, but real powder tend to be
more irregular in shape with the
distribution of sizes and thus
diameter may be interpreted
differently by numerous operators.
So according to the property we can define the diameter of a

particle while equating this to the sphere.
Equivalent Diameters
So you can see there is only one particle and how many ways we can
define the particle diameter.
So it particularly depend on for what purpose we are using, what
property we are using to equate the particle with the sphere
Surface Diameter Diameter of a sphere having same surface area

dS as the particle
Surface-Vol diameter Diameter of a sphere having same surface to
dsv volume ratio as the particle
Volume Surface diameter Diameter of sphere having same volume to
dvs surface ratio as the particle
sieve diameter Diameter of a sphere equivalent to the size of
dsieve minimum square aperture through which the
particle will pass
Particle Size
Martin 1931 define the size of an irregular
particle as the length of line bisecting the
maximum cross-sectional area of the
particle.
Ferets diameter if particle is projected to its
maximum cross-sectional area the length
between the longest edges of the particle is
basically called the Ferets diameter.
So if I consider martins diameter and ferrets
diameter they both have been defined
based on the maximum cross-sectional area
to be the projected area.
Process in which Controlling Representative

particle is involved Characteristics Equivalent Diameter
Catalysis Surface area Surface diameter (dS)
Gravitational Free Mass of particle (or Volume diameter (dV)
settling for a given density, its
volume)
Dynamics of gas Volume of drop or volume surface
bubbles in a liquid or bubble and surface diameter (dVS) or
that of liquid drops in area (the interfacial Souter Diameter
a liquid or gas tension at the gas-
liquid or liquid-liquid
interface)
Measurement of particle size
 Sieving (>50 μm)

 Microscopic analysis (1–100 μm)
 Sedimentation and elutriation methods (>1 μm)
 Permeability methods (>1 μm)
Sieving (>50 μm)
 Sieve analysis may be carried out using a nest of sieves,
each lower sieve being of smaller aperture size.
 Generally, sieve series are arranged so that the ratio of
aperture sizes on consecutive sieves is 2, 21/2 or 21/4
according to the closeness of sizing that is required.
 The sieves may either be mounted on a vibrator, or
may be hand shaken.
Round and rectangular sieve openings

 There are several standard series of screen and the sizes of the openings are
determined by the thickness of wire used.
 In the U.K., British Standard (B.S.) screens are made in sizes from 300-mesh
upwards, although these are too fragile for some work.
 The Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (I.M.M.) screens are more robust, with the
thickness of the wire approximately equal to the size of the apertures.
 The Tyler series, which is standard in the United States, is intermediate between
the two British series.
Microscopic analysis (1–100 μm)
 Microscopic examination permits measurement of the projected
area of the particle and also enables an assessment to be made of
its two-dimensional shape.
 The apparent size of particle is compared with that of circles
engraved on a graticule in the eyepiece as shown in Figure.
 Automatic methods of scanning have been developed. By using the
electron microscope, the lower limit of size can be reduced to
about 0.001 μm.
Sedimentation and elutriation methods (>1 μm)
 These methods depend on the fact that the terminal falling
velocity of a particle in a fluid increases with size.
 Sedimentation analyses must be carried out at concentrations
which are sufficiently low for interactive effects between particles
 The elutriation method is really a reverse sedimentation process in

which the particles are dispersed in an upward flowing stream of
fluid.
 All particles with terminal falling velocities less than the upward
velocity of the fluid will be carried away. A complete size analysis
can be obtained by using successively higher fluid velocities.
Permeability methods (>1 μm)
 These methods depend on the fact
that at low flowrates the flow
through a packed bed is directly
proportional to the pressure
difference.
 From this method it is possible to
obtain the diameter of the sphere
with the same specific surface as the
powder.
 The reliability of the method is
dependent upon the care with which
the sample of powder is packed.
Mixed Particle sizes and size analysis
Total volume of the particles: VP = m
ρP
where: m is the total mass of the sample and ρp is the density of
the particles
m
Number of particles in the sample: N =
ρ P vP
As Φ = 6vP
DS S P
6m
The total surface area of the particles is: A = NS P =
Φ S ρ p DS
Specific Surface of Mixture
If the ρp and Φs are known, the surface area of the particles in
each fraction may be calculated and the results for all fractions
are added to give the specific surface, Aw (the total surface area
of a unit mass of particles)
For constant ρp and Φs:

The surface-mean diameter of the mixture 𝐷𝐷̈𝑠𝑠 , may be calculated from the
number of particles Ni in each size range or from the mass fraction in each
size range xi
volume-surface mean diameter or the Sauter mean diameter

German scientist Josef Sauter
AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE

The average particle size for a mixture of particles is defined in several
different ways. Probably the most used is the volume-surface mean
diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑃𝑃 which is related to the specific surface area Aw. It is defined
by the equation:
Substitution from in gives
This is the same as Eq. (7.24)

If the number of particles in each fraction Ni is
known instead of the mass fraction, 𝐷𝐷̈𝑠𝑠 , is given
by Eq. (7.23).
Other averages are sometimes useful. The
arithmetic mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑁𝑁 is
The mass mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑊𝑊 is found from the equation:
Dividing the total volume of the sample by the number of particles in the
mixture gives the average volume of a particle. The diameter of such a
particle is the volume mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑉𝑉 , which is found from the relation
For a given particle shape, the volume of any

particle is proportional to its "diameter" cubed, or:
m
where a is the volume shape factor. From Eq. VP = assuming that
ρP
a is independent of size
Mixed Particle sizes and size analysis (Particle Size Distribution)
The specific surface area, the various

average diameters, and the number
of particles are readily calculated
from the particle-size analyses
through the use of simple computer
programs.
Differential analysis Cumulative analysis

Mixed Particle sizes and size analysis (Particle Size Distribution)
Since the particles on any one screen are passed by the screen
immediately ahead of it, two numbers are needed to specify the
size range of an increment:
 One for the screen through which the fraction passes
 One on which it is retained
Thus, the notation 14/20 means "through 14 mesh and on 20
mesh.“ It is also called -14 and + 20.
Size analysis (Particle Size Distribution)
 The first two columns give the mesh size and width of opening of the
screens
 The third column is the mass fraction (xi)of the total sample that is
retained on the designated screen
where i is the number of

the screen starting at the
bottom of the stack; thus i
= 1 for the pan, and screen
i + 1 is the screen
immediately above screen
i. The symbol Dpi means the
particle diameter equal to
the mesh opening of
screen i
The last two columns in the Table show the average particle
diameter (DPi), in each increment and the cumulative fraction
smaller than each value of Dpi
Calculate the sphericity of a cylinder of dia 1 cm and height 3 cm.
Volume of particle = π rc2 h = π x 0.52 x 3 = 2.356 cm3

Radius of sphere of volume 2.356 cm3:
4/3 π rs3 = 2.356
rs = 0.8255 cm
Surface area of sphere of same volume as the particle = 4 π rs2 =

4 x π x 0.82552 = 8.563 cm2
Surface area of particle = 2 π rc (h + rc) = 2 x π x 0.5 x (3 + 0.5) =
10.996 cm2
Sphericity (Ø) = 8.563/10.996 = 0.779
Sphericity could also be found from the formula,

Sphericity (Ø) = 6 Vp / (DSSp)
Where Vp = volume of particle
DS = Equivalent diameter of particle. (Equivalent diameter is
defined as the diameter of a sphere of equal volume)
Sp = surface area of particle
Vp = π rc2 h = 2.356 cm3

DS = 2 rs = 2 x 0.8255 = 1.651 cm
Sp = 2 π rc (h + rc) = 10.996 cm2
Ø = 6 x 2.356 / (1.651 x 10.996) = 0.779
Example 28.1
The screen analysis shown in Table 28.2 applies to a sample of crushed
quartz. The density of the particles is 2650 kg/m3(0.00265 g/mm3), and the
shape factors are a = 2 and Ø = 0.571. For the material between 4-mesh and
200-mesh in particle size, calculate (a) Aw in square millimeters per gram
and Nw in particles per gram, (b) 𝐷𝐷̈𝑉𝑉 , (c) 𝐷𝐷̈𝑆𝑆 (d) 𝐷𝐷̈𝑊𝑊 . and (e) Ni for the
150/200-mesh increment. (f) What fraction of the total number of particles
is in the 150/200-mesh increment?
Cumulative
Av Number of
fraction
Particle particles on
smaller
Diameter each screen
than DPi
Mesh Dpi, mm xi Dpi, mm xi xi/Dpi xi/D3pi xi*Dpi xi/(a*ρP*Dpi)
4 4.699 0.0000 1.0000
6 3.327 0.0251 4.013 0.9749 0.0063 0.0004 0.1007 0.0733
8 2.362 0.1250 2.845 0.8499 0.0439 0.0054 0.3556 1.0247
10 1.651 0.3207 2.007 0.5292 0.1598 0.0397 0.6435 7.4904
14 1.168 0.2570 1.410 0.2722 0.1823 0.0918 0.3622 17.3166
20 0.833 0.1590 1.001 0.1132 0.1589 0.1588 0.1591 29.9550
28 0.589 0.0538 0.711 0.0594 0.0757 0.1497 0.0383 28.2421
35 0.417 0.0210 0.503 0.0384 0.0417 0.1650 0.0106 31.1343
48 0.295 0.0102 0.356 0.0282 0.0287 0.2261 0.0036 42.6554
65 0.208 0.0077 0.252 0.0205 0.0306 0.4840 0.0019 91.3274
100 0.147 0.0058 0.178 0.0147 0.0327 1.0371 0.0010 195.6848
150 0.104 0.0041 0.126 0.0106 0.0327 2.0742 0.0005 391.3603
200 0.074 0.0031 0.089 0.0075 0.0348 4.3974 0.0003 829.6899
148.066
Pan 0.0075 0.037 0.0000 0.2027
3 0.0003
Ʃ 0.8281 8.8296 1.6773 1666
Solution
(a) Aw (The specific surface) in square millimeters per gram and
Nw(The number of particles) in particles per gram:
The specific surface, Aw (the total surface area of a unit mass of

particles) can be calculated by using equation:
Aw = =
The number of particles per unit mass NW Can be calculated as:
=
For the 4/6-mesh increment 𝐷𝐷̈𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 , is the arithmetic mean of the
mesh openings of the defining screens, or, from Table 28.2, (4.699 +
3.327)/2 = 4.013 mm. For this increment xi = 0.0251; hence xi / 𝐷𝐷̈𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 =
0.0251/4.013 = 0.0063 and xi 𝐷𝐷̈3𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 = 0.0004
The specific surface and number of particles per unit mass of
particles 200-mesh or larger are found by dividing the results from
Eqs: A and by 1 - x
w i
(since i = 1 for the pan), or 1 - 0.0075 = 0.9925.

Aw = 3965 * 0.8281 = 3284 mm2
𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐
𝑨𝑨̈𝑾𝑾 = = 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑
𝟎𝟎.𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗 𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈
= 188.7 * 8.8296 = 1666 particles

𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑
𝑵𝑵̈𝑾𝑾 = = 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
𝟎𝟎.𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗 𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈
(b): Calculation of volume mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑉𝑉 :
1
𝐷𝐷⃛𝑉𝑉 =
3 𝑥𝑥
∑𝑛𝑛
𝑖𝑖=1 𝐷𝐷𝐷
⃛
𝑖𝑖
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃
As has already been calculated which is: 8.8296
(C): The volume-surface mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑆𝑆 is found from Eq:

(d) Mass mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑊𝑊 , is obtained from Eq:
(e) Number of particles Ni , for the 150/200-mesh increment

The total number of particles Nw, in one mass unit of sample, is
obtained by summation over all the fractions:
The number of particles Ni, on specific mesh can be calculated as:

(f) What fraction of the total number of particles is in the
150/200-mesh increment?
From the above equation the number of particle on specific screen

can be calculated. The sum of particles from 12 screens is 1667.
The number of particle on 150/200 screen is 836
The fraction of the total number of particles on the screen

150/200 is: 836/1679 = 0.498
The %age of total umber of particles on the screen 150/200 is:

(836 / 1679)*100 = 49.8 % of the particles in the top 12
increments.
Properties of Particulate Masses
Masses of solid particles, especially when the particles are dry and not
sticky, have many of the properties of a fluid
 They exert pressure on the sides and walls of a container
 they flow through openings or down a chute
They differ from liquids and gases in several ways
 The particles interlock under pressure and cannot slide over one
another until the applied force reaches an appreciable
magnitude
 Unlike most fluids, granular solids and solid masses permanently
resist distortion when subjected to a moderate distorting force
 When the force is large enough, failure occurs and one layer of
particles slides over another, but between the layers on each side
of the failure there is appreciable friction
Solid masses have the following distinctive properties:
 The pressure is not the same in all directions.
 A shear stress applied at the surface of a mass is transmitted
throughout a static mass of particles unless failure occurs.
 The density of the mass may vary, depending on the degree of
packing of the grains. The density of a fluid is a unique function of
temperature and pressure, as is that of each individual solid
particle; but the bulk density of the mass is not. The bulk density is
a minimum when the mass is "loose"; it rises to a maximum when
the mass is packed by vibrating or tamping.
 Before a mass of tightly packed particles can flow, it must increase
in volume to permit interlocking grains to move past one another.
Without such dilation flow is not possible.
Depending on their flow properties, particulate solids are
divided into two Classes:
 Non Cohesive solids
 Non-cohesive materials like grain, dry sand, and plastic
chips readily flow out of a bin or silo
 Cohesive solids
 Cohesive solids, such as wet clay, are characterized by
their reluctance to flow through openings
Angle of repose
When granular solids are piled up on a flat
surface, the sides of the pile are at a
definite reproducible angle with the
horizontal. This angle, αr is the angle of
repose of the material.
The angle of repose is low when the grains
are smooth and rounded; it is high with
very fine, angular, or sticky particles.
Angle of repose is related to the density,
surface area and shapes of the particles,
and the coefficient of friction of the
material. Material with a low angle of
repose forms flatter piles than material
with a high angle of repose.
Assignment 01
Discuss the measurement and calculations of different
equivalent diameters with respect to different application
in Chemical Engineering. and do the example 28.1 using
Microsoft excel.

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ChE-205 Particle Technology

Characteristics of particulate materials

Saeed GUL, PhD

Department of Chemical Engineering,

Individual solid particles are characterized by their size, shape,

Shapes Sphere Cylinder Cone Cube Cuboid

Particles that one wishes to measure for size may be composed of

So according to their nature; according to their shape; according to

However in actual , particles are quite irregular in geometry. And if

The area occupied by the particle is determined by counting the

The term diameter would be well

So according to the property we can define the diameter of a

Surface Diameter Diameter of a sphere having same surface area

Process in which Controlling Representative

 Sieving (>50 μm)

Round and rectangular sieve openings

 The elutriation method is really a reverse sedimentation process in

For constant ρp and Φs:

volume-surface mean diameter or the Sauter mean diameter

AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE

Substitution from in gives

This is the same as Eq. (7.24)

For a given particle shape, the volume of any

The specific surface area, the various

Differential analysis Cumulative analysis

where i is the number of

Calculate the sphericity of a cylinder of dia 1 cm and height 3 cm.

Volume of particle = π rc2 h = π x 0.52 x 3 = 2.356 cm3

Surface area of sphere of same volume as the particle = 4 π rs2 =

Sphericity (Ø) = 8.563/10.996 = 0.779

Sphericity could also be found from the formula,

Vp = π rc2 h = 2.356 cm3

The specific surface, Aw (the total surface area of a unit mass of

The number of particles per unit mass NW Can be calculated as:

(since i = 1 for the pan), or 1 - 0.0075 = 0.9925.

= 188.7 * 8.8296 = 1666 particles

As has already been calculated which is: 8.8296

(C): The volume-surface mean diameter 𝐷𝐷̈𝑆𝑆 is found from Eq:

(e) Number of particles Ni , for the 150/200-mesh increment

The number of particles Ni, on specific mesh can be calculated as:

From the above equation the number of particle on specific screen

The number of particle on 150/200 screen is 836

The fraction of the total number of particles on the screen

The %age of total umber of particles on the screen 150/200 is:

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