CHAPTER 28

PROPERTIES AND HANDLING OF

PARTICULATE SOLIDS
 Characterization of solid particles
 Individual solid particles are characterised 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 have
various densities

Particle shape
 The shape of an individual particle is expressed in terms
of the sphericity Φs
 the sphericity Φs is independent of particle size.
 For a spherical particle of diameter Dp Φs=1 2
 For a nonspherical particle, the sphericity is defined as
6v p
s (28.1)
Dps p
Where Dp = equivalent diameter or particle nominal diameter
sP = surface area of one particle
vp = volume of one particle

 Deq- diameter of a sphere of equal volume

 For fine particles, Dp is usually taken to be the nominal size

based on screen analyses or microscopic examination.

 For crushed materials, Φs is between 0.6 and 0.8.

3
 For particles rounded by abrasion, Φs may be up to 0.95
Particle size
 In general, "diameters" may be specified for any
equidimensional particle.
 Particles that are not equidimensional are often
characterized by the second longest major dimension.
 Units used for particle size depend on the size of
particles.
Mixed particle size and size analysis
m
N (28.2)
p vp

 N = the number of particles in sample

 m = the total mass of the sample

 p = the density of the particles 4

 vp = the volume of one particle

The total surface area of the particles
6m
A Ns p (28.3)
s p Dp
0 0 0000
←
*¥o→
Φs = sphericity
←
É*#¥
sp = surface area of one particle
A = the total surface area of the particles ←

÷ :
:# BY
To apply for mixtures of particles having various sizes and
densities

 The mixture is sorted into fractions

 each of constant density and constant size
 Each fraction is weighed
 Eqs. (28.2) and (28.3) can then be applied to each
fraction and the results added 5
FIGURE 28.1 Particle size distribution for powder: (a) differential analysis;
(b) cumulative analysis

Methods based on the cumulative analysis are more precise

than those based on the differential analysis (the assumption
of equal size of sample is not needed).
€0 LET 6
1 + 2 + 3 0

V6 2/6 30 =
I
Specific surface area of mixture

n
6x1 6x 2 6x n 6 xi
Aw ... (28.4)
s p D p1 s p D p2 s p D pn s p i 1 D pi

where
 Aw = specific surface (the total surface area of a unit mass
of particles)
 xi = mass fraction in a given increment
n = number of increments
 = average particle diameter (arithmetic average of
smallest and largest particle diameters in increment

7
Average particle size
 The volume-surface mean diameter is defined by equation

6
Ds (28.5)
s Aw p

Substitution from Eq.(28.4) in Eq.(28.5) gives

1
Ds n (28.6)
( xi / D pi )
i 1
 The arithmetic mean diameter is
n n
( N i D pi ) ( N i D pi )
DN i 1 i 1 (28.7)
n
NT
Ni
i 1 8

where NT = the number of particles in the entire sample

 The mass mean diameter is
n
Dw xi D pi (28.8)
i 1

 The volume mean diameter

1/ 3

1
Dv n
(28.9)
( xi / D pi3
i 1

9
Number of particle in mixture
 The volume of any particle is proportional to its
“diameter” cubed or
vp aD 3p (28.10)

where a = volume shape factor

 Assuming that a is independent of size

1 n
xi 1
Nw (28.11)
a p i 1 D pi3 a p DV3
Where Nw = number of particles

10
Screen analysis; standard screen series
 Size range to be used is between 3 and 0.0015 in

 Openings are square.

 Each screen is identified in ‘meshes per inch’

 ‘Tyler standard screen series’ are given in Appendix5

 The area of the opening in one screen is exactly twice

that of the opening in the next smaller screen.
 The ration of actual mech dimension of any screen to the
next smaller screen is 1.41
 Particles on one screen are passed by the screen ahead
of it so 2 numbers are needed to specified the size
 ‘14 / 20’ means ‘through 14 mesh and on 20 mesh’

t¥# *
11

☒•#•-•#T 20
TABLE 28.1 Screen analysis

pÑfmÑsÑo primmer
Xi
✗ iDpi Iii

2.5

⑥
0.0281×4.013
12.5 0.0439
32.07 0.1598
0.1824

Ñ→#
0.151
0.0757 [1.0011°
0.0147

0.0286
0.0300

0.0326

µ,

i. Xz Dpz 0.0348

it 0.2027

1-0.0075--0.9928 8= . . .

 i = 1 for pan
 xi = mass fraction

 Dpi = mesh opening of screen 12

 Dpi = mean particle diameter in each increment

EXAMPLE 28.1 The screen analysis shown in Table 28.1 applies to a
sample of crushed quartz. The density of the particles is 2.650 kg/m3
(0.00265 g/mm3), and the shape factors are a = 0.8 and s = 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) DV (c) DS (d)
DW 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?
a) Awlmnigl , Nwlpartidelgraml e) Nilsoioomesh
Solution b) Dr CID d) Dw f) Nimrod
,
Nt
(a) To find Aw and Nw, Eq. (28.4) and Eq. (28.11) can be written

,,,g 0.80.00µ
6 n
1 n
xi 1
Aw Xi / D pi and Nw
s p i 1 a p i 1 D pi3 a p DV3
-396g ,,

For the 4/6-mesh increment Dpi is the arithmetic mean of the mesh
openings of the defining screens; or, from Table 28.1,
( 4.699+ 3.327)/2 = 4.013 mm. For this increment xi =0.025 ;
3
Hence Xi / D pi = 0.0063 and Xi / D pi = 0.0004
calculate for the other 11 increments and summed to give 13
3
Xi / D pi = 0.8284, Xi / D pi =8.8296
Since the pan fraction is excluded. The specific surface and number
of particles per unit mass of particles 200-mesh or larger are found
by dividing the results from Eqs. (28.4) and (28.11) by 1- x1 (i=1 for
pan), or 1-0.0075 = 0.9925. Then
✗ / Dpi

Aw ①
i

3,965 0.8284
3,309mm 2 / g
0.9925
"" Hii
¢196
188.7 8.8296
Nw 1ma
,679 particles / g
0.9925
¥1
1
(b) From Eq. (28.9), Dv 1/ 3
0.4238mm
8.8296
1
(c) From Eq. (28.6), Ds 1.207 mm
0.8284

(d) From Eq. (28.8), xi D pi Dw 1.677 mm

L Table 28.1

14
(e) The number of particles in the 150/200-mesh increment is found
from Eq. (28.11):

N2
x2
3
0.0031
3
Ein
836 particles / g
a p D p 2 2 0.00265 0.089
g.
(f) Fraction of the total number of particles is
"
836/1,679
Yok Ka = 0.498m
or 49.8É % of the particles in the top 12 increments.

15
 CHAPTER 29
MECHANICAL SEPARATIONS
Principles of Cake Filtration
rspbwthl pianos
The flow resistances increases with time as the filter medium
becomes clogged or a filter cake builds up. ( either the flow
rate ↓ or the pressure drop ↑).
at
Operation of Filtration
- constant-pressure filtration
medium /
from
- constant-rate filtration. I / poi pond
,

The overall pressure drop = the sum of the pressure drops

over medium and cake. If pa is the inlet pressure, pb the outlet
pressure, and p’ the pressure at the boundary between cake
and medium, then
p pa pb ( pa p ) (p pb ) pc pm
Where ∆p = overall pressure drop
∆pc = pressure drop over cake
∆pm = pressure drop over medium
Pressure drop through filter cake
Thickness of cake is Lc ,filter area is A, Eq.(7.10) becomes
dp 4.17 u(1 )2 ( s p / v p )2
3
dL gc
where
dp/dL = pressure gradient at thickness L
= viscosity of filtrate
u = linear velocity of filtrate, based on
filter area
sp = surface of single particle
vp = volume of single particle
With ε = porosity of cake
dm p (1 ) AdL
k1 u( s p / v p ) 2 (1 )
dp 3
dm (29.10)
gc p A
Incompressible Cake
Under low-pressure, drops of slurries containing rigid uniform
particles, (m are independent of L and mc is the total mass of
solids in the cake)
k1 u( s p / v p )2 (1 )mc
pa p' pc 3
gc pA

a specific cake resistance ( ) is defined by

pc A
umc
k1 ( s p / v p ) 2 (1 ) k2 (1 )
3
or (29.15)
p ( s D p )2 3 p

compressible cake: varies with distance from the septum

Filter medium resistance 1km1

A filter medium resistance ,Rm ,can be defined by analogy

with the cake resistance m/A . The equation is
p' pb pm (29.16)
Rm
u u
mc (29.17)
p pc pm u Rm
concentration
A
/
If c = ☐
mass of the particles deposited in the filter per unit
volume of filtrate, the mass of solids in the filter at time t is
I
mc = Vc (29.18)
substituting u = (dV/dt) / A and mc from Eq. (29.18) give

dt cV
Rm (29.20)
dV A p A
 cF
c (29.19)
1 (mF / mc 1)cF /

where mc = total mass of solid in a cake (Dry cake),

mF = mass of wet cake,
ρ = density of filtrate
cF = concentration of solids in slurry ; kg/m3
Vc = solids in the filter at time t

Constant-pressure filtration
With constant ∆P and at t = 0, V = 0 and ∆P>∆Pm

Rm dt 1
(29.21)
gc A p dV 0 q0
Equation (29.20) may therefore be written

dt.tk/VdV+tq dt 1 1 (29.22)
KcV
dV q q0
,

like
? -11% c
Kc (29.23)

(
g c A2 p

where
! q!•ñ•m•y
t
V
Kc
2
↳
V

slope
1
q0
(29.24)
¥

Empirical equations for cake resistance

* i¥
Empirical equations may be fitted to observed data which is
s
0 p (29.25)

s= compressibility coefficient , 0.2<s<0.8

EXAMPLE 29.1. Laboratory filtrations conducted at constant
pressure drop on a slurry of CaCO3 in H2O gave the data
shown in Table 29.1. The filter area was 440 cm2. The mass
of solid per unit volume of filtrate was 23.5 g/L, and the
temperature was 25 oC. Evaluate the quantities R and R as a m

function of pressure drop, and fit an empirical equation to the

results for . "

t
Table 29.1 Volume-Time data for Example 29.1 AP

:#
¥

¥
✗
✗
stope ¥
-
-

H v
 '

Solution. sg|ff
28.31 '
gift
✗

gyp Sh

For each of constant-pressure, plot t/V versus V. The

slope of each line is Kc/2, in seconds per liter per
Mma liter. To
convert this to seconds per cubic foot is 28.31. The slopes
and intercepts, in the observed and converted unit, are
given in Table 29.2. F- 77°F
= 0.886 cP, or 0.886 x 6.72 x 10-4 = 5.95 x 10 lb/ft.s. ( App .co )
2

A = 440/30.48 = 0.474 ft.

2

The concentration c = (23.5 x 28.31)/454 = 1.47 lb/ft.

¥1 ,%¥¥¥¥ioo¥*
Table 29.2 Value for Kc, 1qo, Rm, and for Example 29.1

24
From the values of Kc/2 and 1/q in Table 29.2,
corresponding values of R and are found from Eqs. (29.21)
and (29.23). *
A Gc
¥¥g¥¥¥:¥
A pg c 1 / q0 0.474 32.17 p 1 / q0
Rm
5.95 10-4
M
-4
2.56 10 p B.
Kc 1
Go

A 2
pg c K c
A

0474 32.172
9C
t¥¥:p ¥*¥¥¥¥¥i
K
c
⑦
c 5.95 10-4 1.47
M C

8.26 103 p Kc
 0.0028 x 18=0.26 =
S

Figure 29.4
I Plot of Rm versus p Figure 29.5
I Log-log plot of α versus p

ste /02s208
Constant α0 can be calculated by reading the coordinates
of any convenient point on the line of Fig 29.15 and
calculating α0 by Eq. (29.25) & OolspP

For example, when Δp=1,000 +183

, α=1.75 x 1011 do
f
1.75 1011
α 0= 2.90 1010 ft/lb (1.95*1010 m/kg )
1.0000.26
Equation (29.25) becomes α = 2.90 * 1010 Δp0.26
 0.0028 x 18=0.26 =
S

Figure 29.4
I Plot of Rm versus p Figure 29.5
I Log-log plot of α versus p

ste /02s208
Constant α0 can be calculated by reading the coordinates
of any convenient point on the line of Fig 29.15 and
calculating α0 by Eq. (29.25) & OolspP

For example, when Δp=1,000 +183

, α=1.75 x 1011 do
f
1.75 1011
α 0= 2.90 1010 ft/lb (1.95*1010 m/kg )
1.0000.26
Equation (29.25) becomes α = 2.90 * 1010 Δp0.26