CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO BULK SOLID

1.0 Properties of Bulk Solid
1.1 Density : Particle, p
Particle density =

total mass (kg/m3)

Total volume

Close Pores

Hydrodynamic
envelope
bonding particle
volume, Vp

Open pores
1.1.1 True particle density
When volume measured excludes both open and closed
pores.
The density quoted in many reference books.
1.1.2 Apparent particle density
When volume measured includes closed pores or bubbles
of gas within the particle.
The density is measured by gas or liquid displacement
method like liquid or air pycnometer.

Pycnometer
(Ultrapycnometer 1000, Quanta Chrome Co)

Sieve holding bar

Screen aperture

Funnel

Powder Tester
(Hosokawa Micron Powder Tester, model PT-R)

1.2 Density: Bulk, b

Bulk density, b =

Bulk mass
Bulk volume it occupies

Bulk volume includes the spaces between

particles and the envelope volumes of the particles.
NB:

Make sure do not confuse between bulk and particle

density.
Many people in industry measure bulk solid density in order
to get an estimate of how much volume the powder will
occupy in storage or in handling.

1.2.1 Aerated bulk density, abd

The particles are separated from each other by a film of

air and are not in direct contact with each other.

Bulk density after the powder has been aerated.

Some of the methods in obtaining the aerated density:

1.2.2 Poured bulk density, pbd

Powder is poured into a container

Height of fall is fixed

The powder in the container must not be disturbed

Mass of powder is determined

Volume of powder is the volume inside the cup.

1.2.3 Tap bulk density, tbd

Bulk density of a powder, which has been compacted by
tapping or vibration following a specific procedure.

2.0 Voidage, or porosity

The volume of the voids within the bed. i.e. the volume
occupied by air divided by the total (overall) volume of
the bed.
Void volumes includes the pores within the particles if
they are porous.

Voidage,
Where

b
= 1
p
b
p

=
=

(1.1)

bulk density
particle density

3.0 Powder Flowability Determination

No flowability test is universally applicable.
Thus series of powder flow behaviour must be tested
experimentally according to the need of industrial
application such as powder streams in industrial
storage, transport and processing, in terms of their
range of applicability, cost and difficulty of
measurement.

 Since the state of the powder varies for different types

of applications, the test chosen has to reflect the state
of powder in the actual process.
Below are some of the tests commonly required in
determining flow behaviour in selected process plant:
3.1 Compressibility (from bulk density)
Compression tests are mainly used for quality control,
product evaluation and to measure the tendency for caking.
One of the way to express differences between tap density
and aerated density:

Compressibility, C =
Where

tbd =
b =

tbd b
100%
b

(1.2)

tap density
bulk density

3.2 Angle of Repose

Definition: the angle of the free surface of a pile of powder

to the horizontal plane.

Whenever a heap of powder is being formed, the angle of

inclination of the free surface to the horizontal can take
any value up to a maximum.

Any attempt to build up a heap with steeper sides results

in its collapse.

Depending on the condition under which the pile has been

poured and how the angle is measured, different values of
angle can be obtained for the same powder.

When a mixture of uniformly sized granular particles

consisting of components with different angle of repose is
poured on a heap, the particles having steeper angle of
repose tend to concentrate in the center of the heap.

Measurement of Angle of repose

3.3 Hausner Ratio, HR
The ratio of tbd/abd is called the Hausner ratio, HR (Grey
and Beddow 1968/1979).
If the ratio:
o HR >1.4 : Group C
o 1.25 < HR < 1.4 : Transition AC
6

o HR < 1.25 : Group A, B or D

Other available types of test such as:
o Funnel/discharge test
o Fluidization index, deaeration, permeability
o Floodibility test
o Dispersibility
o Pick up velocity
o Pseudoviscosity and suspension-flow behaviour
index