Experimental analysis on flow characteristics of particulate materials conveyed by airslides

Abstract

Increasing demands on efficient airslides conveying in the fields of construction, agriculture, pharmacy and power require deep understanding of the flow characteristics of materials being conveyed. This study designs a full-scaled airslide test rig, in conjunction with an experimental method, to investigate the flow behaviour of two different materials, namely sand and flyash under vent and non-vent conditions. The flow modes of the sand and flyash are predicted based on the measured material properties and fluidisation. Furthermore, tests are conducted using the designed airslide, from which the flow is characterised by analysing the variations of the key parameters, including the mass flow rate, the superficial air velocity, the pressure inside the airslide and the flowing material bed height. The work shows the developed test rig and method are capable of characterising fluidised flow for airslide systems.