Abstract
The objectives of this work are to determine accurately the cohesion of biomass powders from simple measures and to propose a new method for the description of the yield locus of powders with easy to measure parameters. The cohesion of 32 powders (wood, other biomasses and inorganic powders) have been analysed with two methods. The first method is the determination of the yield locus from shear tests at 3 kPa, performed with a powder rheometer, which gives an access to parameters such as cohesion (Y-intercept) and traction (X-intercept). The second method is the measurement of avalanche angles in a rotating drum. A linear relation is found between this angle and the cohesion length, ratio of the cohesion derived from the yield locus and the aerated density. Finally, a model is proposed for the prediction of the cohesion and the yield locus at 3 kPa, using only 2 parameters easy to measure: the avalanche angle and the aerated density.
Highlights
Energy from biomass should replace in the future a part of the energy we consume
The avalanche angle is measured by a software
The chosen avalanche angle is the median of the angle distribution
Summary
Energy from biomass should replace in the future a part of the energy we consume. Some biomass conversion technologies, such as biomass gasification, require the biomass to be finely ground. They may present flow issues (consolidation and arching in hoppers for example) [1]. The design of the process units has to be made cautiously in order to avoid flowing issues. A way to characterize the flowing properties of powders under stress is the yield locus, deduced from the shear test. Important parameters can be derived from this test, such as the unconfined yield stress (representative of the arching tendency of a powder)
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