Investigation of the effect of consolidation on cement flow behaviour

International audienceOne of the main problems affecting the flow of cement bulk powder is the formation of cohesive arching at the outlet of the hopper, causing blockage of the silo opening and bridge formation. A simple concept is established which outlines these complications. In this context, the interactions of particles lead to a high degree of consolidation of the cement powder and an increase of adhesion force due to the small size and the large surface area of the cement particles. The results from the consolidation test and the flow properties (cohesion) show that the cement powder flow is mainly controlled by internal forces (Van der Waals and adhesion forces) and external forces. These forces have a direct influence on the powder structure, leading to a variable packing behaviour. Since the problem is attributable mainly to interparticle forces, before storage of the cement powder in the silo, the powder should be fluidised with air at a high velocity to disintegrate the cohesive structure and to overcome this undesirable property of cement flow

Catalytic Dehydration of Glycerol to Acrolein in a Two-Zone Fluidized Bed Reactor

The gas-phase catalytic dehydration of glycerol to acrolein was carried out in a Two-Zone Fluidized-Bed Reactor (TZFBR) using a 20 wt. % phosphotungstic acid (H3PW12O40) catalyst supported on CARIACT-Q10 commercial silica. In the first step, a hydrodynamic study of the reactor was performed. A quality of fluidization of more than 80% was obtained. In the second step, the mechanical stability of the catalyst was studied. It was found that only the external layer of active phase is eliminated under the conditions of operation whereas the global composition of the catalyst was not significantly affected after 44 h of fluidization. Finally, in a third step, the influence of the main operating parameters on the overall catalytic performances (glycerol/oxygen molar ratio and relative volumes of the reaction and regeneration zones) was investigated, showing notably the importance of the O2/glycerol ratio, resulting in an inverse trend between conversion and selectivity. Increasing O2/glycerol ratio led to higher conversion (lower coke deposit as shown by TGA analysis), but to the detriment of the selectivity to acrolein, supposedly due to the presence of O2 in the reaction zone causing the degradation of glycerol and acrolein

Flow hydrodynamic study in a micro-fluidized bed of Geldt Group A, B and C powders

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Analysis of nanopowders and DEM modelization

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MicroGazic reactor

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Powder technology : interaction between theoretical, paratical teaching and sensory analysis

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