Why Flow Test?

Example: Fred was losing $27,000 a year and was not aware. Inconsistent flow of his bulk ingredients was killing his profits, but how could Fred have known?

Problem: Without x-ray vision, there is only one way to know:

TEST YOUR MATERIAL FOR THESE CHARACTERISTICS:

ARCHING INDEX (AI) = How far across material will form a self-supporting arch without collapsing. HINT: If this dimension is larger than your outlet, there could be problems without the use of special Bin Geometry (insert link to bin page here) or Flowaids (insert link here to flowaids page)

RATHOLE INDEX (RI) = How far across your bin a hollowed out column-shaped void will self-support.

HOPPER INDEX (HI) = Relates to the friction coefficient or your hopper surface under material pressure.

FLOW RATE INDEX (FRI) = The maximum flow rate a material will flow consistently from a given opening without aeration.

When Fred tested flow rates everything was fine, next thing you know, there’s scrap material coming off the line! WHY? Material flow properties are a moving target. They are affected by numerous incoming material qualities (which vary) along with compaction forces (varies) and residence time (varies).

BEWARE OF TEST RESULTS: If the material in the field is different from the material sent for testing because:

• It just came from a dryer or cooler
• It may be warm or hot (possibly going into a cold(er) bin)
• 3. It has high static from milling or fluid bed process.

Test Results may be meaningless unless performed in the field. ALWAYS specify the maximum time material will be sitting in a bin without material flowing out.

WHAT COULD FRED HAVE DONE?

DIFFERENT THINGS FOR DIFFERENT MATERIALS

HOME | ABOUT | FAQ | PRODUCTS | TESTIMONIALS | NEWS | SYSTEM DESIGN | CONTACT US

BULK PROCESS EQUIPMENT INC.
P.O. BOX 38586
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Phone (410) 327-9242   Fax (410) 327-9212
www.bulk-process-equipment.com or
www.bulkprocessequipment.com 
E-mail: sales@bulk-process-equipment.com 

for search engine optimization