Breakage Characteristics of Granulated Food Products for Prediction of Attrition during Lean-Phase Pneumatic Conveying

Abstract

Pneumatic conveying is utilised in a variety of industries to convey food products exhibiting diverse handling characteristics. Attrition of particles caused by this conveying process can result in a number of undesirable outcomes such as loss in product quality or issues in subsequent handling processes. The ability to predict the breakage behaviour of particulate materials is desirable in both new system design and resolving issues in existing plants. This work considers two different particulate materials (Salt and Golden Breadcrumbs) across a range of particle sizes, and quantifies their breakage behaviour under varying impact conditions. Narrow size fractions of each material was degraded; material retained on 250 µm and 355 µm sieves for salt, and 500µm, 710µm and 1000 µm sieves for Golden Breadcrumbs.Velocity was found to be the most influential factor with respect to particle attrition. The results from the narrow size fraction tests were superimposed to form a simulated full size distribution breakage behaviour, which was then compared to the experimentally determined behaviour. A good agreement was found, however the proportion of material predicted for size fractions smaller than 355 µm for Golden Breadcrumbs and 180 µm for Salt was under-predicted. Recommendations for increasing accuracy of the prediction method are given.

On the challenges facing the handling of solid biomass feedstocks

“…Research into degradation of pelletised feedstocks entails assessment of pellet properties before and after impact and has been assessed via a number of tests and methods . Transporting and/or conveying feedstocks over increased heights and at fast speeds and throughputs exposes them to high impact velocities, sometimes not adequately captured by available existing tests .…”

“…Some biomass feedstocks, such as wood and grass pellets, also generate toxic gaseous emissions such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane. Build‐up of these gases, in closed storage containers for example, can be deadly . As biomass industries grow and mature, so too will the need for codes and standards to address the hazards associated with processing, handling, and storing biomass.…”

Particle attrition mechanisms, their characterisation, and application to horizontal lean phase pneumatic conveying systems: A review

“…The centrifugal accelerator apparatus has been widely used for erosion studies and was the subject of the former Soviet Union Standard, GOST 23.201-78 [134]. This apparatus has more recently been used for the evaluation of particle attrition by impact [135] and comprised a rotating disc that contained a number of radial tubes. The disc was surrounded by an array of targets.…”