Bibliothek

Notizen: A mathematical model of the absorption of HCI gas in a spray dry tower has been proposed. The proposed model describes the mechanism of HCI removal talking into account atomized droplet size distribution and the change in the droplet state from “slurry droplet” to “dry particle”. It is found that the removal efficiency can be simulated by using the model with the constant mean diameter of droplet from the simulation results. Simulation results of the removal of HCI gas are in good agreement with the experimental data in a spray dry tower.

Notizen: Ultrasonic standing wave atomization (USWA) is a new process capable of atomizing both high surface energy liquids and highly viscous liquids. Atomization is achieved through acoustic forces acting upon a liquid jet which is guided into the central pressure node of a standing wave field. Spherical metal powders with minimum mass median diameters of less than 15 μm have been produced from metal melts with surface tensions of about 0.5 N/m. Organic liquids with viscosities between 1 and 10 Pas have been atomized, yielding mass median diameters from 20 to 330 μm. The influence of different operating parameters on the mass median diameter of metal melts and highly viscous liquids was evaluated. Parameters which were varied were ambient gas pressure, vibration amplitude of the transducers, mass flow rate, density of liquid, viscosity of the liquid, surface tension and the outlet diameter. The powders and sprays were analyzed with laser diffraction particle sizers. The physical background of the atomization process is discussed and an equation for the prediction of the mass median diameter is derived.

Notizen: This paper describes the evaluation of the transfer function for the TSI-short differential mobility analyzer (DMA) in the nanometer particle size rang. The TSI-short DMA is identical with the TSI-long DMA (Model 3071) but has shortened inner and outer electrodes and the insulator material Teflon was replaced by black Delin. The DMA transfer function was determined by operating two identical DMAs in series. The DMA was investigated at a sheath to aerosol flow rate ratio of between 10 and 1. Usually for particles above 50 nm the parameters of the assumed triangular transfer function, i.e. height and half-width, approach the ideal values, which depend only on the flow ratio. For particle size below 50 nm the height decreases from 0.9 at 50 nm to 0.18 at 5 nm. The half-width increase from the ideal value 0.1 to about 0.17. The observed changes of the transfer function are due to diffusional effects resulting in losses mainly in the inlet and outlet and also broadening of the aerosol stream inside the DMA. The determined transfer functions were also compared with transfer functions calculated using a theoretical model. The agreement proved to be satisfactory. The half-widths and the transmission efficiencies of the conventional TSI-DMA (Model 3071), TSI-short with Teflon and also black Delin insulator as a function of particle size are compared to demonstrate the improvements in performance.

Notizen: The influence of the measurement volume can be investigated by using extended geometrical optics, which is based on geometrical optics by including the amplitude and phase distribution in the laser beam. The dynamics in phase Doppler anemometry can be analysed, in addition to effects of the particle size-dependent detection volume. Extended geometrical optics has been developed as a powerful tool to investigate these influences for each order of light scattering separately. Phase errors caused by Gaussian-beam intensity distribution and the curvature of the wave fronts beyond the beam waist can easily be calculated. According to Part 1 (Reflective Mode Operation), the influence of the particle trajectories on measured phase and mass concentration is simulated for refractive mode operation.

Notizen: The particle size distribution of an aerosol generated from an aqueous system is difficult to analyse because of the shrinkage of the droplets due to solvent evaporation. These problems are very important for the characterization of medical nebulizers, since most of the drugs delivered via inhalation are water soluble. In situ methods for droplet size analysis, such as laser diffraction, phase Doppler anemometry and light scattering, do not determine either the initial or the equilibrium size distribution. With the residual technique, which means evaporating the droplets and measuring the size and concentration of the residuals, the instability of the aqueous droplets plays no role and the necessary radioactive labelling of the sprayed material allows a direct determination of the mass flow rate at the mouthpiece of the nebulizer. In this way it is possible to discriminate between the delivered drug solution and the water necessary to humidify the incoming air. The output of nebulizers of different designs is given for various operating conditions, filling volumes and solution concentrations. The measured droplet size distribution of a nebulizer is found to be fixed mainly by its internal impaction system.

Notizen: Charged particle motion is incorporated within a transmission line modelling (TLM) field code to establish a new model which allows the investigation of field-particle interactions. The model is validated by using it to predict the trajectory of moving particles and the field and potential distributions inside a planar diode for which analytical solutions are available. The effect of space charge on the operation of the diode is also investigated. The model is then applied to study in detail a practical electron gun design.

Notizen: An account is given of the patented technique of the rotational particle separator for separating solid and liquid particles of diameter 0.1 μm and larger from gases. Attention is focused on the working principle, fluid mechanical constraints, particle design, separation performance, power consumption, dimensions, filter cleaning and costs. Furthermore, an overview is given of current developments to introduce this technique in industrial dust removal, in electricity generation and in the consumer goods market. The article concludes with a summary of the feature which distinguish this technique from existing filtering methods.

Notizen: Three-Phase fluidized bed bioreactors have advantages over conventional chemical reaction systems. There is a lack of agreement over most major operational conditions, and a wide range of design variables are open to question. A large body of recent work in the field has been reviewed, with a degree of historical comparison and discussion.It has been found that aspects of fluidized bed biofilm reactors of vital importance include: choice of solid media, gas and liquid loadings, bacterial type and reactor mechanical design. A large proportion of the work in the field of three-phase fluidization is non-biologically specific, or not tested on a bacterially inoculated system.The majority of three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor work is in the field of water treatment. Although this work has highlighted the potential for use of bio-fluidized beds for this application, there are still specific problems hindering the large scale industrial acceptance of three-phase fluidized bed bioreactors.

Notizen: The process of recrystallization of apatite phosphogypsum (PHG) in a solution ammonium sulphate (AS) with the subsequent decomposition of the binary salt was investigated and the resulting highly dispersed products with a low P2O5 content have been discussed. The following effects were examined: (NH4)2SO4 concentration, the quantity of ammonium sulphate, the reaction temperature of phosphogypsum with (NH4)2SO4 solution, the time of treatment of phosphogypsum with (NH4)2SO4 solution and the decomposition of the binary salt, as well as the liquid/solid ratio for the binary salts, Based on the results of the chemical and X-ray analysis, it was established that, depending on the technological conditions of the process of recrystallization, binary salts of (NH4)2SO4·CaSO4·H2O and of (NH4)2SO4·CaSO4·H2O and of (NH4)2SO4·5 CaSO4·H2O were formed. As a result of the investigations carried out, a product with a low P2O5 content, suitable for direct processing to secondary products has been prepared.

Notizen: A three-step catalytic reaction (TSCR) mechanism is considered. It involves the steps of adsorption of two different reactants and the bimolecular reaction between adsorbed species. For this mechanism the rates of elementary reactions were assumed to be dependent on the surface coverages of two adspecies due to the repulsive mutual interactions between adsorbed species. The surface electronic gas model was chosen for the description of surface inhomogeneity. It is demonstrated that for such a TSCR mechanism sustained oscillations cannot exit. The application of the model to evaluation of kinetic data is discussed.

Notizen: A method for the prediction of velocity and path length components for two-dimensional particle motion is developed for stagnant and slowly moving gas. The numerical algorithm appears much more straightforward and more efficient than those previously developed on the basis of simplified analytical methods. In the case of particle motion in a flowing gas, several limitations of the method occur. The method of limit estimation is briefly described.

Notizen: The hybrid knowledge-based system proposed in this paper consists of a “stiff” segment, viz. the expert system based on the object-oriented approach, and a flexible part, viz. the neural network. Some of the input parameters of the problem and output parameters of the “stiff” system are presented as the fuzzy numbers. Detailed information is also presented about the development of the neural network. The most evident advantages of the proposed introduction of a hybrid architecture of the knowledge-based system are a faster evaluation and generation of design alternatives and support of systematic searches and storage of experience. In addition, the resulting ability to extrapolate results would be unattainable with separately acting stiff and flexible systems. A system for the estimation of the parameters of a mixing system for wastewater treatment is presented as an example to illustrate the principles of the hybrid system.

Notizen: Numerical results are presented for a contraction flow of a non-Newtonian fluid. In this work a new finite-volume algorithm was used and various non-Newtonian fluid models (with and without elasticity) were studied. The results are discussed and compared to experimental results obtained with a dilute polymer solution.

Notizen: Local mass transfer studies have been carried out in an external loop airlift reactor and indicated the existence of significant non-uniformities in aeration capacity in the various sections of the reactor. The traditional assumption of a single well mixed unit with a single kL a value for external loop airlift reactors was found to be poor and cannot represent adequately the reactor as a whole. The liquid head in the gas/liquid separator was found to have a significant negative negative effect on the local mass transfer coefficient kL a. Visualization of flow patterns showed the existence of strong vortices in the riser and downcomer which contributed to a reduction in local aeration capacity. Mass transfer experiments in an aerated tank showed that the aeration capacity can be reduced by half in viscous media but improved significantly in the presence of salts.

Notizen: The generalised thermal parametric sensitivity criterion is applied to the thermal behaviour of the esterification of 2-butanol with propionic anhydride in a batch reactor under isoperibolic conditions. The reaction is catalysed by sulphuric acid, and the study covered the effects of both catalyst concentration and, in the absence of catalyst, jacket temperature. The experimental location of regions of parametric sensitivity agreed well with theoretical predictions. However, the process conditions that meet conventional standards for safe process design fall into the supercritical sensitivity region of the parametric model. This apparently contradictory result is discussed. The usefulness of the parametric sensitivity approach is illustrated by practical examples of scale-up and heat transfer in reactions prone to thermal runaway.

Notizen: A general procedure for the determination of empirical rates and kinetic parameters of irreversible, constant volume reactions is presented which is clearly superior to the conventional methods of kinetic analysis. By nonlinear regression of the integrated potential rate equation for stoichiometrically independent reactions of n the order, the empirical pre-exponential factor, activation energy, and reaction order are obtained. The regression equation relates explicitly the final concentration of the reference component not only to the time parameter of the reaction but also to the initial concentration. This includes an integral method for the determination of reaction orders in concentration. Two limiting cases are treated - the stoichiometric mixture of reactants and a mixture with one reactant in large excess. By analysis of standard Hougen-Watson rate models the dependence of empirical reaction orders on experimental conditions and simulated rate parameters is evaluated. By grouping the data into ranges of monotonous concentration change, conversion rates and rate parameters of reactions with changing volumes are calculated in a less rigorous deduction. The simplified interpretation of published experimental data is demonstated for the total oxidation of methane on Pd-catalysts and the dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol on ZnO.

Notizen: A random packing hydrodynamic simulator is designed specially to carry out experiments under reduced pressures with a counter-current flow air/water system. The simulator results (air/water system) compared to those obtained in a real packed distillation column (benzylchloride/ ethylbenzene system) show a good agreement between hydrodynamic parameters like pressure drop, flooding flow rate, and total liquid hold-up. Empirical relationships derived from the simulator experimental results are proposed allowing the calculation of the pressure drop in a packed distillation column, operating in the pressure range between 10 kPa and atmospheric pressure. The influence of reduced pressure on the HETP in the distillation column and interfacial area in the simulator was also investigated.

Notizen: This paper deals with the modeling of toluene adsorption in a technical column of activated carbon in a low concentration range (2.6 to 3.4·10-3 kg/m3), which is usual for environmental applications. It is also concerned with methods of numerical solutions of the nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE), a modified control volume method was used to determine the PDE. Three nonequilibrium isotherm models are developed to describe mass transfer in a fixed bed of activated carbon (Degussa WS-4). The important parts of this paper are the simulation of the maldistribution of concentration and loading of the pollutant in the technical column, as a result of the flow velocity maldistribution and the study of the mass transfer mechanisms in a technical fixed bed. It is found that in a low concentration range, toluene adsorption in a fixed bed of activated carbon (Degussa WS-4) is an external rate-controlled process, thus surface diffusion cannot be neglected. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The measured effect of an earlier breakthrough near the wall-near zone has been calculated using the model.

Notizen: Experiments on thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate were carried out in a thermogravimetric analyser under non-isothermal conditions of different heating rates (10 to 100°C/ min). A new technique for determining the kinetic parameters from non- isothermal thermogravimetric data was described. The activation energy and frequency factors were determined from the proposed method and also by the widely used Coats and Redfern method. The kinetic compensation effect between the activation energy and frequency factors obtained from both the methods were found to be very consistent and are in very good agreement with the literature values. The activation energy and frequency factors were also determined from isothermal experiments in the temperature range from 680 to 875°C. The activation energy and frequency factors determined from isothermal data using initial rate method were also found to be in very good agreement with the above results. It is also found that the kinetic parameters determined by isothermal analysis were consistent with the values determined by non-isothermal analysis.

Notizen: Affinity separations rely on the highly specific binding between a protein in solution and an immobilized ligand to achieve a high degree of protein purification. A mathematical model including convection, diffusion, and rate kinetics is formulated to analyze the design and operation of affinity membrane bioseparation. The model equations are solved by orthogonal collocation method. Danckwerts' boundary conditions are used. The results obtained from model simulation show that the breakthrough of the protein is significantly influenced by Péclet number, feed protein concentration, Ligand number, Damköhler number, membrane thickness, and flow rate. Breakthrough profiles are quantitatively discussed in terms of protein recovery efficiency, ligand utilization efficiency, thickness of unused membrane, and width of the mass transfer zone.

Notizen: In this paper the simulation of hybrid processes containing membrane units will be discussed. For this purpose a user-defined module for simulation and design of membrane processes was implemented into the simulation program AspenPlus.The advantages can be summarized as follows:-any combination of membrane processes with all other units already implemented in AspenPlus is possible, including internal recycle streams-utilization of the physical property models and data bases of AspenPlus is possible- cost and sensitivity analysis can be performed.These benefits are demonstrated in detail for a membrane vapor recovery unit for the treatment of tank farm off -gas, for a two-stage reverse osmosis plant for organic/-organic separations and for a combination of distillation and pervaporation for the separation of a dimethylcarbonate/methanol mixture.

Notizen: Cross-flow filtration is a filtration process for separation of a disperse phase from liquids. Suspension flows tangentially to a membrane and the filtrate is drawn off perpendicular to the direction of flow. Formation of a filter cake on the membrane is thus prevented, reduced, or its composition, modified. The principle of the separation is based on tow opposing effects: on the one hand, the particles are transported by the filtration flux to the membrane where they cause and increase in concentration; on the other hand, concentration differences are again reduced by the turbulence of the cross-flow and by Brownian motion of the particles. The two mechanisms compete with each other and depend upon particle size in different ways. An energetic comparison of the two effects yields the separation law of cross-flow filtration as a steady state solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. The separation law has an exponential form and assigns each particle size a separation probability with which it reaches the membrane. Once on the membrane the particles may form a filter cake, flow through the pores or return to the bulk flow. If the particles remain on the membrane the ranges of layer-free and cake-forming filtration can be calculated from the hydro-dynamic and geometric conditions of the cross-flow filter. Conventional cake filtration is regarded as limiting case. In continuous cross-flow filtration process a low separation probability through the filtration pressure on selection of the filter medium resistance.

Notizen: The performance of a packed-bed biological reactor has been analysed under sinusoidal variations of substrate concentration and temperature for zero-order, first-order and Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The model equations were solved by the method of orthogonal collocation. The results show that the cyclic steady-state conversion is not affected by cyclic variations in the feed concentration. However, cyclic temperature variations with an amplitude of 20°C significantly decrease the mean exit concentration for zero-order and Michaelis-Menten kinetics compared to the constant-temperature case. The approach to cyclic steady-state conditions is estimated to be somewhat flower for zero-order kinetics than for the other kinetics models investigated. We conclude that temperature variations during the day or changes in the performance of upstream plant will not adversely affect the performance of a packed-bed biological reactor.

Notizen: The scale-up of benzoyl peroxide initiated copolymerisation of styrene and butyl methacrylate is studied here. The reaction is carried out in reactors of 3, 10 and 100 1 volume. Increasing the reactor size increase the weight average molecular weight and broadens the molecular weight distribution. Reducing the agitator diameter broadens the molecular weight distribution.

Notizen: In this paper a novel process for biotechnological abatement of hydrogen sulphide is presented which details the fundamentals of chemical and biological phenomena involved. The process is based on the combination of two steps to form a closed cycle which has special enviornmental advantages. The chemical step corresponds to the abatement reaction itself with absorption of the gas in a ferric solution. The biological step is related to the regeneration of the absorbing solution by means of specific bacterial strains. Particular interest is devoted to the biological kinetics of the regeneration stage, where several inhibition phenomena appear, and are also related to parameters such as temperature and pH. Results of experimental runs of gas absorption in a laboratory scale plant are also described.

Notizen: Suspension polymerization of styrene was performed in the loop reactor. In order to allow wide change to the polymer particle size, a sub impeller was included within the main impeller. The sub impeller served to increase the fluid velocity and to uniformly disperse the polymer droplets during polymerization.It was investigated how the double agitation method by the main and the sub impellers affected the transient droplet diameter distribution and the final particle size distribution. The particle size could be changed widely by the double agitation method without the decrease in degree of the uniformity of the particle size.

Notizen: Vanillin can be produced by oxidation of kraft lignin, with air, in alkaline medium. The optimal conditions for vanillin production strongly depend on pH and temperature. This paper addresses the effect of temperature and pH on vanillin degradation by oxidation. Experiments were carried out in a wide range of vanillin concentration, oxygen partial pressure, temperature and pH. Simple models are proposed to explain the observed rate of vanillin consumption under conditions of high alkalinity (pH〉12) and lower alkalinity (pH〈12). At pH〉12,the reaction rate of vanillin oxidation is first order in dissolved oxygen concentration [O2] and in vanillin concentration [C], i.e., (-rC) ∝[O2][C]; at pH〈12, the rate is zero order in oxygen concentration and second order in vanillin concentration, i.e., (-rC)∝f(pH)[C]2.

Notizen: Process energy integration and continuous improvement of process technology are everlasting issues to ensure profitability of chemical productions. And both objectives become increasingly important due to long-term environmental effects of energy degradation, such as resource depletion, emissions and the release of “waste” heat. The key success factor for process improvement lies in combining up-to-date expertise from different areas in an overall approach. One such approach is the systems engineering concept. It helps to structure and to organize problem-solving process. We strongly believe that the increasing complexity of large and interlinked chemical production system and the tightening of global economic pressure force us to use more than ever systematic analysis and design methods to guarantee optimality throughout the entire product life. First we present a brief introduction to systems engineering in general. Then, in the main part of the paper, we give examples for optimizing the use of energy in chemical plants in order to illustrate advantages of the systems engineering concept. The examples range from improving the performance of individual pieces of equipment over changes in the process structure up to optimizing process clusters.

Notizen: This paper represents an attempt to explicitly map the conceptual activities which constitute a process design task into a series of well-posed, complete and general numerical procedures. In spite of the fact that there is substantial number of design manuals and design procedures which process engineers can consult to choose the most proper approach to a particular problem, there is a remarkable lack of generality on the one side (procedures which apply to the design of a wastewater treatment process cannot be used even in principle to design a fluidized bed system), and an obvious receptivity on the other side (all procedures involve mass and energy balances at some point). With the advance of numerical techniques, virtually every procedure has been computerized, so that engineers can avail themselves of a multitude of computer tools in the majority of their process design activities: as a result of the lack of coordination among different producers though, the situation for what codes are concerned is very confusing: there are many codes which perform nominally the same task, giving (sometimes substantially!) different results when applied to the very same problem; each code sue its won set of property tables, its own I/O format, etc. Finally, with very few exceptions, these codes are not mutually compatible, i.e. the output from any of them cannot be used as the input to any of the other, not only because of the respective formats, but rather because the quantities taken to represent a certain physical process are not the same in different codes.This is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs, both for the final user and for the software producer. Unfortunately, this seems to be a problem for which commercial, technical and historical reasons make it very difficult to find a solution in the short term. The author is convinced that an early exposure to this problem and to a new approach to its solution can only benefit our engineering students, and has therefore endeavored, together with his coworkers, to devise a “modular approach” to the solution of process simulation problems. The material presented here has been originated by a series of lectures and seminars developed in the last three years for master and doctoral level students in Mechanical Engineering. The result of this “distillation” process maybe yet unripe, as they are definitely not complete: but the implications, also in terms of practical application, are very promising, and the approach deserves more attention in the future.The order of presentation of the material is historical/logical: it beings with the old fashioned slide-rule calculations and proceeds towards the most recent developments of AI base methods. The path is made clear from the very beginning: we are trying to extract from the various engineering activities all the essential knowledge which pertains to the engineer himself, with the final goal of transferring this body of knowledge - in some form suitable to machine communication - to a “universal-process simulator”, which can then be applied with a high degree of confidence to variety of particular process simulations.

Notizen: The Pumping characteristic of an agitator in a tube is necessary of the calculation of its pumping capacity in configuration in the vessel with a draught tube. The general dimensionless equation of the pumping characteristic suitable for the higher Reynolds number region was derived by inspection analysis of basic equations. The new dynamic experimental method for determination of pumping characteristics is put forward. The application of this method is illustrated on a special three-blade axial-flow impeller.

Notizen: A nonlinear unsteady state optimal control problem for a classical, constant diameter ethane thermal cracking reactor is formulated and solved. The process is represented by a pseudo steady state mathematical model, consisting of mass and heat balance, pressure drop, and coking equations. The performance index is of an economical nature, representing the global benefit of reactor operation over a constant operating time. As control variables, the space and time dependent skin tube temperature, the time dependent steam to hydrocarbon ratio, and the time dependent feed flow rate were considered. The results are in agreement with the process physicochemical and technological fundamentals.

Notizen: The results of simulations of direct concentration control of a distillation column in industrial scale are presented. Both controlled variables, the two product concentrations, are determined by on-line gas chromatographs and are characterised by high dead times of about 30 min. For the resulting scanning control of the product concentrations corresponding decentralised PI controllers were developed and applied. The control of the product concentrations developed presents a conventional DV structure and was exemplarily tested for disturbances in feed flow and feed concentrations. The calculations carried out exhibit a good time behaviour of the whole system. On this occasion it can be stated that the control quality could be clearly improved if a steady-state decoupling by output transformation was employed. In this case the results achieved are totally comparable to those of internal model control (IMC), which was in use at the production plant for over two years.

Notizen: This article presents gas kinetic calculation methods for the energy transport in hydrogen/ air and methane/ air mixture. The total molecular heat conductivity as well as its various shares are calculated and discussed for a temperature range of 400 to 3500 K and for a pressure of 105 Pa. The variation of the air/ fuel ratio under the conditions of chemical equilibrium is also investigated. As opposed to our previous article, an extension of the Chapman-Knskog method which goes beyond the classical 1st approximation for elastic collisions is applied for the evaluation of suitable calculation methods. This is carried out following the method for strong relaxing thermal nonequilibrium according to Brun. The equations applied in this work are simplified formulations for the proximity to equilibrium. The method for the evaluation of the parameters of the inelastic collision and some chosen results are presented. A discussion of the various shares of the molecular heat conductivity emphasizes the considerable influence of the diffusion and the thermal diffusion processes in fuel/ air mixtures compared to the Fourier heat conductivity.

Notizen: The present paper deals with a novel hydrogen sulphide abatement process applying a combined chemical-biological process. The authors already dealt with this subject in the paper “Biotechnological H2S gas treatment with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans” [1], previously published in Chemical Engineering and Technology. This study, in particular, deals with over all process test runs in a laboratory scale plant with a single-stage immobilised biomass reactor.

Notizen: A dynamic model incorporating biomass growth and liquid hold-up evolution is developed to describe a fixed bed bioreactor operation with cocurrent upflow of water and air flows. The model permits to predict cycle time and optimal operation conditions for high substrate removal and long cycle times. Simulation results are compared with published experimental results and show good model accuracy.

Notizen: A new continuous-flow recycle microwave reactor suitable for organic synthesis has been developed to handle 0.51 quantities of reagents. The apparatus, which is designed for laboratory use, operates at atmospheric pressure in open- or closed-loop mode. It is fitted with a temperature control system. We describe this novel reactor and illustrate its efficiency with examples of organic syntheses carried out using both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions.

Notizen: A novel expert-system-based method for selection of sensors for process variables is presented. EXSENSEL (expert system based sensor selection) deals with 12 process variables and currently has 94 rules in its knowledge base. Despite its large knowledge base, users have to answer a set of only a few questions regarding a particular process variable, which is selected from a menu of 12 variables. A general description of the chosen process variable can be viewed before invoking the rules. Once a sensor has been selected, a brief write up on that particular sensor is also available on user's request. EXSENSEL is the successor to TRANSELEX, which is a single expert system for selection of transducers in the area of temperature, pressure, and flow measurement.

Notizen: The interfacial tension of the binary system α-tocopherol/carbon dioxide was measured using the pendant drop method in the pressure range between 10 and 37 MPa at nine different temperatures: 313, 333, 343, 353, 363, 373, 383, 393, and 402 K. At every interfacial tension measurement, densities of both the liquid and the supercritical gas phase were also determined as the knowledge of these values is essential for calculating interfacial tension from the shape and size of drops. The interfacial tension decrease with rising pressure at a constant temperature and increases with increasing temperature at a constant pressure. The interfacial tension was found to be mainly a function of the mutual solubility of the two system components and of the density of pure carbon dioxide.

Notizen: Distillation is a unit operation in which two main processes are involved: heat transfer for vaporizing and condensing and mass transfer for the separation of the mixture. A distillation unit can be described as an exergy converter: that is a unit which converts thermal exergy into chemical exergy. To obtain a complete graphical representation of mass, enthalpy and exergy balances in a fractional distillation, we propose the use of a diagram: the specific enthalpy (in KJ/ Kg of mixture) is plotted against the Carnot factor θ to show the heat and mass transfer effects simultaneously. The application of the methodology to the distillation of an ammonia-water mixture is presented. Conventional fractional distillation consumes a lot of exergy. We propose a new type of distillation in which the reboiler and the condenser normally located at the bottom and at the top of distillation column, are replaced by two heat exchangers integrated in the column itself. The exchanger integrated in the bottom of the column inputs heat to the column, and the other exchanger located in the upper part of the column removes heat. This arrangement minimizes the creation of entropy in the column and therefore maximizes the exegetic effectiveness. This new process, called:“diabatic” or “quasi-reversible” distillation should bring important improvement to conventional distillation, not only from the point of view of energy use (large reduction in the consumption of heat carriers fluids for heating and cooling), but also in terms of capital investment as the cost of fitting a heat exchanger in the destillation column will probably be less than the cost of reboiler or condenser and reflux head.

Notizen: In the Chemical and Process Industry, liquid streams having a variable concentration solids are not uncommon. The hydrocyclone has been found to be a useful unit for the removal of particulate matter from these streams. The function of a hydrocyclone gets disturbed by an increase in the solid load concentration beyond a specified limit, and it may even overload the underflow opening. A variation of the solid load calls for a change in the split ratio of the hydrocyclone, which in turn requires an adjustment to the diameter of the underflow opening. A new technique has been developed which can automatically adjust to the change in the solid load without changing the underflow opening diameter. The split ration of a hydrocyclone can be changed by varying the pneumatic injection rate at the hydrocyclone's axis. Experiments were conducted using three geometrically similar hydrocyclones, and equations have been evolved to size the underflow opening.

Notizen: In order to influence the habit of barite (BaSO4) single crystals obtained by precipitation, the tailor-made additives 2-aminomethanol, 3-aminoproponal, 5-aminopentanol, 4-aminobutane sulfonic acid, and several other growth inhibitors have been tested. The crystallization experiments have been carried out in a fully automated crystallizer with reproducible educt feed rates. The kinetics of the reaction has been measured by means of the conductivity. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the obtained crystal habits led to the raesult that most of the additives tested did not influence the growth form of the crystals, but the predicted, tailor-made additives resulted in a more isometric crystal form.

Notizen: Coherent transmission and reflection of a plane wave through a monolayer of discrete particles are considered on the basis of simple and physically transparent formulae for the single scattering approximation (SSA) corrected by introducing a multiple scattering permittivity factor. This factor allows for multiple scattering of Waves between monolayer particles, opposite to the SSA. The multiple scattering permittivity factor is considered on the basis of the quasi-crystalline approximation (QCA) via Ť matrix formalism. The multiple scattering permittivity factor and parameters for obtaining coherent transmission and reflection coefficients (the effective extinction coefficient and the transmission and reflection coefficients due to rescattering) are calculated within the scope of QCA and plotted for comparison with SSA results. The expressions for these values are simplified for small Rayleigh particles to simple analytical formulae.

Notizen: The light scattering technique is now widely used in particle sizing, and includes the turbidimetric spectrum method. Although it has been reported that the light scattering technique, especially the turbidimetric method, is sensitive to refractive index, quantitative studies are rare. In this work, the effects of refractive index on the turbidimetric spectrum method were comprehensively investigated and detailed results are presented.

Notizen: This paper describes a study to determine the most appropriate particle size parameter for polydisperse powders dispersed as aerosol and detected by light scattering. It is relevant to many areas of engineering research. By means of calculations of the intensity of light scattered from particles of different sizes, it has been shown that the surface median aerodynamic diameter (SMAD) is an appropriate measure for polydisperse aerosolised powders. The microscope-based procedure for obtaining the SMAD is described, as well as its implementation for narrowly-graded polydisperse powders of fused alumina of type which have been widely used in studies of particle transport in wind tunnels. It was shown that for the fused alumina powders examined, SMAD = 1.25 x (PASMAD), where PASMAD is the projected area surface median aerodynamic diameter.

Notizen: Computer simulations of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) for monomers to investigate the effects of size and of lognormal distribution on the fractal dimensionality of the aggregates were conducted on a two-dimensional lattice. The results show the DLA clusters posses multifractal characteristics. For clusters consisting of monodisperse monomers, the bifurcation point on the graph of the pair correlation function (PCF) for each cluster is located right at the monomers size under investigation The textural dimension (Df1) has a stable value of about 1.65, whereas the structural dimension (Df2) decreased with increase in monomer size. For the cases with monomers in log-normal distributions, the textural dimension is around 1.67; however, the structural dimension decreases with increasing polydispersity of monomer size.

Notizen: A series of industrial powders, most of them organic, were characterized in terms of volumetric mean size, size distribution, density, particle shape, water rentention characteristics (under a series of controlled ambient relative humidities) and loosely packed and densely packed voidages (giving the compressibility). The behaviour of the powders in powder handling apparatus (a precision powder filler) was also determined. The minimum and maximum bulk densities of the powders were related to the properties of the individual particles by means of a semi-empirical equation. The filling capacity of the powder handling apparatus was found to be related to the maximum bulk density of the powder while the filling accuracy turned out to be related to the compressibility of the powder. Knowing these interrelations made it possible to predict the powder behaviour in the handling apparatus directly on basis of the particle properties.

Notizen: Fiber optic dynamic light scattering (FODLS) was used to study the kinetics of aging processes in emulsions of n-alkanes stabilized by a surfactant. The method is particularly useful for this purpose because it permits measurements in concentrated emulsions. Complications that may occur in traditional DLS due to the extreme dilution, such as solubilization of the particles in the medium, can be easily avoided in this way. The experimental results show that the main aging process is Ostwald ripening. The results are in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) theory as far as it concerns the relation between the molecular solubility of the n-alkanes (in the aqueous phase) and the Ostwald ripening rate. This illustrates that the main rate-determining factor is the molecular diffusion of the alkane molecules through the continuous (aqueous) phase. The Ostwald ripening rate is affected by the concentration of surfactant but in all situations is higher than expected from LSW theory.

Notizen: Designing modern devices for bulk solids storage and handling requires an increasingly complex understanding of the handled bulk solids' mechanical behaviour. Models able to describe the behaviour of bulk solids can neither be formulated nor their parameters determined from common shear tests, since these do not contain sufficient information especially about the materials' stiffness characteristics. The paper describes the response envelope as a measure of the deformation resistance and its experimental determination from biaxial tests. It is shown that for fine limestone powder the stiffness in compression is only about 1/70 of the stiffness in expansion. The shape of the response envelope depends only on the ratio between the principal stresses at the stress state considered, whereas the size of the response envelope also depends on the stress magnitude.

Notizen: This paper reports an experimental study on the stability, coagulation and diffusion of molecular clusters and ultrafine particles generated from organic vapors by corona ionizers. Upon leaving the ionizer, particles are made to flow within several types of vessels: depending on the specific geometry of the flow system, clusters either coagulate into large particles or are deposited on the walls. Particles larger than 4nm and molecular clusters penetrate through a wire-screen type diffusion battery, but particles in the size range between 2 and 4nm are collected. Among the organic compounds tested (aromatics, alcohols, ketones and others), only aromatic compounds appear to yield unstable clusters which grow into detectable particles (〉2nm) through Brownian coagulation. The other compounds either do not undergo the gas-to-particle conversion process or are too small to be detected. Furthermore, the presence of moisture seems to be of fundamental importance in the particle generation phenomenon. The addition of alcohols to the vapor mixture inhibits particle formation.

Notizen: This paper reviews the principle of the phase-Doppler particle sizer by means of examples of the effects of varying the various experimental parameters. The examples are computed by means of a comprehensive numerical model of a complete phase-Doppler system including many practical aspects such as aperture size, polarization filters and detector properties. First the phase-Doppler principle is explained as a logical development of an interferometric measurement of the phase of the light scattered from a particle. Then the standard phase-Doppler analyzer (PDA) is decribed followed by some newer or less known variations of the principle intended to measure, e.g., in the backscatter direction, to size very small particles or to determine the refractive index of a particle. Finally, the trajectory problem in PDA measurements is briefly discussed.

Notizen: Light scattering by particles is often used to determine velocities or concentrations of particles in gaseous or liquid streams. Within the Lorenz-Mie theory, light scattering is well understood both for a single compact spherical particle and a single multilayered particle in a non-absorbing surrounding medium. However, in some cases of practical importance the Lorenz-Mie theory in its present form may fail to describe the scattering because the host medium is absorbing (e.g. water droplets in oil). In this case, a new treatment of the scattering theory is required. In previous work, solutions were obtained in the far-field of the scattering sphere. In this paper, a rigorous solution is derived from the calculation of the total absorption rate of the particle in the host medium, which is valid for all distances from the surface of the encapsulated particle. It is shown that it is necessary to consider finite sizes R of the integrating sphere when dealing with absorbing host media. Cross-sections are defined which are characteristic quantities not only for the particle, depending on the size of a conceptual sphere around the scatterer and the imaginary part of the refractive index of the host medium. The results obtained are discussed for the case of non-absorbing host media and in the far-field approximation. Some numerical examples are given which are also related to experimental results.

Notizen: After having recalled basic theoretical results concerning the extension of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory to the case of multilayered spheres, results connected with phase-Doppler anemometry are considered, showing the influence of Gaussian beam intensity profiles on the light scattering properties of these particles. Particular emphasis is placed on the case of water-coated carbon core particles, for which the possibility of obtaining simultaneous size measurements of the core and outer diameters is discussed. The sensitivity of the technique to particles with a refractive index profile is also considered, showing that this technique is more sensitive to changes in the average refractive index of the particles than to refractive index profiles, such as produced by high pressure and temperature stresses, at least for the studied geometry.

Notizen: Microcontamination of product surfaces by deposited particles is an important problem in clean technologies. A most sensitive product to contamination by particles is a wafer during chip production. Therefore, methods for monitoring particle deposition on wafer surfaces have been developed in the last decade. A wafer with an unstructured and reflecting surface is inserted into the process equipment. After some time, depending on the process, this wafer is removed from the process equipment and is analysed with respect to the number of deposited particles using a wafer scanner. However, in situ particle detection in a process chamber is not possible with this technique. This would be possible if, instead of a monitor wafer, a transparent glass plate is mounted, e.g. in the housing of the process equipment. Then the illuminating and scattered light detection equipment can be mounted outside the process equipment. Since both the illuminating laser beam and the scattered light have to be transmitted through the glass plate, losses will occur, which will reduce the lower limit of detection with respect to particle size. In this article we estimate the detection possibilities theoretically and experimentally.A simple model based on Mie and vector scattering theory has been developed to describe the light-scattering behavior of a single spherical particle on a glass plate with random surface irregularities. The scattered light of individual particles of four particle sizes (1.03, 1.6, 2.92 and 4.23 μm) on the same glass surface and from the uncontaminated area of the glass plate was measured for unpolarized and normally incident light. The values of the scattered light from this model were compared with the experimental results. The comparison shows a reasonable agreement of the angular distribution of the scattered light. The developed model is used to predict the lower limit of detection for particles on a transparent surface. The theoretical estimations show that it should be possible to detect particles of a diameter down to 0.2 μm with the described measurement technique.

Notizen: The ability to routinely make simultaneous measurements of the size and velocity of individual spherical particles is identified as a crucial component of advances in the science and technology of multiphase systems and processes. Since it is the dual beam interferometer identified here as the phase-Doppler particle-sizing velocimeter (PD) that has provided this capability, and since 1995 marks twenty years from a seminal paper by Durst and Zaré, a historical review is warranted and is presented. The roots and context of the development of PD are traced from the days of laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) in the early 1970's through work culminating at several laboratories in the mid 1980's. A number of important contributions and the engineers and scientists responsible for those contributions are recognized.

Notizen: The Scattering of focused laser beams by arbitrarily shaped dielectric bodies is investigated theoretically. The beam description is based on Davis third-order beam approximation for the field components. The scattering problem can be solved on a spherical basis by the extended boundary condition method or by the so-called modified version of the extended boundary condition method. For spheroidal particles with small eccentricities, a perturbation technique for the internal subproblem of the extended boundary condition method is described. This procedure is applied to analyse the influence of the particle shape and orientation on the response of a phase-Doppler system.

Notizen: A new technique for the calculation of the optical properties of agglomerated spherical primary particles is presented. By means of the so-called virtual refractive index, the multiple scattering within the agglomerate is decribed by a modified Mie solution, thus avoiding restrictions with respect to the primary particle size. An additional benefit of the method is the small numerical expense required, permitting practical use for complex agglomerate structures such as real combustion aerosols. Utilizing this method, attention is focused on the calculation of the extinction cross-section of real combustion aerosols in order to discuss the results of multiple-wavelength extinction measurements within combustion systems. It is found that approximately the primary particle diameter is determined. Furthermore, the error that occurs can be avoided by means of the method presented without a detailed knowledge of the agglomerate size. Thus, the present work eliminates some current uncertainties inherent in optical combustion aerosol characterization.

Notizen: The principle of the dual burst technique (DBT) based on phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) is proposed for simultaneous particle refractive index, size and velocity measurements. This technique used the trajectory effects in PDA systems to separate the two contributions of the different scattering processes. In the case of forward scattering and refracting particles, it is shown that from the phase of the reflected contribution, the particle diameter can be deduced, whereas from the refracted contribution the particle refractive index and velocity can be obtained. Furthermore, the intensity ratio of these two scattering processes can be used for absorption measurements. Simulations based on generalized Lorenz-Mie theory and experimental tests using monodispersed droplets of different refractive indices and absorption coefficients have validated this technique.

Notizen: Rainbow refractometry allows the determination of the refractive indices of droplets if a homogeneous refractive index can be assumed throughout the whole droplet. The influence of gradients on the angular position of the rainbow was examined for refractive index distributions with constant gradients and for distributions as they occur during cooling, heating and burning of droplets. Geometrical optics were used to determine rainbow positions. For a given value of refractive index at the surface, the rainbow position is in many cases a measure for the gradient itself. It was found that information obtained for constant gradients can often be used in cases with more complex distributions, which are found, for instance, for droplets undergoing heat-transfer processes. Significant errors may be obtained only for a very short initial phase of the process. Experimental results obtained with monosized droplet streams, which confirm theoretical predictions of the influence of gradients on the rainbow position, are presented.

Notizen: The accurate measurement of mass flux is identified as being essential for the successful use of phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) in many applications, in particular with sprays. Thus measured sizes of individual droplets and the cross-sectional area to which the flux measurement is referenced must be reliable. This paper investigates sources of measurement error in each of these quantities and provides means to eliminates or minimize these errors. A new PDA configuration, termed dual-mode PDA, is introduced as an implementation of these suggestions. Example measurements illustrate the advantages of the system over conventional arrangements.

Notizen: On the basis of the numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation (RTE), the influence of non-sphericity of oriented spheroidal particles on radiation intensity formation in a layer with a multiple scattering regime is considered. For solving the RTE with characteristics depending on the propagation direction of the radiation beam, an algorithm is developed based on the method of layer doubling. Calculations are presented of angle correlations for intensities of radiation in a layer with Fresnel reflection on the boundaries, and reflection and transmission coefficients.

Notizen: A spectral estimation technique based on Prony's method has been used to analyse a five section microstrip interdigital filter with the TLM method. The time response of the filter is expressed as the sum of only five damped sinusoids, yielding an analytical expression for the time response. Furthermore, since an analytical Fourier transform exists for this expression, the frequency response is obtained without applying the fast Fourier or discrete Fourier transform. This typically reduces the time required for a TLM analysis by a factor of five. The approximation agrees very well with a full TLM time response. It is also shown that the numerical noise due to single precision computation of the absorbing boundary algorithm can be eliminated by digital filtering techniques. The effect of the via holes used for grounding the quarter-wave resonators of the filter has been included by discretizing them along with the rest of the circuit. Scattering parameters for the filter compare well with measurements published by Swanson.

Notizen: Catalyst surface characterizations have been carried out to investigate the role of dispersion on catalyst activity and to probe the occurrence of oscillations in coking levels with cycle number generally observed during multiple deactivation and regeneration schemes. The titrations were done, cycle by cycle, at 430°C after oxidation and at the same temperature (430°C) after reduction at 500°C. Results show the usually observed trend - that the dispersions after oxidation are higher than those after reduction. The average decline in dispersion from oxidation to reduction was calculated to be 39.25%. It was observed that the cycles with high toxic coke removal were characterised by high deactivation times. The deactivation times were still high even for cycles subsequent to those with low dispersion. At high dispersions the catalyst had short deactivation times, that is the small crystallites deactivate faster than large ones. The nature of reducebale coke and the efficiency of its removal is a much more determinant factor of catalyst activity than the level of metal disperision. Thus prolonged toxic coke reduction at the high temperature of 500°C, though resulting in an apparent lowering of dispersion, does not affect the quality of the catalyst. The dispersion before reduction could be retained on oxidation. Hence reduction at 500°C did not introduce sintering.

Notizen: Reasons are given why the axial dispersion in a gas flowing through a packed bed may be influenced by the elasticity - or compressibility - of the fluid. To support this hypothesis, experiments have been done in a packed column at pressures from 0.13 to 2.0 MPa. The elasticity E of a gas is proportional to the pressure P and the compressibility to 1/P. The axial dispersion coefficients as determined were found to be a function of the pressure in the packed bed in the turbulent flow region of 3 〈 Rep 〈 150 if the Bodenstein number is plotted as a function of the particle Reynolds number. This is shown to be an artifact. The pressure influence is eliminated, if Bom, ax is plotted versus the ratio of the kinetic forces over the elastic forces ϱu2/E. Regrettably, Bom, ax seems to be independent of ϱu2/E. For the moment we only can conclude that Bom, ax in the turbulent region is a unique function of the velocity of the gas which flows through the packed bed. Although the fact that a constant Bo value is obtained when plotted against ϱu2/E, the experimental results are so intriguing we wanted to make them public already now. The experimental work proceeds.

Notizen: A unified gas/ solid reaction model has been formulated for multi reactions with multi gas and solid species. The transient formulation has been followed by finite-difference method and subsequent solution via an iterative procedure. The simulation produces intermediate results for concentration profiles of various components and pressure and temperature distribution, in addition to various structural parameters within a reacting pellet. The effect of structural parameters is analysed. The general formulation allows homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. Solid state processes can also be accommodated.

Notizen: Calcination and carbonation behaviour of dolomite has been studied in a pressurised thermo balance at pressures in the range of 1.1 to 2.3 MPa and for temperatures ranging from 730 to 840°C. The atmosphere consisted of nitrogen containing up to 20 vol.-% carbon dioxide. The calcination of dolomite has been studied as a function of temperature, particle size, and Pco2. An investigation concerning possible mass transfer restrictions for the experimental system and a model investigation of the calcination rate in CO2 atmosphere has been made. Further, the effect of calcination on the BET surface and the BET surface including the surface structure due to successive temperature cycles has been studied. The temperature for the initialisation of calcination of dolomite in CO2 atmosphere was independent of both Pco2 and the particle size. No conclusive indications on mass transfer restrictions have been detected for the experimental system. A significant difference in calcination rate as a function of particle size existed for decomposition in CO2 atmosphere. A model for homogeneously progressing chemical reaction parallel with a shrinking core chemical reaction together with a mass transfer control mechanism was found to describe the calcination rate in CO2 atmosphere most accurately.

Notizen: General simple criteria to predict and analyze the influence on trickle-bed reactors behavior of three phenomena, namely, plug flow deviations, external wetting efficiency and external mass transfer resistance, are developed. Criteria predictions are compared with results arising from a comprehensive mathematical model widely employed to describe trickle-bed reactors behavior and with other particular criteria reported in the literature. Present criteria applications to different sets of experimental data exemplify their practical utility for various actual situations and verify their validity. Besides, they constitute simple tools to diagnose detrimental on trickle-bed reactors operation.

Notizen: The measurement of transmission is an often used measuring principle in technology. The evaluation algorithms of fluctuating transmission signals are well known in the case of single particle measurement. By evaluating fluctuating transmission signals the particle characterization is also possible at high particle concentrations (0.01 to 30 vol.-%). In comparison with conventional photometers a significant gain of information can be received. Fluctuating signals are caused by the statistical probability of a limited number of particles being present in a defined measuring volume. The evaluation of such signals allows the determination of particle concentration, particle size of monodisperse particles (extinction diameter) and information about structure of agglomerates independent from each other. Mathematical fundamentals and practical ways to measure these parameters are shown. Experimental results are examplarily presented for monodisperse, polydisperse and agglomerated suspensions.

Notizen: Carefully directed investments to reduce the thermodynamic losses in critical subsystems often leads to a reduction of the overall investment costs. This is demonstrated by recent developments in the technology of low temperature refrigeration. By replacing the Joule-Thomson valve by a work extracting expander and other modifications of the cycle, operating costs are reduced by 40% and investment costs by 20%.

Notizen: For highly viscous products, multiple shaft agitators represent an interesting alternative to expensive special mixers. A triple shaft agitator with a volume of 250 liters is used to determine the powder consumption of the impellers and its relationship with the process parameters. The result shows that the power consumption of a single impeller running in multiple shaft mode is significantly smaller than of one running in single shaft mode. But the power required for the whole multiple shaft machine is much higher than that for a single shaft machine. A model is presented for detailed description of the interactions between the individual agitators in multiple shaft mode.

Notizen: A Comparative study of different Lewis acids (metal chlorides of valences, I, II, III, IV) has been made. These catalysts are used in the synthesis of a high molecular weight ester in a stirred tank reactor using octanoic acid and n-octyl alcohol as reactants. It was found that the best efficiency of the formatted ester (n-octyl octanoate) was obtained with ferric chloride. This could be explained by the high electronegativity and the existence of free d orbitals in the Lewis acid.

Notizen: The results of recent researches on twin-fluid atomization are briefly reviewed, with particular emphasis on the effects of air and liquid properties on mean drop size. It is stressed that no single equation for the mean drop sizes produced in twin-fluid atomization can satisfactorily correlate all the experimental data from any given atomizer. This is because for all types of atomizers the mechanism of liquid breakup changes from one basic mode to another with changes in atomizer operating conditions and/or liquid properties. These different modes of atomization exhibit different dependencies on atomizer dimensions and various physical properties such as liquid viscosity and air density. Equations for estimating the mean drop sizes produced in the various modes of twin-fluid atomization are presented and discussed.

Notizen: The avalanching behaviour of two coal types was determined, one of good and the other of poor handleability characteristics. This revealed significant differences in the nature of flow of the coals. Analysis of the strange attractors of the weight series of avalanches enabled quanitification of this difference, and the establishment of practical, relative criteria for the measurement of coal handleability. These criteria will now enable a structured study of the variables that affect handleability, for example proportion of fines and moisture content, and industrial consumers of coal to specify minimum acceptable limits for its transport characteristics.

Notizen: A concern about all reinforcing fibers is the extent to which they are respirable. The degree of respirability of a particle is frequently estimated in terms of its aerodynamic equivalent diameter being less than a certain value (typically 3.5 to 7 μ). However, the aerodynamic equivalent diameter, like the Stokes diameter, is only defined exactly for spheres, which is far from the shape of acicular fibers. Thus, it is useful to be able to calculate, based on actual fiber diameter and aspect ratio, the effective Stokes and aerodynamic equivalent diameters of various fibers. The present paper derives simple expression for relating the two effective diameters to actual fiber dimensions.Calculated results are compared with experimental data for glass fiber and three fractions of phosphate fiber [1], which is a short, reinforcing inorganic fiber. Agreement is seen to be good. Phosphate fiber was fractionated using a sedimentation technique described in the paper. The resulting fractions were characterized by semi-manual measurements of micrographic dimensions and compared with results obtained from particle size instruments based on sedimentation principles. Based on these results, a large weight fraction of phosphate fiber is predicted not to be respirable.

Notizen: When properly measured and interpreted angle of repose (AOR) can be a useful method of characterising a powder. Unfortunately, a multitude of definitions and measuring equipment is used. A review of the inherent problems is presented in the first part of this paper.The second part of the paper describes the improvements made to a measuring device developed originally for measuring the angle of repose of soda ash, so that a wider range of powders can be tested. In the improved design, the tendency of cohesive and semi-cohesive powders to block the device's funnel has been eliminated.A total of 73 powders consisting of four different materials, and covering Groups A, A/C and C of Geldart's classification, have been tested using the new equipment. The results show that AOR increases systematically with decrease in mean particle size. Combination of AOR measured in the new device with aerated bulk density provides a quick, sensitive and effective method for characterising a wide range of powders.

Notizen: This paper gives a theoretical basis for calculating Fraunhofer diffraction patterns of arbitrary polyhedron particles. It is shown that this solution can be used for calculating a scatter matrix adapted to the particle shape in a straightforward manner. Some simulations were made to show the difference between the size distribution by volume obtained with a scatter matrix for spheres and with that for the appropriate shape. Finally, some experimentally measured signatures from platelets and rods are evaluated in order to show that the spherical equivalent diameter could be accurately retrieved.

Notizen: Many different methods for size measurement are known and since they differ in their physical principles, different results are also obtained. In the recent past, there were rapid developments in new measurement techniques and one can now quickly and routinely determine particle sizes in the very fine range. Smaller particle sizes, on the other hand, tend to increase the probability of agglomeration. The measurement of the particle sizes for magnetic materials is not well understood and this paper reports results regarding the size determination of very fine magnetic materials. Because of their dipole moment, these particles tend to agglomerate even more, which in turn causes certain difficulties during the measurements. Wet and dry laser measurement systems were compared and also magnetic materials with different permeabilities in order to establish the influence of individual factors on the measurement process and on the accuracy of the results obtained.

Notizen: Within the past 20 years, particle size analysis with laser diffraction (LD) has been subject to rapid development, extending the size range stepwise from 1-200 μm to about 0.1-3500 μm. The limits of LD are discussed in terms of light sources, the influence of the beam diameter, special Fourier optics and a new detector design.It is shown that the size range is not only restricted by the wavelength of the laser and the transmission limits of the medium. Its extension is mainly related to improvements in the measurement of the angular intensity distribution. Influences from stability and flow dominate on the coarse side of the measuring range. On the fine side, the spatial extension of aerosols and the resulting demand for extended working distances can be covered only in a parallel laser beam. Extended Fourier optics in combination with an adapatable beam expansion technique and a detector with virtual borders between semicircular elements overcome the existing limits and extend the size range to a lower limit of about 0.05 μm and an upper limit above 10 mm.The sensititivity limit of LD is approaching that of single particle counting techniques. For medical spray and inhaler applications, a 0.1% optical concentration can be converted to particle size distributions even for time-resolved analyses with sample intervals of a few milliseconds.The reproducibility of the sensor, with a standard deviation typically much less than 0.5%, is no longer the limiting factor. The reproducibility of the results is mainly dominated by the reproducibility of sampling, sample splitting, dispersion and the contamination of the optical path. The latter can be improved by the control of flow, especially for in-line and inhaler applications.

Notizen: Dynamic light scattering has become a standard technique of investigating colloidal suspensions and polymer solutions. The experimental field autocorrelation function ĝ1 (t) can often be well modelled by a Laplace transform relating ĝ1 (t) to a distribution of decay times A(τ). In simple systems A(τ) can usually be directly related to a distribution of molecular weights, particle sizes, diffusion coefficients or other physically relevant quantities, With constrained regularization methods, the parameter-free estimation of A(τ) has become straightforward. In complex systems, the resulting A(τ) may contain several components the identification of which is not always obvious. The problem often originates in a superposition of diffusive and angle-independent components that have different variations of their respective decay times with the scattering vector. A method is presented based on a simultaneous fit of several autocorrelation functions measured at several different scattering angles, which, using simple and reasonable assumptions, yields a robust analysis of the spectra of decay times. The application of the method is illustrated on simulated autocorrelation functions and also on real experimental data obtained on a variety of different polymer systems.

Notizen: A light-scattering instrument that is normally used for particle size analysis was applied to obtain information about particle shape. Micro-cuboids of dimensions a × b × c in the range between 10 and 1000 μm, which can be accurately manufactured employing special technology, were used as labelled samples for the determination of 3-D features. Particle projections at different orientations due to turbulent motion were measured sequentially. The laser diffraction of cuboids rotating in a turbulent flow is described theoretically using a simplified model, i.e. rotation of a rectangle. The change in the projection areas of rotating cuboids is connected with their rotational velocity. The power spectrum density of rotational velocity of cuboids and spheres was determined and the influence of particle shape on the power spectrum density established. The frequency distribution of projection sizes was found to be suitable for particle shape estimation.

Notizen: This paper describes the use of a capacitance tomography system for imaging gas bubbles in a fluidized bed in the vicinity of an air distributor plate. The results show how the solid concentration distribution varies as a function of time for three different flow regimes: bubbling, slugging and the transition to turbulent. Bubble shape, Length and coalesence can be observed. A method of spatial correlation to elucidate the bubble formation process is described.

Notizen: It is well established that particle size and shape substantially influence the bulk properties of powdered materials. Although these characteristics are closely interrelated, the tendency has been to analyse the particle size independently from particle shape. The aim of this work was the assessment of particle shape through particle sizing data. For this purpose, three different particle shape materials - glass beads (spherical), crushed glass (moderately irregular) and mica (lamellar) - were tested, employing four particle sizers. The shape factor selected was the Wadell's sphericity, which was evaluated utilizing distinct equations. The comparison of the results reveals problems arising from the use of approximations rather than more fundamental equations.