Brookfield Engineering: Powder Flow Tester At Pittcon 2012

Bob McGregor demonstrates the powder flow tester from Brookfield Engineering. This new instrument is very simple to use and quick to give an answer — with a lower price point. Predict the flowability of the powder in a containment vessel and the ability to discharge out of the bottom through the opening. Two important outcomes are the potential of the powder to build an arch over the opening and the ability of the powder to build a rat hole inside of the powder container.

Hi I'm Bob McGregor from Brookfield Engineering. I am going to give you a quick explanation of how our new powder flow tester works.

A powder sample can be put into a trough, which you see right here. It is an annular shape configuration. The idea is to have this sample compress under a load and then shear against itself so that you can measure the forces between the particles and the powder sample.

The sample goes on to the instrument like this and fits down like this. This is a catch tray that will catch any of the material that comes outside. This lid sits on top of the powder sample and applies the compressive force.

The objective of this test is to measure the inner particle friction. The result of that test gives you an ability to predict the flowability of the powder in a containment vessel and its ability to discharge out of the bottom through the opening.

Two very important pieces of information that come from this test are the potential of the powder to build an arch over the opening and the ability of the powder to create a rat hole inside of the powder container.

This new device is very attractive to industry because never before has a device been so simple to use, so easy to operate, so quick to give an answer, and so inexpensive. This is why shear-cell testing in the powder industry will become the mainstay for how to test powder flowability.