Project Abstract:

Pneumatic conveying systems are widely used for the transport of granular solids in various industries. It is well recognized that a common and sometimes hazardous phenomenon associated with this type of transport system is the attrition and electrostatic charge generation via solid-wall or solid-solid interactions. The present project aims to correlate electrostatics, granular attrition, and granular dynamics properties for characterization of such systems. Specific tasks include: (1) studying electrostatic effects on solid flow behaviour; (2) investigating granular attrition due to rotary valve in pneumatic conveying systems; (3) characterizing charge capacity of single particle with various particle size and shape; (4) establishing the fundamental relationships between the above-mentioned components and flow behaviours observed.