Assessing the homogeneity of powder mixtures by on-line electrical capacitance

In this paper, we try to improve our comprehension of one of the most important challenge in the particulate solids industry: the assessment of the homogeneity of powder mixtures. A two-electrode electrical capacitance method is used to measure the permittivity of mixtures while flowing in a 1-D set up. An emphasis is placed on the possibility of following homogeneity evolution through permittivity measurement, without the necessity to calculate the volumetric proportions of each component from an effective medium formulation. The methodology is applied to examine segregation in a funnel, as well as the efficiency of a laboratory drum mixer.