Particle fragmentation in dilute phase pneumatic conveying

Using a continuous-flow gas gun, single particle impact studies were conducted to examine the characteristics of particle fragmentation. The effect of particle velocity, impact angle, particle size and number of impacts on the percentage of unbroken particles was investigated. A numerical simulation, combining particle trajectory with particle fragmentation characteristics was also developed to calculate the percentage of unbroken particles in a horizontal pipe and bend for the case of dilute phase pneumatic conveying. Validation of this model showed good agreement with the simulated and experimental results. The flexibility of this model will also enable particle breakage for any dilute pneumatic conveying configuration to be predicted.