Powder processing presents widely recognised challenges. Equipment selection and design typically call for specific expert input and even then, over the long term, day-to-day problems with product variability, blockages and stoppages often erode profitability. Powders usually have a specification defined on the basis of composition and particle size, but successful powder handling and processing requires greater insight into the potential behaviour of the powder than these analyses afford. Powder flowability is a property that is often identified as being useful to measure and there are a wide range of options when it comes to test equipment. This raises the question of how to choose a powder tester that is well matched to a specific, process-related need.
The commercial introduction of a new powder testing technique – uniaxial testing – makes it timely to review the most valuable testers for process support and compare their suitability for specific applications. In a recent article in Process Industry Informer Tim Freeman consider the advantages and limitations of uniaxial testing, biaxial shear cell analysis and dynamic powder testing within this context.
To read the article in full please go to the Process Industry Informer website.