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Hopper Design PDF

Storage bin having a funnel flow pattern is most common in industry. The design do not consider the stagnant materials. Funnel flow is usually the least costly design.

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InunHazwaniKhairuddin
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5K views31 pages

Hopper Design PDF

Storage bin having a funnel flow pattern is most common in industry. The design do not consider the stagnant materials. Funnel flow is usually the least costly design.

Uploaded by

InunHazwaniKhairuddin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5.

0 HOPPER DESIGN
5.1 Bulk solid handling
Measuring the flow properties of bulk
solids and how to use this information for
the design of storage vessel.
Definitions:
Bin: Any upright container for storing bulk
solids.
Silo: A tall bin, where H > 1.5D
Bunker: A shallow bin, where H < 1.5D
Hopper: A converging sloping wall
section attached to the bottom of a silo.

5.2 Solid flow pattern


As solid flow from a bin, the boundaries
between flowing and non-flowing regions
define the flow pattern.
Three types of common pattern:
i) Funnel flow / core flow
ii) Mass flow
iii) Expanded flow

5.2.1 Flow obstruction


Interruption of solid flow in a bin can be
caused by 2 types of obstructions:
i) An arch
Sometimes called as a bridge
Formed across a flow channel
ii)

Bin opening / rathole


Formed when the flow channel
empties, leaving the surrounding
stagnant material in place.

Important in understanding the forces


acting on the wall of the bin and to the
material.

5.3 Types of flow pattern


5.3.1 Funnel flow / core flow:
Occurs in bin with flat bottom or hopper
having slopes too shallow or too rough to
allow solid to slide along the wall during
the flow.
Funnel flow through an entire bin - Rathole,
formed when stagnant materials gains
sufficient strength to remain in place as flow
channel empties
Material near to the bin wall becomes
stagnant.
First in, last out or do not come out at all.
Rathole / pipe could form.

In severe cases, the material can form a


bridge or arch over the discharged
opening.
The flow channel may not well defined
-particle segregation might occur.
-material surrounding the channel may
be unstable
-this will cause stop and start flowing,
pulsating or jelly flow.
-could lead to the damage of material
structure.
As bin emptied; solid continually slough off
the top surface into the channel.

Storage bin having a funnel flow pattern is


most common in industry.
the design do not consider the
stagnant materials.
thus, resulting in less discharged
capacity.
Funnel flow is usually the least costly
design.
It has several disadvantages
handling certain materials:

when

i)

Flow rate from the discharged opening


can be erratic:
Arches tends to form and break.
Flow channel becomes unstable.
Upset volumetric feeder installed at
the silo discharged
Powder density at discharged vary
widely due to varying stresses in flow.

ii)

Fine powders :
Flush/aerated uncontrollably
Sudden collapse of rathole/arch

i)

Caking/degrading of solid:
Left under consolidating stresses in
the stagnant areas.

ii)

A stable rathole/ pipe formed


Stagnant material gain sufficient
strength to remain stagnant.

iii) Level indicator


Would not give correct signal on
materials level.
Submerged in stagnant area

Despite all of the above, funnel flow is still


adequate for (advantage) :
i) Non-caking or non-degradable
ii) Discharge opening adequately sized to
prevent bridging/ratholing.
However, many mechanical devices could
be used to promote flow.

5.3.2 Mass flow:


Occurs in bin having steep and smooth
hoppers.
Material discharges are fully active.
Flow channel coincides with the bin and
hopper walls i.e all materials is in motion
and sliding against the wall of bin and
hopper.

Advantages:
i)

Erratic flow, channeling and flooding of


powders are avoided.

ii)

Stagnant regions
eliminated.

in

the

silo

are

iii) First in, first out flow occurs. Resulting in


minimizing caking, degrading and
segregation during process.
iv) Little particle segregation or eliminated
v) Uniform flow at the hopper outlet
flow is easily controlled
pressures are well predictable.

Disadvantages:
i)

Friction between moving solids and the


silo.
resulting in erosion of the wall
could give rise to contamination of the
solids by the material of the hopper
wall.
Serious erosion of the wall material.

ii)

For conical hoppers, the slope angle


required to ensure mass flow depends
on the powder-powder friction and the
powder-wall friction.

There is no such thing as mass flow


hopper- a hopper that gives mass flow
with one powder may give core flow with
another.

Expanded flow:
Term used to describe flow in a vessel that
combines a core flow converging hopper
with a mass flow attached below it.
The mass flow hopper section ensures a
uniform, controlled flow from the outlet. Its
upper diameter is sized such that no
stable pipe can form in the core flow
hopper portion above it.

Expanded flow is used where a uniform


discharged in desired, but where space or
cost restrictions rule out a fully mass flow
bin.
This arrangement can be used to modify
existing funnel flow bins to correct flow
problems.
Multiple mass flow hoppers are sometimes
mounted under a large core flow silo.

5.4 The Design Philosophy


Powder

Arch of powder with


sufficient strength to
prevent flow

Blockage or obstruction to flow = arching.

powders develop strength under the


action of compacting stresses
the greater the compacting stress, the
greater the strength developed

(Free-flowing solids such as coarse sand will


never develop compacting stress)

5.5 Flow- no flow criterion


Flow to occur:
strength developed by the solids under the
action of consolidating pressure to support
obstruction to flow is less than gravity flow
of the solids.
An arch occurs:
when the strength developed by the solid
greater than the stresses acting within the
surface of the arch.
The hopper flow factor (ff)
the ff relates the stress developed in a
particulate solid within the compacting
stress acting in a particular hopper.

C compacting stress in the hopper


ff

D
stress developed in the powder
high value of ff means low flowability.
High C means greater compaction.
Low D means more chance of an arch
forming.
The hopper depends on:
The nature of the solid
The nature of the wall material
The slope of the hopper wall

5.5.2

Powder flow function

the unconfined yield stress, Y of the solid


varies with compacting stress, C ;i.e:

y fn C
the
relationship
experimentally

is

determined

the relationship is called powder flow


function

Yield locus and family of yield loci

Determination of y and c

Critical condition for flow

The limiting condition for flow:

c
ff

- to reveal conditions under which the


flow will occur.

(a) powder has a yield stress greater than


c/ff no flow occurs.
(b) if actual stress developed < crit :
no flow.
If actual stress developed > crit :
flow occurs.
(c) the powder has a yield stress less
than c/ff flow occurs.

- For flow, D> y or

C
ff

Determination of d and fw

Critical outlet dimension


For a given hopper geometry, the stress
developed in the arch is related to the size
of the hopper outlet, B, and the bulk solid,
s, of the material.
Minimum outlet dimension, B
B

H ( ) crit

b g

where H() factor determined by the slope


of the wall.
g acceleration due to gravity.
For conical hoppers:

H ( ) 2.0

60

Critical Outlet Dimension

Hopper flow factor values for conical channels, d=50o

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