Aeration Apparatus Converts Bin From Funnel-Flow to Mass-Flow Characteristics

Abstract

A properly designed hopper provides cost control through increased unloading reliability, improved storage space utilization, steadier discharge rates, and improved blending of discharged materials. Hoppers have been designed to provide these advantages by providing mass-flow characteristics without application of auxiliary flow promoting devices. Many hoppers are not designed for proper flow. In some cases, limitations on head room, flow rate requirements, or bulk solid characteristics present barriers to design goals of proper flow. Application of aeration can alleviate flow problems in existing hoppers without major changes in hopper configuration and, in addition, it can be helpful in reducing required head room, promoting flow control, and handling some very fine powders. An application of such an aerating device to improve the flow characteristics of fine powders from funnel-flow to mass-flow is discussed in this paper.