This was the presentation for my M.Tech thesis defending. Link to file : https://drive.google.com/open?id=163E6EXIpR8fgkwPQwIVRgeLW9iKJF9gt

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Khusro Kamaluddin (801783008)
Under the supervision of
Dr. S. S. Mallick (Associate Professor)
Dr. Anu Mittal (Assistant Professor)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala
An Investigation into the Flow
Mechanism of Gas-Solids Flow
of Fine and Dusty Powders
20 September 20191

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Introduction
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What are bulk solids ? Particle Properties:
Particle Shape
Particle Density
Surface Area
Porosity
Hardness
Particle Size
Chemical Composition
Coefficient of Restitution
Friability
Bulk Properties:
Bulk Density
Tapped Density
Particle Size Distribution
Flow Function
Angle of Repose
Moisture
Angle of Internal Friction
Angle of External Friction
Compressibility
Cohesion
Time Consolidation
Deareation Charecteristics
What are the various bulk solid handling techniques?

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Objectives
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Objectives:
1. Design, fabrication, and installation of air flow meter for pressure and
vacuum pneumatic conveying system.
2. To measure the fluidization air in pneumatic conveying system at NTPC
power plant at Mauda, Maharashtra.
3. To simulate bulk density test in EDEM and then validate the simulation
results against practical results.
Benefits to Industry:
1. Better utilisation of equipment by varying different types of air.
2. Calibration of fine powders would help industries to simulate the flow of
fine powders in industrial processes.

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Pneumatic Conveying
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Air flow measurement
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Various types of air
used in pneumatic
conveying:
1. Conveying Air
2. Fluidizing Air
3. Top Air
Types of Flow meters
based on their working
principle:
1. Bernoulli’s Principle
2. Electromagnetic
Induction
3. Vortex Shredding
4. Coriolis Effect

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Flow Meter
The standards used in the design are :
•ISO 4006:1991
•BS ISO TR 3313:1998
•PD ISO/TR 9464:2008
•BS EN ISO 5167-1:2003
•BS EN ISO 5167-2:2003
SELECTION OF PIPE ID
For 2 Inch Pipe :
ODMAX = 60.8 mm
Thickness = 3.6 mm
IDMAX = ODMAX – 2 x Thickness
⇒ IDMAX = 53.6 mm
Therefore taking ID = 54 mm for all design calculations.
Similarly for 3 Inch pipe ID was taken as 83 mm

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Flow Meter
𝑞 𝑚 =
𝐶𝑑
1 − 𝛽4
𝜀
𝜋
4
𝑑2
2∆𝑝𝜌1
𝜀 = 1 − 0.351 + 0.256𝛽4
+ 0.93𝛽8
1 −
𝑝2
𝑝1
1
𝛾
𝛽 =
𝑑
𝐷
∆𝑝 =
1
2𝜌1
4𝑞 𝑚 1 − 𝛽4
𝐶𝑑 𝜀𝜋𝑑2
2
𝜌1 =
𝑝1
𝑅𝑇

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Flow Meter
UPSTREAM & DOWNSTREAM LENGTHS
After using flow conditioner,
(Ltotal)2Inch ≈ 34 x 54 = 1836 mm
(Ltotal)3Inch ≈ 34 x 83 = 2822 mm
IS 5167-2 specifies the minimum upstream and downstream
straight pipe distance for orifice meter.
Therefore,
(Ltotal)2Inch ≈ 88 x 54 = 4752 mm
(Ltotal)3Inch ≈ 88 x 83 = 7304 mm

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PRESSURE TAPPING
Types of Pressure Tappings:
1.Flange Tapping (Considered in ISO 5167)
2.Corner Tapping (Considered in ISO 5167)
3.D and D/2 Tapping (Considered in ISO 5167)
4.Vena Contracta Tapping (Not Considered in ISO 5167)
Allowable tolerance in Location of Tapping:
IDMIN = 54 mm (for 2” Orifice Meter)
∆lD = 0.1 D ≈ 0.1x54 mm = 5.4 mm
∆lD/2 = 0.01 D ≈ 0.01x54 mm = 0.54 mm
Schematic of flanged and D & D/2 tapping with tolerance
Schematic of carrier ring and corner tapping
Flow Meter

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ORIFICE PLATES
The size of orifice plates was selected from the catalogue
of standard orifice plates supplied by Rosemont.
Thus the following size were selected:
2” Orifice Meter : Dia = 107 mm
3” Orifice Meter : Dia = 142 mm
Material: 202 Stainless Steel
Thickness: The thickness is taken to be 3.2 mm for all the
plates.
The bore diameter of the various orifice plates were
calculated previously during the primary stage of design.
Range for plate minimum thickness
Reducing the thickness
Making plates circular from
square pieces
Sized orifice plates
Schematic of orifice plates
Rosenmount product data sheet
Flow Meter

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Flow Meter
PRESSURE TAPPING
Clause 5.2.2.7 of ISO 5167 states that :
“The diameter of pressure tappings shall be less
than 0,13D and less than 13 mm.”
Clause 5.2.2.8 of ISO 5167 states that :
“The pressure tappings shall be circular and
cylindrical over a length of at least 2,5 times the
internal diameter of the tapping, measured from the
inner wall of the pipeline.”
For Size and Height of Tapping :
IDMIN = 54 mm (for 2” Orifice Meter)
Dtapping = 0.13 x IDMIN = 0.13x54 mm = 7.02 mm
⇒ Dia of Pressure Tapping is taken as 5 mm for
all the pressure tappings.
Minimum Height of Tapping(Ht(min)) = 2.5 x Dtapping
⇒(Ht(min)) = 2.5x5 mm = 12.5 mm , Ht = 23 mm > 12.5 mm
The height of the tapping is dictated
by the height of the flange so that
during assembly the flange does not
interfere in fitting the transducer.
Making Tapping in Workshop
Schematic of pressure tapping
Tapping in making
Manufactured Product

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Flow Meter
GENERAL DESIGN
Exploded View
Inspection during machining
3 Inch pressure line in lab

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Flow Meter
JACK BOLTS
• Provision of 2 diametrically opposite Jack Bolts is
made, both the bolts are on the upstream flange
and the plane made by the axis of the bolts is
perpendicular to the plane of tapping.
• These bolts would prove to be instrumental in
opening the orifice flanges during service of the
orifice meters.
FLANGE BOLTS
• The flange bolts are designed on the basis of
rubber gasket sealing pressure.
• The 2” and the 3” orifice meter flange have 4 and
8 bolts respectively.
• These bolts are GR8.8 Hex Bolt with 2H Heavy
Hex Nut, Length= 4 Inch , Dia = ½ Inch.
• The bolts are a little longer in length so that when
the plates are opened the flanges stay in
alignment.

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Calibration of flow meter
The Reader-Harris/Gallagher (1998) equation:
Cd D>71.12 mm
= 0.5961+ 0.0261β2 − 0.0216β8+0.000521
106β
ReD
0.7
+ 0.0188+0.0063A β3.5 106
ReD
0.3
+ 0.043+0.080e
−10L1 − 0.123e
−7L1
−0.11A
β4
1−β4 − 0.031 M′2−0.8M′2
1.1
β1.3
Where,
β = d/D
For D and D/2 tappings: 𝐿1 = 1 & 𝐿′2 = 0.47
ReD is the Reynolds number
𝑀′2 =
2𝐿′2
1 − 𝛽
𝐴 =
19000𝛽
𝑅𝑒 𝐷
0.8
Thus, 𝐶 𝑑 = 𝑓 𝛽, 𝑅𝑒 𝐷, 𝐷
𝑅𝑒 𝐷 =
𝜌𝑉𝐷
𝜇
=
4𝑞 𝑚
𝜋𝜇𝐷
𝐶 𝑑 = 𝑓 𝑞 𝑚
𝑞 𝑚 = 𝑓 𝐶 𝑑, 𝛽, 𝐷, 𝜀, 𝜌, ∆𝑝
𝑞 𝑚 =
𝐶 𝑑
1 − 𝛽4
𝜀
𝜋
4
𝑑2
2∆𝑝𝜌1
Iterative scheme for Cd calculation

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Fluidization air measurement at NTPC, Mauda
The flow rate in the fluidization line was found to be 0.12 kg/s
which was 5.64% of the total compressed air.
𝑞 𝑚 = 𝐾 2𝛥𝑝𝜌1
𝑞 𝑚 =
𝐶 𝑑
1 − 𝛽4
𝜀
𝜋
4
𝑑2 2∆𝑝𝜌1
𝑚 𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 0.0252𝑥 + 0.0041

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Dew formation problem
Typical pressure fluctuation curves for pneumatic conveying of powders
(Mittal and Mallick, 2016)

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DEM Fundamentals
Equation of Motion
𝐼𝑖
𝑑𝜔𝑖
𝑑𝑡
= 𝐼𝑖
𝑑2
𝜑𝑖
𝑑𝑡2
= 𝑀𝑖𝑗
𝑡
+ 𝑀𝑖𝑗
𝑟
Collision Modelling
𝑚𝑖
𝑑𝑣𝑖
𝑑𝑡
= 𝑚𝑖
𝑑2
𝑥𝑖
𝑑𝑡2
= 𝑚𝑖 𝑔 + 𝑓𝑖
𝑓−𝑝
+ 𝑓𝑖
𝑝−𝑝
+ 𝑓𝑖
𝑒𝑥𝑡
𝑚𝑖 𝑣𝑖
1
= 𝑚𝑖 𝑣𝑗
0
+ 𝐽
𝑚𝑗 𝑣𝑗
1
= 𝑚𝑗 𝑣𝑗
0
− 𝐽
𝐼𝑖 𝜔𝑖
1
= 𝐼𝑖 𝜔𝑖
0
+ 𝑅𝑖 𝑛𝑖𝑗 × 𝐽
𝐼𝑗 𝜔𝑗
1
= 𝐼𝑗 𝜔𝑗
0
+ 𝑅𝑗 𝑛𝑖𝑗 × 𝐽
𝐽 = 𝐽𝑛 𝑛𝑖𝑗 + 𝐽𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑗
Interparticle Forces
𝐹𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 −𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒 ∝
1
𝑑2
Force-Displacement Law
𝛿 𝑛 = 𝑅𝑖 + 𝑅𝑗 − 𝑥𝑗 − 𝑥𝑖
𝑓𝑖𝑗
𝑐
= 𝑓𝑖𝑗
𝑛
+ 𝑓𝑖𝑗
𝑡
Linear Viscoelastic Model
𝑓𝑖𝑗
𝑛
= 𝑓𝑒𝑙
𝑛
+ 𝑓𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠
𝑡
= − 𝑠 𝑛 𝛿 𝑛 𝑛𝑖𝑗 − (𝜂 𝑛 𝑣𝑟𝑛 )𝑛𝑖𝑗
𝑑2
𝛿 𝑛
𝑑𝑡2
+ 2𝜓
𝑑𝛿 𝑛
𝑑𝑡
+ 𝜅0
2
𝛿 𝑛 = 0
Nonlinear Viscoelastic Model

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Flow properties
𝑓𝑓𝑐 =
𝜎1
𝜎𝑐
• 𝑓𝑓𝑐 < 1 not flowing
• 1 < 𝑓𝑓𝑐 < 2 very cohesive
• 2 < 𝑓𝑓𝑐 < 4 cohesive
• 4 < 𝑓𝑓𝑐 < 10 easy flowing
• 10 < 𝑓𝑓𝑐 free flowing

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Experimentation

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Simulation
PFT simulation Cylinder simulation

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Calibration of fine powder for DEM

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Calibration of fine powder for DEM

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Calibration of fine powder for DEM

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Conclusion
• Flow meters were designed fabricated and installed at the bulk solids lab for
measurement of air flow at various positions in the pneumatic conveying system
• Fluidization air was measured at NTPC power plant Mauda, Maharashtra. It was
found that the fluidization air was about 6% of the total air
• A case study was carried out to find out the cause of dew formation in the
pneumatic conveying pipeline at NTPC thermal power plants. It was found out that
air drying plant was required to avoid dew formation in the pipelines.
• An attempt was made to calibrate DEM parameters for APH flyash.
• The effect of changing various particle properties was studied on the bulk density
test.
• The spherical particles could not replicate the compressible nature of the fine
powder.
• The tetrahedral particle was able to replicate the compressible nature of the fine
powder, but was not able to replicate the powder exactly.

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Communication
Kamaluddin, K., Mallick, S.S., Mittal, A. (2019), An Investigation into the requirement
of air drying plant in transport air system for pneumatic conveying of fly ash – A case
Study, International O&M Conference – Indian Power Stations – 2019, 13-14 Feb 2019,
Raipur, p.53

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Thank You
26 20 September 2019