Design solids-flow devices

Basic considerations which govern the design of solids-flow devices (chutes, hoppers, silos, etc.) within a process plant are the following. 

For oleaginous materials having a low oil content (18-20%), such as soybean and rice bran, solvent extraction is often applied for oil recovery. Hexane is widely accepted as the most effective solvent used today. Most of the extractors currently used are designed as countercurrent flow devices. The solid material flows in an opposite direction of solvent-oil miscella with an increasing oil concentration. The miscella containing around 25-30% oil after extraction is subjected to solvent distillation to recover the oil. The extracted solid material, commonly known as white flakes, is also conveyed to the desolventizing process. 

As noted above, it is generally best to design a nonmechanical device by obtaining the required data in a cold-flow test unit using the actual solids... 

One of the most troublesome aspects of gas-solid flow design is devising a proper feeder. Blow tanks are simple devices for penumatic conveying of solids. Basically, the tank is filled with the solid and emptied through a pipeline by the expanding compressed gas admitted to the tank. These units can operate under a wide range of... 

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