From melts size distribution

Fig. 9 Melt size distributions from RUNl and FITSOD posttest debris.

Some quantitative studies1498115011 on droplet size distribution in water atomization of melts showed that the mean droplet size increases with metal flow rate and reduces with water flow rate, water velocity, or water pressure. From detailed experimental studies on the water atomization of steel, Grandzol and Tallmadge15011 observed that water velocity is a fundamental variable influencing the mean droplet size, and further, it is the velocity component normal to the molten metal stream Uw sin , rather than parallel to the metal stream, that governs the mean droplet size. This may be attributed to the hypothesis that water atomization is an impact and shattering process, while gas atomization is predominantly an aerodynamic shear process. 

The silica carrier of a sulphuric acid catalyst, which has a relatively low surface area, serves as an inert support for the melt. It must be chemically resistant to the very corrosive pyrosulphate melt and the pore structure of the carrier should be designed for optimum melt distribution and minimum pore diffusion restriction. Diatomaceous earth or synthetic silica may be used as the silica raw material for carrier production. The diatomaceous earth, which is also referred to as diatomite or kieselguhr, is a siliceous, sedimentary rock consisting principally of the fossilised skeletal remains of the diatom, which is a unicellular aquatic plant related to the algae. The supports made from diatomaceous earth, which may be pretreated by calcination or flux-calcination, exhibit bimodal pore size distributions due to the microstructure of the skeletons, cf. Fig. 5. 

AIChESymp. Ser. (a) 65 (1969) no. 95, Crystallization from solutions and melts (b) 67 (1971) no. 110, Factors affecting size distribution (c) 68 (1972) no. 121, Crystallization from solutions Nucleation phenomena in growing crystal systems (d) 72 (1976) no. 153, Analysis and design of crystallisation processes (e) 76 (1980) no. 193, Design, control and analysis of crystallisation processes (f) 78 (1982) no. 215, Nucleation, growth and impurity effects in crystallisation process engineering (g) 80 (1984) no. 240, Advances in crystallisation from solutions. 

The sorbitol solution produced from hydrogenation is purified in two steps [4]. The first involves passing the solution through an ion-exchange resin bed to remove gluconate and other ions. In the second step, the solution is treated with activated carbon to remove trace organic impurities. The commercial 70% sorbitol solution is obtained by evaporation of the water under vacuum. The solid is prepared by dehydration until a water-free melt is obtained which is cooled and seeded. The crystals are removed continuously from the surface (melt crystallization). The solid is sold as flakes, granules, pellet, and powder forms in a variety of particle size distributions. 

Formation of spherical, micron-sized ceramic particles was investigated in an RF thermal plasma reactor. It has been concluded that a wide size distribution of feedstock powders gives rise to either excessive evaporation of smaller grains or insufficient melting of bigger ones. Ceramic spheres with more or less voids inside can also be prepared starting from powders pretreated in special ways. 

Spherical alumina can also be formed from commercial, low cost aluminum-oxides or even from aluminum-hydroxides. In the latter case energy of the plasma should provide not only the enthalpy of melting but that of dehydration and subsequent phase transformations of alumina as well. Under the aforementioned conditions particles below 45 pm have a good chance to be spherodized. Presumably the wide particle size distribution of starting gibbsite powder accounts for the less spheroidization rate of 70%. 

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