Porosity consolidation

FIG. 20-74 Effect of binder viscosity and liquid content on final granule porosity for the drum granulation of 15 im glass baUotini. Decreasing granule porosity corresponds to increasing extent of granule consolidation. [Iveson et al., Powder Tech., 88, 15 (1996). ] With land permission from Elsevier Science SA, Lausanne, Switzerland. 

The term porosity refers to the fraction of the medium that contains the voids. When a fluid is passed over the medium, the fraction of the medium (i.e., the pores) that contributes to the flow is referred to as the effective porosity of the media. In a general sense, porous media are classified as either unconsolidated and consolidated and/or as ordered and random. Examples of unconsolidated media are sand, glass beads, catalyst pellets, column packing materials, soil, gravel and packing such as charcoal. 

The typical value of porosity for a clean, consolidated, and reasonably uniform sand is 20%. The carbonate rocks (limestone and dolomite) normally exhibit lower values, e.g., 6-8%. These are approximate values and do not fit all situations. The principal factors that complicate intergranular porosity magnitudes are uniformity of grain size, degree of cementation, packing of the grains, and particle shape. 

Measurement of the punch and die forces plus the relative displacement of the punches can provide raw data which, when suitably processed and interpreted, facilitate the evaluation of many tableting parameters. Many of the workers first involved in instrumenting tablet presses concentrated on deriving relationships between the applied force (FA) and the porosity (E) of the consolidating mass. 

Hydraulic conductivity is one of the characteristic properties of a soil relating to water flow. The movement of water in soil depends on the soil structure, in particular its porosity and pore size distribution. A soil containing more void space usually has a higher permeability. Most consolidated bedrocks are low in permeability. However, rock fractures could create a path for water movement. 

The pressure which must be exerted on each square unit of the surface of the product for satisfactory moulding, i.e., proper consolidation and freedom from porosity. It is usually expressed in lb/in2 or kg/cm2. Moulding pressure is not critical for rubber (700 lb/in2, 5 MPa minimum) but is very critical for efficient moulding of the various types of plastics. Moulding pressures are calculated on the projected area of the product and should include the area of the spew groove. 

It is essential that all PSs are multiphase. The easiest case to handle is the biphase system consisting of a condensed phase (solid) and a void inside porous particles or between consolidated ensembles of nonporous or porous particles. The void occupies a part of the volume, s, which is referred to as porosity. The other part of a PS volume is equal to ri=(l -e), and is termed density of packing. It is filled with the condensed phase (see Section 9.4). Generally, PSs can include various condensed phases of different structure, including combinations of solid(s) and liquid(s). 

The final consolidation of the sediment is the slowest part of the process because the displaced fluid has to flow through the small spaces between the particles. As consolidation occurs, the rate falls off because the resistance to the flow of liquid progressively increases. The porosity of the sediment is smallest at the bottom because the compressive force due to the weight of particles is greatest and because the lower portion was formed at an earlier stage in the sedimentation process. The rate of sedimentation during this period is... 

In the past, various resin flow models have been proposed [2,15-19], Two main approaches to predicting resin flow behavior in laminates have been suggested in the literature thus far. In the first case, Kardos et al. [2], Loos and Springer [15], Williams et al. [16], and Gutowski [17] assume that a pressure gradient develops in the laminate both in the vertical and horizontal directions. These approaches describe the resin flow in the laminate in terms of Darcy s Law for flow in porous media, which requires knowledge of the fiber network permeability and resin viscosity. Fiber network permeability is a function of fiber diameter, the porosity or void ratio of the porous medium, and the shape factor of the fibers. Viscosity of the resin is essentially a function of the extent of reaction and temperature. The second major approach is that of Lindt et al. [18] who use lubrication theory approximations to calculate the components of squeezing flow created by compaction of the plies. The first approach predicts consolidation of the plies from the top (bleeder surface) down, but the second assumes a plane of symmetry at the horizontal midplane of the laminate. Experimental evidence thus far [19] seems to support the Darcy s Law approach. 

During development, evaluation of the consolidated materials was based primarily on two criteria, leachability and the concentration factor, i.e., the concentration of waste oxides on a volume basis. The concentration factor is directly affected by the residual porosity in a consolidated waste as well as by the dilution caused by the addition of consolidation aids. This factor can be as high as 1.2 g/cm3 for a fully dense ( 5 g/cm ) titanate waste prepared from the projected Barnwell plant solution composition. The factor is slightly lower for a titanate waste containing silicon and zeolite additions, which has a typical density of U.2 g/cm3. The leachability was determined by an "instantaneous leach test developed for fast, comparative evaluations of materials, the details of which are described elsewhere (l6). 

As discussed later, compression and densification during compaction can be followed by monitoring and measuring density and porosity. The monitoring of the consolidation, i.e., the bonding process to create the tablet strength, is more difficult. It should be clear, and can be emphasized again, that the important parameters in this operation are the physicochemical properties of the powder and the equipment used to perform this operation. 

The examples show that pressure usually does not promote chemical coalificadon—but undoubtedly it changes the coal physically. As is well known, clays are very sensitive to the action of overburden pressure, under which they lose moisture and porosity. Peats and brown coals have much the same characteristics as clays. This can be readily demonstrated experimentally by compressing brown coals at room temperature. The process does not involve any chemical changes but only a compression and consolidation, attended by an appreciable shrinkage in volume and emission of moisture. Figure 10 shows the action of a pressure of 270 kg./sq. cm. corresponding to an overburden of 1300 meters, upon a xylite from a soft brown coal. The... 

Natural porous media may be consolidated (solids with holes in them), or they may consist of unconsolidated, discrete particles. Passages through the beds may be characterized by the properties of porosity, permeability, tortuosity, and connectivity. The flow of underground water and the production of natural gas and crude oil, for example, are affected by these characteristics. The theory and properties of such structures is described, for instance, in the book of Dullien (Porous Media, Fluid Transport and Pore Structure, Academic, New York, 1979). A few examples of porosity and permeability are in Table 6.9. Permeability is the proportionality constant k in the flow equation u = (k/p) dP/dL. 

Limestones vary greatly in color and texture, the latter ranging front dense and hard limestone, e.g.. marble or travertine, which can be suwed and polished, to soft, friable forms, e.g., chalk and marl. Chalk is a very fine-grained white limestone, while marl is an impure deposition product that contains clay and sand. Texture, hardness, and porosity appear to be functions of the degree of cementation and consolidation during the formation of these materials. Color variations arise from the presence of impurities. Some impurities, such as sulfur and phosphorus, make limestone unattractive for metallurgical uses. 

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