Hapman is promoting its Solidquid™ Liquid Solid Conveying System as an engineered solution for introducing dry, free-flowing powders into liquid process streams, helping manufacturers improve material handling, powder wetting and downstream mixing performance.
Designed for applications requiring the controlled addition of powders to liquids, the Solidquid™ system combines dry-material feeding, powder wetting and venturi eductor technology within a single integrated process.
The approach enables powders to be introduced into moving liquid streams without relying on mechanical conveying equipment to transfer material directly to process tanks.
According to Hapman, the system addresses common challenges associated with powder-to-liquid processing by conditioning dry materials where required and delivering them at a controlled feed rate.
Free-flowing, clump-free powders are meter-fed into the process before entering a wetting cone, where they are combined with motive liquid ahead of the eductor stage. This pre-wetting process is designed to minimise clumping before powders enter the liquid stream.
At the heart of the system is a venturi powder eductor that uses motive-liquid flow to generate suction, drawing wetted powder into the moving liquid stream. The entrainment process transports material downstream while helping to reduce dusting and agglomeration in receiving vessels.
By incorporating powders into the liquid stream before they reach downstream tanks, the system can also support improved mixing performance and potentially reduce mixing and residence times.
Hapman emphasises that each Solidquid™ installation is engineered around specific process requirements.
Powder eductors are selected according to material and liquid characteristics, feed-rate requirements, available pressure and downstream operating conditions. Factors including bulk density, specific gravity and target throughput are assessed during system design.
The technology is best suited to dry, free-flowing powders that can be consistently meter-fed, with sugar and yeast among the materials commonly handled.
Systems can be configured for both batch and continuous operations, including batch feeding and continuous loss-in-weight feeding arrangements.
As part of a broader bulk material handling offering, Solidquid™ can be integrated with upstream and downstream equipment such as bag and bulk bag unloading systems, bag dump stations, conveyors, feeders, lump breakers and controls.
Hapman says this allows it to provide a complete powder-to-liquid handling solution, delivering coordinated material flow across the entire process rather than treating the powder eductor as a standalone component.
