Freeman Technology, Tewkesbury, UK, reports that an FT4 Powder Rheometer® supplied to Haldor Topsøe (Lyngby, Denmark), is delivering significant economic gains for this global leader in high performance catalysts and proprietary technology for the chemical and refining industries. Having developed robust design protocols for powder transport equipment, the company can now reliably identify which solution is most suitable, measuring just three powder properties. Beyond equipment selection, Haldor Topsøe is also using the tester to identify new or alternative raw materials that will process efficiently, reducing the risk of unplanned shutdowns.

“We use all the test capabilities of the FT4 Powder Rheometer,” said Ninna Halberg Jokil, manager, global manufacturing development at Haldor Topsøe “because different dynamic, shear and bulk powder properties are relevant to different process steps. The design criteria for powder transportation equipment allow us to choose between a pneumatic conveying system and a fluid diaphragm pump which costs around one-third of the price. This equates to a saving of ~300,000Kr (~£40,000) on every installation that we successfully tackle with the less expensive option.”

Haldor Topsøe concludes that fluid diaphragm pumps are suitable for powders having some degree of compressibility. Powders with an appreciably higher compressibility require a pneumatic conveying system, while those with intermediate compressibility can be successfully differentiated using permeability and cohesion values. Compressibility and permeability are bulk powder properties, whilst cohesion is a shear property; all three can be measured with the FT4 Powder Rheometer. www.powderflow.com
 

Freeman Technology’s FT4 Powder Rheometer

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