Malvern Instruments has released an application note highlighting the ability of the Mastersizer 2000 to meet the particle-characterisation needs of the cement industry.
The Mastersizer 2000 is said to deliver data that correlate more precisely with the performance of finished cement than traditional Blaine numbers.
Malvern claims it is also valuable in analysing other important process streams.
Within the cement industry, laser-diffraction particle-size analysis is rapidly replacing Blaine surface-area measurement for characterising product fineness, a key performance indicator.
Suitable only for laboratory use, Blaine measurements provide just a single-number description of a sample.
In contrast, laser diffraction measures the entire cement particle size distribution, allowing product performance to be specified more precisely.
The implementation of the technique in the Mastersizer 2000 laboratory system, and in the Malvern Insitec at-line and on-line systems, is said to simplify the transfer of knowledge and specifications between the laboratory and manufacturing plant, creating opportunities for process optimisation and economic gain.
The Mastersizer 2000 measures across a broad dynamic range.
Consequently it is ideal for analysing the many different sample types encountered in central research and quality control laboratories, from finished cement of all grades, through to replacement materials such as blast-furnace slag and fly ash.
A range of cement-dispersion units is available for both wet and dry dispersion.
Cleaning and sample loading are easy, while standard operating procedure (SOP)-driven operation gives good repeatability, even for non-expert operators.
