The Revolution from Meritics is the company’s latest method for powder flow testing.
This compact instrument is ideal for measuring powder flowablity, fluidisation, granulation and caking.
The Meretics Revolution has found applications in many fields, including:
- Pharmaceuticals - Tablet blending
- Food industries - dried powders
- Health and Beauty - cosmetics
- Computing - toners
- Chemistry - catalysts and resins
The technology uses a digital camera, with cold cathode backlighting, to capture images of the powder sample in a rotating drum with two borosilicate glass sides.
This way images reflecting different aspects of the avalanche cycle (building, peak and cycle) are obtained. Essentially, a free-flowing powder will never build a significant peak (continuous avalanching) while a less freely flowing powder will peak.
By continuously analysing the images, the Revolution’s software will provide data on powder potential energy, angle, surface fractal and volume.
Therefore, information is obtained which relates to the consolidated state, when the compressed powder behaves more like a solid, the unconsolidated state, when the powder has solid and liquid-like properties and the fluidised state when the powder behaves like a liquid.
Specific values obtained relate to flowablity, fluidisation, granulation and caking. Flowability data is found by constructing a power spectrum that allows powders to be compared indicating which of a number of powders would flow easiest.
Fluidisation is measured by injecting a gas into the powder causing particles to separate. The fluidisation properties of the powder can be established by measuring the volumetric expansion of the powder at different drum speeds.
Granulation and caking properties are estimated by carrying out revolution granulation tests to produce cumulative power spectrums. This establishes the granulation rate of the powder, the strength of the granules or caked particles and the de-agglomeration rate of the powder.
If you are looking to measure powder flow properties click here to visit the Meritics website.
