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Following basic information about the blending / homogenisation is not reply to your query but will be of interest for the readers at large.

1) Mixing of two or more different materials is called blending. As an example blending of sand and gravel.

2) Mixing of two or more grades of one material is called homogenisation. As an example mixing of coal grade-A, coal grade-B and coal grade-C.

Technical function (means / machinery) is same whether it is blending or homogenisation. Hence onward word blending has been used hereunder but the statements are also applicable to homogenisation.

The blending effort / expense is primarily influenced by following two parameters (with reference to particular material):

1) Material quantity (mtph) to be blended. It is obvious that blending of 20 mtph material will be more expensive than 10 mtph, may be nearly double.

2) The other parameter which influence the blending effort / expense is degree or intensity of blending. This intensity of blending is measured by the batch size. The smaller batch size implies more intensive blending and thereby more expense.

Suppose material X and Y when blended should be 50% of each. So, one takes 500 kg of X material and on that puts another 500 kg of material Y. Now if the batch size is 1 tonne (1000 kg) then above is already blended as per requirement with little effort.

However if batch size is 100 kg, then it will require additional more effort and more expense. The 100 kg batch implies that if we randomly scoop out sample of 100 kg from any zone of the material, it should have a 50% of X as well as 50% of Y.

The batch size is decided by process engineer according to the applicable process (as an example quantity of coal burning in a boiler at a time or product being produced from blended material). The example will be easy to understand from following hypothetical medical example.

Suppose 1 gram tablet is to be made, which is to have 50% vitamin A and 50% vitamin B. Say one kg (1000 gram) of vitamin A is added into one kg (1000 gram) of vitamin B. Now here mentioned 1 gram is the batch size. So aforesaid 2 kg material is thoroughly blended (mixed) so that when one takes 1 gram of material from anywhere from this 2 kg material, then it should have 50% of vitamin A and 50% of vitamin B, without fail, because that 1 gram forms one tablet. Thus here 1 gram is the batch size. Again if the batch size is made half (i.e. 0.5 gram tablet) then blending effort will be more.

The bulk material handling plants blending (homogenisation) system can be of mega size or average size, etc. The system in power plants, in steel plants, at ports, fertiliser plants, etc. will be of mega size incorporating stackers, reclaimers, applicable conveying system; where blending operations are carried out at the rate of hundreds of tonnes per hour.

The product plant will have small / average size blending system. This can have materials storage hoppers in group, feeders discharging from these hoppers into weighing unit to create material composition for blending. This is done automatically by sequentially adding materials into weighing receptacles. The composed material from weighing unit is discharged into rotary mixture which thoroughly blends the material to achieve the ‘batch’ size requirement.

Ishwar G. Mulani

Author of Book: ‘Engineering Science And Application Design For Belt Conveyors’. Conveyor design basis is ISO (thereby book is helpful to design conveyors as per national standards of most of the countries across world). New print Nov., 2012.

Author of Book: ‘Belt Feeder Design And Hopper Bin Silo’

Advisor / Consultant for Bulk Material Handling

System & Issues.

Pune, India. Tel.: 0091 (0)20 25871916

Email: conveyor.ishwar.mulani@gmail.com

Website: www.conveyor.ishwarmulani.com ■

[QUOTE=kaos1;88588]I am looking for data supporting homogeneous blending using bin blenders for free flowing powder mixtures with a PSD of 50 - 200 um. Preferably without intensifying bars or baffles. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

The Warren Spring Twin Mass Flow bin method is an efficient technique for in-bin blending. This is described in one of my papers obtainable from Ajax Equipment Ltd. ■