ROTARY CYLINDERS - SOLID TRANSPORT PREDICTION BY DIMENSIONAL AND RHEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

A semi‐experimental model for predicting the axial transport of the granular bed in a rotating cylinder is proposed. It is based on dimensional analysis and on the determination of an apparent viscosity characterizing the flow behaviour of the bed. Unknown constants in the model are determined either by analysis or by tuning with experimental data. An example of such tuning is shown to work well. The model is capable of giving, as a function of filling angle and friction angle, the axial velocity that varies along the cylinder axis. This is important for the control of the process taking place inside the cylinder. Copyright © 1990 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering