INTER-RELATION OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGING AND PRESSURE DROPS IN PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT

Plexiglas/glass system under dilute phase transport was used to examine the individual particle interactions with the confining wall. This type of analysis was extended to the more dense phase regime. Some of the results are presented in this work. The behavior of the flow system was explored from two aspects, an overall energy consumption level as measured by pressure drop losses and a microanalysis as seen by the amount of electrostatic charge transferred between the particles and the confining tube wall. It is anticipated that these two techniques can be meshed together to give a more comprehensive view of electrostatic charge generation and interactions with pneumatic transport.