Brookfield Powder Flow Tester

The classic problem with powders is their failure to discharge reliably from bins, hoppers, silos, etc., and poor or unpredictable flow in feeders, dosing machines, packing machines, etc. This causes unwanted interruptions in the production process, leading at times to complete plant shutdown in order to correct the flow restrictions and stoppages. It also leads to variations in pack weight, mixture, performance and sensory properties of powder products. Particulate materials constitute a large group of solids that can range in size from submicron particles to large rocks and minerals. Brookfield's Powder Flow Tester measures the flow behavior of bulk solid materials that have a top particle size of 2mm. At least 90% of the sample should consist of particles less than 1mm in diameter. In many instances, powders with larger particles can still be characterized effectively by sieving the material at 1mm and testing the fines (the fines control the flow properties of a material with a wide size range). The generic term used by Brookfield to name these materials is "powder", therefore the name of our instrument is "Powder Flow Tester". Unlike liquids which, under the influence of gravity, tend to have a horizontal surface, powders exhibit a structure, due to internal friction and cohesion, which allows them to form piles with angles relative to the surface on which they are placed. At ambient conditions, powders do not change flow behavior.

Quality Control Departments are constantly dealing with raw
materials in powder form, which come from multiple suppliers.
The variability in particle size and distribution, moisture
content, and basic ingredients requires a battery of incoming
inspection tests, none of which assure that proper flow
will take place when loaded into the plant equipment. The
Brookfield Powder Flow Tester is a single-solution instrument
which can resolve this uncertainty.

Brookfield Powder Flow Tester is affordable testing for powder characterization It included choice of 115 or 230 V, Powder Flow Pro Software with USB Cable, Trough (230 cc), Vane Lid (33cc), Wall Friction, Lid 304 s/s with 2B finish, Outer Catch Tray, Inner Catch Tray with Scraping Tool, Powder Scoop & Cleaning Brush. The new Brook field Powder Flow Tester is the simple answer to industry needs

• A competent lab technician can run tests and collect data within minutes, eliminating the need for a powder specialist.
• The automated analysis provided by the Powder Flow Pro software calculates various properties of the powder, including the critical dimensions for reliable powder flow out of the hoppers, feeders, bins and silos.
• The Wolfson Center for Bulk Solids Handling Technology at the University of Greenwich, England, has worked closely with Brookfield to design the Powder Flow Tester, thereby ensuring its suitability for practical industrial use.
• The competitive purchase price is a small fraction of comparable devices available in the powder flow market.

The resulting data produces a "Flow Function", much like what is
obtained for liquids when testing with a viscometer to create a
"flow curve".Analysis of the "Flow Function" leads to calculation of the critical outlet dimensions of feeders, hoppers, etc., through
which the powder will flow. Comparing the "Flow Function", or
these critical dimensions, allows powders to be benchmarked,
ranked and compared against one another for flowability. The
dimensions can also be used to determine whether a particular
powder will flow through an existing plant or process, or to
determine what the geometry should be if purchasing new
solids handling equipment.