Abstract
The purpose of this study focuses on measuring the particle velocity and concentration characteristics in a horizontal pneumatic conveying. The test pipeline consisted of a horizontal smooth acrylic tube with an inside diameter of 80 mm and a length of about 5 m. The polyethylene spherical particles of density 978 kg/m^3 and 952 kg/m3 with diameters of 2.3 and 3.3 mm are used as conveying materials. PIV was first developed to measure the time-averaged particle velocity and was proven to be an efficient measurement technique in the pneumatic conveying. Then the particle velocity and concentration distributions of three locations were measured at mean air velocities of 12 m/s and 13/w/s and the solid mass flow rates of 0.45 kg/s and 0.43 kg/s. A comparison of the particle velocity and concentration profiles between the particles d_p=3.3mm and 2.3mm was performed. It is found that the higher particle concentration is observed near the bottom of pipeline at three locations. The particle velocity of d_p=2.3mm is lower than that of the particle d_p=3.3mm at three locations in the lower part of pipeline.
