Aeration Control Unit

The new Aeration Control Unit for Freeman Technology's FT4 Powder Rheometer allows fine control of air flow through a powder under test and enables the automated measurement of the powder's flow properties as a function of increasing levels of aeration. At maximum aeration – or for some powders, fluidisation – the energy required to make a powder flow is reduced by a measurable factor, known as the Aeration Ratio (AR). This varies from around five for cohesive powders to in excess of 1,000 for fluidisable powders. It is therefore an important flow performance indicator. The bulk properties of powders can be greatly affected by even small amounts of entrained air. The aeration control unit allows evaluation at very low air velocities down to 2 mm/min. Aeration at higher velocities up to 2,000 mm/min can examine the fluidisation behaviour that has important practical processing implications in many industries. These include toner production, powder coatings and pharmaceutical manufacturing.