411-432 Particle Mechanics and Processing

411-203 Fluid Mechanics and 431-202 Engineering Analysis B (prior to 2001, 421-205 Engineering Analysis) or equivalent.

Upon completion of this unit, students will have an appreciation of the flow behaviour of particulate materials and the design of unit operations associated with particulate slurries in a range of unit operations common to the materials, food, water, pharmaceuticals and minerals processing industries. They will be familiar with the unit operations in comminution and particle liberation, particle separation, hopper flow, solid-liquid separation and fluidisation and flow through packed beds.

Content: Particle size and measurement of particle size, shape factors, differential and cumulative distributions, mean size, median size and surface area. Generalised description of separation and classification efficiency based on particle size and density, composition and magnetic susceptibility. Hydrocyclones, screens and data reconciliation for particulate separators, including the two product formula. Comminution, Bond work index, matrix description of size reduction and milling circuit simulation, comminution circuits and liberation of particles from composite particles. Flow properties of solids, design of bins and hoppers, mass and channel flow. Solid-liquid separation including flocculation processes, gravity sedimentation, clarification, thickening and pressure filtration. Motion of particles in fluids, fluidisation, minimum fluidisation velocity and bed expansion, flow of fluids through granular beds.

One written 3-hour end-of-semester examination (80%); a written 1-hour mid-semester test (20%).