In this paper a simple method for characterizing the flowability of consolidated samples of woody biomass is presented. The apparatus used consists in a cylindrical bin provided with a circular orifice at the centre of its flat bottom. Biomass samples were consolidated in the bin by applying loads on the material bed surface while the bin orifice was closed by a plug. After the consolidation phase the loads were removed and the orifice was opened to assess if an arch or a rathole had formed. Critical values of consolidation loads for the formation of a stable arch were determined for different orifice sizes. These results obtained with two different samples of sawdust were compared in terms of material strength with those of flow functions obtained with a conventional Schulze shear tester.
Characterization of woody biomass flowability
BARLETTA, Diego;POLETTO, Massimo
2011-01-01
Abstract
In this paper a simple method for characterizing the flowability of consolidated samples of woody biomass is presented. The apparatus used consists in a cylindrical bin provided with a circular orifice at the centre of its flat bottom. Biomass samples were consolidated in the bin by applying loads on the material bed surface while the bin orifice was closed by a plug. After the consolidation phase the loads were removed and the orifice was opened to assess if an arch or a rathole had formed. Critical values of consolidation loads for the formation of a stable arch were determined for different orifice sizes. These results obtained with two different samples of sawdust were compared in terms of material strength with those of flow functions obtained with a conventional Schulze shear tester.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.