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Category:AutoDeskThe present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the volume of a particulate material. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the volume of a particulate material such as coal dust or fly ash in a combustion process.
The determination of the volume of particulate material such as coal dust or fly ash in a combustion process is of great importance for the economics of such a process. The average bulk density of coal dust is, for example, about 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 and for fly ash is about 0.7 g/cm.sup.3. Thus, any variation in the volume of coal dust or fly ash which changes, for example, the total weight of the processed material, is a cause for a variation in the total weight of the combustion products, which is undesirable for economic reasons.
It is known to determine the volume of a particulate material by subjecting the material to a light pressure, an acoustic pressure, or a shearing force. It is also known to utilize the pressure to measure the volume of a particulate material based on a specific pressure. Thus, one is able to determine the volume of coal dust or fly ash by subjecting the dust or ash to a pressure of 5 bars, for example. The use of a density gradient is known to be particularly effective in determining the volume of a particulate material.
It is also known to determine the volume of particulate material in a combustion process by providing a cyclone for removing the particulate material from the combustion process. In this case, the volume of the particulate material is determined by measuring the mass of the particulate material removed by the cyclone. Thus, for example, a mass measurement is conducted to determine the volume of the particulate material. Such a process is particularly suitable for the determination of the volume of fly ash since the fly ash separated from the exhaust gases has a particle size in the range of less than 10.mu.m and is more or less free of gases.
Another conventional method of determining the volume of particulate material comprises the step of measuring the mass of a sample of the particulate material which has been deposited in a cylinder. In this case, a pressure is applied to the sample, for example, a pressure of 5 bars is applied. The resulting increase in the volume of the sample is measured to determine the volume of the sample. Such a procedure is, for example, the method used be359ba680
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