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Advanced Powder Technology 22 (2011) 548–552

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Advanced Powder Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apt

Rapid Communication

Size distribution measurement of floating particles in the Allen region

by a buoyancy weighing-bar method
Rondang Tambun a, Takumi Motoi b, Masamitsu Shimadzu b, Yuichi Ohira b,⇑, Eiji Obata b
a
Division of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1 Mizumoto, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan
b
Division of Applied Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1 Mizumoto, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The particle size distributions of spherical or cylindrical solid particles in the Allen region were measured
Received 24 September 2010 using a buoyancy weighing-bar method. The particle size distribution obtained in the buoyancy
Received in revised form 15 November 2010 weighing-bar method agrees with those measured by a laser diffraction/scattering method and a sieving
Accepted 29 November 2010
method. The present study demonstrates that a buoyancy weighing-bar method is suitable for measuring
Available online 13 December 2010
the particle size distribution of a floating solid in the Allen region.
Ó 2010 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder
Keywords:
Technology Japan. All rights reserved.
Floating particle
Particle size distribution
Buoyant mass
Solid particle
Allen region

1. Introduction migration by weighing the buoyancy against a weighing-tool hung

Information about particle size distribution is important to re-
move particles in a liquid via floatation and/or sedimentation. Var-
ious approaches have been applied to measure particle size
distribution [1]. For solid–liquid systems, the particle size distribu-
tion is measured by the Stokes diameter, while the Andreasen pip-
ette method [2], sedimentation balance method [3], centrifugal
sedimentation method [4], etc. are used to measure the particle
size distribution in suspensions because these methods measure
the migration velocities of particles in solution and then use Stokes
formula to calculate particle size. However, all these methods are
time consuming and require special skills. On the other hand, the
particle size distribution can be analyzed using a different principle
through micrographs [5], laser diffraction/scattering method [6],
and coulter counter method [7], but these methods require numer-
ous samples to accurately determine particle size distribution.
Although laser diffraction/scattering and coulter counter methods
produce highly accurate results within a shorter time, the equip-
ment is extremely expensive. Hence, a simple and cost effective
method to determine the particle size distribution is in high
demand.
We aim to develop an innovative method to measure the parti-
cle size distribution using a buoyancy weighing-bar method. Our
method measures the change in suspension density due to particle
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 143 46 5768; fax: +81 143 46 5701.
E-mail address: ohira@mmm.muroran-it.ac.jp (Y. Ohira).
in the suspension, and subsequently calculating the particle size
distribution using the length of the weighing-tool and the time-
course change in the apparent mass of the weighing-tool [8–10].
We have previously reported that the particle size distributions
of floating particles can be measured using a buoyancy weighing-
bar method [11]. This method has been used to measure the parti-
cle size distribution of paraffin beads, nylon beads, and hollow
glass beads in the Stokes region. Moreover, the size of larger parti-
cles can be measured by the sieving method or laser scattering/dif-
fraction method. However, the large particle sizes measured by the
sieving or laser scattering/diffraction method may not correspond
to particle sizes based on the movement in a liquid. Theoretically, a
buoyancy weighing-bar method should be applicable to measure
the particle size distribution in both the Stokes and Allen regions.
Although size distribution measurements of large particles in the
Stokes region require special skills to adjust the liquid properties,
measurements in the Allen region do not.
Herein we experimentally investigate the applicability of the
buoyancy weighing-bar method to measure the particle size distri-
bution of floating particles in the Allen region.
2. Theory
The initial buoyant mass of the weighing-tool WB0 depends on
the particles between the top of the weighing-tool and the bottom
of that in a suspension. The initial density of suspension qS0, initial
buoyant mass of the weighing-tool WB0, and initial apparent mass

0921-8831/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.apt.2010.11.012
 Author's personal copy

R. Tambun et al. / Advanced Powder Technology 22 (2011) 548–552 549

Nomenclature

C solid concentration of suspension (kg/m3) x particle size (m)

D(x) undersize mass percentage of particle size x (%) u Wadell’s shape factor (–)
f(x) mass frequency of the particle size x () lL liquid viscosity (Pas)
g gravitational acceleration (m/s2) qL liquid density (kg/m3)
GB apparent mass of weighing–tool, kg qB density of weighing-tool (kg/m3)
GR VBqB  WR (kg) qP particle density (kg/m3)
h length of weighing-tool (m) qS density of suspension (kg/m3)
R(x) oversize mass percentage of particle size x (%)
Re Reynolds number xv(x)qL/lL () Subscripts
t time (s) max maximum
v(x) floating velocity of particle size x (m/s) min minimum
VB volume of weighing-tool (m3) 0 initial t = 0
WB buoyant mass of the
R x weighing–tool in a suspension (kg) 1 infinity t = 1
WR W 0  ðW 0  W 1 Þ ximax f ðxÞdx; (kg)

of the weighing-tool GB0 in suspension at t = 0 are given by the fol- From Eqs. (11) and (12),
lowing equations,  
dW B
C WB ¼ WR þ t: ð13Þ
qS0 ¼ qL þ 0
ðq  qL Þ; ð1Þ dt
qP P
The apparent mass of the weighing-tool GB is given by Eq. (6),
W B0 ¼ V B qS0 ; ð2Þ
and it gradually decreases from GB0 to GB1. The volume and density
GB0 ¼ V B qB  W B0 ¼ V B ðqB  qS0 Þ; ð3Þ of the weighing-tool are constant values. Differentiating Eq. (6)
with respect to the time t,
where qL and qP are the liquid density and particle density, respec-
tively. C0 is the initial concentration of the suspension, qB is the dGB dW B
density of the weighing-tool in suspension, and VB is the volume ¼ : ð14Þ
dt dt
of the weighing-tool. The suspension concentration C decreases
Therefore, from Eqs. (6), (13), and (14),
with time because large particles float. The density of suspension
   
qS, buoyant mass of the weighing-tool WB, and apparent mass of dGB dGB
the weighing-tool GB in suspension at t = t are expressed as GB ¼ V B qB  W R þ t ¼ GR þ t; ð15Þ
dt dt
C
qS ¼ qL þ ðq  qL Þ; ð4Þ where GR = VBqB  WR. The value of GR is calculated from the tan-
qP P
gent line based on Eq. (15). The cumulative oversize mass percent-
W B ¼ V B qS ; ð5Þ age is
GB ¼ V B qB  W B ¼ V B ðqB  qS Þ: ð6Þ Z xmax
GB0  GR
The suspension concentration C becomes zero once all the small RðxÞ ¼ 100 f ðxÞdx ¼  100 ¼ 100  DðxÞ: ð16Þ
x GB0  GB1
particles also float. The final density of suspension qS1, final buoy-
ant mass of the weighing-tool WB1, and final apparent mass of the Particle size x is given by the Allen formula [12],
weighing-tool GB1 in suspension at t = 1 are given by the follow- ( )13
ing equations, 1 225 lL qL
x¼ mðxÞ ; ð17Þ
/ 4 ðqL  qP Þ2 g 2
qS1 ¼ qL ; ð7Þ
W B1 ¼ V B qL ; ð8Þ where u is Wadell’s shape factor, g is the gravitational acceleration,
GB1 ¼ V B qB  W B1 ¼ V B ðqB  qL Þ: ð9Þ and lL is the viscosity of the dispersion liquid containing the disper-
sant. Wadell’s shape factor for a cylindrical particle u is calculated
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the calculation method of the using Eq. (18) [13],
particle size distribution used in the present study. Eq. (10) shows
the mass balance of particles in suspension [1]. surface area of a sphere having the same volume as the particle
/¼ :
Z Z surface area of the particle
xmax xi
mðxÞt ð18Þ
C0  C ¼ C0 f ðxÞdx þ C 0 f ðxÞdx ð10Þ
xi xmin h
The floating velocity of the particles m(x) is calculated using Eq.
From Eqs. (2), (5), (8), and (10), (19),
Z xmax Z xi
mðxÞt h
W 0  W ¼ ðW 0  W 1 Þ f ðxÞdx þ ðW 0  W 1 Þ f ðxÞdx; mðxÞ ¼ ; ð19Þ
xi xmin h t
ð11Þ where h is the length of the weighing-tool and t is the time lapse.
where m(x) is the floating velocity of the particle, f(x) is the mass fre- From Eqs. (17) and (19), time t is an inverse function of particle size
quency of the particle size x. Differentiating Eq. (11) with respect to x. The particle size distribution of the suspended particles is calcu-
the time t, lated using the particle size at each time, and then plotting the cor-
Z xi responding undersize mass percentage. Although we employed the
dW mðxÞ Allen formula instead of the Stokes formula, this theory and the pro-
¼ ðW 0  W 1 Þ f ðxÞdx: ð12Þ
dt xmin h cedure are the same as those in a previous paper [11].
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550 R. Tambun et al. / Advanced Powder Technology 22 (2011) 548–552

Fig. 1. Construction method to determine the floating particle size distribution.

Personal experimental apparatus was placed in a box containing a heater

computer connected to a thermostat to maintain the desired temperature.
RS-232C cable Table 1 shows the particle and liquid properties. The sample
particles were polystyrene beads (spherical) and nylon beads
Analytical
(cylindrical, FNB#800, Fuji Manufacturing Co., Ltd.). Although the
balance
Hanging wire shape of the nylon particles varied slightly, most particles were
cylindrical with a diameter to length ratio of approximately 1.0.
Graduated cylinder The particle densities of the polystyrene beads and nylon beads
were 1026 kg/m3 and 1120 kg/m3, respectively. Sodium chloride
Thermal insulation vessel (reagent grade, Kanto Chemical Co., Inc.) solutions prepared with
ion exchanged water were used as the liquid phase. The concentra-
Weighing tool tions of sodium chloride were 10 wt.% (density: 1069 kg/m3, vis-
cosity: 1.07 mPas) and 24 wt.% (density: 1170 kg/m3, viscosity:
Heating panel 1.55 mPas) for polystyrene beads and nylon beads, respectively.
The initial volume concentration of the suspension C0/qP was set
to 0.01, and the temperature during the experiment was main-
Controller
tained at 298 K. Measurements lasted 150 s. A laser diffraction/
scattering method (Microtrac MT3000EX, Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) and a
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus. sieving method (425–2000 lm, JIS testing sieve, Tokyo Screen
Co., Ltd.) were used to validate the experimental particle size
distribution.
To prepare a suspension, 1000 ml liquid and the particles to be
3. Materials and methods tested were mixed in a graduated cylinder. The weighing-tool
was hung from an electronic precision weighing balance using a
Fig. 2 shows a diagram of the apparatus used in the experiment.
A floating particle suspension was placed in a 1000 ml graduated
Table 1
cylinder (diameter: 65 mm, Sanplatec Co., Ltd.). The weighing-tool Particle and liquid properties.
was an aluminum rod (diameter: 10 mm, length: 250 mm, density:
2700 kg/m3) hung from an analytical balance with a hook for Particle (shape) Particle Liquid Density and
density viscosity
underfloor weighing (GR–300, minimum readout mass: 0.1 mg, A
& D Co., Ltd.). A personal computer was connected to the analytical Polystyrene beads 1026 kg/m3 10% NaCl 1069 kg/m3, 1.07 mPas
(sphere)
balance, and data were collected in one second intervals. To avoid Nylon beads (cylinder) 1120 kg/m3 24% NaCl 1170 kg/m3, 1.55 mPas
external effects such as airflow and temperature changes, the
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R. Tambun et al. / Advanced Powder Technology 22 (2011) 548–552 551

hanging wire, which did not extend due to the weight of the
weighing-tool. After thoroughly stirring the suspension using an
agitator, the weighing-tool was set with the balance, and this
was recorded as t = 0 s. The measuring data, which consisted of
time t and the corresponding mass of the weighing-tool GB, were
recorded on a personal computer. After the measurements, we cal-
culated the particle size distribution of the tested particles based
on the above-described theory.

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Spherical particles

Fig. 3 shows the change in the apparent mass of the weighin-tool

GB–GB0 with time when polystyrene particles were used. The appar-
ent mass of the weighing-tool linearly decreased for approximately
Fig. 4. Particle size distributions of spherical particle.
100 s, at which point the polystyrene particles floated above the
upper end of the weighing-tool, and the apparent mass of the
weighing-tool became constant GB1. From Eqs. (1), (3), and (9),

V BC0
GB1  GB0 ¼ ðqP  qL Þ: ð20Þ
qP
The volume of the weighing-tool VB, initial volume concentra-
tion C0/qP, particle density qP and liquid density qL were
1.96  105 m3, 0.01, 1026, and 1069 kg/m3, respectively. The va-
lue of the apparent mass difference GB1–GB0 calculated by Eq.
(20) was 8.4  106 kg, which is identical to the apparent mass
difference of measured data. The change in the apparent mass
was due to the change in the buoyant mass against the weigh-
ing-tool along with the floating particles. Thus, we confirmed that
the floating particle size distribution of spherical particles in the
Allen region can be measured using a buoyancy weighing-bar
method.
Fig. 4 shows the particle size distributions in the Allen region
Fig. 5. Apparent mass of the weighing-tool as a function of time (cylindrical
(2 < Re < 500) obtained from the floating experiments using poly- particle).
styrene particles as well as those measured by a laser diffraction/
scattering method and a sieving method. Theoretically, Wadell’s apparent mass of the weighing-tool linearly decreased for approx-
shape factor of the polystyrene particles was 1.0 because the par- imately 30 s, at which point all the nylon particles floated above
ticles were spherical. All three methods gave similar particle size the upper end of the weighing-tool, and the apparent mass of the
distributions. The particle sizes calculated by Eq. (17) were in- weighing-tool became constant. The volume of the weighing-tool
cluded in the Allen region. Hence, our results confirm that the VB, initial volume concentration C0/qP, particle density qP, and li-
buoyancy weighing-bar method can measure the particle size dis- quid density qL were 1.96  105 m3, 0.01, 1120, and 1170 kg/m3,
tribution of floating spherical particles in the Allen region. respectively. The apparent mass difference GB1–GB0 calculated by
Eq. (20) was 9.8  106 kg. The measured value of the apparent
4.2. Cylindrical particles mass difference was 9.4  106 kg, which is almost the same as
the calculated value. Thus, we confirmed that the floating particle
Fig. 5 shows the change in the apparent mass of the weighing- size distribution of cylindrical particles can be measured using the
tool GB–GB0 with time when nylon particles were used. The buoyancy weighing-bar method.

Fig. 3. Apparent mass of the weighing-tool as a function of time (spherical particle). Fig. 6. Particle size distributions of cylindrical particle.
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552 R. Tambun et al. / Advanced Powder Technology 22 (2011) 548–552
Fig. 6 shows the particle size distributions of the nylon particles
in the Allen region (2 < Re < 500) measured using the buoyancy
weighing-bar method, laser diffraction/scattering method, and
sieving method. Wadell’s shape factor of the nylon particles was
theoretically 0.873 because the ratio of the diameter to the length
was 1.0. The sizes of the nylon particles calculated by Eq. (17) were
in the Allen region. We also measured the particle size distribu-
tions for nylon particles by a laser diffraction/scattering method
and a sieving method. Regardless of the method, the measured par-
ticle size distributions were similar.
5. Conclusions
Using a buoyancy weighing-bar method, we measured the par-
ticle size distributions of floating solid particles in liquid phases
where the density was adjusted by the concentration of sodium
chloride. The results led to the following conclusions:
(1) Although particles in the Allen region migrate, the floating
particle size distributions of solid particles can be measured
by the buoyancy weighing-bar method.
(2) The precision of the particle size distribution is comparable
to that obtained by a laser diffraction/scattering method or
a sieving method.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Y. Koikeda and K. Nakano for
their experimental assistance.
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