Abstract: A novel gravity blender with an inner downcomer was experimentally studied in this work.
The flow characteristics of solid through the downcomer with branch pipes and the influence
of the number of intake openings and their axial position along the downcomer on blending
efficiency were investigated. The results of tracer experi ments show that better blending
quality can be obtained if the intake openings along the downcomer are designated according
to the equal time interval principle. More intake openings are beneficial for blending
efficiency, and the solids flow rate through the branch pipes along the downcomer can be
predicted by the Beverloo equation.

Key words: gravity blending, silo, inner downcomer

摘要： A novel gravity blender with an inner downcomer was experimentally studied in this work.
The flow characteristics of solid through the downcomer with branch pipes and the influence
of the number of intake openings and their axial position along the downcomer on blending
efficiency were investigated. The results of tracer experi ments show that better blending
quality can be obtained if the intake openings along the downcomer are designated according
to the equal time interval principle. More intake openings are beneficial for blending
efficiency, and the solids flow rate through the branch pipes along the downcomer can be
predicted by the Beverloo equation.

关键词: gravity blending;silo;inner downcomer