The W3MKII Permeability/Fluidisation Apparatus enables permeability, fluidisation and attrition testing to be demonstrated using tap water, and suitable porous granular media.

Students can measure and understand the characteristics of flow through a bed of particles and test various media that may be contemplated for use in deep bed filters.

Description

A bed of granular medium (usually Ballotini, but other materials can be used, such as sand or anthracite) is placed in a readily demountable tube through which water can be made to flow in either downward through the column to demonstrate permeability or upwards to demonstrate attrition and fluidisation.

At the base of the column is a sieve mesh to retain granular material. Differential pressure sensor enables measurement of pressure drop across the bed. The test section tube and all tubing connections are transparent to allow entire process to be observed and the presence of air bubbles easily detected.

The ArmBUS software enables the operator to select the appropriate stage of the process and a mimic diagram with measured variables is displayed. The speed of the pump can be varied to meet the required flow rate.

Results are saved in a log, which can be viewed and manipulated with the ArmBUS results viewer. Results can be printed or exported in a spreadsheet format, which can be opened in a wide range of packages for further analysis.

Features & Benefits

• Metal framework with transparent test section for observation
• Control and data logging via PC
• Flowmeter to measure the flowrate
• Solenoid valves for automatic selection of process
• Operational manual with teaching exercises
• Universal single-wire interface
• Electronic pressure sensor

Learning Objectives

• Pressure-drop measurements and correlations for flow through packed beds
• Verification of Kozeny’s equation
• Characteristics of a liquid fluidised bed
• Measurement of permeability of selected solids
• Attrition tests

Technical Specifications

Sample tube: I/D 0.038m
Sample tube length: 0.507m
Pump: 24 L/hr
Flow meter range: 0-3 L/min
Glass funnel: 1.5L
Solenoid valves: 2
Pressure range: 0-5 psi