Discharge Analysis of an Industrial Batch Rotating Drum Check Access

In industrial applications tumbling mixers are used extensively to perform mixing of particulate materials, either in continuous or batch mode. Published data suggested that mixing in the radial direction of the mixer is considerably faster than along the axial direction in rotating drums; they are therefore normally incorporated with baffles to enhance axial mixing, thereby improving process efficiency. In batch operations, particles need to be discharged following mixing and processed further downstream. In contrast to mixing, the study of material discharge from a rotating drum has been scarce. The current work aims to provide insight into the mechanisms and factors governing discharge using a combination of experiments and simulations. This chapter concludes with a proposal to improve efficiency, whereby batches are mixed and discharged consecutively by truncating the discharge cycle appropriately.