Density
Material Flow Solutions, Inc.
Bulk Density. In characterizing bulk material,
the bulk density is the weight of the particles
divided by the combined volume of the
particles and the interstitial voids surrounding
the particles. It is a function of the stress level
and strain history of the material. We measure
density using uniaxial compression of a loosely
packed bulk material. It is a function of the
temperature, as well as moisture content and
particle size, of the bulk material. It is used,
along with the permeability characteristics of
the bulk material, to determine the limiting
rates of particulate materials. Bulk density
values are also used to determine the ability of
a given powder to store entrained air. Two
distinct density values (representing the
minimum and maximum bin densities in a
processing system) are useful in characterizing
the behavior of the bulk material. The first
density value is the density of the hopper outlet
(FDI, feed density index). It is the density at
low solids contact pressures and describes the
material leaving the process equipment. It is used to compute mass flow rates from volumetric
flow rates. The second density value is the average density of the bulk material within the
process equipment (BDI, bin density index). It is measured at higher solids contact pressures
and is used to quantify the mass of material stored within the process equipment.
The ratio of the FDI and BDI is used to predict undesirable behavior of specific bulk materials.
Pre-knowledge of such potential undesirable material behavior allows engineers and formulators
to design for worst-case scenarios and ultimately saves company revenue by avoiding costly
process down-time.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS of Bulk Density, FDI and BDI include, but are not limited to:
Predicting flow rate from equipment
Estimating de-aeration times
Predicting segregation prevention
Predicting of fluidized behavior
Estimating process capacity
Predicting equipment loads
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