Our photo this week shows a batch rotary kiln test conducted in the FEECO Innovation Center. The batch kiln is used to simulate the conditions of a continuous, commercial rotary kiln. The kiln is lined with a lightweight castable refractory and heated with a propane burner. …
Gypsum is commonly processed into a soil amendment for its calcium value and ability to naturally aerate compacted soils. Despite its widespread use, some characteristics can make processing gypsum a challenge. First, gypsum is abrasive, and as a result, robust equipment is needed during processing. …
Phosphogypsum is a by-product of the phosphates industry. Produced in significant quantities, the material is considered a waste in the US due to radioactivity, where the primary means of management is storage in “stacks.” But around the world, phosphogypsum is increasingly being utilized in beneficial …
Today’s photo highlights various pellet samples produced in the FEECO Innovation Center. The Innovation Center offers pelletization test work to transform raw material fines or dusts into round, spherical pellets as outlined in today’s featured photo. Test work is designed around each customer’s unique …
Why is material knowledge fundamental to process and product design? To answer that question, let’s suppose that you operate a glass treatment facility that sorts, crushes, and then melts recycled glass into a new product. You notice there is a significant loss in crushed glass …
This week’s photo shows the solid cylinders used to perform compression strength tests in the FEECO lab. Compression strength tests look at how an agglomerated material behaves under stress as a whole, as opposed to a single pellet. Lab technicians use a controlled product amount …
FEECO’s lab is a truly inclusive facility, where technicians use a myriad of tools and processes to deliver ideal material testing solutions. An important, but often overlooked, tool used at FEECO is a state-of-the-art microscope and software program from Nikon. The microscope allows lab technicians …
This week’s photo highlights the interior of a batch rotary kiln. The rod-like structures at the bottom of the image (labeled “C”) are two thermocouples. They are typically used in the kiln to measure bed and exhaust gas temperatures. The upper rod is an airline …
Binder selection is dependent upon a few key factors: cost, industry, and the anticipated end-use and desired specifications of the agglomerates. Binders are available by the hundreds, from water and oil, to starch and molasses. With such a wide variance in binding options, testing is …
Feasibility testing for drum drying processes offers valuable information when designing an industrial drying system. Feasibility testing offers the opportunity to confirm the viability of your intended process, as well as to work out process variables and other unknown data points, helping to define a …