The following are some process examples where the flow rate and consistency is important: a powder die that must be filled with the same amount of powder each and every time or a consumer product that must flow smoothly out of a small container.

Any device used to test powder flowability must take the application problems and processing conditions into account to supply relevant data to the user.  The powder in the test device must be in the same state as it is in the process being studied. This ensures that the flow analysis will be applicable to the problem.  

The REVOLUTION Powder Analyzer is the perfect powder tester for measuring the following: a.) the flowability of powders in low stress situations b.) to study how the powder behaves once it is flowing in all applications c.) to determine the condition of the powder as it moves through a process. 

The user can create a flowability method link where multiple methods will run consecutively on the same sample.  This method link allows the user to measure any changes in the powder as a result of rotation speed.

The REVOLUTION Powder Analyzer calculates the power average by measuring the change in the power of the powder for each avalanche. The power spectrum shows graphically the total power amplitude at each avalanche frequency in Figure B. 

A spectrum analysis is also performed by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).  The FFT power average is calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the coefficients of the sine and cosine components. 

The cumulative powder spectra provides an excellent tool for comparing the flowability of different powders (Figure C). The lower the avalanche time and power, the better the powder flows.  This analysis allows the user to evaluate the power and frequency of their powder's avalanches.  

One can evaluate the powder's power changes over time by reviewing the surface slope.  The surface slope indicates if the powder avalanche size has changed over time. The REVOLUTION Powder Analyzer also measures avalanche angle and rest angle of each avalanche.  This Angle Graph displayed in Figure D will indicate the average angle required to start and continue the flow of the powder.  For example, let's say the powder has to flow freely and smoothly from a small container.  The Angle Graph will determine the required average angle to start and maintain the flow of the powder. 

In addition to avalanches, the REVOLUTION Powder Analyzer measures many additional parameters to help determine the differences between powders and establish parameters for predicting powder flowability performance.  These measurements include fractal dimension (Figure E), powder volume (Figure F) and surface linearity.