Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Bulk Solids and Powder Beds

Thermal conductivity of bulk solids and powder beds is important in various technologies such as bulk flow heat exchangers, continuous tray dryers, vacuum batch dryers and rotational molding.  In addition, the formation of unwanted rinds in drying equipment represents a significant impediment to overall drying efficiency and understanding the thermal conductivity of the rind represents a key part for improving dryer performance.   An instrument was built to measure the thermal conductivity of powders and bulk solids. The thermal conductivity values for a compressible and highly incompressible material at different consolidation states will be presented. The experimental results will be compared with the models available in the literature (i.e. Maxwell, Krischer, Zehner-Bauer-Schlunder) and pure property values as well.