CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- SPX Corporation today announced that it has completed the sale of Stock Equipment ("Stock"), including the Stock, Solvera, and Redler product lines from its specialty engineered products platform, to a company owned and operated by Riverlake Partners LLC. Stock has annual revenues of approximately $50 million.

Commenting on today's announcement, John B. Blystone, Chairman, President and CEO said, "The sale of Stock Equipment underscores our commitment to focus on building platforms for profitable growth. We are building critical mass by adding technology, introducing new products and services and expanding globally to supply complete customer solutions within our strategic platforms."

Based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Stock Equipment is a global supplier of bulk material handling systems and innovative environmental control technologies. With worldwide experience handling many varieties of coal and other bulk materials, Stock has become the world's leading manufacturer of coal feed systems with installations in thirty-six countries. The Internet address for Stock Equipment Company's home page is www.stockequipment.com

Riverlake Partners LLC, with offices in Portland, Oregon and Chicago, Illinois, is a private equity buyout fund focused on the acquisition of traditional economy businesses. SPX Corporation is a global provider of technical products and systems, industrial products and services, flow technology and service solutions. The Internet address for SPX Corporation's home page is www.spx.com

Source: SPX Corporation

Pitman, NJ -- The K-Tron Feeder Group recently introduced the Quick Change/Quick Clean T35/S60 feeder. First designed with the needs of the masterbatch industry in mind, this feeder allows the customer to quickly change from a single screw S60 screw configuration to a twin screw T35 screw configuration, as material needs change-- ideal for short customized runs. By utilizing the range and feed screw selections of the T35 and the S60 feeder models, the Quick Change feeder can handle feed rates from 0.12 cubic dm/hr (0.004 cubic ft/hr) to as high as 4,500 cubic dm/hr (160 cubic ft/hr.) depending on material density.

The feeder is available with two bowl/screw sets that mount to the same gearbox and can be cleaned and swapped out in minutes. It is easy to disassemble and clean, enabling quick change over in production, while minimizing down time and installation costs. It is available in both volumetric and gravimetric models.

The Quick Change/Clean (QC) feeder is ideal for applications where only one feeder must feed a large variety of products, where a "super clean" execution is required and where product contamination is not allowed. As the process industries move to more flexible production lines for short, customized runs, the flexibility for quick changing and cleaning will become increasingly important.

For more information, contact:
K-Tron Feeder Group
Routes 55 and 553
Pitman, NJ 08071
Phone +1 856-589-0500
Fax +1 856-589-8113
Send e-mail to info@ktron.com
Web site:  http://www.ktron.com/

Clifton, NJ -- The size/density segregation of particulate solids is a common occurrence in storage and handling. If segregation occurs, this often can result in severe deleterious effects. For example, if the powder that is fed to a pharmaceutical dosage, direct-compression tableting machine is not uniform, the tablets may not be pharmacologically effective. Therefore, knowing what causes segregation and how to prevent it or correct it is very important.

The book starts with a brief introduction and overview of the segregation.  The importance of segregation is discussed, covering it's prevalence and consequences.  Included is a short list of particle properties and the bulk variables influencing segregation (powder state and dynamics, second phase effects, fluid phase and three phase effects).

Further, the forces which give rise to segregating mechanisms (e.g., gravity, particle-to-particle contact, etc.) are reviewed in detail along with the processes which segregate particles, such as free fall and trajectory streams, repose flow streams and shearing planes.

Operations which give rise to segregation including storage, handling, conveying and fluidization processes are thoroughly discussed.  Equipment variables (e.g., scale, process rate, equipment form, etc.) and process variables (temperature, pressure, flow rates, and time) that influence segregation are covered in the later part of the book.

Several aspects of the measurement of segregation are discussed along with testing procedures such as sample selection, procurement, preparation, analysis, and criteria of acceptance. Mr. Bate's book also includes an excellent review of methods of controlling segregation, including problem identification and evaluation, minimizing the predisposition of a material to segregate, minimizing the tendency for a material to segregate, and redressing segregation which has taken place. The final chapter of the book has much practical information.

The author has written an excellent book on a phenomenon that occurs frequently in industry and is quite often very vexing. This book will not answer all questions on this complex subject, but it should provide useful guidance to those concerned with gaining an understanding of particulate solids segregation, and it also provides useful techniques for minimizing and mitigating problems arising from segregation. This book will be useful to any chemical engineer involved with particulate solids storage and handling.

The author, Lyn Bates, is a very well know expert in solids handling in the UK, and wrote the book under the auspices of the British Materials Handling Board.  The book contains 14 chapters and an extensive bibliography.

Reviewed by: Stanley S. Grossel, President
Process Safety & Design, Inc. of Clifton, NJ 

"User Guide to Segregation"
by Lyn Bates, Ajax Equipment Ltd.
British Materials Handling Board
Please email Mr. Bates for purchase information sales@ajax.co.uk or visit the BMHB web site at http://www.bmhb.co.uk/

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Scott Hoge
Carus Chemical
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Mr. Spratley needs help with hexamine feed to reactor:

I have a problem with flow control and measurement of hexamine. I need to be able to create a constant known flow of between 2 and 4 kg a minute to a reactor without degradation of particle size. This is currently achieved by a mechanism (invented by Noah, I think, as it appears to be out of the Ark) known as a constant weight feeder - a small conveyor mounted on gimbles below a knife edge, which creates a bed of constant thickness - you get the idea. Flow measurement is by catching and weighing!

I am in the process of upgrading the whole facility in order to make it suitable for unmanned remote control. I therefore need a hexamine feed system that can be left to operate on its own. The process requires the use of a fairly coarse crystal and it is vital that fines are not created during passage through the feed mechanism.

I had thought that an EHD system might be suitable - but, of course, hexamine is flammable..  If anyone has any ideas, I would be grateful for some pointers.  (Click here to post a reply)

Keith Spratley
BAE Systems PLC
keith.spratley@baesystems.com

Click here to share your expertise with others in our Help Forum.

FOR SALE: Batch Mixer & Gear Box: Johns-Manville in Waterville, OH has a used Mixer Systems Model 6800 Batch Mixer with 80 cubic feet mix capacity and a new S-20 Fairfield Gear Box available for sale. Picture of the mixer is attached. Sale "as is" Waterville, Ohio.  Click here more details

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Business Partner Wanted - Midwest US

I am a manufactures representative that has a major dust collection and pneumatic conveying company and am seeking someone with complimentary lines that is willing to partner up.

Territories covered are Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.  Please send info via email to sales@solidairsolutions.com

Chris Spiegelberg
Solid Air Solutions
2922 Seneca St.
Joseph, MO 64507
Telephone:  816-232-0958

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Tableting Specification Manual
American Pharmaceutical Association
Spiral bound, 6th edition, Jan. 2003

.

Cake Formation in Particulate Systems
by Edward J. Griffith
Hardcover, April 1991

.

Screw Conveyor 101
by Michael P. Forcade
Spiral-bound, 260 pages, 1999

.

Find more books for the materials handling professional online, visit our Reading Room.

Increasing Conveying Rates in Pneumatic Systems
Guest article by A. Tim Agarwal,
Pneumatic Conveying Consultants

Past Ask Joe! Archived Articles

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This week's homepage photo is an inside view of a Lodige, 20,000 liter continuous rubber-lined mixer for blending 800 mt/hr of iron ore with bentonite binder in Eastern Quebec.  Lodige Process Technology is a leading supplier systems for industrial mixing for bulk solids, powders, dusts and pastes.

Photo courtesy of Terry Frank of Lodige Process Technology Inc.

Send us your photos:  We would love to have your photo of a bulk materials process, packaging, conveying or handling "action shot" for our home page.  Send your photograph and description to: news@powderandbulk.com