Intensification of a continuous powder mixing process by distributed and/or delayed feeding

Intensification of the continuous powder mixing process is intended to limit the effects of segregation, such as poor mixture homogeneity and long transient phases. Process intensification has mainly been developed for fluid processes, for example with staged or distributed feeding. In this work, we study the impact of distributed feeding of a segregating component along the entire length of a lab-scale continuous powder mixer. For this, a specific device is developed and tested for different feed configurations. We show that starting one of the feeders a few tenths of seconds after the beginning of the experiment reduces the mass of mixture produced during the transient regime at start-up. When using the optimal time delay, this mass is always lower than that obtained with conventional feeding. The feed configuration and the time delay of a feeder also have an impact on the homogeneity of the mixture at steady-state, due to the mixing and segregation mechanisms at play during process start-up. • The impact of feeding strategies on continuous binary powder mixing is studied. • A segregating component is fed through a distributed feeding system. • Time delays are applied to each of the two feeders. • Mass produced during transitory regime is measured. • Mixture homogeneity is measured at the outlet. • Both criteria can be dramatically improved using the right feeding strategy.