(639a) Pneumatic Conveying Research : Past, Present and Future

Pneumatic conveying practice has at least a 150 year history beginning with the handling of grain.  Some even project that references are made in the Bible and in ancient China.  Records show that the research endeavors probably begin in the 1920s in Germany followed by Bagnold’s work on sand movement in the desert in the 1930s.  A school of powder technology sprung up with Rumpf and  Barth in the 1950’s in Karlsruhe, Germany and the pace of research intensified.  Duckworth and Boothroyd in England and Zenz and Soo in the States followed close behind.  Analysis became more sophisticated and measurements became more scientific asking basic questions on how particles move in turbulent flow.  Today we have evolved to the use of numerical modeling and simulating the basic conveying operations and using novel scientific measurements and devices.  The future looks bright to fuller understanding and application of these findings in practice.