Saltation Velocity of Wheat Materials in Horizontal Flow
Saltation velocity in pneumatic transport of granular materials through enclosed pipes is defined as the mean air velocity at which the settling of particles to the bottom of a horizontal pipe starts. We tested three wheat materials including wheat, sizings, and flour for their saltation velocities in a horizontal cylindrical pipe for different feed rates of materials. Two statistical models were obtained to predict saltation velocities: 1) by using the results of SAS STEPWISE procedure and 2) by combining Buckingham p Theorem with the SAS STEPWISE procedure. The models were tested by using F-statistics. Both models explained the variability at 0.0001 level of significance. Also, the significance of each independent variable in the models was tested by using t-test. All variables in the model were significant at an a level 0.0045 or less. The R square of the two models were 0.974 and 0.996, respectively. The most important variables that affected the saltation velocity were feed rate, particle size, and specific surface area.