SUBJECT

Hoppers

Publications on hopper flow, discharge behavior, wall friction, outlet design, mass flow, funnel flow, and common powder-handling problems.

PUBLICATIONS

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Explore PTI articles, Insights, Know How, and technical publications related to this subject.

  • Free-flowing powder arching at a stainless steel hopper outlet in an industrial plant, showing blocked discharge and powder buildup during troubleshooting
    4 April 2026

    Diagnosing and Solving Free-Flowing Powder Arching and Blockage in Hoppers

    Free-flowing powders can form stable arches and block hoppers because standard “free-flow” [...]

    Feature Article

  • Wall friction and hopper geometry shown in two stainless steel powder hoppers comparing mass flow and funnel flow
    21 March 2026

    Wall Friction and Hopper Geometry: Why Some Bins Mass Flow and Others Funnel Flow

    Mass flow requires hopper walls that are steep and smooth enough for [...]

    Feature Article

  • Free-flowing powder arching in hoppers shown as a stable powder bridge above a stainless steel outlet in an industrial processing system
    14 March 2026

    Why Free-Flowing Powders Still Arch in Hoppers, and How to Diagnose the Real Cause

    A powder can look easy to handle in a funnel test and [...]

    Feature Article

  • Technical illustration comparing normal powder discharge with restart failure after a short shutdown in a hopper and screw feeder
    14 March 2026

    Why Powder Flow Often Fails After a Short Shutdown in Hoppers and Feeders

    Powder flow after a short shutdown often fails because the resting powder [...]

    Insights

  • Technical illustration of loss in weight feeder drift showing refill driven packing density and aeration changes at the screw inlet
    7 March 2026

    Loss in Weight Feeder Drift After Refill: The Refill Shock Mechanism and How to Diagnose It

    Loss in weight feeder drift often starts at refill, not at tuning. [...]

    Insights

  • Deaeration lag in powders, hopper cutaway showing aerated bed with trapped air bubbles versus compacted bed, causing pause and surge discharge rate
    14 February 2026

    Deaeration lag, why “easy flowing” powders still surge

    Deaeration lag in powders creates a timing mismatch between how fast your [...]

    Insights

  • Permeability collapse in hopper discharge shown in a two-panel hopper diagram, with a pressure drop and rathole in Panel A, then rathole collapse, entrained air, and a discharge surge in Panel B.
    7 February 2026

    Permeability Collapse in Hopper Discharge Causes “Random” Ratholes and Sudden Flooding

    Permeability collapse in hopper discharge often triggers instability before cohesion becomes the [...]

    Insights

  • Wall friction drift in hoppers, shown as clean wall flow versus film driven ratholing.
    31 January 2026

    Wall Friction Drift in Hoppers: Why Discharge Degrades Over Time

    Many hopper issues are boundary-limited. Wall friction drifts upward over time, so [...]

    Insights

  • Operator emptying a powder bag into an enclosed dump station, managing powder dustiness with local exhaust ventilation.
    30 November 2025

    Managing Powder Dustiness in Industrial Plants

    Powder dustiness is a measurable property, not a housekeeping detail. When you [...]

    Know How

  • Hopper bridging arch forming across the outlet of a conical powder hopper
    29 November 2025

    Hopper Bridging: Why One Hopper Always Bridges First

    Hopper bridging is rarely random. It points to a mismatch between powder [...]

    Insights

  • Square hero showing a powder segregation test with two bottles filled via funnels, one fast and one slow, each cored for top-middle-bottom sampling.
    4 October 2025

    Powder Segregation Test: The 20 Minute Bottle Method

    Most blend failures start with segregation during transfer. Run a 20 minute [...]

    Insights

  • Laboratory ring shear tester and FT4 powder rheometer measuring powder flow test methods.
    1 October 2025

    Selecting and Comparing Powder Flow Test Methods (including PDF guides)

    No single flow test defines powder behaviour completely. Each method measures different [...]

    Know How