Technical cutaway of a rotary airlock showing particle attrition at the rotor tip and fine-particle leakage through the clearance.

Technical illustration of a rotary airlock in cutaway view. Powder moves through the rotor pockets while particles near the vane tip are exposed to trapping, chipping and attrition. Fine particles are shown passing through the clearance under reverse gas flow, illustrating how valve condition can alter the downstream particle size distribution.