Pore Size Distributions In The Sintering And Heat Treatment Of Agglomerated Particulates

Sintering is a process in which the pore structure of an agglomerated powder is modified. For many applications, it is desirable to be able to control the pore structure in order to optimize such properties as mechanical strength and reactivity (availability and accessibility of solid surfaces to reactant gases, for example). In general, these properties will be determined by the total porosity and the pore size distribution of the agglomerate. In the work described in this paper, a physically realistic mathematical model for the sintering process has been developed. The model is based on the usual assumption that the pore system in an agglomerate can be treated as a network of interconnecting, cylindrical pores of continuously varying size. It is further assumed that the total pore length is conserved during the course of the sintering process. Using standard expressions for the rate of shrinkage of an individual pore, the model can be used to predict the changes in total porosity and pore size distribution as sintering proceeds. Experimental pore size distributions, obtained by mercury intrusion porosimetry, for the sintering of oxides appear to be in general agreement with the predictions of the model.