Agilent Tapped Density Tester
Dr. Lister’s Lab Group
Equipment Location:
POTR 227
SOP approval date:
10/28/2011
Heather Emady/ POTR 204B/
Contact person/ office/email
hemady@purdue.edu
Agilent Tapped Density Tester Setup, Operation, and Cleaning Guide
Note:
Ensure that lab coat, safety glasses, and closed toed shoes are worn at all times
during use of equipment. Bring your own sample, and bring containers to take
the waste. Bring a laptop, if desired, to plot the density versus total number of
taps to determine the tapped density from where the curve levels off.
Procedure:
CAUTION: Do not leave the instrument unattended while it is tapping. Watch to make sure the
cylinders stay in place - if they get loose, immediately press the Start/Stop button to stop the
instrument.
1. Setup
1.1. Turn on the equipment with the switch on the left side of the back of the instrument.
1.2. Take out both 100 mL graduated cylinders with the lip on the top.
1.3. Prepare each cylinder
1.3.1. Record the weight of the empty cylinder.
1.3.2. Pour the powder into the cylinder (through a 1.00 mm sieve, if possible),
preferably somewhere between the 90 and 100 mL marks.
1.3.3. Record the weight of the full cylinder.
1.3.4. Calculate the mass of powder by subtracting the weight of the empty
cylinder from the weight of the full cylinder.
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Agilent Tapped Density Tester
Dr. Lister’s Lab Group
Equipment Location:
POTR 227
SOP approval date:
10/28/2011
Heather Emady/ POTR 204B/
Contact person/ office/email
hemady@purdue.edu
1.4. Record the initial volume of powder in the graduated cylinder.
1.4.1. Calculate the bulk density of the powder by dividing the mass of powder
by the initial volume of powder.
1.5. Place each cylinder on the mounts, all the way underneath the prongs.
2. Operation
2.1. Choose how the taps will be done with the Time/Count button. Pressing this button
will illuminate the corresponding light on the display.
2.1.1. Time: a desired amount of time for tapping can be entered in the format
hh:mm:ss. Press Enter after putting in the time.
OR
2.1.2. Count: a desired number of taps can be entered, up to 999,999. Press
Enter after putting in the number of taps.
2.1.2.1. One method is to start with one tap, and double the number of taps each
time until the powder volume no longer changes.
2.2. Press Start/Stop to begin tapping. The machine will automatically stop when it has
completed the specified time or number of taps. If you need to stop the test before
it is complete, press the Start/Stop button again to immediately stop the tapping.
2.3. Shut the acoustic cabinet while tapping to reduce the noise.
2.4. After each set of taps, record the volume of powder. Divide the initial mass by the
volume to determine the density. When this density no longer changes with
increasing the number of taps, this is the tapped density of the powder.
2.4.1. One way to determine if you have reached the tapped density is to plot
the density versus the total number of taps. The density where the curve
levels off is the tapped density.
3. Cleaning
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
Turn off the instrument.
Remove the powder from the cylinders, and take the waste with you.
Wash the cylinders with water, and make sure they are completely free of powder.
Set the wet cylinders by the sink to dry.
4. Resource
4.1. Tapped Density Tester Operator’s Manual
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