Porosity of catalysts and supports and its measurement Introduction and Definition

Total porosity is defined as the fraction of the bulk sample volume V that is not occupied by solid matter. If the volume of solids is denoted by , and the pore volume as then: Then the porosity is defined as the ratio of the space taken up by the pores in a soil, rock, or other material to its total volume. It is expressed as a percentage.

The porosity can be expressed either as a fraction or as a percentage. Two out of the three terms are required to calculate porosity. It should be noted that the porosity does not give any information concerning pore sizes, their distribution, and their degree of connectivity. Thus, solid supports of the same porosity can have widely different physical properties.

porosimeter generates pressure to 60,000 psia for pore size analysis from over 950 micron to 0.0036 micron pore diameter.