The aeration pad is an aeration device used to promote the flow of dry bulk powders from a storage vessel. It operates by continuously introducing air into the body of the dry powder.

When a powder is first conveyed into a storage vessel it is actually a highly aerated mixture of air and particulate. In this state the mixture flows quite readily. However, as the powder settles the solid particulate and air separate resulting in a decrease in volume and an increase in bulk density. In this deaerated state powders can behave more like a single large solid structure rather than a fluid-like mixture. By replacing the naturally lost air, the air to particulate mixture ratio is held thus maintaining the fluid like characteristic of the aerated powder.