How to Avoid Streamers and Fines in a Pneumatic Conveying System
Pneumatic conveying systems are commonly used to transport plastics, but they can also transport something else entirely unwanted: streamers and fines….
Read morePneumatic conveying systems transport powders, granules, dry bulk, and flakes through an enclosed conveying pipeline using pressure differential and gas flow (usually air) generated by an air movement device, for example, a roots blower, fan, or compressor.
Pneumatic conveyors provide a cost-effective manner to handle and transfer powdered and bulk granular materials quickly with very little loss. They are suitable for a range of process industries such as; Food and Beverage, Pet Food, Chemicals and Detergents, Renewables, and Specialist Materials.
A well-designed pneumatic conveying system is often a more practical and economical method of transporting materials from one point to another than alternative mechanical systems (belt conveyors, screw conveyors, vibrating conveyors, drag conveyors, and more) because:
There are several methods of transporting materials using pneumatic conveying.
In general, they seem to fall into these main categories: dilute phase, dense phase, and semi-dense phase.
Dilute phase pneumatic conveyors apply low pressure to move bulk material to send it to its destination at high speed through the conveying line. Dilute phase pneumatic conveyors can be either vacuum or pressure focused depending on the material to be transferred.
Dense phase pneumatic conveyors offer the enormous advantage of effectively "pushing" a much thicker concentration of bulk solids at relatively low velocities through a conveying line.
The dense phase pneumatic conveyor is more commonly used to convey materials over longer distances and at higher throughputs. The limitations of air movement devices such as fans and roots blowers become prohibitive.
This method is also commonly used to convey fragile or abrasive materials at low velocities to minimize material damage or system damage. The low velocity of the dense phase means minor wear and tear on both the system and the materials being conveyed.
Dense phase pneumatic conveyors: contrary to dilute phase pneumatic conveyors, dense phase pneumatic conveyors apply high pressure achieving low speed. This is mainly because the material transferred is otherwise susceptible to coming apart.
Semi-dense phase pneumatic conveyors: semi-dense phase pneumatic conveyors are a middle-ground solution developed to convey material at medium velocity.
As an intermediary step between dense and dilute phases, the semi-dense phase conveys materials using a medium velocity. Only a portion of materials is suspended in the air stream.
The decision of which pneumatic conveying system design is best for your operation should be based on the following questions:
To answer these questions, you need to consider several material handling characteristics, including conveyability, optimum air-to-material ratios, buildup tendencies, flowability, and degradation.
Knowing how a material behaves during pneumatic conveying allows for the accurate specification of conveying mode (dilute or dense phase), gas flow and solids loading, and type of gas mover (for example, blower, fan, or compressor).
This Technology Zone offers an insight into the latest innovations in pneumatic conveying system design.
Pneumatic conveying systems are commonly used to transport plastics, but they can also transport something else entirely unwanted: streamers and fines….
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