The pneumatic technologies Test & Innovation Center at Doncaster, UK, showcases Schenck Process’s expertise in dense, lean, vacuum and injection pneumatic conveying systems. Customers can benefit from extensive tests and assessments on their materials and review the entire process, in-person or remotely.
Recent additions at the Test & Innovation Center will serve to enhance the process insights that are on offer. The new installations include the company’s patented E-Finity® continuous dense phase system and Enhanced Dilute Phase Pneumatic conveying (EDIP) system, which uses the air supply from engineering technology company Lontra’s innovative LP2 Compressor Blower
Developing Pneumatic Conveying Solutions
The Schenck Process Test & Innovation Center at Doncaster is highly experienced in executing various tests within pneumatic conveying systems designed for multiple industries, including food, pet food and chemicals through to metals. The facility has machines in place to test the capabilities of traditional dense phase, low-pressure dense phase and lean phase, alongside others.
Dense phase conveying is an energy-efficient method of transporting abrasive or fragile materials through pipelines at very low and stable velocities to minimize product degradation and equipment wear. The traditional dense phase setup at the Test & Innovation Center can use 80mm, 100mm and 125mm pipes enabling Schenck Process to test conveying distances up to 500m. Numerous options can be configured with plain pipes, density stabilizers and autoflow.
The E-Finity system is a patented continuous dense phase system from Schenck Process, which provides gentle and energy-efficient conveying of granular and pelleted products. Traditional continuous dense phase systems use blowers and rotary valves, which can cause unstable air leakage due to the increased pressure in the pipeline. To overcome this problem, the E-Finity uses precise pressure monitoring to control the valve and manage the airflow, automatically compensating for any leakage or changes in temperature.
With the E-Finity conveying system, Schenck Process can carry out comparative monitoring of conveying air, pressure, feed rate, leakage and power consumption. Using a 1 bar g blower or regulated compressed air source for longer distances, it will feature 100mm pipe routes up to 240m. The material will be fed at a rate of up to 10m3/hr and can be provided from a loss-in-weight hopper or big bag discharger.
Lean phase conveying capabilities have also been enhanced following the partnership agreement with Lontra to use its LP2 blower, which features their innovative Blade Compressor® technology. The pipes range from 50mm to 125mm and conveying distances of up to 500m with 10tonne/hr rates, while the rotary values measure between 200mm to 300mm. With this new technology, the Test & Innovation Center can demonstrate the capability of the state-of-the-art, highly efficient EDIP to the traditional lean phase system.
Efficient, Cost-Effective and Lower Energy Consumption
The Enhanced Dilute Phase Pneumatic Conveying (EDIP) system is a method designed by Schenck Process to improve the operation of a dilute phase conveying system by minimizing the speed of the blower under all operating conditions.
Combining the Lontra LP2 blower with the EDIP system guarantees customers a more efficient system through automatically controlled optimized airflow. With energy savings of 20-30%, this is one of the most efficient lean phase conveyors available to the market.
Comprehensive Process Capabilities
The E-Finity and EDIP systems have two positions in the Test & Innovation Center for optimization work and conveying trials. Position one allows performance tests with full instrumentation and state-of-the-art data logging capabilities. The second position replicates typical industrial installations and is used to highlight the technologies to customers.
The E-Finity and EDIP systems are not the only improvements at the Doncaster Test & Innovation Center. Other recent installations include:
• Big bag filling and discharge equipment
• New vacuum receiving hopper and vacuum pipework
• New routing equipment
Vacuum conveying can be tested at distances up to 65m through pipes of 38mm, 50mm, 63mm, 75mm and 100mm in diameter. The Test & Innovation Center can also demonstrate bottom discharge, top discharge and rotary valve fed pickup points.
In addition, the Pneumatic Injection ProStream HP, Twin ProPhase Dense Phase Pumps with Interlocked Phase-IQ Control and MultiCell & Screw Feed Rotary have all been commissioned in the center.
The Pneumatic Injection ProStream HP system is designed to inject solid materials into processes pneumatically, either continuously or on a batch basis, to one or multiple points. The ProPhase Dense Phase Pump is a modular pneumatic conveying pump design that users can electronically configure to suit almost any pneumatic conveying application.
Optimal Process Insights on Show
As well as being set up for customer trials and training programs, the UK Doncaster Test & Innovation Center is preparing to host a series of industry pneumatic trial events. Visitors can observe the conveying technologies available from Schenck Process using materials applicable to their business. The dedicated facility is also open to all customers seeking to determine the optimum and most energy-efficient process globally. Digital remote access is available to ensure all customers can benefit from the services offered, no matter their location.
