Pneumatic conveying systems are broadly used throughout bulk material handling industries to move dry bulk materials through a facility. They move the bulk material in a pipeline generally with air being used as a conveying agent. When it comes to utilizing pneumatic conveying systems to transport dry bulk materials, facility owners find themselves in a position to of needing to make a choice between pressure conveying or vacuum conveying. In other operations, a combination of both, vacuum and pressure conveying systems may be the best solution. Ultimately, Polimak experts will have to consider what is feasible given the available resources and suggest which method will best suit the transportation of the bulk material.
Bulk materials do not pass through fast-moving parts in pneumatic conveying systems unlike other mechanical systems such as belt conveyors, screw conveyors, vibrating conveyors, drag conveyors, bucket elevators, etc. In this way, most contaminations/damages to the transported dry solids are prevented. Some of the dry bulk solids transported with pneumatic conveyors include sugar, spices, salt, flour, maize corn, popcorn, coffee beans, sand, limestone, cement, coal, gypsum, plastic pellets, plastic powders, calcium carbonate and many more.
Pneumatic conveying systems provide numerous benefits to users including the following:
A pneumatic conveying system or simply a pneumatic conveyor is a system used to convey dry bulk materials through pipelines by using the flow of air or any other suitable gases. Bulk materials in different forms such as powder, granule or pellet can be pneumatically conveyed. Pneumatic conveying systems can be built as pressure conveying systems or vacuum conveying systems. In some applications, a combination of the aforementioned systems is possible.
In pressure pneumatic conveying systems, air is used to push against the bulk material being conveyed, hence these systems are considered to be positive pressure systems. Pressure pneumatic conveyors are best used where the bulk material is to be conveyed from a single feeding point to multiple delivery points. These systems are generally preferable when conveying materials at longer distances and high throughputs.
Vacuum conveying systems are used to convey bulk materials through a network of pipelines by suction, hence these systems are considered to be negative pressure systems. Vacuum pneumatic conveyors are best used where the bulk material is conveyed from multiple feeding points to a single delivery point. These systems are also preferred for conveying dry bulk solids that tend to plug or pack in positive pressure systems.
Combined vacuum and pressure pneumatic conveying is simply the transportation of bulk materials from one point to another by utilizing vacuum blower packages and pressure blower packages. A combination of vacuum and pressure pneumatic conveying systems can be applied in several bulk handling facilities. Vacuum conveying and pressure conveying systems are interconnected and can be operated simultaneously.
Pneumatic conveying systems work according to the principle of pneumatic conveyance. The principle of pneumatic conveyance is based on the concept that bulk materials can be transported through a pipeline by using a gas (air). The moving air exerts a propulsion force on the bulk material causing it to propel along the conveying pipeline. A pressure difference between the beginning and the end of the pipeline is always required for a pneumatic conveying system. Blowers or compressors can be used to overcome the pressure differential.
Plug flow and dune flow (also referred to as wave flow) are two distinct flow patterns of dry bulk materials flow through a conveying pipeline in a dense phase pneumatic conveying system. The bulk material fully fills the conveying pipeline during a plug flow pattern and it moves along with air gaps between each plug. In a dune flow pattern, bulk material particulates begin to settle out on the pipe wall forming dense flow regions with patterns like sand dunes.
Dilute phase conveying systems can be designed in three distinct ways; (i) positive pressure systems, (ii) negative pressure systems, also known as vacuum conveying systems, and (iii) combined negative and positive pressure systems.
With regard to bulk material handling and transfer in various industries, pneumatic conveying systems provide a wide range of benefits compared to other mechanical systems.
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