The risk of costly mistakes when ordering a conveying system can be limited by gathering the right information to size the system prior to ordering.
Measure Your Bulk Density
Fine powders have very different bulk densities to coarse granules.
Calculate Throughput Rate
Determine your required production throughput in kg/hr or tonnes/hr at peak production, and note that if you underspecify a vacuum conveyor, it will fail to meet your needs at peak production.
Account for Distance and Lift
The same solids handling resistance is added for horizontal distance on a conveying line and for lift on a vertical conveying section, which tells us that for each additional meter of vertical lift as opposed to horizontal distance, a greater resistance is encountered. For more on Vacuum Conveyor, take a look at www.aptech.uk.com/pneumatic-conveying-systems/vacuum-conveying/.
Choose the Right Pickup Velocity
As a rough guide each product has a minimum velocity that it must be conveyed at to avoid settling and blockages. Above this velocity the product can cause excessive wear to the internal surfaces of the system. The supplier can advise on a suitable range based on the bulk density and particle size of your material.
Select Pipeline Bore
A vacuum conveyor with too small of a bore will be unable to reach required velocity and through-put.
With these 5 figures in hand you can have a meaningful conversation with most system suppliers.
About the Author
