CONVEYING SYSTEM PNEUMATIC CONVEYING Introduction Pneumatic conveying systems are basically quite simple and are eminently

y suitable for the transport of powdered and granular materials in factory, site and plant situations. The system requirements are a source of compressed gas, usually air, a feed device, a conveying pipeline and a receiver to disengage the conveyed material and carrier gas. The system is totally enclosed, and if it is required, the system can operate entirely without moving parts coming into contact with the conveyed material. High, low or negative pressures can be used to convey materials A pneumatic conveying system transfers powder, granules and other dry bulk materials through an enclosed horizontal or vertical conveying line. The motive force for this transfer comes from a combination of pressure differential and the flow air or another gas supplied by an air mover, such as blower or fan. By controlling the pressure or vacuum and the airflow inside the conveying line, the system can successfully convey materials.

Pneumatic conveying provides several advantages over mechanical conveying. A pneumatic conveying system can configures with bends to fit around existing equipment, giving it more flexibility than a mechanical conveyor path. This also means the pneumatic conveying system occupies less space than a comparable mechanical conveyor. The pneumatic conveying system is totally conveyors, which enables the pneumatic conveying system typically has fewer moving parts to maintain than a mechanical conveyor.

Mode of conveying Much confusion exists over how materials are conveyed through a pipeline and to the terminology given to the mode of ow. First it must be recognized that materials can either be conveyed in batches through a pipeline, or they can be conveyed on a continuous basis, 24 hour a day if necessary. In batch conveying the material may be conveyed as a single plug if the batch size is relatively small. For continuous conveying, and batch conveying if the batch size is large, two modes of conveying are recognized. If the material is conveyed in suspension in the air through the pipeline it is referred to as dilute phase conveying. If the material is conveyed at low velocity in a non-suspension mode, through all or part of the pipeline, it is referred to as dense phase conveying. Pneumatic conveying systems are classified by their operating principle into two basic types: dilute phase and dense phase.

Dilute phase In dilute-phase conveying, particles are fully suspended in the conveying air and transported at low pressure and high velocity. The basic premise of Dilute Phase conveying is that the particles are, picked up by the velocity of the airstream and remain airborne throughout the conveying process. The Dilute Phase system typically operates at a relatively high velocity and relatively low pressure. The air speed required depends on the size and density of the particles to be transported. There are three main type of dilute-phase conveying system: i. Dilute Phase Pressure Operation

Dilute-phase pressure conveying one of the most common conveying methods for powder or granules. Its most often used with nonabrasive, nonfragile materials that have a light bulk density (typically less than 62 lb/ft3); common examples are flour, sugar, corn starch, plastic granules, sodium bicarbonate, bydrate lime, activated carbon, and zinc oxide. In this method, a blower at the systemss start supplies a high volume of low-pressure air to the system, and material is fed into conveying line through a rotary airclock valve. The system relies on the airstreams velocity to pick up and entrain each particle, keeping the particles in suspension as they travel through the conveying line. The dilute-phase pressure conveying syste required relatively little headroom and is simple to operate, economical and ideal for conveying material from a single source to multiple locations.

ii.

Dilute phase vacuum operation

Dilute-phase vacuum conveying- suitable for conveying materials that tend to pack or compress under pressure, such as wood shavings and certain other fibrous materials and for toxic materials that must not leak into the workplace air. This system is typically used to convey materials over short distances at low capacities. Dilute-phase vacuum conveying requires minimal headroom at the feedpoint and is ideal for conveying material from multiple source to a single destination.

iii.

Dilute Phase Pressure-Vacuum Operation

Dense Phase In dense-phase conveying, particles arent suspended in the conveying air and are transported at high pressure and low velocity. Because of the high frictional resistance of powder and granular particles against the inside wall of the pipe system, particles cannot be transferred along the system in one long, continuous stream. Thus, some systems inject compressed air along the conveyor line to clear any blockages caused by low air volume or pressure. Although this increases the systems energy consumption, it increases the systems efficiency in conveying material. Such a system with air injectors is especially useful for handling abrasive particles by reducing excessive and premature wear on the system.

i.

Closed system

ii.

Open system

The dense phase system is the best option for: a) Materials that could be damaged by the higher velocity Dilute Phase System b) Abrasive materials c) Where a long conveying line is necessary, as it typically requires a smaller pipe diameter and thus requires less air volume and is much lighter, making installation and replacement easier.

System Types The problem of system selection is illustrated in figure below. This shows the range of combinations that are possible just for conventional pneumatic conveying systems with a single air source. Only system types are presented in detail, with positive pressure, vacuum, and combined positive and negative pressure systems considered, in relation to both open and closed systems.

Design Procedures A pneumatic conveying system may be designed using mathematical models, available test data or a combination of the two. If mathematical models are to be used, some degree of condence needs to be established as to their suitability for a particular application, su ch as conveying a particular material under closely dened conditions, before they are employed. However, the design of pneumatic conveying systems using mathematical models is generally the preferred method. A logic diagram for the design of a pneumatic conveying system based on the use of mathematical models is presented at figure below. The procedure starts with the specication of the xed parameters, goes through the necessary selection and calculation of conveying and system parameters to the nal specication of the most suitable pipeline bore and air requirements. The numbers of the boxes is corresponds to the number of the sections in which the relevant calculation is discussed.

1) Specify Material A bulk particulate material will be specified through a knowledge of some of all of the following parameters: Material name Bulk properties: a) density, b) particle size distribution, c) free moisture, d) permeability, e) air retention. Particle properties: a) density, b) shape, c) hardness, d) friability

2) Specify mass flow rate of material required This will generally be specified as a steady hourly rate, or a time averaged mean value. For continuously operating systems this value is the flow rate that needs to be specified. For batch operating systems the system will have to be designed to a higher value than this to take account of the fact that continuous conveying cannot be achieved. If the type of system required is known from the outset, then the appropriate value of material flow rate can be specified. If the investigation or survey is to cover a wide variety of pipeline bores, then a wide range of conveying line pressure drop values will result. The value of conveying line pressure drop may, to a certain extent, dictate the choice of system. The provisional feed-back loop to material flow rate specification, therefore, is to take account of a change from continuous to batch operating systems which could occur within such an investigation. The system design procedure outlined here relates essentially to the pipeline and specification of the air requirements to ensure that the material is conveyed at the specified flow rate. Due consideration will have to be given to the device used to feed the material into the conveying line, for this must also be capable of meeting the flow rate requirements. Feeder design and specification, however, can generally be considered in isolation from that of the pipeline system, and so is not included here. The same situation applies with regard to the design of systems for discharging the conveying line. 3) Specify conveying distance required It will be required to specify the conveying distance, together with the routing and details of the pipeline. It is the actual distance that is of primary importance, but the orientation of the pipeline and the number of bends and their geometry are also important. Pipeline length has to be considered in terms of the individual lengths of horizontal, vertically up and vertically down sections. Bend geometry is considered in terms of the bend angle and the ratio of the bend diameter, D, to the pipe bore, d. 4) Select pipeline bore The diameter of the pipeline is one of the primary variables in terms of achieving a specified material flow rate through a pipeline. In combination with the conveying line pressure drop a wide range of pipeline bores will often meet the conveying requirements. It is, therefore, necessary to select a value of pipeline bore, and in the first instance this may well be and estimated value or guess. If this proves to be unacceptable for some reason it will be necessary to re-select. This will be requested automatically by means of the various loops incorporated into the logic diagram. Subsequent values of pipeline bore, however, will be selected with the benefit of the initial estimate. 5) Select conveying line pressure drop If the selection is to be restricted to negative pressure or low pressure systems, however, the range will be limited automatically. Once again, if the value chosen proves to be

unacceptable for some reason it will be necessary to re-select, and the necessary loop is incorporated for this purpose. 6) Select conveying line inlet air velocity Although the air velocity at free air conditions is the most convenient for this purpose, a major design parameter is that of the conveying air velocity at the material feed point into the pipeline. This is the conveying line inlet air velocity, C1. For dilute phase conveying the value of the minimum conveying air velocity, Cmin, will almost certainly be above 10 m/s. For cement it is about 1011 m/s, fine fly ash 1112 m/s, granular alumina 1314 m/s and about 16 m/s for granulated sugar, the value depending mainly upon mean particle size, particle shape and particle size distribution. For dense phase conveying the minimum conveying air velocity can be as low as 3 m/s with many materials, such as cement, fly ash, barytes and bentonite. For design purposes a value of conveying line inlet air velocity, C1, would be taken as the minimum conveying air velocity plus a 20 per cent margin: C1 = 1.2 x Cmin m/s An unnecessarily high margin is not recommended because of the adverse effect of velocity on conveying performance. 7) Calculate air mass flow rate The determination of the air mass flow rate is the first stage in evaluating the solids loading ratio and providing a check on the value of the conveying line inlet air velocity. Air mass flow rate can be evaluated from the Ideal Gas Law and was developed into an expression in terms of conveying line inlet air velovity with equation:

where C1 is the conveying line inlet air velocity (m/s); m= air mass flow rate (kg/s); R, characteristic gas constant (kJ/kg . K); T, conveying line inlet temperature (K); d, pipeline bore (m) and p1, conveying line inlet air pressure (kN/m2). Re-arranging this equation in terms of the air mass flow rate and substituting R= 0.287 kJ/kg . K for air gives:

kg/s
where d is the the pipeline bore selected at stage 4; C1, the conveying line inlet air velocity selected at stage 6; p1, for a negative pressure system will be equal to the atmospheric pressure, patm, of 101.3 kN/m2 abs or the appropriate local value if at elevation and for a positive pressure system will be equal to patm + 100 p, where p is the conveying line pressure drop (in bar) selected at stage 5. 8) Calculate solids loading ratio

Solids loading ratio, , is the ratio of the material flow rate, p, specified at stage 2 to the air mass flow rate, a, calculated at stage 7. For consistency in units:

(dimensionless)
9) Check conveying line inlet air velocity This is the first of the loops in this logic diagram used to provide a check on the input data for which an initial estimate was necessary. This particular check is for conveying line inlet air velocity and so only applies to materials that are capable of being conveyed in dense phase, as discussed at stage 6. For such materials the value of minimum conveying air velocity, and hence conveying line inlet air velocity, is dependent upon the value of solids loading ratio. If the value of conveying line inlet air velocity, corresponding to the solids loading ratio for the material, differs from that of the initial estimate, it will be necessary to return to stage 6. The new value can be used as a guide for the next value to be selected, and then the process from stage 6 can be repeated. This is an iterative process that does not converge quickly, and so the next value of conveying line inlet air velocity to be selected must be judged on the basis of previous results, and not simply be a transfer of the result obtained from the check carried out. If the material has no dense phase conveying potential, or the pressure gradient is such that the material can only be conveyed in dilute phase suspension flow, this particular operation is not necessary. The value chosen will not change to any significant degree over the range of solids loading ratio values that will be possible with the material. 10) Check conveying line pressure drop At this point a value for all the main parameters will be available and so a check can be made of the value of conveying line pressure drop selected. Mathematical models for system design are generally in terms of evaluating the conveying line pressure drop for a given set of conditions. The model used, therefore, can be applied to the system and the resulting value of conveying line pressure drop can be checked against that selected at stage 5. If the value determined by means of the model used differs from that selected it will be necessary to return to stage 5. This is the second of the loops in the logic diagram used to provide a check on the input data from which an initial estimate was necessary. The process is similar to that described above for conveying line inlet air velocity 11) Re-specify material mass flow rate If the check on conveying line pressure drop is close to the original estimate, it will only be necessary to return to stage 5 and select a new value. If the check shows a considerable discrepancy, however, it may be necessary to think in terms of a totally different system, for which a change in material flow rate may be required, in addition to a change in conveying line pressure drop, for the current bore of pipeline.

12) Re-select pipeline bore If the value of conveying line pressure drop that results from the analysis at stage 10 is not satisfactory, then it will be necessary to select another pipeline bore if the alternatives at stage 11 are not acceptable. 13) Calculate power required Having evaluated all the parameters necessary for the system, it is now possible to determine the power required. 14) System re-assessment The starting point in carrying out a further analysis is to select a different pipeline bore. This will result in a different conveying line pressure drop and so allow a full picture to emerge for the system. It should be noted that pipeline bore is positioned before conveying line pressure drop in this logic diagram since pipes are only available in incremental sizes, whereas conveying line pressure drop is infinitely variable. 15) Specify pipeline bore required The final requirement in the design process is to specify the pipeline bore required and the necessary rating of the air mover. If the full analysis has been carried out, as specified in this logic diagram, then the most suitable pipeline size should result. If the pipeline is required to handle more than one material, however, a compromise may well have to be made on both pipeline bore and air requirements. 16) Specify air requirements Air requirements are specified in terms of volumetric flow rate and delivery or exhaust pressure. The air mass flow rate was evaluated at stage 7 and the relationship between mass and volumetric flow rates is given by: = x V kg/s In systems where there is likely to be an air leakage, at the material feed point in the case of positive pressure systems, and at the material discharge point in vacuum systems, an allowance for this must be made in the specification of the volumetric air flow rate required. The delivery or exhaust pressure required is equal to the conveying line pressure drop, plus an allowance for air filtration, the feeding device, air supply and exhaust lines and safety margin. Having determined the necessary air requirements the most appropriate choice of air mover can be made.

REFERENCE: David Mills, 2004, Pneumatic Conveying Design Guide: 2nd Edition