Pneumatic Conveying System Types and Applications

Pneumatic conveying
Apneumatic conveying system transfers powders, 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 flowofair(oranothergas)supplied by an air mover, such as
a 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 be configured with bends to fit
around existing equipment, giving it more flexibility than a mechanical
conveyor with its typically straight conveying path. This also means the
pneumatic conveying system occupies less space than a comparable
mechanical conveyor. The pneumatic conveying system is totally enclosed,
unlike many mechanical conveyors, which enables the pneumatic system to
contain dust. The pneumatic conveying system typically has fewer moving
parts to maintain than a mechanical conveyor, as well.
Pneumatic conveying also has some disadvantages compared with

mechanical conveying. One is the pneumatic conveying system’s typically
greater use of horsepower than a mechanical conveyor, resulting from the
pneumatic system’s need to change air pressure to produce conveying
power. The pneumatic conveying system also uses a comparatively larger
dust collection system than a mechanical conveyor because the pneumatic
system has to separate the material from the conveying air at the system’s
end. Some materials also have characteristics that make them difficult to
convey in a pneumatic system. Examples are materials with a large particle
size and high bulk density, such as gravel or rocks, and extremely sticky
materials, such as titanium dioxide, which tend to build a coating on material-
contact surfaces and can eventually block the conveying line.
Pneumatic conveying system types and applications
Pneumatic conveying systems are classified by their operating principle

into two basic types: dilute phase and dense phase. Either can run under
pressure or vacuum.
Dilute phase. In dilute-phase conveying, particles are fully suspended
in the conveying air and transported at low pressure and high velocity.
Dilute-phase pressure conveying is one of the most common conveying

methods for powders or granules. It’s 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, hydrated lime, activated carbon, and zinc oxide.
In this method, illustrated in Figure 1a, a blower at the system’s start

supplies a high volume of low-pressure air to the system, and material is fed
into the conveying line through a rotary airlock valve. The system relies on
the airstream’s 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 system requires relatively little headroom and is
simple to operate, economical, and ideal for conveying material from a single
source to multiple locations.
Dilute-phase vacuum conveying is 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
sources to a single destination.
Dense phase. In dense-phase conveying, particles aren’t suspended in

the conveying air and are transported at high pressure and low velocity.
Dense-phase pressure conveying is suitable for gently conveying fragile

or abrasive materials with particles 3⁄4 inch and smaller over long distances
(typically more than 250 feet). Commonly handled materials include silica
sand, feldspar, fly ash, glass cullet, alumina, glass batch mix, carbon black,
sorbitol, dextrose, candies, resins, cocoa beans, hazelnuts, and puffed rice
cereal. The system conveys material at a relatively low speed to reduce
material degradation, air consumption, and abrasion on pipeline, bend and
diverter contact surfaces. This system can also stop or start with the
conveyingline full of material.
Material conveyed by this method is loaded into a pressure vessel (also
called a blow pot or transporter), as shown in Figure 1b. When the vessel
is full, its material inlet valve and vent valve are closed and compressed air is
metered into the vessel. The compressed air extrudes the material from the
pressure vessel into the conveying line and to the destination. Once the
vessel and conveying line are empty, the compressed air is turned off and the
vessel is reloaded. This cycle continues until all the material required for the
process has been transferred.
To overcome resistance in the conveying line, supplementary air

injectors (also called air boosters or air assists) can be located along the
conveying line (Figure 1b). These injectors provide additional air to help
maintain conveying velocity, transfer material over long distances, and
minimize line plugging. They can also be used to gently restart flow when
material is left in the line after the conveying cycle. An air injector should be
used with a high-pressure manifold to prevent backfeeding of material into the
compressed-air supply.
Dense-phase vacuum conveying is ideal for gently conveying fragile or

abrasive materials short distances (typically 200 feet or less). This system is
typically used to transfer powder and granules at a low rate (25 tph or less) in
applications such as truck or railcar unloading.
A less commonly used semidensephase conveying system is

configured like other dense-phase systems but uses a pressure vessel with a
fluidizing bottom so it can handle semiabrasive powders and fluidizable
powders that need aeration to discharge into the conveying line. This method
isn’t the ideal choice for fragile materials or materials containing large,
variable, or both large and variable particle sizes. The largest particles
handled by this method are approximately 1⁄4 inch.

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Pneumatic conveying

Apneumatic conveying system transfers powders, granules, and other

Pneumatic conveying provides several advantages over mechanical

Pneumatic conveying also has some disadvantages compared with

Pneumatic conveying system types and applications

Pneumatic conveying systems are classified by their operating principle

Dilute-phase pressure conveying is one of the most common conveying

In this method, illustrated in Figure 1a, a blower at the system’s start

Dilute-phase vacuum conveying is suitable for conveying materials that

Dense phase. In dense-phase conveying, particles aren’t suspended in

Dense-phase pressure conveying is suitable for gently conveying fragile

To overcome resistance in the conveying line, supplementary air

Dense-phase vacuum conveying is ideal for gently conveying fragile or

A less commonly used semidensephase conveying system is

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