Key Components Of Pneumatically Conveying Difficult Materials

By Doan Pendleton, VAC-U-MAX

Fine-tuned flow promotion devices, suitable filters and filter placement, as well as vacuum receiver design ensure peak performance in a system.

Most people are familiar with how vacuum systems work because most have used some sort of vacuum system to clean their homes—put a pipe here, put a pipe there, suck it up and get on with the day. Because of this familiarity, there is a common misconception that designing a vacuum conveying system is a matter of just connecting some components together. While it is true that pneumatic conveying systems are simple in terms of their design, there is a world of difference between transferring bulk materials and sucking up dust from the living room floor; and, there is a distinct difference between conveying relatively unproblematic materials, such as plastic pellets or rice, and challenging powders such as iron oxide, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, or toner.