Why Pneumatic Conveying Testing?
Pneumatic conveying is the process of transporting bulk materials in a gas stream (typically air or nitrogen) through a pipeline. Though this conveyor has several benefits over using screw and belt conveyors, a pneumatic conveying system can experience:
- Throughput limitations: system cannot meet required solids handling capacity
- Buildup or plugging: pipeline deposition leading to blockage/restrictions
- Particle attrition: tendency for particles to degrade and generate fines
- Pipeline wear: abrasive wear of elbows/sweeps from hard bulk materials
The key to solving or preventing pneumatic conveying problems is to determine the conveying characteristics of the material, powder, or unique bulk solid.
Knowing how a material behaves during pneumatic conveying allows accurate specification of conveying mode (i.e., dilute or dense phase), line operation for gas flow and solids loading, and type of gas mover (e.g., fan, blower, or compressor).
Pneumatic Conveying Tests
- Conveying characteristics & minimum conveying velocity: material conveyed over full range of line conditions (from full-suspension to a moving bed)
- Particle attrition (friability) or degradation: material conveyed over range of gas velocities to compare particle damage to pre-conveyed condition
- Abrasive wear: material directed to an impact plate (e.g., steel, ceramic) to assess damage effects as function of velocity and solids loading
- Line coating or buildup: material conveyed through pipeline to assess amount of line buildup as function of conveying velocity
To approximate your actual handling conditions, we will convey the material in either vacuum or positive pressure mode. We have the capability to use heated or cooled gases for transport, as well the ability to run closed-loop tests with gases such as argon or carbon dioxide.
Test Results
The pneumatic conveying test results are presented in a report package which includes:
- review of pneumatic conveying apparatus and test procedure
- graphical and tabular presentation of the results
- qualitative observations of test phenomena such as buildup, surging, and wear
- video of conveying behavior observed through transparent sections in line
- test conclusions and recommendations
One of our engineers will also review the pneumatic conveying test results with you, and answer questions you may have regarding the report conclusions and key observations.
Need to send samples for testing? Click here for additional information.
What’s Next
Contact us to discuss your specific pneumatic conveying testing needs with one of our experienced engineers. With the accurate and representative test results, Jenike & Johanson can provide recommendations to alleviate problems with existing pneumatic conveying systems, as well as engineer a new system and pneumatic conveyor that operates reliably, safely, and efficiently.
