Pneumatic conveying

Tried and tested pressure and vacuum conveying systems

In industry settings, materials handling technology has the task of moving the materials or goods to be conveyed to the places where they are needed in production or in the warehouse. Conveyor technology can be found in every stage of production. Solving the problems of material flow is an important task when planning a production system.

Since January 2020, the former solids solutions Group has been part of the Hosokawa Alpine Group. This means that customers now receive complete solutions from a single source in the areas of mechanical process engineering and bulk solids handling.

Systems for every task

from Hosokawa Solids

Every bulk solid has its own special requirements for a conveyor system. To meet these requirements, we offer our customers a variety of tried and tested pneumatic conveying systems with components for pneumatic pressure and vacuum conveying from our own production. This enables us to find the right solution for every product and every specific task.

Solids Fly Pneu: Dilute phase conveying

Classic dilute phase conveying system for vacuum and pressure operation. Particles and particle clouds or strands are carried by the airflow.

Advantages:

  • simple design, reliable operation and low-maintenance
  • long service life, depending on wall and bulk solid pairing
  • affordable

Suitable for: flours, grains, semolina, dusts, chips, powders

Solids Fluid Pneu: Dense phase pressure conveying

Pressure or vacuum conveying system: Fluidised powders are conveyed as a homogeneous material/air mixture using the push force.

Advantages:

  • proven, maintenance-friendly design
  • low gas consumption
  • affordable

Suitable for: cement, limestone powder, fly ash, bentonite, quicklime, hydrated lime, adsorbent, powder, terephthalic acid, chalk

Solids Vacu Fill: Dense phase vacuum conveying

Vacuum conveying system: The products are conveyed fluidised or in a flow through the use of vacuum force.

Advantages:

  • low overall height at the feeding point
  • versatile and affordable solution for shorter conveying distances

Suitable for: dusts, plastic granules, fibres, minerals, flours, semolina, food granules

Solids Step Pneu: Push conveying

Pressure conveying system: With indicated plug formation. Granular products with a narrow grain spectrum are conveyed through in a flow and "pushed" as columns or plugs. The plug flow is indicated by air pulses.

Advantages:

  • gentle, low-wear conveying
  • low operating costs
  • simple, robust and sophisticated design

Suitable for: sands, granules, ash, nuts, peas, beans, HOK, tablets, pastilles, coffee beans

Solids Split Pneu: Dense phase conveying with bypass system

Nozzles or boosters break up longer plugs to prevent blockages with difficult bulk solids.

Advantages:

  • suitable for difficult bulk solids

Suitable for: minerals, titanium dioxide, metal oxides, chalk, paste PVC, powder soot, lead oxide, metal powder, milk powder

Solids Vacu Dense: Vacuum plug conveying with impulse valve and pressure bypass system

Bypass system, vacuum suction conveying system: For slow and gentle vacuum conveying. Blank casing system.

Advantages:

  • low overall height at the feeding point
  • segregation-free conveying due to stable product plugs in the conveying line
  • gentle transport of sensitive products due to low conveying speed

Suitable for: spray granulation, instant products, hard minerals, milk powder, sands, granulates, ash, pulses, flakes, chips, pelletised carbon black, adipic acid

Solids Vibro Puls Pneu: Plug conveying with bypass system, impulse valve and relay stations (pressure conveying system)

Non-flowable products are introduced into the conveying systems through vibration and pressure, plugs are created and retained and as such pushed through the conveying system without segregation.

Suitable for: moist sand, centrifuge wet solids, cohesive products, mixtures, prepared mixes, dry plaster with lightweight materials, recycled materials, glass shards, coal, coke

Advantages:

  • segregation-free conveying due to stable product plugs in the conveying line
  • gentle transport of sensitive products due to low conveying speed
  • low-wear conveying system due to low conveying speed, pure linear movement of the material plugs
  • Start-up of a filled conveying system possible after power- or supply air failure

Solids Puls Pneu: Plug conveying with bypass system, impulse valve and relay stations (slow pressure conveying system).

Non-flowable products are introduced into the conveying systems through vibration and pressure, plugs are created and retained and as such pushed through the conveying system without segregation.

Suitable for: moist sand, centrifuge wet solids, cohesive products, mixtures, prepared mixes, dry plaster with lightweight materials, recycled materials, glass shards, coal, coke

Advantages:

  • segregation-free conveying due to stable product plugs in the conveying line
  • gentle transport of sensitive products due to low conveying speed
  • low-wear conveying system due to low conveying speed, pure linear movement of the material plugs
  • Start-up of a filled conveying system possible after power- or supply air failure

Solids Truck Discharge: Plug conveying with bypass system, impulse valve and relay stations (pressure conveying system)

solids Puls Pneu using the silo vehicle as a pressure container.

Suitable for: sugar, spray granulation, instant products, no fat milk powders, silicon carbide, abrasives, hard minerals, sodium percarbonate, instant coffee, adipic acid, pelletised carbon black, flakes, chips

Advantages:

  • Advantages of the Puls Pneu conveying method
  • enables truck unloading over longer conveying distances
  • enables truck unloading with conditioned conveying gas (dry air)
  Negative pressure
to bar (abs.)
Positive pressure
to bar (abs.)
Particle size from ...
to ... µm (mm)
Speed m/sec
A. End.
Loading μ kg/Prod.
kg/Gas
Solids Fly Pneu 0.5 2.5 0.0005–20 Product 12– 36
Air 15– 45
up to approx. 10
Solids Fluid Pneu 0.2 4.0 0.01–1 Product 3–15
Air 5–20
15–30
Solids Vacu Fill 0.2 - 0.01–5 Product 1–15
Air 3– 20
15–30
Solids Step Pneu - 6.0 1–10 Product 0.5–10
Air 1–15
20–40
Solids Split Pneu - 4.0 0.001–1 Product 3–15
Air 5–20
15–40
Solids Puls Pneu - 5.0 0.001–1 Product 0.5–6
Air 1–9
20–60
Solids Vibro Puls Pneu - 5,0 0,0005–20 Product 0.5–10
Air 1–15
20–100
Solids Vacu Dense 0.2 - 0.001–5 Product 0.5–10
Air 2–15
20–40
Solids Truck Discharge - 3.0 0.01–10 Product 0.5–6
Air 1–9
20–60

Bulk solid analysis

This is how we select the right pneumatic conveying method for you:

The different bulk solid properties are an important decisive factor when it comes to selecting the right conveying method. For this, a comprehensive knowledge of the bulk solid properties is an absolute necessity. These properties are determined in a bulk solid analysis.

The bulk solids are considered according to their fluidisation behaviour and air retention capacity or according to their flowability and discharge behaviour. Other important factors include the general task and specific requirements, such as preservation of product properties, particle size, volume, bulk density, low-contamination abrasion behaviour, etc.


lime, PVC
Good fluidisation, good air retention capacity
Group A: fine and/or light
solids Fly Pneu
solids Fluid Pneu
solids Vacu Fill Sand, bottom ash,
granules
Poor fluidisation, poor air retention capacity
Group B: Grain size medium and/or heavy
solids Fly Pneu
solids Step Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
solids Truck discharge
chalk, titanium-
dioxide, metal oxides,
milk powder
Cohesive to very cohesive, no air retention capacity, rat holes
Group C: fine and/or heavy
solids Vibro Puls Pneu
solids Split Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
   
sugar, nuts,
salt, almonds, semolina,
frozen vegetables, granules
Crystalline to granular, no air retention capacity, no fluidisation
Group D: coarse and/or heavy
solids Step Pneu
solids Puls Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
solids Truck discharge
   
prepared mixes,
glass batch,
Dry plasters with
aerosil, batch,
blends
Poor air retention capacity, fluidisation creates segregation
Group C to D: fine and/or heavy, coarse and/or heavy
solids Vibro Puls Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
solids Truck discharge
   
moist sands, mixtures,
centrifuge moist solids
Poor air retention capacity, no fluidisation, mouldable
correspondingly Group C: fine to coarse and moist
solids Vibro pulse pneu spray granules, chips,
instant products, perborate,
tablets, percarbonate,
pastilles, adipic acids
sensitive products, agglomerates,
no air retention capacity, no fluidisation
Group B and D: Grain size medium to coarse and/or heavy
solids Puls Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
solids Truck discharge
Abrasive
products
All products from a hardness of approx. 4 according to Mohs
Non-classifiable
solids Split Pneu
solids Puls Pneu
solids Vacu Dense
solids Truck discharge
   
pieces of recycled
materials, broken pieces
no fluidisation, no air retention capacity
According to group B to D
solids Fly Pneu
solids Vibro Puls Pneu
   

For selecting a suitable process/system and components, first and foremost an analysis of the bulk solid(s) to be conveyed is required.

Geldart divides the bulk solids into groups A, B, C, D according to their fluidisation characteristics and air retention capacity, providing a rough classification with regard to conveying behaviour

  • A: powders with a fine particle size and low density that fluidise well and have good air retention capacity
  • B: medium particles of medium density, fluidisation possible with poor air retention capacity    
  • C: fine powders of a higher density, cohesive, difficult to fluidise with poor air retention capacity
  • D: coarser particles with a higher density, fluidisation not possible, no air retention capacity

Jenike describes the flowability of bulk solids by the flow function coefficient (FFC), providing a rough classification with regard to discharge behaviour from containers. It makes the following distinctions:

  • Free flow: 10 ≤ FFC < ∞
  • Flow:  4 ≤ FFC < 10
  • Cohesive: 2 ≤ FFC < 4
  • Very cohesive: 1 ≤ FFC < 2
  • No flow, hardening: FFC < 1

Unique plug conveying

Solids Puls Pneu

Hosokawa Solids developed a complete process for pneumatic plug conveying as early as 1970. Thus far, more than 1000 systems for thousands of different products in every country of Europe as well as the USA, Japan and India have been designed and built according to this concept. It features an impulse valve for forming material plugs and a secondary line with so-called relay stations for maintaining and further transporting the material plugs without disintegrating them.

 

 

1 control cabinet 2 storage tank  3 inlet valve  4 pressure vessel 5 overfill protection & empty indicator  6 pressure sensor  7 special outlet elbow  8 impulse valve  9 relay stations  10 special conveying elbow  11 compressed air supply  12 venting valves

Outstanding features:

  • long conveying paths, high outputs
  • no blockage at low speed and high loads
  • slow and gentle conveying starting from approx. 0.5 m/sec
  • low-wear, even for extremely hard and abrasive bulk solids such as silicon carbide or abrasives

  • almost no particle degradation and minimal abrasion of highly sensitive products such as spray granulation
  • minimal segregation in mixtures and prepared masses
  • low energy costs thanks to efficient use of pressure energy
  • functionally reliable even with wet, cohesive, sticky, non-flowing bulk solids
Brochure Solids Pneumatic Conveying Systems

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