Manufacturing companies are well aware that pneumatic conveying systems can transport large quantities of materials from one place to another. These systems use air to propel powdered materials through pipelines. In most cases, bulk solids are in the form of dry powder or granules, which are transported by gas conveying equipment. They can be conveyed to containers/mixers, delivered to reactors for chemical raw materials, or loaded into hoppers above extruders or injection molding machines. Depending on the conveying method, there are two types of pneumatic conveying systems: dense phase gas conveying systems and dilute phase gas conveying systems. Dense phase gas conveying systems are high-pressure equipment suitable for long-distance material transport, particularly for fragile or abrasive materials due to their slow-moving characteristics. Dilute phase gas conveying systems are low-pressure, high-speed equipment that offers flexibility in the range of materials that can be processed. The airflow can be generated by an air compressor or a Roots blower.

Air conveying system equipment

Starting with the main components of a single gas conveyance unit. This includes the controller (PLC), a crucial component of the gas conveyance equipment; a rotating claw-type long-distance pump (LDP) with variable speed drive (VSD) for generating varying levels of depth vacuum; a material feeder that stores pre-programmed formulas and communicates with the PLC; patented pulse valves and servo valves; a feed hopper; and a speed sensor.

Users can program the wave pattern, speed, and conveying rate according to the specific requirements of each material transfer unit. The PLC enables gas conveying equipment to operate in a conventional dilute phase mode or dense phase and dilute phase mode based on the selected LDP pump and formula. This entirely depends on the application and the effects the plant aims to achieve. The valves of the pneumatic conveying system work together with vacuum pumps controlled by the PLC and VFD to achieve vacuum pressure and material speed. For instance, when material needs to be conveyed over long distances, the valves can automatically adjust, allowing the gas conveying equipment to transport material at lower vacuum pressure and lower wave speed.