Pneumatic Conveying

Conveying or dosing granular materials with the aid of compressed air or other propellant gases is known as pneumatic conveying or pneumatic transport. The working principle of a pneumatic conveying system is based on transferring the kinetic energy of a compressed air stream to the granular product to be moved. In pneumatic transfer processes, every product conveyed by compressed air is first mixed with the air and then separated from it. Mixing is carried out with the help of rotary valves (airlocks), loading stations and venturis, while separation is carried out with filters. Unlike conveying by compressed air, systems that operate using the vacuum generated by a vacuum pump are called vacuum pneumatic conveying systems.

The compressed air that pneumatic conveying systems fundamentally require is supplied by side channel blowers, roots blowers or high-flow fans, depending on the capacity and flow rate the system needs. Although a pneumatic conveying system may appear to be simply a matter of mixing the product with compressed air and then separating it with a filter, it is a task that demands serious engineering work and experience. Powders to be conveyed can become highly explosive under certain pressure and temperature conditions. Products that seem perfectly harmless, such as sugar, flour and starch, can become extremely dangerous with faulty design and selection.