Compressed Air Best Practices - February 2008 - (Page 20)

| 02/08 Focus Industry BULK HANDLING | REAL WORLD BEST PRACTICES MATERIAL CONVEYING WITH PNEUMATIC AND VACUUM SYSTEMS These flow volumes will vary greatly depending on product and the system design, but they will always be lower than a similar dilute phase system. Often, these systems will have small booster pulsers along the transport path, which will add to the demand. To evaluate the magnitude of potential savings once the required volume (scfm) is known, refer to Table 7. When setting up a new conveying system, be aware of these opportunities to be sure your supplier and/or your consultant consider the true cost of air in basic designs. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when operating air fluidizers in your pneumatic conveying systems: p Compressed air is your most expensive utility. If more air will not improve performance, identify and control the minimum volume of air to do the job correctly. Run the air only when the vessel is discharging. This not only will minimize the use of air, but also will probably improve performance. Running the fluidizers when the discharge is closed may create voids in the material. When the discharge outlet opens, the material may flow into the void rather than out smoothly. Try to run all multiple fluidizers sequentially, not simultaneously. This will significantly reduce the demand impact on the air system and help to hold the product together. Take the time to design the best possible timing of the pulsers. Get the discharge performance you need with the shortest possible pulse time and longest possible interval. If you convey different products, establish optimum timed pulse aeration for each product and adjust accordingly. Run electric-operated vibrators whenever conditions allow. If you have to run air-operated vibrators, be sure they only run when needed. p Operating Air Fluidizers The Dense Phase pneumatic conveying systems, particularly dense phase, use “booster pulsers,” also known as “air saver boosters” or “air fluidizers,” to help move the product along the line and free it from the piping walls. Multiple controls or fluidizers are typically installed through the wall of the hopper section and the wall of specific pipe runs to loosen the material and direct the air flow. Operating properly, they input short small shots of air, as required, to control the natural solidity of the product column and maintain appropriate compressed air pipeline velocity. The “air saver boosters” are usually carefully set and controlled to optimize the expensive high pressure air and not destroy the product column solid integrity. These fluidizers are usually one of two types: p p 20 p p p Air blow only with separate vibrator Air blow with built-in vibrator www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - February 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices - February 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News February Audit of the Month: Dense-Phase Transport System Wreaks Havoc on Compressed Air System Real World Best Practices: Material Conveying with Pneumatic and Vacuum Systems Industrial Vacuum Cleaners Use Compressed Air in Portland Cement Manufacturing Processes The Numatics Air Preparation Group The Ins and Outs of Vacuum Generators Dekker Vacuum Technologies Do Your Meetings Sabotage Your Profits? Resources for Energy Engineers Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - February 2008

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