The image above shows a test at a customer’s facility to move a small particulate to a height of 7m (23’) with an EXAIR Line Vac. This particulate is used in the production of hand warmers and the end user needed a method to convey the material out of 55 gallon drums.
This same customer purchased a 2” Heavy Duty Line Vac from EXAIR in 2014 which is still in use and functioning well. So, when it came time to find a pneumatic conveyance solution for this material, they knew where to go.
And, we knew just the questions to ask to determine the best Line Vac solution. In order to do so, we had to determine the following:
- Bulk density of the material
- Size of the material
- Conveyance height
- Conveyance distance
- Required conveyance rate
- Available compressed air supply
Bulk density was rather low at 320kg/m³ (~20 pounds/ft³), with a particle size between 3-5mm (~1/8”-3/16”). The conveyance height in this application was 5-7m (16.5-23ft.), with a distance of 1-2m (3.3-6.6ft) and a desired conveyance rate of over 4kg (8.8 pounds) per minute.
The customer ran a test with the 2” Line Vac they have on site and the results were excellent. Their only question was whether they could achieve the needed conveyance with a smaller unit, thereby reducing compressed air consumption and operating cost of the application.
In this case the answer was clear that a smaller Line Vac could be used due to the low bulk density of the material. By reducing the size of the Line Vac to 1”, or perhaps 1.5” we could reduce the compressed air consumption and still meet the required performance need.
EXAIR Line Vacs have, once again, brought a viable solution to this industrial facility. If you have a similar application or would like to discuss pneumatic conveyance needs, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer. We’ll be happy to help.
Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE