UNIT 11 CONVEYING SYSTEM

PNEUMATIC
Structure
11.0 Objectives
11.1 Introduction
11.2 . Differences between the Pneumatic Pressure and Pneumatic Suction System
1] .3 Pneumatic Pressure Transport
11.3.l Rotary Blower
11.4 Pneumatic Suction Transport System in the Grinding Section
11.4.1 High Pressure Fan
11.5 Pneumatic Suction Transport
11.6 Types of Pneumatic Conveying Systems
11.6.1 High Velocity Conveyance
11.6.2 Fluidlift
11.6.3 Fluidflex
11.6.4 Takt-Schub
1l.6.5 Fluidstat
11.7 Fans: Efficiency and Power Consumption
11.8 Let Us Sum Up
11.9 Key Words
11.10 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises
] 1.11 Some Useful References

11.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this unit are to familiarise you with the various features of
pneumatic conveying system generally adopted in a roller flour mill. This unit
describes the salient aspects and requirements of a pneumatic conveying system.
After reading this unit you should be able to:
• describe the difference between pneumatic suction system and pneumatic
pressure;
• explain requirements of pneumatic pressure transport;
• know the various characteristics of high pressure fan used in pneumatic system;
and
• describe various types pneumatic conveying systems.

11.1 INTRODUCTION
The need for streamlined, cleaner and more efficient and hygienic means of handling
products in the food industry is always important. These conditions have, to a large -.
degree, been met by the engineers of the flour milling industry by the introduction
of pneumatic conveying.

Pneumatic conveying was first patented by Reinhardt in 1909, many experiments

on different methods were conducted but it was not perfected on a working basis
until 1945. Swiss engineers erected the first modern plant. Later it was further
75
Diagram Technique developed by British and other milling engineers. Nowadays pneumatic conveying
can be said to have superseded mechanical conveying for all new mills and also
can be applied with advantage to existing mills when remodelling/modernising.

The system involves conveying piped air, this being under suction using a centrifugal
type fan which incidentally is the heart of a pneumatic system, a separator in the
form of a cyclone, and a dust.controller usually of the filter sleeve type, and a dust
collection system usually consisting of either a Reverse Jet Filter dust collector
cleaned by a high pressure fan through a rotating manifold, or a similar filter cleaned
by jets of compressed air controlled by an electrical timing mechanism. Because
of.the large number of varied stocks and relatively small quantities involved, all
lifts, i.e., cyclones, can be connected up to a single fan. Each cyclone is fitted with
a control valve and then connected to a manifold trunk terminating at the fan. Larger
mills of course may have more than one fan, the pneumatic system being split into
sections. Cyclones used in pneumatic systems have efficiency as high as 99Y2
percent, but it is still.necessary to employ a dust collector to remove the remaining
Y2 percent. These are situated between the fan and the pneumatic manifold the.
main object being to prevent stock adhering to the fan blades and caus~g it to go
out of balance.

For efficient conveying, pressures across the filter
and as the main cause of high, pressure is fine stock
the open area they should be regularly brushed. It
filters to, be fitted with a pressure manometer,
determine the state ofthe sleeves.
must be kept-as low as possible
adhering to the sleeves reducing
is common practice for modem
which can be read weekly to
'

The advantages of pneumatic conveying can be summarised as follows:

- Cleaner, hygienic, cooler mill buildings.
Better sifting, due to cooler stocks.
Reduction of condensation risk.
,
)~ Exhaust of roller mills and sifters eliminated.
Smaller buildings, less fire risk.
Roller-mills can be sited on ground floor, when Pneumatic flow system. is used.
- Less staff for supervision.

TheI main disadvantage which weighs against these

.
advantages is the relatively high
power requirements in comparison to mechanical conveying. '

11.1.1 Static Pressure "

This is the pressure not affected by air motion at the point of measurement.
Pressures measured in Cl, vessel or at a pipe wall are termed static pressures. Most
positive or negative pressures measured by pressure gauges are static pressures
perpendicular to the direction of air flow.

11.1.2 Dynamic Pressure

The dynamic or velocity pressure is the pressure parallel to air flow. From the
dynamic pressure, the air velocity can be calculated.

11.1.3 . Total Pressure

"

This is the sum of static pressure + dynamic pressure

76
Static pressure (pst) . Conveying System -
Pneumatic
This is the pressure 'not affected by air motion at the point of measurement
Pressures measured ina vessel or at a pipe wall are static pressures.
, , .
Most positive or negative pressures measured by pressure gauges are static
pressures.

Suction pipe •
Pressure pipe

iC •.

,
~~.r r
\ I
','-
i
11
I·
r
"
'

Ii i.~
r

; Fig. 1: Air pressure direction

,

Dynamic pressure (pdy)

The dynamic or velocity pressure is the pressure perpendicular to air flow. From
the dynamic pressure, the, air velocity can,be calculated,

~ ..

-
ir+:
!
I
I

Fig. 2:' Measurement of dynamic pressure '

Total
,
,
pressure (ptot)
,
~
. This'is the sum of static pressure + 'dynamic pressure, that means!
~ "

77
>Diagram Technique
Pressure
pipe.".. - Suction
pipe

.. -
ptot pst + pdy

Fig. 3: Measurement of total pressure'

,
With the Pitot tube we measure the difference between the static pressure and the
total pressure and thus obtain the velocity pressure in mm water gauge.

Total Pressure Hole Nosepiece Static Pressure Holes

= Duct Static Pressure (A)

Access Hole in' Duct
•••• ;",Velocity Pressure (B)

. (~ ='Tot~1 Pressure (MB)

The Man.ometerWill Read (A+B) - A ,,;,B

I

'.~
I

Using the following formula, the air velocity in the pipe can be calculated:

" J lJ

Air velocity v = 4.05 * J velo~itypressure Pdy' - m/s

J
Air Volume V·::: A (cross area of duct in m2) . * v *60 - m3/min.

Fig. 4: Air measurements by using a 'Pitot'; tube

.- - ,
 Conveying System -
11.2 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PNEUMATIC Pneumatic
PRESSURE AND PNEUMATIC SUCTION SYSTEM

Pneumatic pressure system ' Pneumatic suction system

Air entering in the. blower is compressed,
passing in positive pressure. The pressure
drops at the end of the transport system,
when leaving the pneumatic separator
:
"
Blowers are practically tight. It is
therefore, always deliver the same air
quantity irrespective of the load,
fluctuations.
Air entering the pipe is under
atmospheric pressure and passing in
negative pressure. So air is extending
,
and getting thinner up to the entrance
of the fan.
Fan has more clearance between Rotor
and housing and will deliver less air if
the transport pipe will receive a higher
load by fluctuations. ;

~
M
Low volume of air with high pressure
(5000-1()()()() mm WC)
.r
Savings in power consumption. Power
consumption is closely proportional to .'
the feed. If feed falls off, resistance is
also reduced since the volume of air is
constant, no reduction in power.
Less installation cost.
. Chances of choking is less.
High volume of air with low pressure.
700-1100 mm Wc. If fans are arranged in
series the pressure will go up even up
to 2000 mm Wc. .
More power consumption. When feed
falls off, resistance is reduced and more
. air is drawn by the fan; so increase in
power consumption.
,
More installatiori cost
Chances of choking is more

,11.3 PNEUMATIC PRESSURE

. .
TRANSPORT . ~.

11.3.1 Rotary Blower .

. .) . .
. These blowers consist of two lobes in the shape of an 8. They run in counter-
direction from each other. Clearance between the two rotors and between rotor
and housing is·very important. Thisclearance is only a few tenths of a-millimetre, .
the,iefore theincoming air should be free of dust.The rotors run at a high speed
.and are therefore very noisy. . -. .. .... .\

\.~

Fig. 5: Rotary Blower 79,

 Diagram Technique Air enters from top and these lobes are forcing the air underneath to the conveying
pipe. If the pressure is higher than 5000 mill, the blower should be water-cooled
by cooling jackets.

-
'1f .'

.,

@-

1. Suction' spout with silencer on suction side and protection sieve

2. Rotary blower
3. Silencer pressure side
4. Safety valve
5. Drive motor
6. Vibration suppressor

Fig. 6: Rotary piston blower unit ) .

. 80
 Conveying System - .
.Pneumatic .
Safety valve

I Spring disk

Spring

Spindle

Guide bush

Belt
Piston
Suction side

I
) .

.~

Pressure side

Fig. 7: Pressure relief valve

11.4 PNEUMATIC, SUCTION TRANSPORT SYSTEM -

IN THE GRINDING SECTION
. 11.4.1 High pressure fan
The high pressure fan is the heart of the pneumatic system. The high pressure fan
can be connected to a number of parallel transports. It is best suitable for mill
pneumatic and for cleaning sections with a small capacity. Working principle and
characteristics are similar to the low pressure fan apart fromhaving smaller and a
much higher number of fan blades. The pressure range is between 700 and 1000
'"' r . . \

. nun w.g. while high pressure fans can reach up to 2000 mm w.g. if 2 fans are put
in series.

1. Casing
. 2. Impeller'
3. Motor support frame
4. Motor
v.,

Fig. 8: High pressure fan

81
Diagram Technique Most of the constructionshave direct coupled motors. Advantages are lower cost
and less space needed, but
,
with a v-belt drive the speed could
, '
be increased
1
or
decreased: ' '< '

Good high pressure fans vary only slightly in pressure, even when the quantity of
air is changed. This is in most cases quite important in pneumatic mill 'stocks
, '" I' .
conveying, where many different lines are connected to the same fan.

i
~&f, ••~ I."

I
f

Fig. 9; Suction transport Fig. 10: Pressure transport

1 ' -.

Table 1: Features of suction and pressure Transport,

Ratio material (1 m3 air weighs about 1.15-1.2 kg,
to air in kg. ' 600 m above sealevel)
Suction transport . Pressure range
Ship unloading " - 1 blower 2500 - 5000 mm WC

Cleaning ,10: 1 2 high pressure fans- 2 x 1000::::2000 mm

Wc.

Hill (parallel 3.5-4:1 1 high.pressure fan 600-1000 mm Wc.

transport) Horizontal 21 m I sec. speed
Vertical 15-16 ill / sec. speed
Inclined 22-24 ill / sec. speed
,
Pressure transport 15: 1 1 blower 2000 - 2500 mm Wc.
Cleaning
\

(single, transport)
Suction / Pressure - 1 blower - 2000 I +2000 mm Wc.

Parallel pressure - 1 blower 2000 mm Wc. with several

branches, and jet valves + 700 mm
v«: 2700 mm v«:
=
Maximum pressure with fan 1000 mm wc.
Maximum pressure with blower » 5000 mm Wc.
Maximum pressure with screw compressor> 20000 mm Wc.

82'
 Table 2 : Application of pneumatic systems Conveying System -
. Pneumatic

Pressure pneumatic Suction pneumatic (negative

, (positive pressure in the
conveying pipe)
Application - Cleaning section
- Product transfer from mill
to finished product silo
, - Flour silo
- Single Iifts in any other
\
pressure in the conveying pipe)
Multiple lifts system:
- Mill pneumatics
Single lift system:
_. Product conveying after
halnmer mills

plant section ,- Ship unloading system

\ (with rotary piston blowers)
Employed as Mainly as single lift, Single lift system with high
operation as multiple lifts pressure fan or rotary piston
system only possible with blower: Multiple lifts system
lava! nozzles. with high pressure fan.
Air source Mainly rotary piston blowers Usually high pressure fans:
I
Rotary piston blowers for .
,;

special purposes.
,
Product feed Always with an air-lock Suction feed nozzle
Product outlet . With or without air-lock Always with an air-lock
Product separator All types of separators Conveying directly into a bin is
/
~ossible. not possible. ,
Operating Can be relatively h~gh. Relatively low, especially in the
pressure Long conveying distances case of high pressure fans.
. can be handled.

Combined suction / pressure systems are seldom applied in the milling industry. These are
operated by rotary piston blowers.

11.5 PNEUMATIC 'SUCTION TRANSPORT .

..The material after grinding in the roller mill, i.e., this conveyed material/air mixture
falls into the so-called 'Alphorn', where additional air enters. Good' Alphorns'
are constructed in such a manner that the air which enters there is brought in below
the product; this reduces friction in the pipe and facilitates acceleration. This
'Alphorn' must be provided with quick closures on both sides to insure that it can
be removed easily at choke ups,

•••• I

, '

Fig. 11: Pneumatic suction transport 83

Diagram Technique The product/air mixture is now directed into the seamless steel pipes: Inspection
glasses enabling checks to be made of the functioning of each individual pipe at
any time are placed injhe vertical pipes on both the roller mill floor and the sifter
floor. The bends in the conveying pipe in pneumatic cleaning should be easy to
dismantle in order to be able to clear choked lines. Because bends are exposed
. . I

in increased abrasion, they are best equipped with wear plates.

Abrasion in bent pipes always OCCIlfS on the outer wall. Wear plates can then be
changed while the pipe remains the same.
, I
,
Thr.ough the seamless steel pipes the product/air enters into the cyclone and the
product is separated from air by centrifugal force and cross section expansion.
The vacuum necessary in individual conveying pipe differ relative to the amount of
"conveying material and conveying distance, each cyclone has air regulating valves
which are needed to adjust the transport velocity of each separate line from 17-
21 mlsec. The conveying velocity is roughly 2.5 times the floating velocities of
. I stocks. The underlying airlock carries the product out and simultaneously prevents
air from streaming "into the vacuum system. The air itself flows out at the top of
the cyclones in a collecting pipe to the pneumatic fan and is then blown through a
filter. The degree of efficient separation in the cyclones is very high with correct
calculation of the corresponding amount of air. The air amounts to about 99.7%,
so that in this case very little of the product enters the filter. .

In pneumatic mill stock conveying, the individual lines of the liftirig system are
grouped and each group is connected to an individual pneumatic fan. )Their number
is limited only by the dimensions of the motors and the air collecting pipes. The
output of individual conveying lines is limited by the standard size pipes, cyclones
andairlocks available. Additionally, the product/air mix ratio should not be above
4:1 for reliable operation. (4 kg conveyed material to 1 kg/air), Today, the maximum .
output per line is about 3.5 tJhr for floury, products and about 4 tJhr for heavy
granular products. The capacity is given by the maximum of possible diameter of
the cyclone, available space over the sifters.

A main throttle valvein front 01 the pneumatic f~ protects the drive motor from
overloading at start-up. This valve pan be set in motion by hand,but it can also
be started automatically, eith~r pneumatically or electromechanically.

Because the conveyed material expels a relative amount of air and because the air
resistance incre'ases, the pneumatic fan receives less air at fuU load than during no-
loa~ operation, which. explains why a pneumatic at full load uses less power than
dunng no-load operation. ....

11.6 . TYPES OF PNEUMATIC CONVEYING SYSTEMS ~

11.6.1 High-velocity conveyance

~ '.
High-velocity conveyance is the oldest conveying system. The bulk materials are
conveyed with comparatively much air and a correspondingly high speed. The high
'velocity conveyance is designed predominantly as suction system, and is used chiefly
to handle coarse-grained bulk materials.

11.6.2 Fluidlift
The fluidlift system operates optimally as far as power requirement is concerned.
84 The speed is reduced so much that only a minimal loss of pressure has to be
compensated for. Due to the physical conditions, this type of conveying is suitable Conveying System -
Pneumatic
for bulk materials which are still fluidisable at least to a limited extent.

11.6.3 Fluid-Flex
The fluid-flex system in the flexible pipe prevents the adhering of sticky products
due to the flexibility of the pipe. It is suitable especially for difficult products, such
as titanium dioxide, paste-PVC, powdery carbon black, pigments. This process
operates according to the same principle as the Fluidlift system.

11.6.4 Takt-Schub
Apart from the particularly gentle conveyance of coarse grained bulk materials,
the TAKT-SCHUB system is suitable also for many powdery bulk materials over
short distances. The pipe wear with abrasive bulk materials is minimal.

11.6.5 Fluidstat
The Fluidstat system, stablized by means of an internal bypass, operates only with
less than half the speed of the high velocity conveyance. Fluidisable bulk materials
are conveyed very gently; for abrasive bulk materials, the pipe wear is minimized.

11.6.6 Fluid-schub
The Fluid-schub system is stabilized by means of an external bypass. The conveying
system operates almost with the same speed as the Fluidstat conveyance. Even
strongly break sensitive bulk materials, such as granulated carbon black can be
conveyed extremely gently. This system is also used for strongly abrasive bulk
materials.
Pneumatic Conveying Systems

":- .~{~::.•...~; ,";<>-:- ... ~

High-velocity conveyance .•. .•.. ... ... '

-.)::'M'~;;'.'.~.~,~:,,:~:
.'

FLUIDLlFJ"®

FLUID-FLEX (patented)

TAKT-SCHU8®

FLUIDSTA'f® (patented)

FLUID-SCHU8® (patented)

Fig. 12: Pneumatic conveying systems 85

Diagram Technique
11.7 FANS: EFFICIENCY AND POWER
CONSUMPTION
The ideal power consumption of a fan (without losses) can be expressed as;
PI = dp q (1)
Where
PI = ideal power consumption,
dp = total pressure increase in the fan
q = air volume flow deli~ered by the fan (m3/s)
The ideal power consumptions for fans at different air volumes and pressure
increases and expressed in the chart below:

Fan, Power consumption

Total Prassu e
(Pa)

':""-1'00
-250
500
1000
-2000
-4000
-8000
0~01 +-~~~~~--~~~~--~~~~
100 1000 10000 100000
Air volume (m3/h)
www.EngineeringTooIBox.com

Fig. 13: Fa'n power consumption curve

The fan efficiency is the ratio between power transferred to the airflow and the
power used.by the'fan. The fan efficiency is in general independent of the air density
. and can be expressed as:
l'
Efficiency = dp q/-

Fig. 14: Air regulating manually :::r~!'a~,;,'.!fir!g~r va1vp MNP

86
Where Conveying System -
Pneumatic
Efficiency fan efficiency (values between 0 - 1)
dp total pressure
q = air volume delivered in the fan (m3/s)
P = Power used by the fan

42 A-A

\
\
'.,~.

-.,.,17
n~"'f!-+--~u..""
•...
»-:"

35 29,30 A

, 1. Housing
17. Weight lever'
18. Adjoining pointer
29. Weights ;;
35. Indicator housing
38. Shaft
42. Profile flap (butterfly valve)

Fig~ 15: Automatic air regulating valve

-

CheckYour Progress
'-No\e: a): Use the spaces given below for your answers
, b) Check your answer with those given in the end of the unit
1. Name .the different
. Pneumatic
. . conveying systems. . /

•••••••••• 0"' •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• : ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• t •• : ••• ; ••••••• ~ ••••••••••.••

................... ' - .

'. ' ;- :~ ~ ~ ," .

2. '~xplain briefly the difference between Pressure & Suction pneu!llatic:
.
....................................................................................................................
(
, '
- 8':
Diagram Technique

••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••• 1. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

.11.8 LET US SUM UP

The advantages of pneumatic conveying have been explained in detail, but a direct
comparison between pneumatic conveying and the elevator and worm conveyor
mill is very interesting and rewarding as it is the first major change in milling since
the introduction of rolls in place of stones. Apart from the.various differences and
advantages from a techriicalstandpoint, the changeover resulted in improved quality
of the final product, and better milling performance with a general improvement in
profitability on the capital.inverted,

The advantages of pneumatic conveying are numerous, but there are some items
which do not compare 80 favourably but it will be seen that overall the fmal result
is in favour of the pneumatic mill as is evident from the fact that all new projects
across the world are based on pneumatic conveying system.

11.9 KEY WORDS

Static pressure This is the pressure of air not affected by air
motion at the point of measurement. It is the
pressure of air perpendicular to the direction
of air.
. ,It·
,
Dynamic pressure ,. The velocity pressure parallel to the air flow.
Total pressure This is the sum of static pressure and dynamic
pressure.
Pneumatic pressure system Air entering in the blower is compressed
passing in positive pressure and pressure
drops at the end of the transport system.
Pneumatic suction system Air entering the blower is at atmospheric
pressure and passing in negative pressure. So
the air is expending and getting thinner upto the
.entrance of the fan.
Rotary blower These blowers consist of two lobes in the
shape of .8 and they rotate in counter direction
.•. -~~

to each other.
,
High pressure fan . , The high pressure fan is the heart of the
pneumatic conveying system with a pressure
range between 700 to 1000 mm water gauge.
Ratio of material to air in
suction transport It varies from 3.5:1 to 10:1
Ratio of material to air in
pressure transport It is generally 15:1

88
 Conveying System -
11.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS .Pneurnat ic

EXERCISES

1. a) Pressure pneumatic system

b) Suction pneumatic system
2. Explain briefly the difference between Pressure & Suction pneumatic.

Pneumatic pressure system Pneumatic suction system

Air entering in the blower is
compressed, passing in positive
pressure.
Blowers always deliver the same air
quantity irrespective of the load
fluctuations.
Low volume of air with high pressure
Savings in power consumption.
Less installation cost.
Chances of choking is less.
Air entering the pipe is under
atmospheric pressure and passing in
negative pressure.
Fan deliver less air if the transport
pipe will receive a higher load by
fluctuations.
High volume of air with low pressure.
More power consumption.
More installation cost
Chances of choking is more

'11.11 SOME USEFUL REFERENCES

1. Arthur W. Rohner, (1980) Machine manual for millers, Buhler Brs., Oberuzwil,
Switzerland.
2. The Practice of Flour Milling. Vol. 1, 1979, Nabim, 21 Arlington St. London.

89