Unlocking the Power of Pneumatic Conveying for Heavy Powder Handling

Heavy powders are commonly handled in industries such as steel, power, foundry, refractories and construction chemicals. These include materials like dolomite, sand, quartz, feldspar, heavy soda ash, barite, iron dust and various such heavy dusts. Due to their dense, granular nature, these powders require specialised pneumatic conveying systems to ensure efficient, safe, and contamination-free transportation in processing operations.

In this blog, we will discuss the challenges in handling heavy powders, what solutions we provide, the industrial applications of our products, and much more. Keep reading to learn more about the industrial use of pneumatic conveying for heavy powder handling.

A] Expectations & Challenges in Handling Heavy Powders

Below are key expectations and challenges faced while handling heavy powders:

• 1. High Bulk Density: Handling powders with higher bulk densities presents unique challenges due to their weight and tendency to settle, compact, or clog during transportation. These powders often require more force and power to transport over a distance. High bulk density powders typically have bulk densities greater than 1.5 g/cm³, and sometimes much higher.
• 2. Fluidiability: For heavy powders, fluidisation is often more difficult due to their weight and compact nature. These powders often need higher gas velocities to overcome the force of gravity and achieve fluidisation. In heavy powders, particles are often more tightly bound together, either due to electrostatic forces, cohesion, or surface forces. These bonds resist movement and reduce fluidisation potential.
  
• 3. Wear and Tear of Equipment: Handling heavy powders, especially abrasive ones, accelerates wear and tear on equipment like pipes, valves, and conveying systems. The constant friction from particles, combined with the harsh nature of some powders, leads to corrosion, clogging, and reduced equipment lifespan, resulting in higher maintenance costs and frequent replacements.
  
• 4. Efficient Flow and Transport: The primary expectation is seamless, continuous transport of heavy powders through various conveying systems (pneumatic, mechanical, or hydraulic). Industries expect minimal downtime and consistent performance, especially in large-scale operations.
• 5. Energy Consumption: Energy consumption in heavy powder handling can be significant, especially in pneumatic powder conveying systems that require high air velocities to transport dense materials. Increased friction, resistance, and the need for higher pressure add to energy demands.
  
• 6. Minimised Material Loss: Pneumatic conveying of heavy powders, particularly those requiring high velocities, can have significant spillage, resulting in high operational costs. Minimising material loss is a critical challenge in several industries.
  

Solutions

Macawber Engineering addresses these expectations and challenges with a problem-solving approach:

• Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying: Dense phase pneumatic conveying systems are ideal for handling heavy powders with high bulk density. This type of industrial pneumatic conveyor for heavy powder handling operates at lower air velocities, using higher pressures to move the powder in a dense, slug-like manner. This reduces the wear on the equipment and minimises the chance of powder degradation, offering a more power-efficient solution for these materials.
• Optimising Airflow and Pressure: Heavy powders often require precise airflow and pressure control to ensure smooth transportation. Operators need to maintain sufficient air pressure to overcome the resistance caused by the material’s weight, as well as to prevent blockages in the system. Fine-tuning these parameters helps optimise the conveying process.
  
• Flow Aids & boosting: For heavy powders, Macawber provides tailored density stabiliser boosting solutions based on intermittent, time-based, and pressure-dependent feedback specific to the different heavy powders conveying applications. Continuous boosting arrangements are also offered for heavy-duty, long-distance conveying. Macawber can also offer a “pipe-in-pipe” boosting solution, featuring a flute-type design with an internal air pathway for select applications subject to application.
  
• Vibration and Mechanical Aids: In some cases, vibration can be used to assist in industrial powder handling fluidisation. Vibrating fluidised bed systems can break up particle clumps, reducing the cohesive forces that impede flow.
• Special linings/coating: Since heavy powders lead to abrasion, Macawber emphasises the supply of wear-resistant components with specialised coatings. The company offers tungsten carbide and frit-based ceramic coatings for wear-prone components like domes. These coatings enhance the durability of components, reducing wear and extending their lifespan.

Critical Design Features 

Keeping heavy powders in mind, Macawber offers the following customisation into design:

• Macawber supplies bends with heavy-duty liners made from materials such as cast basalt, alumina-based ceramic, and DRC (Densified Reinforced Composite). For example, cast basalt bends feature miter-type joints with liners baked in a furnace, while alumina-based ceramic bends utilise tiles of alumina-based ceramic. DRC bends incorporate a cold-rolled cement-based composite. These liners can be designed with similar hardness and thickness, ranging from 10 mm to 25 mm. 
• Heavy duty designs: Incorporation of special liners & coatings in the internals of our conveying pressure vessels (Denseveyor) as well as Dome valves, and diverter valves.
  
• Dust Extraction System: Equipment ranges from bin vent filters to bag filters with suction ducts, Macawber India has solutions for dust extraction for various equipment. Customised filter designs with configurations ranging from conventional bags to pleated bags, to rectangular cloth bags, to rectangular cartridge bags, to equipment-mounted compact filters.
  

Applications and Industries

Heavy powders are very common across various industries, including:

• Steel
• Power
• Foundry
• Casting
• Lined pipe manufacturing
  
• Construction chemicals
• Ready-mix concrete
  
• Refractories
• Glass
• Ceramics
• Silicon chip manufacturing
• Building materials

Products Handling Heavy Powders in These Industries

Macawber offers a range of products that effectively handle heavy powders, including:

• Denseveyor
• Dome valves
  
• Diverter valves
• Bag filters 
• Jumbo bag and small bag unloading skids
• Wear-resistant bends
• Bin vent filters

Conclusion

Macawber Engineering’s innovative solutions and commitment to quality position it as a leader in heavy powder conveying, addressing the unique challenges associated with this material. While problems like high bulk density, fluidisation, and equipment wear and tear will be constant, we offer products that help tackle these problems. Our pneumatic conveying systems are known for their heavy-duty design, dust extraction, and durability.

Get in touch with us today to make heavy powder handling easy and efficient with the latest and best pneumatic conveying systems from Macawber. We are the leading pneumatic conveying systems manufacturer in India!