Pneumatic conveying systems are a reliable means of securely transporting materials throughout your facility. However, before purchasing one, it’s important to know that these conveyors aren’t a one-size-fits-all type of deal. To aid in your search for suitable material handling equipment, we’ll break down the three different types of pneumatic conveying systems.
Dilute Phase Pneumatic Conveyors
The type of pneumatic conveyor you ultimately choose depends on the type of material you’re transporting. A dilute phase pneumatic conveying system uses an airflow that’s simultaneously high velocity and low pressure in order to quickly transport products.
Due to the speed of dilute phase pneumatic conveyors, only use them when you need to transport materials that will not break apart easily, such as flour. Fragile materials, on the other hand, will swiftly erode in this type of air stream, which is where dense phase pneumatic conveyors come in handy.
Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveyors
This is a high-pressure, low-velocity system effectively used to move materials that can break apart easily. An important thing to know about dense phase pneumatic systems is they are a slower type of conveying method.
However, while that might sound like a negative thing in some cases, there’s a key reason why low speeds are actually a benefit in this scenario. Thanks to the speed and air volume levels of dense phase pneumatic conveyors, materials that are susceptible to breakage can travel through the system without receiving damage. Examples of material you should use within this type of pneumatic conveyor include sugar, sand, and plastic pellets.
Semi-Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveyors
This type of conveying system utilizes a medium velocity airflow to transport materials. To put it simply, it’s essentially the middle ground between dense and dilute pneumatic conveyors. They move faster than the former but are still usable with some abrasive, friable materials like cement. Semi-dense phase pneumatic conveyors are the go-to choice when the two aforementioned systems don’t quite get the job done.
As you can see, choosing the right option among these three types of pneumatic conveying systems should be fairly simple. It all comes down to matching the right air velocity with the right material. Reach out to DoverMEI today if you’re in need of a pneumatic conveying system for material handling processes.