Conveyors, Transfers, Chutes

Taking the guessing out of pneumatic conveying design

Hatch has launched a software called PneuCalc 7.0.0 that enables engineers to design and troubleshoot both pressure and vacuum systems in the most efficient way.

Hatch has launched a software called PneuCalc 7.0.0 that enables engineers to design and troubleshoot both pressure and vacuum systems in the most efficient way.

Industrial operations that rely on bulk materials handling equipment face ever increasing demands to improve reliability, performance, productivity and safety, often with shrinking maintenance budgets.

Customers and regulators are also becoming more ecologically minded, which means reducing power consumption and dust emissions have become even more important.

Colin Barbeau, Eastern North America Bulk Materials Handling lead at engineering firm Hatch, says these new targets require precise tools and efficient designs to meet tighter schedules. However, when it comes to designing pneumatic conveying systems, there are still a number of pitfalls.

“Pneumatic conveying doesn’t have a set of industry approved standards like screw or belt conveyors,” he says. “In addition, most engineers don’t have access to databases of previous findings. There’s no clear set of guidelines to help optimise the process.

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“The material properties of the product being conveyed also need to be fully considered as part of the design process, as even small differences in these properties can have a drastic effect on the material flow and system productivity.

“In the worst-case scenario, your line will plug, stopping any material from being handled at all.”

To address these challenges, Hatch has developed PneuCalc 7.0.0 software, specifically built to help engineers design and optimise pneumatic conveying systems. Based on an existing software, PneuCalc is backed by more than 20 years of successful calculations and installations.

It can be used to design and troubleshoot pressure and vacuum systems and comes with features that facilitate optimal design choices such as calculating and displaying dilute, dense, and mixed modes of conveying, material saltation velocity calculator tools, automatic Geldart display material group classification, and detailed pipe segment display.

One of the key challenges it aims to address is allowing the user to incorporate material properties in the design workflow. Barbeau says the way different materials interact with airflow changes a conveyors design significantly.

“Fine powders have a tendency to compact, while larger particle sizes will allow air to move through it easier. This has a drastic effect on the behaviour of the pipeline and the pressure required to get things moving.”

Users can determine how different feed points, changes in direction, vertical pipes, system pressures and pipe geometry will affect the efficiency of conveying certain materials in the system. This allows them to build precise equipment that fits the application, which has the potential to save time and money.

For example, a site could potentially reduce its energy consumption by determining the exact amount of horsepower it would need to convey the material. Without this, often bulk material handling sites will use more than necessary and require more energy to operate.

Barbeau says the system provides a workflow with technological guidance to make the process of designing a system faster and easier.

“With PneuCalc, systems are designed following a clear workflow, reducing the chances of making mistakes and alerting the user to red flags when a design goes out of bounds,” he says.

“We wanted everything to be included in the software itself, so there are no side calculations required. Different tabs in the software guides the user through all the necessary steps to building the conveyor, offering comprehensive information at every step.”

If a plant needs new equipment, PneuCalc can also be used to find out where the current equipment is optimal and where it needs improvement. For example, if a site is experiencing a high wear rate, engineers can collect that data and simulate it to understand what the best possible solution would be. Each material can be set to use site measured data, allowing for accurate design verification.

Barbeau says this allows operators to investigate the best ways to optimise a system for their specific circumstances.

“They can learn how to best increase system capacity but could also find new ways to improve the entire operation. Engineers can use PneuCalc to see if the pneumatic conveyor could handle a different type of material, or how the system would fare if another remote discharge point was added,” he says.

Hatch has beta tested PneuCalc 7.0.0 with clients that had used previous versions of the software, along with new customers. Barbeau says they have received extremely positive feedback across the board.

“One of the big features is the fact that everything can be exported into an Excel spreadsheet, which opens up what you can do with your generated data,” he says.

“The calculations included have also been benchmarked against actual applications by users too.”

Hatch offers basic and advanced training in the software to help organisations get started with the software. It also offers third party verification support and assistance.

Barbeau believes the technology will be appeal to many of Australia’s industry sectors, from mining, to food, to pharmaceuticals, to plastics.

“Pneumatic conveying is a key part of bulk materials handling, used in countless applications around the globe. Engineers, plant users, equipment suppliers and more will be able to benefit from increased productivity and reduced maintenance as a result.”

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