Dilute-phase conveying: Saving air means saving money
Are you using more air -- or a higher pickup velocity -- in your dilute-phase conveyor than you really need? If so, your conveyor could be consuming a lot of extra power and raising your operating costs. This article describes pickup velocity and the problems that result from using an unnecessarily high pickup velocity, then explains how reducing this high velocity can save energy costs.
Pneumatic conveying is a cost-effective way to handle powders and granules and is suited to a variety of processes. The most common method of pneumatic conveying is dilute-phase, or lean-phase. In this method, a low concentration of particles is suspended in air and conveyed through a pipeline [Fig. I].