Positive displacement Blower Calculations
The heart of pneumatic conveying systems
Blower calculations for pneumatic conveying systems
A surprisingly wide variety of powders and granular material can be effectively moved from one location to another within the plant. "Compared with other bulk-solid transport systems, a properly designed pneumatic conveying system affords many advantages. These include: flexible pipeline routing, multiple pick-up points (as in vacuum systems), and delivery points (as in pressure systems), little to no cross-contamination, dust free operation, and an inert atmosphere." The heart of the pneumatic conveying system (air mover, solids feeder, pipeline, and separator) is the air mover. Correctly specifying the volumetric flow rate and pressure levels required to move the material will determine system reliability. One must also look at pipe size, distance, and the weight of the material being moved.
PD Blower System Design and Capacity Control |
Basic Pneumatic Conveying System Calculations |
A Sample Calculation Sequence |
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Selecting the correct blower is the most important decision when designing a pneumatic conveying system. The rating of the blower is expressed in terms of required pressure and volumetric flow. Any miscalculation in specifying the above will result in a conveying system that is oversized, isn’t capable of achieving the material flow rate required, or experiences pipeline blockage. |
Blower manufacturers do not routinely size pneumatic conveying systems, leaving that task to specialized design companies. However, it is helpful to have some basic understanding of the procedure. |
If you can specifiy the desired total flow rate of the product and distance involved, and the material being moved, a simple procedure can be followed to preliminarily size the pneumatic conveying system components. Download our document for the full calculation... |