Product Information

Conveying

Gentle Emptying of Bulk Silo Trucks

The preservation of powder characteristics such as bulk density and particle size is important in many processes and requires the use of low speed dense phase pneumatic conveying systems. The purpose of such system is clear: High value added base powders or granules should not be destroyed during transport, as the breakdown of the particle size can reduce the performance of the plant and can also generate an explosion risk or change process parameters. Gentle conveying is a typical requirement in the food industry and the detergent manufacturing industry.

Whereas pneumatic conveying systems within process plants can be easily designed for gentle conveying often less attention is given to unloading bulk tankers where due to the higher rates of discharge significant degradation of the product can occur.

Gericke has developed a mobile conveying unit, which can be coupled between tanker, and silo, which allows the truck to be discharged with minimal attrition of the powder or granules preserving the quality of the raw material.

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Case Study: Typical Recently Delivered Unloading System

The system is used in the detergent industry for the discharging of Natriumperborat Tetrahydrat, delivered by a 30 m3 bulk road tanker. The product has to be conveyed through a 21 m long pipeline (incl. 12m vertical lift) into a silo at a rate 10 m3/h. From there the product is transported further to the receiving hopper over a distance of 80 m.

The system has to run reliably in all weather conditions, and the economic use of conveying air was an important factor for the positive energy balance of the factory. Of paramount importance in this application is the gentle conveying process in order to preserve the integrity of the product.

The Gericke solution consists of a mobile unit that combines the pneumatic air manifold and the controller STP 51 to operate the conveying system. When the vehicle arrives, the mobile unit is moved to the lorry and connected with the product outlet of the tanker and the silo pipeline. Pressurized air is applied to the manifold.

The difference with other systems lies in the utilisation of Gericke’s advanced mobile PTA Pulseline® conveying technology, which allows a controlled discharge within specified limits of gas consumption and a low conveying velocity in the region of 5 m/s to 8 m/s.

As a result, the new discharge unit has reduced the amount of fine particles of Natriumperborat Tetrahydrat by more than 15%, compared with the old system. An investment that has paid back within a very short time!

The gentle pneumatic discharge and conveying from bulk vehicles has been applied to detergent ingredients, health products (coated enzymes), chemical base powder, quartz powder, dolomite powder, marble sand, sugar, salt, and many more products..

Other Types of Bulk Truck Unloading Systems

The recent increased demand to use containers with “In-liner-bags” have moved Gericke to innovate a mobile discharge unit that links to the outlet nozzle of the In-liner and allows reliable emptying of the container.

This unit includes the pneumatic air manifold, the rotary valve to introduce the powder into the pipeline and venting of the In-liner.