Conveyor Systems

          A Conveyor system is a standard piece of mechanical material handling equipment or assemblie, that moves materials or packages from one location to a different location with minimal effort over a fixed path. 

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          They typically contains frames that support rollers, wheels or belts and that they could also be motor powered or manual devices. Conveyors are particularly helpful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials like gravel or aggrregate. They are extremely popular in the material handling and packaging industries due to efficient and fast transportation of materials. 

         They also include moving belts that used in belt conveyors, bucket and vertical conveyors that raise material, vibrating conveyors that use vibrating motion to maneuver material, and overhead conveyors from which things suspend throughout transport. Different sorts include screw conveyors for moving liquid or material consisting of small grains, chute conveyors are located on sleek surfaces and gravity, and drag or tow conveyors that use cables to pull objects on. Walking beam conveyors move objects by forward sweep mechanism to planned positions for manufacturing operations.

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Types of conveyor systems

          Coming to types of conveyors, there are many alternative varieties of conveyors we are able to notice. First of all companies those who want to use conveyors should be able to notice their wants. Some of the foremost common things ought to be considered before installation are mentioned below.

Product type being handled: Unit load or Bulk load
Product dimention: Length, breadth and height
Product Variability
Surrounding environment i.e., It's location : Overhead, on-floor, or in-floor
Whether or not lots will accumulate on the conveyor
Type of path: Horizantal, Declined or Inclined manner

          The verity of conveyors is infinite, but the two major classifications used in typical plants are Pneumatic and Mechanical.

Note: The power requirement of a Pneumatic conveyor system are much greater than for a mechanical conveyor of equal capacity. 

What is meant by conveyor?

Different types of conveyors:

Mechanical Conveyors:

1. Chute conveyor

2. Wheel conveyor

3. Rollor conveyor

                 a. Gravity Roller conveyor

                 b. Live powered roller conveyor

4. Chain conveyor

5. Slat conveyor

6. Belt conveyor

                 a. Magnetic belt conveyor

                 b. Troughed belt conveyor

                 c. Slider bed

                 d. Roller bed

                 e. Horizontal belt conveyor

                 f. Inclined and declined conveyor

                 g. Brake and meter conveyor

                 h. Wire mesh belt conveyor

                 i. Portable conveyor

                 j. Metal piano hinge conveyor

7. Bucket conveyor

8. Vibrating conveyor

9. Screw conveyor

10. Tow conveyor

11. Trolley conveyor

12. Monorail conveyor

13. 

Pneumatic Conveyors:

PNEUMATIC CONVEYORS

          Pneumatic conveyors are used to transport dry, free-flowing, grannular material in suspension within a pipe or duct. This is done by the use of a high-velocity air stream or by the energy of expanding compresses air within a comparatively dense column of fluidized or aerated material.

Principal uses of pneumatic conveyors are 

(1) Dust collection,

(2) Conveying soft materials such as flake or tow, and

(3) Conveying hard materials such as fly ash, cement, and saw dust.

The primary advantages of pneumatic conveyor systems are the flexibility of piping configurations and the fact that they greatly reduce the explosion hazard. With exception of the primary driver, there are no moving parts that can fail or cause injury. However, when they are used to transport explosive materials, there is still some potencial for static charge buildup that could cause an explosion.

Configuration:

          A typical pneumatic conveyor consists of Schedule -40 pipe or ductwork, which provides the primary flow path used to transport the conveyed material. Motive power is provided by the primary drive, which can be a fn, fluidizer, or positive-displacement compressor.

Performance:

Pneumatic conveyor performance is determined by the following factors:

(1) Primary-driver output,

(2) Internal surface of the piping or ductwork, and 

(3) Condition of the transported material.

Specific factors affecting performance include motive power, fricition loss, and flow restricitons.

Motive Power:

PNEUMATIC CONVEYORS

          The motive power is provided by the primary drive, which generates the air velocity to transport material within a pneumatic conveyor system. due to this the efficiency of the system is depends on the primary drive's operating condition.

Make	koreafluidmachinary
Model	SL 125V
Speed	1330 rpm
Capasity	8m3/min
Motor	11 KW
Diff.Pressure	294 mm/Hg
No of Lobes	3 Lobes

Friction Loss:

          Friction loss within a pneumatic conveyor system is a primary source of efficiency loss. To reduce these losses the piping or duct work must be properly size is used.

Flow Restrictions:

          One of the disadvantage of this system is their potencial for blockage. To reduce this the inside surfaces must be clean and free of protrusions or other defects that can restrict or interrupt the flow of material. In some cases when the system is shutdown or the velocity drops below the minimum required to keep the transported material suspended, the product will settle in the duct, this settled material cause reduce flow and eventually result in a complete blockage of the system.

Installation:

          All piping and ductwork should be as straight and short as possible. Bends should have a radius of at least three times the diameter of the pipe or ductwork. The diameter should be selected to minimize friction losses and maintain enough velocity to prevent settling of the conveyed material. BraNch lines should be configured to match as closely as possible the primary flow direction and avoid 90-degree angles to the main line. The area of the main conveyor line at any point along its run should be 20-25% greater than the sum of all its branch lines.

          Clean-outs and drop-legs, should be installed at regular intervals throughout the system to permit foreign materials to drop out of the conveyed material. It is must to install adequate clean-out systems near flow restrictions and at the end of the conveyor system.

Operating Methods:

          Pneumatic conveyor systems must be operated properly to prevent chronic problems. The primary concern being to maintain constant flow and velocity.

          Constant velocity can be maintained only when the system is operated within its performance envelope and when regular clean-out is part of the normal operating practice. In addition, the primary driver must be in good operating condition. Any deviation in the primary driver's efficiency reduces the velocity and can result in partial or complete blockage.

          The entire pneumatic conveyor system should be completely evacuated before shutdown to prevent material from settling in the piping or ductwork. In non-continuous applications, the conveyor system should be operated until all material within the conveyor's piping is transported to its final destination. Material that is allowed to settle will compact and partially block the piping. Over time, this will cause a total blockage of the conveyor system.

PNEUMATIC CONVEYORS : Parts