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DEDUSTING AND DEDUSTING SYSTEMS FOR PNEUMATIC CONVEYING SYSTEMS IN AUSTRALIA

 

Thursday, October 31, 2019


Fine impurities can significantly reduce the quality of products made from materials such as pellets, granules and other types of bulk solids. They also reduce the efficiency of the handling and processing systems used for these bulk solids and increase wear and tear on equipment. Dedusting systems play a vital role in cleaning these bulk solid materials from these fine impurities and provide several major production benefits, including:

  • Decrease rejection rate
  • Increase market and production value
  • Improve efficiency of the handling systems
  • Reduce maintenance and downtime of handling systems
  • Improve the quality of final product

Read on to get an overview of dedusting and dedusting systems, what materials they are applied to and in what industries they are used. Then learn how dedusting systems are used to improve the performance of pneumatic conveying systems that handle pellets and granular materials.


Dedusting and dedusting systems for pneumatic conveying systems in Australia

Dedusting and dedusting systems for pneumatic conveying systems in Australia


What is dedusting?

Dedusting is the industrial cleaning of bulk solids using some form of pneumatic (compressed air) process. Dedusting removes fine impurities, like dust and contaminants, from bulk solid materials such as:

  • Bulk pellets and granules
  • Regrind and waste materials
  • Sawn or cut solids
  • Continuous sheet materials

Types of fine impurities

The most common type of fine impurity is dust. Dust can be generated from pneumatic conveying during processing. The dust becomes attached to pellets or granules and comes in the form of fines, angel hair, streamers and snake skins. Dust can also come from the sawing or cutting of solids such as timber beams, as well as belt conveying of continuous sheets of paper (webs).


Another type of fine impurity is a contaminant that comes mixed with bulk granular materials prior to processing. They include powders, fibres, paper, particles, and other undesired materials smaller in size than the bulk granular material. This is typical when recycling waste and extending the process to separate materials within the waste.


Dust removal or dust extraction is not dedusting

Dust removal and dust extraction is associated with small vacuum equipment that separates dust particles from low volumes of exhaust air at high pressure. This equipment is typically used with power tools in small workshops and factories.


Dust collection or industrial vacuuming is not dedusting

Dust collection and industrial vacuum systems separate dust particles from high volumes of exhaust air at low pressure. They are large vacuum systems that are typically used in medium and large factories and processing plants.


What industries use dedusting systems?

Dedusting systems are often connected in line with material handling and processing systems, such as conveying, granulator and cutting systems. They are used by several major industries, including:

  • Plastics – separating paper, cleaning plastic pellets and regrind
  • Waste and recycling – separating of materials, filter cleaning
  • Pharmaceuticals – cleaning tablets and pills
  • Food – cleaning rice, corn, peanuts and coffee beans
  • Paper – dust and fibre removal from paper webs
  • Timber – remove sawdust on sawn boards, clean wood pellets
  • Mining – processing iron ore and special sands

Dedusting systems in pneumatic conveying for pellets and granules

Dedusting systems are effective for improving the performance of lean and dense phase pneumatic conveying systems that handle pellets and granular materials. They can be included as part of a new material handling and processing system installation or retrofitted to existing production environments. Dedusting systems can be used to clean a wide range of pellets and granular materials, and can clean at a rate of 20 kg to 4.5 tonnes per hour.


Dust types and causes when pneumatic conveying pellets and granules

Temperature, particle shape and many other factors lead to the creation of these fine impurities in pellet pneumatic conveying systems. Friction from the pneumatic conveying of pellets or granules is the major cause of fine impurities such as fines (dust), angel hair, streamers and snake skins.


Dilute (lean) phase pneumatic conveying systems with high air speeds and pipe elbows are likely to experience large levels of fines and streamers. Dense phase pneumatic conveying systems with high pressure can generate dust from friction between pellets or granules and the pipe walls. Read on for detailed information on how to minimise streamers and angel hair in these material handling systems.


Applications of dedusting of materials with pneumatic conveying pellets and granules

Several major types of materials are pneumatically conveyed. Each material type can have dedusting systems applied in several ways to improve the production environment. Some specific dedusting applications that apply to pellets and granules include:


Cleaning plastic pellets to maximise optical clarity

  • Before extrusion or injection molding on a machine feed throat
  • As they are fed into a dryer or temporary buffer that later feeds other processes

Cleaning regrind and pellets to maximise quality

  • While inline or offline before reprocessing
  • When unloading from rail cars or trucks before loading into storage silos
  • Before packaging into bags or bins
  • Before loading into rail cars and trucks

Cleaning plastic flakes in recycling plants to improve sorting

  • Before going through an optical sorter, so dust and contaminants will not stick to and blind the camera

Plastics are a common form of pellet or granule that requires dedust. It includes polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyurethane, PVC, polystyrene and polymide.


Need help choosing the best dedusting system for you?

For more than 30 years Pneuvay has been providing help on dedusting systems for Australian companies. We have experience in a broad range of Australian industries, designing and installing dedusting systems that keep:


  • Production output to a maximum
  • Labour costs to a minimum
  • Reduced OH&S and dust-related risks

Contact us for dedusting systems in Australia

If you have any questions in relation to dedusting systems, feel free to call us on 1300721458 or send us a message via our Pneuvay website contact page or Pneuvay Facebook page.



Components for dedusting systems used in pneumatic conveying

Components for dedusting systems used in pneumatic conveying


 
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Regenerative blowers are applied to situations where a large volume of air at high pressure is needed.
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