Pipe blockage may occur during powder transportation. Although powder transportation is a reliable way for factories to transport powders and bulk solids, pipe blockage may cause the pipeline to immediately stop running and shut down for a long time. Some accidents during the transportation process may cause pipe blockage, so the staff must strictly follow the operating procedures and take preventive measures to prevent it from happening. Today we learned about the phenomenon of sudden pipe blockage.

     Inpneumatic conveyingIf the power to transport air is insufficient to keep the powder in motion, there is a high possibility of sudden pipe blockage, followed by solid particle settling, reducing the part of the conveying pipeline and guiding the occurrence of complete pipe blockage. The air transported cannot circulate inside the pipe, and all solids transported before and after the plug will stop, which will further increase the severity of pipe blockage.

There may be several possible reasons for pipe blockage, including the following:

     If the wind speed at each point of the conveying pipeline is not high, it cannot exceed the minimum velocity of the solid particles being conveyed. The air compressor cannot generate high enough pressure to overcome the pressure drop caused by solids. This means that excessively high solid flow rates can lead to excessively high solid load ratios, resulting in the inability of blowers or compressors to achieve the required pressure drop. The pipeline layout has caused some flow instability inside the pipeline, and there are some air leaks in the pipeline, which reduces the actual wind speed at a certain point inside the pipeline to below the minimum conveying speed.

How to avoid blockage of powder conveying pipelines

      In order to avoid the settling problem of solid particles in the pipeline and to achieve a certain minimum air conveying speed when passing through the air, which depends on the properties and characteristics of the transported powder, the design of the powder conveying system must reach a minimum air conveying speed or above in every area of the pipeline, especially at the beginning of the pipeline where the powder is injected and the diameter of the pipeline changes every time.

1. Pressure drop and specifications of gas source

     The circuit design must include the calculation of pressure drop in order to design the material conveying capacity. Then, it is necessary to choose an air engine that can provide the required pressure at the required airflow to keep the particles moving at the correct speed.

2. Pipeline layout

     In order to prevent pipeline blockage, the layout must be as simple as possible. Especially, bending must be a special consideration as the flow of solids is disturbed and the change in direction slows down. Generally speaking, a straight section of several meters in length must be considered before the material enters the pipeline and before the first bend. Avoid continuous turns, and a straight section of several meters should be set between two turns.

3. Operation

    The control of process and technological parameters should avoid significant changes in material inlet speed or blower speed.

4. Pipeline leakage

     The pipeline should be checked for leaks, as leaks can change the wind speed, which can cause the wind speed to be lower than the minimum conveying wind speed, leading to pipeline blockage.

5. Maintenance of filters

     The filter at the receiving point of the conveying pipeline must be clean and always provide limited pressure drop. If the pipeline is blocked, the additional pressure drop may be too high, and the pipeline may become blocked.

6. Automation

     The automation system must be able to foresee pipeline blockages. The simplest method is to define a high level of pressure - or vacuum - and stop feeding the product if it is crossed. By reducing the number of products on the production line, the air damper can be removed.

     The pneumatic conveying system is a very complex system designed to transport materials and site characteristics. Without professional personnel to design it, the probability of pipe blockage and inadequate conveying capacity will greatly increase. This not only affects production but also poses safety hazards. If you need pneumatic conveying equipment, please feel free to contact us,Shandong Juheng Environmental Protection Equipment Co., LtdWe provide you with one-stop service from a single device to a system.