Pneumatic

Pneumatic Conveying - Dilute phase - Dense phase Design - PowderProce... https://www.powderprocess.net/Pneumatic_transport.
html
Welcome to
Pneumatic transport
introduction
For full information on pneumatic conveying, you can look
further in our pneumatic conveying handbook
Do you have a question, a remark ? Please contact the author at

powder.process@protonmail.com
Section summary
1. Types of pneumatic transport

Dilute Phase / Dense Phase
2. Process
3. Design - Shortcut calculation

method
4. Troubleshooting
What it is about
Along a production process, powders need to be transported.
Pneumatic transport is often an e£cient way to move powders
compared to other mechanical means (use of bags or
containers, use of belts...
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Pneumatic Conveying - Dilute phase - Dense phase Design - PowderProce... https://www.powderprocess.net/Pneumatic_transport.html
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Engineering Ressouces properties and flow access
short study. This study must consider the process needs but
also the in¢uence of the pneumatic transport on the products.
1. Types of pneumatic transport

In each case, pneumatic transport will involve a gas as a powder
mover. This gas is blown on one side of the process and the
mixture gas + powder ¢ows in conveying pipes until the its ¡nal
destination. In most of the cases, the gas used is air. There are
however different ways to blow the air, introduce the powder in
the conveying pipe. As a consequence different transport
technologies have been developped over time.
Lean / Dilute phase

A very common way to transport powder is to transport it in a
dilute phase. The powder is diluted by the air which means that
the ratio (kg product/kg air is low. The product is transported in
the form of a cloud in the conveying pipes.
PRESSURE lean phase
The air in the conveying pipe can be introduced thanks to a

Blower, with an overpressure at the beginning of the conveying
pipe. We will then talk about PRESSURE lean phase
VACUUM lean phase
Instead of placing the Blower at the beginning of the conveying

pipe, it can be placed at the end. In this case, the Blower is
creating a VACUUM that will suck air in the conveying pipe. This
air will drag the powder and transport it to the ¡nal receiver.
Dense phase
The other option, to transport powder, is to transport at a much
higher concentration the product. A transport is called dense
phase when the ratio (kg product/kg air is high. Again, such
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In pressure dense phase, air must be compressed at higher

pressure than in lean phase. It can be done by installing a
speci¡c compressor, or simply by using air from the compressed
air network of the factory. Pressures reached will range from
around 1 bar g to several bag g. To introduce the powder in the
transport pipe, some tanks, designed to withstand pressure, are
often used. They are called pressure tank or pressure sender
hoppers.
VACUUM dense phase
Vacuum dense phase will present a quite similar setup than the
lean phase one. However, in order to accomodate higher solids
loads, leading to higher pressure drop, a vacuum pump will be
used instead of a simple roots Blower. Very high vacuum will
then be generated.
Summary table
Table 1 : Pros and Cons of the different conveying
technologies
Phase Driving Solids Pressure Achievable Pros Cons

force load distance
Dilute Pressure 5-15 Max 800 150-200 m Simple Requires

mbarg or mor Instictive star valve at
and easily product
understood pick-up
by operators Air may be
hot after
compression
Dilute Vacuum 5-15 Max -500 100 m Simple Limited in

mbarg Product distance
pick-up is compared to
simpli¡ed conveying in
(no need of pressure
star valve) The
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environment more
temperature delicate to
production
operators
Dense Pressure 25-30 From 1 Can be High Compressed

bar g to 150+ m, distance can air
several but other be reached consumption
bag g factors High product Use of
may limit ¢ow can be pressure
the reached tank
distance Di£cult
access to
the inside of
the pressure
tank
Dense Vacuum 25-30 Up to ~100 m No Limited in

-900 consumption distance and
mbar of elevation
compressed
air
Simple
product
pick-up, easy
access to
sender
hopper
Dense phase - Some variations

When conveying in dense phase, suppliers may use different
technologies inducing a different behaviour of the powder in the
conveying pipe. In the simplest con¡guration, plugs of different
length will naturally be created. This may cause some issues
regarding the pressure drop. To decrease this phenomena, there
are possibilities to force the creation of shorter plugs. It is done
by pulsing a valve admitting air at the beginning of the
conveying pipe or at intermediary sections. One drawback is that
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Flow regimes
Be careful, not all the solids can be transported with any
technology. Actually, the adequacy of a particular technology will
depend on the ¢uidization properties of the solid to be
transported. Before designing a system, the class of the solid
must be established. Such class is determined thanks to a
classi¡cation proposed by Geldart in 1973.
Class A : powders adapted to dense phase conveying, they have

a very high and lasting aeration. They can be transported at high
concentration but do not form naturally some plugs, an active
system is therefore require to create them.
Class B : powders adapted to dense phase conveying, will

naturally ¢ow in plugs (dune)
Class C : these cohesive powders are probably not transportable

in dense phase, however some exceptions exist
Class D : these powders can be transported in dense phase at

concentration in between class B and class A
Figure 1 : Geldart classi¡

classi ¡ cation
It is important to understand how the concepts of lean phase

and dense phase translate on the way the product is ¢owing in
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Table 2 : Conveying phases
Gas Flow regime Conveying pipe Aspect Comments

speed
High Dilute Phase Basically, any

speed solid can be
(15-40 transported
m/s) in dilute
phase,
however the
constraints
applied to the
solid make it
suitable only
for product
which are not
sensitive to
breakage and
which are not
too hard and
abrasive for
the piping.
Particles are
in
suspension
in the gas
and are not
depositing on
the transport
pipes.
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(8-15 ¢ow) decreases,
m/s) the pressure
drop
decreases to
a minimum
and some
particles
form a
continuous
layer in
horizontal
pipe
sections.
Deposits are
not
permanent
and
conveying is
actually
happening.
The
concentration
is not
constant over
a pipe
section since
more
particles are
at the bottom
of the pipe.
Low Dense phase When

speed discontinuous decreasing
(3-8 - Dune further the
m/s) gas velocity,
the pressure
drop
increases
again and a
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are formed is
appearing.
The dune ¢ow
actually
happens for
¡ne products.
The pressure
drop will
depend on the
length of the
plugs formed,
thus the
incentive to
actively
control them
thanks to the
process. One
common
method for
this kind of
¢ow regime is
to install
regular air
injection in
the pipe that
will help to
"cut" the
plugs.
Low Dense phase This ¢ow

speed discontinuous regime is
(3-8 - Pulsating close to the
m/s) dune ¢ow
presented
above but is
this time
more
happening
with coarse
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¢ow, it is
clearly
observed that
it starts /
stops, thus
"pulsating".
Plugs are
created
naturally
thanks to the
higher
porosity of
the solid
compared to
other more
cohesive
powders.
Very Dense phase Decreasing

low continuous further the
speed gas velocity,
(3-8 and for solids
m/s) that are able
to be
conveyed
under this
regime, a
continuous
dense phase
¢ow is
established.
Basically
there is only
one big plug.
However, this
creates very
large
pressure
drops, which
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to very short
distances.
It must be noted that the particles circulate at a lower speed

than the gas. Depending on the ¢ow regime, the particle average
speed can be 0.4 to 0.8 times the gas velocity.
2. Constitution of each types of

pneumatic transport
PRESSURE - Lean Phase
The air mover in pressure lean phase is most of the cases a
Blower or compressor. The most common type is to use a Roots
Blower which combines good reliability, high air ¢ow and can
reach enough pressure for most of the industrial needs. This
Blower will allow to reach max 1 bar g.
Another possibility is to use compressed air for some speci¡c

cases using a venturi to pick-up the powder. This solution is not
very economical, therefore it should be kept for very speci¡c
cases and low throughput.
In order to introduce the powder to the conveying pipe, an Airlock

rotary Valve should be used. This equipment will allow a rough
dosing of the powder to the pipe, which is necessary to avoid
blockages but will have as main function to isolate the area of
high pressure (the pipe to the area of low pressure (the hopper
introducing the powder. This avoids to have the air going in the
product and preventing its ¢ow.
The receiver is most of the time equipped with an Airlock rotary

Valve also in order to allow a separation of the air and the
product. In some cases, it is possible to avoid such star valve if
the receiver is big enough and the situation is safe (discharge
directly to a silo.
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Figure 2 : Pressure lean phase typical process arrangement
VACUUM - Lean Phase

In vacuum lean phase, the air mover is basically the same than
in pressure lean phase, except that it is positionned at the end of
the line thus sucking the air and creating a vacuum. The vacuum
created is around -500 mbar g at compressor suction.
At product pick up, there is the need of having an air inlet to

allow the air sucked to ¢ow in the pipe. On the product side, no
Airlock rotary Valve is necessary here since the air will go in the
direction of the product and will therefore not prevent it to ¢ow. A
system to control the product intake is however necessary
(screw, simple valve) in order to avoid that a surge in product
¢ow block the pipe.
At reception, the best practice is to position a cyclone with an

Airlock rotary Valve. The design must take into account that the
air ¢ow from the downstream equipment will this time ¢ow
against the product. A proper degassing must be considered.
Typical instrumentation should include the following : pressure

sensor at compressor suction, differential pressure drop through
¡lter, level sensor at reception
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Figure 3 : Vacuum lean phase typical process arrangement
PRESSURE - Dense Phase

Pressure dense phase will require a speci¡cally designed sender
hopper in order to withstand pressures from 1 to 3-4 barg in
most cases. Such a tank is called a pressure tank. It features a
compressed air inlet at the top and another one after its
discharge valve. It should also be equipped with a pressure
safety valve in order to avoid any uncontrolled pressure increase.
A degassing system with a ¡lter must also be installed.
The receiver must be equipped with a ¡lter and may also be

equipped with a star valve if necessary. If the receiver is big
emough and designed to work at atmospheric pressure, such
equipment may not even be necessary.
As part of the instrumentation, pressure sensors in the tank, at

the beginning of the pipe and at reception will be key since the
whole system will be driven depending on the pressures. Level
sensors in the sender hopper in order to detect the end of ¡lling
and the end of discharge are necessary while a level sensor at
the receiver should be installed to avoid over¡lling. Compressed
air ¢owmeters are optional but constitute a good
troubleshooting tool.
12 of 19 2/7/2019 4:25 PM

Figure 4 : Pressure dense phase typical process

arrangement
VACUUM - Dense Phase

A vacuum dense phase system is quite similar to a lean phase
setup except that a vacuum pump allowing to reach pressure
<-900 mbarg should be installed.
The inlet of material is usually done through a sender hopper. No

speci¡c construction for the sender hopper is needed, which can
be an advantage compared to pressure dense phase since the
access is easier.
The receiver, on the contrary, must be designed for full vacuum,

which means it must be reinforced and will account for some
cost increase. It should be equipped with a star valve or with a
butterly valve if the transport is in batch
A pressure sensor at the receiver and at the pump suction is

necessary. The pump should be on frequency drive.
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Figure 5 : Vacuum dense phase typical process

arrangement
3. Design - shortcut method for

Lean Phase
The details of the method and examples are give in our
pneumatic conveying handbook
STEP 1 - Collect the study entry data
The product to be conveyed needs to be known, especially :

- Mean particle size (microns)
- Bulk density (kg/m3)
- Particle density (kg/m3)
The pipeline geometry needs to be known :

- Length (m)
- Elevation (m)
- Number of bends and angle
The target ¢owrate to achieve needs to be determined in

advance (kg/h).
Some assumptions or design decisions needs to be done :

- Type of air mover / Pressure drop available
- Pressure at product pickup / receiver - Conveying capacity
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Estimate the pipe diameter from experience. This is a starting

point for the design procedure and the value will be checked and
change later in the design if necessary.
STEP 3 - Assume a pressure drop for the line
Estimate from experience the pressure drop that should happen

in the line. The value will be controlled and revised later in the
procedure. Now, for a speci¡c technology, this value should not
change too much. For example, the pressure drop with a roots
Blower should somehow be in the 0.3-0.7 bar.
STEP 4 - Calculate inlet air velocity
A common rule is to consider C1(velocity at pick-up)=1.2*Cmin

(minimum air velocity). Cmin is either known, if the material is
common or usual for the company running the product. If
unknown, it is necessary to calculate it by checking the terminal
velocity of a free falling particle, the min air speed must be
greater than this value.
STEP 5 - Calculate the air mass ¢ owrate
From the assumptions taken above, the air mass ¢owrate can be
calculated thanks to the following formula :
STEP 6 - Calculate the solids loading ratio
The ratio is calculated from the target solids conveying rate and
the air mass ¢owrate calculate above
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With mp the product ¢owrate in t/h, ma the air conveying ¢owrate
in kg/s
STEP 7 - Check conveying line inlet air velocity
This step only applies for materials being transferred in dense

phase. For such material calculate C1=36Φ-0.3-7 m/s
If this approximate value is different to the one assessed in step

4, return to step 4 and replace the value
STEP 8 - Check conveying line pressure drop
Use a model to calculate the line pressure drop with all the data
compiled at the previous steps. If the pressure drop calculated is
different than the one evaluated in step 3, it is necessary to
return to step 3 and replace the value.
Models
Such models are available for lean phase conveying. In case the
system is being designed for dense phase, it is necessary to
have empirical values from a test.
Shortcut calculation method for dilute phase pneumatic

conveying
Air only pressure drop method
Universal conveying characteristics method
Details on such methods can be found in the litterature.
STEP 9 - (Only if the pressure drop calculated at STEP 8

was very far from the original guess) Re-specify material
¢ owrate
If the calculated pressure drop is very far from the value

assumed in STEP3, it may be necessary to correct also the
product ¢owrate
STEP 10 - (Only if the 2 previous steps did not give

satisfaction) Re-select pipeline bore
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STEP 11 - Calculate the power required
For the purpose of this shortcut methode, the power can be

calculated with the following estimation :
STEP 12 - System re-assessment
This step is added in order to allow the Engineer to have a

critical eye on the data calculated so far and confront them to
his experience. If necessary, some values should be modi¡ed
and the procedure re-run.
SPECIFY the system
From the calculation done, specify the pipeline bore chosen as

well as the air requirements.
4. Troubleshooting
The following phenomena can be observed when running a
pneumatic transport line. For each issue, a common cause and
action is given.
Table 3 : Conveying line operation troubleshooting
Observation Possible root Possible action

cause
High Too much Review the settings of

pressure product in the the equipment feeding
during line the material
conveying For dense phase, adjust
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of discharge aids if any
For vacuum dense
phase, adjust air
injection / plug forming
valve
Not enough Line is under- Review piping diameter

throughput designed and the Blower sizing.
Note : changing only the
Blower may not be
enough to increase the
throughput
Note : pressure drop is
particularly high at
bends, having a more
direct piping layout will
lead to less pressure
drop and potentially
more product
throughput.
Not enough Note enough Check the dosing

throughput product equipment status.
admitted Especially for star valve,
make sure that the
venting is correct and
that product can
actuallz ¡ll the pockets
of the valve
Not enough Piping leaks Especially valid for

throughput / vacuum system. Make
pipe sure, by performing a
blockage vacuum test, that the
piping is tight.
Product Too much / too Review piping diameter

build-up at sharp bends and the Blower sizing.
bends Note : changing only the
Blower may not be
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Product Too high air Review if air velocity can
build-up at velocity be decreased, be careful
bends not to have too low
speed at product
pick-up, if the minimum
pick-up velocity is not
reached, a blockage at
the start of the line
could happend.
Product Condensation Review Review the air

build-up in or product conditionning of the
the piping moisture conveying air, make sure
pick-up no humid air stream
crosses a cold air
stream or cold pipe
section
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Pneumatic Conveying - Dilute phase - Dense phase Design - PowderProce... https://www.powderprocess.net/Pneumatic_transport.

Do you have a question, a remark ? Please contact the author at

1. Types of pneumatic transport

3. Design - Shortcut calculation

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

1. Types of pneumatic transport

Lean / Dilute phase

PRESSURE lean phase

The air in the conveying pipe can be introduced thanks to a

VACUUM lean phase

Instead of placing the Blower at the beginning of the conveying

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

In pressure dense phase, air must be compressed at higher

VACUUM dense phase

Phase Driving Solids Pressure Achievable Pros Cons

Dilute Pressure 5-15 Max 800 150-200 m Simple Requires

Dilute Vacuum 5-15 Max -500 100 m Simple Limited in

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Dense Pressure 25-30 From 1 Can be High Compressed

Dense Vacuum 25-30 Up to ~100 m No Limited in

Dense phase - Some variations

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Class A : powders adapted to dense phase conveying, they have

Class B : powders adapted to dense phase conveying, will

Class C : these cohesive powders are probably not transportable

Class D : these powders can be transported in dense phase at

Figure 1 : Geldart classi¡

It is important to understand how the concepts of lean phase

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Gas Flow regime Conveying pipe Aspect Comments

High Dilute Phase Basically, any

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Low Dense phase When

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Low Dense phase This ¢ow

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Very Dense phase Decreasing

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

It must be noted that the particles circulate at a lower speed

2. Constitution of each types of

Another possibility is to use compressed air for some speci¡c

In order to introduce the powder to the conveying pipe, an Airlock

The receiver is most of the time equipped with an Airlock rotary

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Figure 2 : Pressure lean phase typical process arrangement

VACUUM - Lean Phase

At product pick up, there is the need of having an air inlet to

At reception, the best practice is to position a cyclone with an

Typical instrumentation should include the following : pressure

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Figure 3 : Vacuum lean phase typical process arrangement

PRESSURE - Dense Phase

The receiver must be equipped with a ¡lter and may also be

As part of the instrumentation, pressure sensors in the tank, at

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Figure 4 : Pressure dense phase typical process

VACUUM - Dense Phase

The inlet of material is usually done through a sender hopper. No

The receiver, on the contrary, must be designed for full vacuum,

A pressure sensor at the receiver and at the pump suction is

PowderProcess.net Solids Menu

Figure 5 : Vacuum dense phase typical process

3. Design - shortcut method for