Pipe diverters; a success factor for pneumatic conveying
Selecting the right pipe diverter reduces the risk of shortened service lives and failures, and optimises the product flow. In this way, supposedly critical plant components become key factors for the company’s success.
Anyone who attaches importance to environmentally friendly and product-friendly conveying of bulk materials and maximum flexibility in pipe routing when planning or expanding a plant, chooses pneumatic conveying for good reasons. Pneumatic conveying is preferred where a closed system is necessary due to the presence of dusty bulk materials or where high hygiene standards must be maintained. Despite its comparatively high energy requirements, it is widely used in many industries, but especially in processing and manufacturing processes in the food, building materials and chemical industries.
If the available space is one of the major challenges, in the form of long distances, differences in height or cramped conditions, the advantages of pneumatic conveying become clearly apparent. Whether horizontally or vertically, on straight or winding paths - there are few limits to creativity when it comes to routing the pipelines, and efficient transport even over long distances is possible without any intermediate stations.
The branches, where the product flow can be diverted to different pipelines, are the neuralgic points of the system, among other things: this is where pipe diverters do their job. They ensure that the material fed in (e.g. with the help of rotary valves) is guided along the right paths to its destination. These can be receiving containers such as silos and filling stations or plant components for further processing such as mixing systems.
Pipe diverters are an indispensable aid if the number of pipelines is to be kept as low as possible or if different pipelines are to be served alternately for production-related reasons. This is the case when material is conveyed relatively continuously into receiving containers and a container change is necessary when a defined fill level is reached. But it may also be necessary to temporarily divert the product flow for maintenance and sampling.
The fact that pipe diverters can be considered a critical component in the production process is primarily due to the high loads to which they are exposed. High internal pressures, hot, abrasive or caking materials and short changeover times stress the diverter valves and justify the high demands on the manufacturer.
If problems occur at this point because the diverter valve does not switch completely or not at all, in the best case only the conveying process is interrupted. In the worst case, the receiving container is overfilled or the material even penetrates the inside of the diverter valve with sometimes serious consequences for the mechanics. To prevent this, it is imperative to interrupt the product flow for the duration of the changeover phase.
It goes without saying that plant components in critical areas should achieve particularly long service lives. However, in order not to unnecessarily drive up the costs for pipe diverters through excessive requirements, as in all cases, the material to be conveyed must be thoroughly investigated and the criteria clearly defined.
Selecting the right pipe diverter not only reduces the risk of shortened service lives and failures, but also optimises the product flow. In this way, supposedly critical plant components become key factors for the company’s success.
