A critical need exists for the improvement of theefficiency of solids handling systems. One of the common methodsof transportation in solids transport is by use of pneumaticsystems. Some of their primary advantages include being dustfree, being subject to multiple uses of the same system, havinglow manpower costs, and ease of automation. The disadvantages arehigh power consumption, particle degradation and damage, and wearand abrasion of equipment. This project plans to alleviate thesedraw backs by developing an innovative and inexpensive industrialdevice which can control the amount of material flow in pneumatictransport by purging known amounts of gas from the system. Thiswould lead to minimizing the energy requirements and particledegradation that are associated with pneumatic systems. The PhaseI project will design, fabricate, and test the feasibility of thedevice in a horizontal and vertical pneumatic conveying system.The device can be incorporated into existing systems or bedesigned to form an integral part of new systems. In addition toits versatility, the device is easy to maintain. It will prove tobe a cost effective method for enhancement and control of theflow of pneumatic systems.Anticipated Results /Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: The device developed in Phase I willincrease the efficiency of pneumatic transport systems byreducing the power consumption and particle degradation. Thedevice has the advantage of being inexpensive, easy to maintainsince there are no moving parts, and suitable for fitting to anyexisting pneumatic system with minimum modifications. Consideringthe immense size of the particulate industry ($1 trillion), evena sma]] improvement in the efficiency of pneumatic systems, suchas 95 minimizing the power consumption will greatly impact theindustry as a whole.
