Mills D., Jones M.G., Agarwal V.K. Handbook of Pneumatic Conveying Engineering

Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2004. — 701 p.Many industries have processes that involve the transport of a wide variety of materials conveyed in powdered and granular form. Bulk materials are conveyed in the food, chemical, mining, agriculture, pharmaceutical, metals, paint and rubber industries, among others. A number of chapters are therefore devoted specifically to different industries and typical conveying data for various materials conveyed. Those materials include coal and fly ash, polyethylene and soda ash, flour and sugar, iron powder, cement, alumina, and drilling mud powders.
The issue of bends in pipelines has been addressed with extensive information on pressure and velocity profiles, equivalent length, location and geometry, and the influence of bends on material degradation and their vulnerability to erosive wear. Similar consideration is given to flows in vertical pipelines, both up and down, and the use of flexible hose. System capabilities in terms of maximum operating pressure, conveying distance, and material flow rates are also discussed.
Engineers who commission, operate, and maintain pneumatic conveying systems will find this book to be a valuable resource. Pipeline blockages and systems not capable of achieving the desired material flow rate are common. Step-by-step procedures are presented to identify problems and which operating parameters need to be adjusted to optimize system performance. The conveying of friable and abrasive materials is particularly problematic in pneumatic conveying systems, but there are numerous ways these problems can be minimized.
Pneumatic conveying is a subject that tends to be neglected in educational provision. Engineers required to design, operate, and maintain these complex systems may have received little more than an hour or two of lectures on the subject during a three- or four-year engineering degree course. Nevertheless, they are expected to take on the responsibility for these systems when working in industry. There is clearly a need for a book on this subject and it is hoped that this text will help to fill the curriculum gap in this very important branch of engineering.