Pneumatic Conveying of Powdered Raw Materials

High Capacity. Gentle Conveying. Reliable Process Supply

Powder detergent production requires reliable material transfer between central storage, weighing systems, spray-tower preparation and post-dosing sections. High-consumption ingredients such as soda ash, sodium sulfate and zeolite demand high-capacity conveying, while finished base powder and sensitive additives may require lower conveying velocities to limit attrition and segregation. VOLDE develops pneumatic conveying systems around these different process requirements. Dense-phase, pressure and vacuum conveying technologies are selected according to material characteristics, required capacity, conveying distance, pipeline geometry and the destination within the production process

| Dense-Phase Conveying for Bulk Detergent Powders

Bulk detergent ingredients can require substantial conveying capacities between central storage silos and production day bins. Materials such as soda ash, sodium sulfate and zeolite may also create significant wear when conveyed at unnecessarily high velocities.

VOLDE DENSPLUS dense-phase conveying systems transfer powders at lower conveying velocities and higher material concentrations than conventional dilute-phase systems. Conveying parameters are selected according to bulk density, particle characteristics, abrasiveness, line length and required throughput.

AIRPLUS air-assist modules can be positioned along the conveying line where required to support stable material movement through long pipelines, bends and difficult sections without increasing conveying velocity across the complete system.

• High-capacity transfer from central storage silos
• Long-distance pneumatic conveying
• Lower conveying velocities for abrasive powders
• Reduced wear at bends and pipeline components
• Automatic pressure and conveying-cycle control
• Multi-destination material routing

VOLDE has implemented detergent raw-material conveying applications reaching approximately 40 t/h over distances around 100 metres. Final capacity and line configuration are determined according to the actual material and plant layout.

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| Gentle Transfer for Post-Dosing & Final Blending

Post-dosing requires a different conveying approach. At this stage, finished base powder, bleaching components and other sensitive ingredients may need to be transferred while maintaining their particle structure and blend uniformity.

Excessive conveying velocity can increase particle attrition, fines generation and segregation between components with different particle sizes or densities. Conveying technology is therefore selected not only according to required capacity, but also according to the sensitivity of the material.

VOLDE can apply low-velocity dense-phase or suitable vacuum conveying solutions between intermediate storage, post-dosing equipment, final blending and downstream receiving points.

Particular attention is given to conveying velocity, air-to-material ratio, pipeline routing, bend geometry and receiving-bin conditions to achieve stable material transfer with minimum unnecessary mechanical impact.

| Day-Bin Feeding for Spray Tower & Post-Dosing

The pneumatic conveying system must deliver the correct raw material to the correct day bin according to actual production demand. VOLDE integrates central storage silos, conveying lines and receiving bins into a coordinated material distribution system serving spray-tower, weighing and post-dosing sections.

Day-bin level or weight signals can automatically generate refill demand. Conveying valves and line-selection equipment then direct the selected material to the required destination, allowing several raw materials and production points to be supplied from the same central storage infrastructure.

Typical receiving points include

• Spray-tower raw material day bins
• Slurry preparation and weighing sections
• Post-Dosing & Final Blending bins
• Intermediate process silos
• Multiple production-line destinations

Silo vent filters, load cells or level instruments, pressure protection and suitable discharge equipment can be integrated at the receiving points to maintain reliable material flow from central storage through to the next stage of detergent production.