Pneumatic conveying of fragile materials

There are many processing industries that use or produce fragile materials. In recent years, the demand for higher degrees of dust containment, quality control and prevention of inter-batch contamination have compelled these industries to look to pneumatic conveying for their handling needs. However, a paramount concern is that of product degradation and/or generation of dust which can cause direct and indirect material loss and adverse effects on down-stream processes. It is possible to handle most fragile materials with excellent results with today's modem dense-phase systems. This paper will examine the factors which influence industries to select a particular handling method and which pneumatic systems provide for the lowest product degradation.