Material processing plants and pneumatic conveyors
Merz ingtec-pneumacon engineers equipment for bulk solids, manufacturing material processing equipment as well as pneumatic conveyors. Equipment for ensiling, discharging, weighing, feeding, filling, grinding, drying, cooling and mixing of bulk solids as well as the handling of liquids are the essential components in the company’s range. These components are used to put together customized problem solutions, adapted to the customer applications, including any electric equipment. merz ingtec-pneumacon can draw on 40 years of know-how of the former Rotziger Pneumacon AG, which later operated under the name Ingtec Pneumacon AG.
The range of pneumatic conveyors includes all conveyor systems such as suction- or pressure-type dilute-phase conveyors in the low-pressure range or pressure vessel conveyors as plug conveyor systems. The AIRCONDOS® dense-phase plug system is used for defined slow conveying by means of a bypass. With this conveyor system, it is possible to convey especially abrasive or poorly flowing solids gently and safely without risk of segregation (Fig. 1).
Another focus of the merz ingtec-pneumacon product range are measurement and control systems. The company engineers systems for the control and automation of process flows on PLC and PC level including visualization. Weighing applications, whether with batch weighers or continuous loss-in-weight feeders, are processed direct in the PLC with the appropriate software. Naturally, this includes the entire logistics for material flow, accounting, formula management and databases, etc., also in combination with higher-level PLS systems.
Pneumatic conveyor systems
In recent years, the applications and requirements especially in the processing industries have changed considerably. Problems with regard to wear, preservation of the particle structure and apparent density, avoidance of segregation and preservation of the product properties during conveying have to be solved. With the increasing energy costs, special attention is paid to conveyors with cost-efficient operation.
merz ingtec-pneumacon can draw on over 40 years of experience in pneumatic conveying. During this time the AIRCONDOS conveyor was devised, which thanks to systematic further development meets almost all requirements. The AIRCONDOS® system is a pneumatic dense-phase conveyor for energy-saving and gentle transport of powder, granulate, poorly flowing, sticky or abrasive products (Fig. 2). The main difference compared to established dense-phase conveyor systems (shuffle conveyors) is that via a bypass line over the entire conveyor line, secondary and fluidizing air are fed into the conveyor line.
The air or gas (e.g. N2) is input by means of gas metering devices arranged at certain intervals, depending on the product conveyed, along the conveyor line. The conveying rate can be kept approximately constant by widening the pipe cross-sections. With a supercritical pressure ratio, sonic speed is generated in the gas metering equipment. This technical solution ensures that a defined volume of air is constantly flowing through each injection point. This means that material plugs forming in the pipeline are always broken down by the AIRCONDOS® system, thus ensuring trouble-free dense-phase conveying.
If the bypass conveying is equipped without the AIRCONDOS® System with supercritical gas metering, there is a danger of the conveyor line getting clogged up as the injected air would take the path of least resistance, i.e. the air would escape through the free injection points.
The advantages of this system are:
● Conveying can be reduced to low rates of around 0.5 m/s to normally 5-8 m/s.
● The pipeline does not have to be run empty. For most products, the conveyor line can be started up full. This is a big advantage after an emergency stop as the pipeline does not have to be emptied and mechanically cleaned before conveying is resumed.
● Poorly flowing products can be conveyed reliably without blockages.
● Sensitive products like marble sands, perlite or coffee beans can be conveyed slowly and gently.
● Segregation of the products conveyed is effectively prevented.
The AIRCONDOS® dense-phase conveyor is used for example for conveying
● Corundum in the abrasives industry
● Lead dusts (mill dust, Barton dust, red lead, etc.) for making batteries
● TiO2, zinc and aluminium powders for the paint and varnish industry
● Perlite for the insulation and filter industry
● Silicon in N2 atmosphere for the photovoltaic industry
● Sands and cements for the construction materials industry
● Metal powder blends e.g. for the automotive industry
● Roasted coffee beans in the production of coffee
Besides the AIRCONDOS® dense-phase conveyor, other conveyor systems (Fig. 3) are used depending on requirements. These include:
● Suction- and pressure-type dilute-phase conveyors
● Batch weighers
● Pressure vessel conveying systems
● Plug conveyors
In addition, merz ingtec-pneumacon, a branch of Merz Aufbereitungstechnik GmbH as a plant engineering company offers turn-key plants for processing bulk solids from one source as well as extensions or optimizations of existing systems. Depending on the application, mechanical transport systems such as screw, bucket or belt conveyors may be used.
Customized ensiling systems (Fig. 4) with special focus on trouble-free discharge with vibrating or fluidizing discharge bottoms for difficult-to-handle products such as TiO2 are another speciality of the company. Other focuses are Atex systems, inertized processes, tanker filling and emptying, weighing systems, dedusting and filtering systems, compressor stations and much more.
Hall 1, Stand 149
