Materials Conveyed: Sand (New), Sand (Reclaim)
Type of Conveying System(s):Batch Dense Phase , Day Bin/ Storage Unloading, Silo Unloading
Customer:Casting Solutions | Zanesville, OH
The Challenge
The Casting Solutions foundry in Zanesville, OH was transporting their foundry reclaim and new sand with unreliable pneumatic conveying systems that used air boosters along the convey pipeline. While sand has flow characteristics that make it simple to convey from point A to B, it is an extremely abrasive material, and a pneumatic conveying system that minimizes material velocity and uses minimal moving parts is key. The existing pneumatic conveying system used air boosters which waste energy, caused wear points along the convey pipeline, and increased the velocity of the sand being conveyed. The wear points and increased material velocity caused by the air boosters meant the convey pipeline and elbows were wearing out at a rapid rate. The overwhelming maintenance costs and downtime caused by the air booster system forced Casting Solutions to look for a more reliable cost effective solution.
The Solution
JDB Dense Flow Dense Phase systems were installed in place of the unreliable booster pneumatic conveying system. JDB Dense Flow Dense Phase Conveying systems are designed to operate using an advanced air delivery system, and DO NOT require boosters along the convey pipeline. The advanced air delivery system constantly monitors the air pressure within the Dense Flow system and adds air only when necessary to maintain the conveyed materials optimum conveying pressure. The advanced Air Delivery System insures Dense Phase conveying capacity requirements are met, and the material is conveyed at the lowest possible velocity. Also, to further system reliability the new JDB systems featured proprietary components like the Dense Flow Cone Valve which is the only moving part throughout the entire conveying system (most competitors’ systems use 3 or more valves to do the work of a single Dense Flow Cone Valve). Rugged pipeline components that included Dense Flow Pocket Elbows and Densealloy Pipe were also installed to help decrease system downtime and maintenance costs.
By combining the benefits of the advanced air delivery system with durable Dense Flow Components, Casting Solutions now had a system that would last years before any maintenance was performed. This was a significant upgrade in reliability over a system that was previously wearing out pipeline components in months and sometimes weeks.
Conclusion
The JDB Dense Flow Dense Phase conveying systems installed at Casting Solutions, Zanesville, OH dramatically increased their reclaim and new foundry sand conveying reliability. The low material velocity and minimal moving parts used on the JDB Dense Flow systems have decreased the plants downtime, and maintenance costs. Casting Solutions engineers were impressed with the JDB Dense Flow systems performance, so much so, that additional systems were purchased two years later to help increase their production. All JDB Dense Flow Dense Phase Systems have been in operation for over 15 years with minimal maintenance costs or downtime.
To speak with an engineer regarding your conveying challenges call us at 727-785-8500 x203, or e mail eng@jdbdenseflow.com.