Pneumatic conveying gets powder and bulk solids moving

The transport and conveying of powder and bulk solids is a key topic at POWTECH.

The POWTECH trade fair, which goes into its next round in Nuremberg from 9 to 11 April 2019, showcases all the diversity and innovative strength of the mechanical processing sector. This makes the international fair the leading forum for the industry in Europe and an unmissable event for developers, planners and production managers from the food and animal feed sectors. As well as mechanical processes, the fair also covers accompanying steps like the transport and handling of powder and bulk solids. POWTECH 2019 is complemented by a comprehensive supporting programme.

In food and feed production, the pneumatic conveying of powder and bulk solids is of key importance for both the quality of the products and the overall cost effectiveness of the processes. Manufacturers of blowers and vacuum systems have responded accordingly and at POWTECH will provide interesting insights into the latest developments in respect of availability, air quality, plug & play solutions, energy efficiency and integration into Industry 4.0 concepts.

Rugged, energy-saving conveying

Wolfgang Hartmann, Head of Marketing at Kaeser Kompressoren, says: “For the pneumatic conveying of bulk solids in the food industry we are seeing the continued widespread use of rotary lobe blowers. This is no doubt due to the fact that rotary lobe blowers are ideal for this application thanks to their rugged design, reliability and durability, exactly what the industry demands of these components.” Hartmann also had this to say about energy requirement and cost efficiency: “Because energy efficiency is of course also playing an increasingly more important role, our rotary lobe blowers fitted with our efficient, low-pulsation three-lobe OMEGA rotors are the ideal solution for these requirements.”

Performance and status at a glance

For the transport of bulk goods in food production, increasingly more stringent requirements are being imposed on the quality of compressed air. This is why POWTECH exhibitors like Kaeser offer a specially designed range of accessories for air drying and cooling. In addition, many exhibitors are focusing on complete solutions in keeping with the trend towards plug & play for pneumatic conveying. At POWTECH, Kaeser will be showcasing its compact rotary lobe blowers up to 200 kW with integrated electrics and electronics. “These compact solutions offer plant operators ease of commissioning and maintenance. Blowers with integrated controls achieve considerable savings for planning, installation, commissioning, data communication and certification,” says Hartmann. “Another major benefit is the integrated Sigma Control 2 controller. It not only makes the entire machine efficient, but continually monitors and transmits its performance and status data, completely in keeping with Industry 4.0 concepts. This guarantees maximum reliability and availability combined with high energy efficiency.

Another 415 exhibitors at POWTECH will be presenting their innovations specifically for food and feed production. A total of 800 companies in the six exhibition halls at POWTECH provide a globally unrivalled range of technologies and solutions for processes like pulverising, mixing, separating, filtering, agglomerating and associated work flows.

POWTECH – meeting point for food production experts

Developers, planners and production managers from the food industry will also benefit from a comprehensive supporting programme that is highly tailored to their sector. On three days of the fair, the “Expert Forum Chemicals + Food” in Hall 2 will provide a non-stop programme of presentations on topics like dosing, explosion protection, compressed air supply or handling. The same hall is also the venue for the special show “Dust knows no borders” organised by the VDMA Group Air Purification and Drying Technology. It will demonstrate that there are indeed options available for limiting dust using innovative filtering and separation systems that are often digitally supported. A new feature at POWTECH 2019 is the Networking-Campus for bulk solids technologies and markets of the future. The international PARTEC Congress for Particle Technology will take place parallel to POWTECH 2019 and expects to welcome more than 500 delegates. It is sponsored by VDI-GVC (Association of Process and Chemical Engineering).