How to handle products with poor flow characteristics
New dosing equipment for more efficiency and rationalization of workflow
Decanting and filling operations in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are day-to-day tasks and even though the handling of granules and powders is commonplace, operators are facing major challenges. Various factors such as containment, space, powder flow characteristics etc. need to be considered during the facility design.
Over and above, health and safety regulations must be strictly observed and along with improving product features and quality, the main focus remains on cutting costs.
To meet these complex requirements Dec has now developed a precise and flexible solution for conveying and dosing powders in combination with PTS Powder Transfer System.
PTS – Safe and gentle powder transfer
The pneumatic PTS transfers powders without gravity by means of vacuum and pressure horizontally over a distance if necessary. The material flows in higher concentrations compared to the air and correspondingly at low conveying speeds (<10m / s) which is called the dense phase principle of operation. This type of conveying allows for a particularly gentle transfer and the hoses are significantly less stressed with highly abrasive products.
The PTS draws the product in his chamber through an efficient membrane for air/gas separation. The use of pressure conveys it further into the integrated DosiValve unit. During this emptying phase, the filter is cleaned due to the pressure applied in the opposite direction. This ensures optimal transfer capacities without clogging the filter especially when conveying very fine or wet powder. The PTS is equally efficient for conveying so-called difficult products, i.e. cohesive, toxic, hygroscopic or explosive powder (<1 mJ) ensuring high containment and increased production by combining individual process steps. The PTS turns out to be particularly advantageous for reactor feeding in use with solvents by the exclusion of oxygen.
DosiValve, open position
DosiValve, closed position
PTS & DosiValve: transferring and dosing in one step
Often, powder is first transferred in buffer tanks and then further filled by conventional dosing equipment such as dosing screws for example. Not with the combined PTS Dosivalve system where the PTS body itself serves as a buffer tank. The system was specifically designed for the accurate dosing of difficult products that tend to build up bridges or to compact. A pneumatically driven piston controls the powder passage within the Dosivalve. Precision, dosing weight and flow speed can be configured as per requirements.
The equipment is made of stainless steel and available in different sizes. It provides a cost effective, easy to integrate solution compared with conventional methods offering the following advantages:
● precise dosing
● filling under inert conditions
● explosion-proof
● space-saving and flexible integration
● closed, automated handling
● easy cleaning (CIP / SIP)
Powder transfer station from big bags into drums
Low maintenance effort
Cross-contamination can be avoided by a simple automated system cleaning (CIP / SIP). During the cleaning operation, rather than powder, cleaning fluid is drawn in. As soon as the system body is completely filled with liquid a liquid separator stops the filling automatically. The filter membrane is thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning and drying of the system happen automatically, without dismantling the equipment beforehand.
