For RH vacuum refining processes, fine dust must be collected and transferred safely and reliably. High dust concentration, fine particle size, elevated temperature, and the need to connect with existing equipment make dust conveying a demanding application.
For a recent RH refining project, Zhongyu developed a complete pneumatic dust conveying system for collecting dust from vacuum filtration equipment and transferring it to a centralized storage hopper.
Project Requirements
The project includes two independent pneumatic conveying systems. Each system collects dust from three vacuum filtration units and conveys it to a 10 m³ storage hopper.
The conveyed RH refining dust has a particle size of ≤5 μm, a density of approximately 2.5 g/cm³, and a temperature of 20–100°C. The system needs to handle up to 48 heats per day, with a horizontal conveying distance of approximately 15 m.
These conditions require stable conveying, reliable sealing, wear-resistant components, and coordinated automatic control.
Zhongyu's Pneumatic Conveying Solution
Instead of supplying a single conveying machine, Zhongyu designed an integrated system covering dust collection, conveying, pipelines, valves, instrumentation, electrical control, and centralized storage.
Each vacuum filtration unit is equipped with a dedicated dust collection vessel and fluidized pressure vessel pump. The collected dust is fluidized and conveyed through the pneumatic pipeline to the central storage hopper.
To address the abrasive nature of the dust, the conveying system uses thick-wall wear-resistant seamless steel pipes and wear-resistant alloy elbows. Valves in direct contact with the dust are also selected with wear resistance and sealing performance in mind. The inlet valves are designed to maintain reliable sealing with the upstream vacuum filtration equipment.
The control system is based on PLC technology. Each pneumatic conveying system can operate independently through a local touchscreen interface while communicating with the RH system through industrial Ethernet. Operators can monitor and control the conveying system from the RH control room.
This integrated configuration allows the conveying equipment to work as part of the customer's existing production process rather than as an isolated piece of equipment.
Zhongyu's Approach to Industrial Conveying
This project reflects Zhongyu's approach to pneumatic conveying equipment: the solution is developed according to the material characteristics, conveying distance, operating environment, equipment interfaces, and automation requirements of each project.
For fine dust and other challenging materials, reliable conveying depends not only on the conveying equipment itself, but also on the coordination of the collection vessels, valves, pipelines, control system, and final storage.
Zhongyu provides customized pneumatic conveying and dust conveying solutions for industrial applications, with system configurations developed according to specific project requirements.
