Reducing product damage by optimizing conveying speed
Are velocity issues creating product loss and breakage problems for you? Are you frustrated, even exasperated with the expense incurred as this breakage occurs? Are you looking for creative ways to best optimize velocity with product being moved in order to minimize breakage?
We hear this occasionally from our customers and ask this: "Have you ever considered using a triboelectric detection system as a potential solution to control velocity and minimize breakage? Not a common solution one would associate with triboelectric bag leak detection….. but one that can be offered nonetheless.
Processing of fragile, baked food products, such as breakfast cereals, requires efficient, non-damaging, yet high throughput, transport methods capable of minimizing product damage during conveyance to the variety of processing operations.
However, keeping the product whole when the product is conveyed to a storage silo, or dropped to a conveyer or bucket, especially on the way to packaging operations, can result in unacceptably high product denigration.
Mechanical, open air, food conveyor systems can be subject to product corruption and other hazards. Bucket elevators and belt conveyors can expose food products to contamination as well.
Pneumatic conveying advantages and disadvantages
In this regard, pneumatic product conveying systems can be considered a less dangerous alternative to transport fragile baked food, such as breakfast foods. For example, a recent application using triboelectric technology monitored the product velocity while conveying breakfast cereal allowing the operators to control the velocity of the product. The key control factor is maintaining high enough product flow velocity to allow maximum product delivery, but staying below velocities which could cause product breakage.
Electrostatic (triboelectric detection) systems are available to control particulate velocity in dilute or dense phase transport systems, safely and efficiently. The flow stream can be dense or dilute phase since no sensor probes are inserted into the flow stream as this would create breakage problems.
New application for proven technology
As opposed to a normal bag leak detection system application where a probe is installed within a duct to detect the onset of dust emissions, in this instance a ring sensor would replace an obtrusive probe. When installed properly, the ring sensor can detect particle velocity allowing you to use this solution to optimize velocity for maximum product yield and minimum breakage.
Triboelectric detection technology is capable of providing the means to measure and control information for pneumatic conveying systems to facilitate the process movement of fragile products and materials safely.
A different way to utilize triboelectric detection technology….. Any process application where the particle or product velocity is a key parameter – consider triboelectric velocity measurement.
For more information on innovative and best practices to bag leak detection systems, please take a look at our Guide to Intelligent Monitoring
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