Allen,

Yes, Ti02 is a good application for pneumatic handling.

The are two areas that are key to its success 1) entraining it in the airstream and 2) separating it from the airstream.

Allowing for the material and without knowledge of the thruput or the distance, a vacuum system would offer clear advantages over a pressure system.

Regards,

Dennis Hauch ■

TiO2 is very difficult to pneumatically convey, it builds up in elbows. You need very high convey velocities and may want to use flexible hose for your elbows. ■

Hi Allen,

the material has been pneumatically conveyed and we have been involved in 2 applications in the Richards Bay area of South Africa. Whilst we're not involved in the pneumatics, we've been called in because the wear, especially on the bends, is DRAMATIC. We are working on a solution using Al2O3 {dense alumina wear resistant ceramic} together with the likes of Clyde Bergemann Company.

our website www.multotec.co.za & the other guys www.clydematerials.com

We also are involved with several other South African companies including VACAIR & Bateman Engineered Technologies who also do pneumatics conveyancing, similarly we do the wear resistance they do the transport.

regards & luck,

Ken ■

Use an Aero-Mechanical Conveyor. No filters and the cable and disc assembly prevents build up in the tubes. Pneumatic Conveying does not work well primarily because of filtrationa nd build up issues. Flexible and Rigid Augers suffer from the same build up problems. ■

Allen,

Conforma Clad currently provides tungsten carbide protected elbows and reducers to a number of companies that mine and process titanium dioxide.

If you'd like more information, please don't hesitate to send me a return e-mail.

Regards,

Keith Gifford ■

Allen --

Hopefully someone has steered you away from this application since your last post. I would prefer not to give you a velocity recommendation since we avoid conveying TiO2 if at all possible. We have had success in limited use applications, and in applications where we are conveying other materials in the same convey line after the TiO2 has been transported.

"IF" I were to tackle this application, I would use a vacuum system with some type of feed device at the pickup point to meter the material into the line (NO rotary feeders -- TiO2 loves to seize anything with a close tolerance that moves). I would oversize the conveying line and pump for the desired rate, to compensate for some amount of buildup in the line. I would also attempt to maintain the conveying velocity as low as possible in order to minimize wear at the ells.

Yes, I would use hose bends, taking into account the added resistance encountered. While the natural "flexing" action of the hose will work to minimize buildup, I would still assign a "knocker" to pound them with a rubber mallet on occasion!

To minimize downtime, since your conveying distance is relatively short, I would strongly consider running parallel conveying lines outfitted with hose connections on either end. When one of the ells finally wears through, or the inevitable buildup finally creates a plug, you can quickly switch to the second conveying line and keep running while you attend to the problem with the first one.

Good luck! ■

Allen,

Reimelt has successfully designed pneumatic conveying systems for Ti02, including in very humid conditions, for almost 25 years.

As an OEM in the bulk material handling area, Reimelt specializes in hard-to-handle powder conveying and batching systems.

If you are still looking for help with Ti02 and the other additional powders you have been asked to work on, please contact me or Kevin O'Sullivan, Non-Food Sales Engineer, at 813-920-7434

Good luck, ■

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