An Investigation into Hopper Design and Solid Friction Factor for Pneumatic Conveying of Indian Fly Ash

Abstract

Now a days, a variety of bulk solids are being conveyed through pneumatic conveying systems in different industries. In a thermal power plant, a huge amount of fly ash is conveyed pneumatically from the collection point to the intermediate or remote silos. The conveying system runs on the auxiliary power and hence should consume minimum energy. Inaccurate pipeline design and selection of the air movers (vacuum pump and compressors) can result in operational issues like pipeline blockage, less tonnage, and system wear. Moreover, accurate design of product feeders like hoppers and blow tank plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth discharge of the product in the conveying pipeline. This report presents the results of an experimental investigation to provide the crucial design parameters like hopper half angle, hopper outlet opening, and solid friction factor for a pneumatic conveying system. Two fly ash samples have been collected from two different thermal power stations from India. Jenike’s design method was followed to design the hopper geometry for ensuring the smooth working of hoppers. Also, a new model has developed for solid friction factor for vacuum conveying setup.