Discharge and pneumatic transfer of sodium nitrate

Material handled: sodium nitrate beads

Manufacture of glass wool 

Bulk bag discharge station and pneumatic transfer by vacuum

The client, a world leader in insulation solutions, requires installation of a pneumatic conveying system for the transfer of nitrate microbeads to a 300 kg storage hopper.

The objective of the project is to:

• Eliminate the risks and provide safe operator handling of 25 Kg bags of nitrate beads
• Increase the available "buffer", hopper storage reserve
• Improve the cleanliness of the area and reduce the risk of accidents (slippery floors, MSDs, cuts). 

In order to eliminate the handling of 25 Kg bags and integrate the use of pneumatic transport, the raw material supplier proposed a solution of 1200 Kg bulk bags with top spout access. 

The EasyFlow® Flex station allows the automatic emptying of the bulk bag from above by controlling the height of the vacuum pipe and tensioning of the bulk bag at the end of the discharge cycle.

The bulk bag emptying operation is carried out through the top filling spout in a confined manner and specifically adapted to the material.

The solution proposed by Palamatic Process allows the following operation: 

• The removal and suspension of the bulk bag is carried out by the operator. 
• The operator authorizes the start of the cycle via the control box which triggers the descent of the suction rod into the bulk bag.
• The suction pipe allows the product to be vacuum conveyed out of the bulk bag and transferred through the pneumatic piping system which isconnected to the dosing hopper.
• Our VFlow®02 pneumatic transfer system transfers the beads at a rate of 1,000kg/hr., filling the storage hopper. A vacuum pump provides the necessary vacuum for the transfer of the material into the piping.
• When the bulk bag is empty or defective, the system generates a signal to the customer's PLCs, which send a signal to the operator's PTI, who then comes to change the bulk bag. 

The entire automation of this installation is carried out by Palamatic Process.