Choosing a new elbow for your pneumatic conveying system can be a complex task if your existing elbow isn’t performing as well as you’d like. It can be difficult managing system downtime if you are frequently replacing elbows due to high wear and abrasion.
And, that’s just one reason why it’s important to get the right elbow for your system. Shredding, streamers, blocking and dusting, pile and bulking, contamination, friability, corrosion, and erosion are also very good reasons. Getting the right elbow can help improve efficiency, lessen product degradation, minimize pressure drops, and prolong the life of your system – as well as saving costs.
When you call Progressive Products, we’ll ask you a series of questions about your pneumatic conveying system. The answers to these questions help us identify the right elbow for you, and the one that will be most effective in terms of both cost and performance.
Six Questions that will Help you get the Right Pneumatic Conveying Elbow for your System
Here is a list of questions that is a useful starting point to help you (and us) figure out which elbow will work best in your system.
1.) What is your operating pressure?
Operating pressure is important because the resulting velocity and/or tonnage conveyed effects the wear of the piping. It is also useful to know if your system is under high pressure and/or dense phase pressure. This information tells us a lot about material behavior, wear patterns, and therefore what elbow designs would be best for your system.
2.) How many tons of material are being conveyed per hour?
The amount of material conveyed can greatly increase wear. Knowing the tonnage means we have an idea of how aggressive the problem is, and how strong an abrasion-resistant elbow you’ll need.
3.) What is the material being conveyed?
Obviously, some materials are more abrasive than others and will cause more wear to your elbows. In fact, what is being conveyed is probably the biggest factor in wear. If you speak to an expert, they’ll be able to match up different applications with the best elbow solution to accommodate the material you convey.
4.) Does the material being conveyed contain more than one element?
Whether the material your system conveys is one material or a blend of different materials is useful information because it can signal the cause of the problem you’re experiencing. Additionally, foreign contaminates can be a problem as they change the conveying characteristics of the system.
5.) What is the operating temperature?
The operating temperature of your pneumatic conveying system will help figure which solutions can be used – and the right elbow for your needs. Temperature can affect conveying characteristics and what type of piping it can be conveyed through.
6.) What is the particle size?
Particle size can also be a major cause of wear because of particle impact. In fact, wear caused by impact is sometimes worse than the wear by abrasion.
Along with these questions, we’ll also ask you more technical details about your conveying line, such as pipe size, tube size, type of elbow connection, elbow alloy, and the centerline radius.
Having as much information as possible will help us advise you on getting the right solution for your pneumatic conveying system – you can take a look at our other things to consider when choosing an elbow, including factors which contribute to the potential life-expectancy of a new elbow and will give you the best return on investment.
And finally…
It’s important to look for a solution that’s right for your needs and speak to companies with knowledge, expertise, and experience and who can offer a range of solutions to choose from.
At Progressive Products, we won’t sell you anything you don’t need – we’ll sell you the best elbow that’s right for your individual system. Contact us today to find the right solution for you.
