Understanding the effect of temperature on your bulk material handling system is crucial if you want to maintain your system effectively. While temperature fluctuations are normal in a pneumatic conveying system, they should be within the rated range of your components in order to avoid excess wear and tear. This article explains the relationship between heat and the life expectancy of your bulk material handling system.
Bulk material handling is simply the method of transporting bulk materials across certain areas via conveying systems, like conveyor belts. Bulk material handling is simultaneously a field of engineering that’s focused on designing equipment for industrial purposes, such as in the construction, mining, and manufacturing industries.
Some examples of bulk material handling equipment include:
Bulk materials refer to any type of material that is in the form of powder, granules, or lumps, and can freely move or slide. Because of gravitational action, most types of bulk materials naturally form mountain-like heaps when poured on a flat surface. This sight will be familiar to most as large mounds of coal or sand in stockyards.
In addition to sand and coal, other examples of bulk materials include:
Designing bulk powder handling equipment involves considering the various factors that contribute to wear and tear. Heat is a major factor that affects the wear and tear process of bulk handling systems. This is because the moving parts create constant friction, which, at high speeds, can generate a lot of heat. In pneumatic systems, the pressure created by moving air inside the tubes or pipes can also cause the temperature to rise.
When subjected to high amounts of heat, metals expand. This means that some components may become misaligned, stuck, cracked, or even bent. Extreme heat is particularly problematic with a pneumatic system, where the flow rate of bulk materials can be drastically affected. Therefore, it’s crucial to the longevity of your equipment that you know the dangers temperature can pose.
As we’ve just outlined, bulk material conveyor systems, whether mechanical or pneumatic, may break down if subjected to extreme heat. Metal components may expand and become malleable. All of this can cause severe damage to your bulk handling system if you don’t know what to look out for.
So, here are several ways temperature can affect the performance of your bulk handling system:
The integrity and life expectancy of bulk material handling systems can be maintained by avoiding extreme temperatures. One way of doing this is by ensuring that your bulk handling system includes proper ventilation and internal climate control for temperature and humidity. By being more aware of how heat can impact your handling equipment, you will ultimately improve its longevity.
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