What’s Best for Your Conveyor System? A Guide to Choosing Rotary Feeders, Valves, or Airlocks

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Selection Guide: 3 Steps to Choose the Right Equipment

In practical applications, there is no need to memorize parameters. Just follow the “pressure first, then flow, and finally material” three - step method to quickly select the right equipment.

Step 1: Determine the System Pressure Difference

This is the most critical basis for selection:

• If there is no pressure difference in the system (such as from a silo to a belt conveyor), choose a rotary feeder.

• If the system pressure difference is between 0.03 - 0.3MPa (such as from an atmospheric silo to a positive - pressure conveying pipeline), choose a rotary valve.

• If the system pressure difference is greater than 0.3MPa or it is a high - vacuum situation (such as from a dust collector hopper to the atmosphere, or from a high - pressure reactor to a silo), choose a rotary airlock.

 

Step 2: Confirm the Flow Precision Requirement

• If precise control of the flow is needed (such as for pharmaceutical ingredients or food mixing), prioritize choosing a rotary feeder.

• If the flow precision requirement is general (such as for coarse material conveying in mining), either a rotary valve or a rotary airlock can meet the requirement.

 

Step 3: Match the Material Characteristics

• For sticky materials (such as wet clay), choose a rotary feeder or rotary valve with an open - type rotor.

• For corrosive materials (such as acid - and alkali - containing powders), choose a rotary valve or rotary airlock made of 316L stainless steel.

• For highly abrasive materials (such as mineral powders or glass slag), choose a rotary airlock with a wear - resistant coating.

• For high - temperature materials (such as boiler ash above 300℃), choose a rotary valve or rotary airlock with a heat - resistant steel casing.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception 1: Using a Rotary Feeder to Replace a Rotary Airlock

Consequences: In high - vacuum or high - pressure scenarios, a large amount of gas leakage will occur, causing the system pressure to be out of control (for example, the efficiency of the dust collector may drop by more than 50%). The material will also blow back and cause equipment blockage.

Misconception 2: Using a Rotary Airlock to Replace a Rotary Feeder

Consequences: Rotary airlocks have a slow rotation speed and low flow precision, which cannot meet the precise ingredient requirements (for example, the flour mixing error in a food factory may exceed the standard). Moreover, the equipment cost is high (2 - 3 times that of a rotary feeder).

Misconception 3: Ignoring the Abrasiveness of the Material

Consequences: When handling highly abrasive materials, if wear - resistant materials are not selected, the gap between the rotor and the casing will increase rapidly. The components may need to be replaced within 3 - 6 months, increasing maintenance costs.

 

In summary, although rotary feeders, rotary valves, and rotary airlocks all belong to the “rotary” category of material handling equipment, their positions are completely different: the feeder is the “flow manager,” the rotary valve is the “balance expert,” and the airlock is the “pressure guardian.” Only by accurately selecting the equipment based on system pressure, flow requirements, and material characteristics can the stable operation of the equipment be ensured, and the efficiency and safety of the entire bulk material handling system can be improved.

 

 

 

Rotary Feeder,Rotary Airlock,Rotary Valve

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