Projeto conceitual de um transportador pneumático para finos de bauxita

Abstract

The use of pneumatic conveying has been of great importance to the operational efficiency improvement in the industry, and, in many cases, the only way when dealing with toxic material or those that cannot be contaminated. However, the literature is not very specific to determine a reliable and simplified calculation method that can be applied by industry professionals not specialized in the subject, making estimations and feasibility analysis more difficult to the ini-tial project steps. Therefore, in an attempt to address this deficiency, a calculus method was developed using the software Microsoft Excel®, needing just basic data related to the material properties, installation information and the operational requirements. To apply the theory, was studied the possibility of installation of a pneumatic conveying to replace a conveyor belt in a bauxite beneficiation facility. Two calculations were performed, the first one using only one conveying line and, the second, using two lines in parallel, varying the gas velocity. It was verified that the second option is 22% more economic than the first option from the energy efficiency point of view, because even using two smaller blowers, their power requirement will be lower than only one blower. Furthermore, was performed the selection of a blower commer-cially available that meet the design requirements, and it’s recommended power was compared with the ideal value calculated. In this analysis a difference of 117% was found, meaning that the use of the ideal power equation can result in the undersizing of the equipment.