Stainless steel pipe and chute vibrators improve material flow in pharmaceutical production facility
NAVCO was approached by a customer for help in addressing an issue with material plugging at their pharmaceutical production facility. The product has a tendency to stick or clump together and builds up in the pneumatic conveying system as it is moved through the facility. This build up results in reduced flow and eventually leads to complete plugging of the pipe. The plugging is causing intermittent processing interruptions as the process has to be brought offline so that operators can clear the plug before operations can continue.
After reviewing the application with the customer, it was brought to light that there are four areas of the system that repeatedly experience plugging issues. To address these issues, NAVCO proposed a solution of four stainless steel Pipe and Chute Vibrators. These vibrators would each include:
Stainless Steel BH 1.25
The Stainless Steel BH 1.25 Vibrator was chosen for the 304 stainless steel body, which makes it ideal for pharmaceutical facilities where washdown for cleaning and sanitation is required. The smaller diameter and the thin gauge construction of the pipe that the vibrators would be installed on made the BH 1.25 the ideal vibrator size for its high power to weight ratio. The efficient energy transfer of the impact type vibration made quick work of eliminating material buildup in the problem areas.
Custom Stainless Steel Saddle Mount
Stainless steel was used for the saddle mount to maintain suitability of the solution for washdown. The mount was designed to the specific outside diameter of the pipes that the vibrators would be installed on. This precise, built to order design enables the mount provide structural reinforcement to the pipe and maximizes contact surface area where the vibration is transferred to the stuck material.
The customer agreed with the proposed solution and installed the stainless steel Pipe and Chute Vibrators on the pipes at their production facility. After using the vibrators for a couple of weeks, the facility reported back that they were a complete success. The vibration of the units reduced the cohesive strength of the material plugging the pipes and reliably induces flow. This has eliminated the plugging issues and they are no longer experiencing production interruptions.
If you have an application that is experiencing material flow issues or have question about the stainless steel Pipe and Chute Vibrator, contact NAVCO today! We have a team of experts in applied vibration technology who are ready to help improve your bulk material handling processes and applications.
