Before you can put your new Vacuum Conveying System to work in production, it is a good idea to go through the Vacuum Conveying System’s Commissioning in detail. Even hours spent in this may save many hours of misery in the long run.
Check Pipework And Seals First
Start at the beginning and inspect the complete length of pipe work, including all filter housing connections and seal locations. Check that all clamps, gaskets and sight glasses are in place and securely fixed. Loose fitting parts are the most common reason for early component failure and are easiest to check for before any connections are made.
Run An Air-Only Leak Test
For the empty cycle test no product needs to be in the vacuum conveying system. First check the vacuum level, the filling time and the opening and closing times of all vacuum controlling valves. The specified values have to correspond with the design drawings.
Test The Empty Cycle
Next, complete an “empty cycle” i.e. switch the system on and check that the system operates in line with the Design Specification for a vacuum cycle operating with “no product” in the system’s conveying pipelines. It is also crucial to confirm that all of the system’s solenoid valves operate in the required sequence (e.g. pick-up on, diverter on, discharge on etc).
Introduce Product Gradually
Run the system in the empty mode first. Then gradually add product to the system and measure the weighed or measured product actually conveyed over a set time period and compare with the specified conveying rate. Vacuum conveying systems can behave differently when actually conveying real products through them. Therefore, small incremental changes to the required vacuum setting or conveying cycle time are recommended rather than large step changes. If you want Vacuum conveying, https://www.aptech.uk.com/pneumatic-conveying-systems/vacuum-conveying/ is a good place to start.
Check Filters And Level Sensors
The reverse-pulse filter cleaning cycle must operate at the correct frequency to ensure the filter cleaning is effective in removing product from the filter bags. It is also very important to check that all hopper level sensors are operating correctly. This is to ensure that the pump is operating at the correct times to avoid running the line dry and to prevent the hopper overfilling.
Record A Baseline And Check Noise
For a commissioning check of a new vacuum conveying system it is recommended to record a number of values for future reference e.g. the vacuum level, the cycle time and the conveying rate. It is also worth checking the noise emitted by the vacuum pumps and other equipment in the vicinity of the conveying lines as vacuum conveying equipment can often be a lot louder than anticipated. For dusts that are fine powders or even dusts that could explode as combustible dusts it is recommended to also review the requirements for handling such dusts and the explosive atmosphere regulations for such areas – in particular the requirements for earthing of metal parts of such equipment and for operation of such areas when unattended. More information on vacuum conveying systems and their design and specification can be found in our guide.
Carrying out the 6 points above as a strict regime to check for any faults or anomalies will mean that your Vacuum Conveying System is correctly commissioned for Production Use and future reference purposes as to any changes that may occur in the future.
Check out this guide for more information on vacuum conveying systems.
