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Show Preview-Powtech 2019

| By Gerald Ondrey

Powtech 2019 (www.powtech.de) takes place from April 9–11 at the Exhibition Center in Nuremberg, Germany, where innovations and new approaches for the processing industries take center stage in six exhibition halls. Powder and bulk solids experts from around the world will be on hand to see the technology and solutions offered by exhibitors. Exhibitors will showcase their latest developments for mechanical processes, such as size reduction, agglomeration, separation, screening, mixing, storage and conveying. The equipment and machinery on display are fundamental to the production processes of numerous industries, including today’s megatrends, such as energy storage and additive manufacturing (3-D printing).

Two forums and an interactive knowledge zone provide expert information for the food, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, glass and ceramics, non-metallic minerals and recycling segments. Here, and in the course of professional-level dialogue at the tradefair stands, visitors will get reliable answers to the challenges they face. Partec, the international congress for particle technology, will also run parallel to Powtech 2019 under the theme “Particles for a better life.”

The following are some of the new products being exhibited at the show.

Instruments for characterizing powder materials

Freeman Technology

Now part of the Micromeritics Instrument Corp., this company will be showcasing its material characterization solutions designed to optimize process performance, increase productivity and improve quality in a diverse range of sectors. The company’s portfolio (photo) includes the FT4 Powder Rheometer, a unique and comprehensive powder tester, which employs patented dynamic methodologies, automated shear cells (in accordance with ASTM D7891) and a series of bulk property tests to quantify powder behavior in terms of flow and processability. This is complemented by the Uniaxial Powder Tester, which provides accurate and repeatable measurements of the uniaxial unconfined yield strength (uUYS) of powders to assess and rank flowability. The company also offers in-line, realtime flow-measurement capabilities via an exclusive partnership with Lenterra Inc., a manufacturer of optical flow-sensor technology. Hall 4, Stand 547 — Freeman Technology Ltd., Gloucestershire, U.K.

www.powderflow.com

This technique significantly cuts costs for tank calibration

Mettler-Toledo

RapidCal Tank Scale Calibration (photo) replaces time-consuming and cumbersome test-weight, flowmeter or material-substitution methods. Instead, a downward force is applied with hydraulic equipment that mimics tank-scale loading during normal operation. By doing the calibration this way, piping- and understructure-influences are accounted for, and this provides higher calibration accuracy. The RapidCal reference system has an accuracy of 0.1%. Reference load cells provide traceability to applicable standards. RapidCal also avoids the tedious tank emptying and cleaning for material substitution, which in turn eliminates contamination risk and disposal costs. The effective downtime of a facility is limited to a few hours per calibration. There is no need for expensive deionized water, which has either to be disposed or stored after completion of the calibration. Hall 1, Stand 214 — Mettler-Toledo GmbH, Gießen, Germany

www.mt.com

A sifter that can be inspected in place, and is easy to maintain

Dinnissen Process Technology

The engineers at this company have developed a new sifter with improved inspection methods to prevent cross-contamination. The Wingdoor sifter (photo) is a combination of innovative power and the sieving process. The major advantage of this machine is that the doors can now open over the entire length of the machine. Therefore, the sieve does not need to be driven out for inspection, so that cross-contamination is prevented. The replacement of the sieve mesh is said to be very efficient, because the sieve basket can still be slid out of the machine. In addition, the Wingdoor sifter can reach capacities of up to 30 metric tons per hour, depending on the product. Hall 4, Stand 371 — Dinnissen Process Technology, Sevenum, the Netherlands

www.dinnissen.nl

A continuous mixer that has many features

Gebr. Lödige Maschinenbau

The continuous Ploughshare mixer KM (photo) is suitable for processing powdery, fibrous or granular solids, as well as liquids and pastes. Granulation processes can also be carried out with the continuous mixer. The mixer is based on a patented, mechanically generated, turbulent fluidized-bed process. During this process, the Ploughshare shovels rotate close to the wall in a horizontal, cylindrical drum. Their peripheral speed and geometric shape are rated such that they take the mixing components off the drum wall and toss them into the free-mixing compartment from the product bed. Due to the continuous mixing of the entire product, intensive blending is thus achieved. Transport of the product is ensured by the special shape and arrangement of the mixing elements. Excellent homogeneity and consistent reproducibility of the final product are achieved during short mixing or retention times of only 25–60 s. The smallest model has a drum capacity of 5 L and a throughput capacity of 0.25 m3/h, depending on retention time and filling level. The largest machine built to date has a drum capacity of 57,000 L, and has been in operation at an Indian steelworks since 2015. There, it mixes and granulates the sintering material needed in the blast furnace for pig-iron production, and can handle more than 1,350 metric tons of raw sintering mixture per hour. Hall 1, Stand 517 — Gebr. Lödige Maschinenbau GmbH, Paderborn, Germany

www.loedige.de

 

Conveying and processing equipment for solids

Dynamic Air

This company will be exhibiting an operating pneumatic conveying system, as well as the Bella twin-shaft mixer and vibratory equipment. The company manufactures a complete line of dense- and dilute-phase, vacuum- and pressure-pneumatic conveying systems, process equipment and vibratory equipment for handling a wide variety of dry bulk-granular materials. A fully operational dense-phase pneumatic-conveying system will be on display, along with the Bella XN double-shafted mixer in 304 stainless-steel food-grade design. This mixer provides a high-quality blend in an extremely short mixing time, says the manufacturer. Also on display will be the company’s line of vibratory equipment, including the Stedi-Flo vibratory pan feeder and the GYRO EX bin activating feeder and discharger (photo, p. 65), which produces a controlled gyratory motion to positively withdraw granular materials from bins, storage silos and hoppers at any desired feedrate for a consistent and reliable discharge. Hall 2, Stand 319 — Dynamic Air Ltd., Milton Keynes, U.K.

www.dynamicair.com

See inflatable-seated butterfly valves in operation

Posi-flate

This company manufactures a complete line of inflatable-seated butterfly valves (photo) for handling a wide variety of dry bulk-granular solids, liquids and gases. Standard sizes are from 2 to 30 in. (5 to 750 mm), and fit both ANSI and metric flanges. They are offered in a wide variety of construction materials, including stainless steel, ductile iron and aluminum. Standard finishes include urethane coating, nylon powder coating, epoxy coating, highly polished stainless-steel discs and bodies, plus almost any custom paint type and color. Various finishes are also available, from custom coatings to highly polished surfaces. The inflatable-seat design provides a better seal by utilizing air pressure to expand the seat against the disc, providing more sealing area and an even pressure distribution against the disc every time. The seat automatically compensates for wear when it inflates against the disc, extending valve life considerably. At the stand, the company will be exhibiting a heavy-duty inflatable seated butterfly valve operating next to a typical resilient-seated valve to demonstrate how quickly a resilient-seated valve can wear, in comparison to the air-operated valve. Hall 2, Stand 326 — Posi-flate, Milton Keynes, U.K.

www.posiflate.com

 

 

 

A spray-drying plant for bio-based products

GEA

This company recently supplied a turnkey plant for the spray drying of lignosulfonate in Norway (photo). The solution also includes a new silo for feeding stored powder materials into the plant’s packaging system and a large wet scrubber for de-dusting. At this plant, 25 ton/h of lignosulfonates is directly fed into a rotary atomizer and spray dried. The final product is separated in two groups of consecutive cyclones. The second newly developed cyclones CEE (Cyclone Extra Efficiency) offer a higher separation efficiency, which increases the yield and reduces emissions. In real-world tests, the CEE powder separation efficiency was verified as being considerably higher than the efficiency of standard cyclones. Part of the spray drying plant is the large wet scrubber for de-dusting. The Venturi scrubber uses water to clean the exhaust gases from the spray dryer before they are released into the environment. The scrubbing water is circulated and fed continuously to a falling-film evaporator for concentration and recovery of valuable substances. The condensate is returned to the spray dryer as process water, and thus increases the total product yield while the concentrate is discharged. The evaporator is designed for 2 h/ton of scrubbing water and energetically optimized by heating through mechanical vapor recompression. Hall 3, Stand 231 — GEA, Düsseldorf, Germany

www.gea.com

Fine and powerful comminution with maximum flexibility

Fritsch

The high-speed Universal Cutting Mill Pulverisette 19 comminutes up to 60 L/h of soft to medium-hard sample materials and fibrous materials at a torque of up to 30 Nm with reliable, reproducible results. The variable rotational speed adjustment, in increments of 100 between 300 and 3,000 rpm, enables fine tuning of the comminution process for each sample within a very wide range of applications. A low-speed version has a variable rotational speed adjustment between 50 and 700 rpm and a torque of up to 67 Nm. The combination of low cutting rate and extreme cutting forces enables a very powerful comminution of hard, tough-elastic samples and small sample quantities. At the same time, it is suitable for all cases where thermal damage, the loss of highly volatile substances, or an excessively high fine share need to be avoided, says the company. The cutting mills can be combined with a cyclone separator (photo) for sample recovery, and an optional exhaust system. The cyclone separator is completely made of stainless steel 304. Hall 2, Stand 227 — Fritsch GmbH, Idar-Oberstein, Germany

www.fritsch.de