Material Flow Aids

Alternative Air-Slide Flow Aid Use Cases

These alternative bulk material flow aids offer a series of different physical approaches to handle a range of application conditions where conventional vibrators are impractical or unacceptable:

• Fine Powders – Fine powders like starches, cement, or gypsum that clump or stick to storage vessel walls can be particularly problematic. Bin aerators provide positive airflow that can be a perfect solution to such issues.
• Materials Prone to Packing – Vibrators can sometimes cause certain types of products to pack in your bin. If that is the case, fluidization could be the answer to your needs.
• Cost Concerns – When other material handling solutions are overkill for your needs, aeration pads can be a simple, cost-effective solution.
• Unacceptable Vibration – Wherever vibration can do more harm than good in your production environment – wreaking havoc on sensitive equipment, level indicators, metering devices, etc. – aerators can be a more compatible alternative for addressing bulk flow issues.

From Pinpoint Assistance to a Total Material Flow Aid Solution

When properly aerated, many powdered or granular dry bulk materials can be “fluidized” and made to flow like a liquid. Deca offers two types of aeration material flow aid solutions. Both use a controlled release of compressed air to loosen materials and promote flow within your system.

• Pinpoint control for small to medium size hoppers can be delivered by gently vibrating bin aerators or by Deca fluidization pads and nozzles that generate positive results with as little as 3 psi of air pressure.
• Total system control of virtually any size vessel is available through the Deca Air-Slide Flow Aid System.

Vibrating Bin Aerators

Deca Series FD Fluidizing Material Flow Aids combine up to 6 bar (87 psi) airflow with a slight vibrating effect – generated by air escaping from under the lip of its silicon seal – to loosen and aerate materials adhering to the side of a bin or hopper.

• Self-cleaning, abrasion-resistant design is intended for use with powdered and granular products in food, pharmaceutical, ceramic, chemical, foundry, glass, plastics, wood and paper applications.
• Sturdy design is suitable for a wide range of operating temperatures from -40 ºF to 338 ºF (-40 ºC to 170 ºC).
• A micro-vibration version is also available.

Fluidization Pads

With their broad, semi-convex shaped pad emitting low-pressure air (3 psi) across a wide arc, Deca Fluidization Pads are an ideal choice as a preventive measure against compaction, clumping, bridging, or rat holing in powdery materials. They can be used with continuous duty or partial pulse jet fluidization to keep materials fluidized during bin or hopper discharge, as well as maintain materials aeration for long-term storage.

Low air consumption – 0.07 cfm in continuous duty at 2.9 psi – makes this a cost effective measure for aerating compaction-prone materials such as cement, lime and other powdery materials.

Fluidization Nozzles

Easy-to-install Deca Fluidization/Aeration Nozzles are an excellent retrofit option that can be installed from the outside of a bin when interior access is not readily available. Their economical operation requires as little as 0.03 cfm of compressed air at 3 psi. Decades of experience show that virtually all materials can be fluidized with intermittent operation, according to Felder System or Pulse-Jet System applications.

The Deca Air Slide Material Flow Aid System

The Deca Air-Slide Flow Aid System is such a comprehensive approach to the flow of fine, dry, moist, dense, sticky, tacky, or entangled materials that it offers a 100% guaranteed bulk material flow solution when installed according to Deca analytical recommendations. It breaks product adhesion to the vessel wall and aerates the contents, promoting free-flowing material.

The system is easy to install, requires low air consumption, and offers programmable adaptable to material characteristics, vessel shape, and material levels within the vessel. Best of all, it handles a wide range of the most troublesome materials and material handling applications.

• Food Products
  (including sugar, cocoa, coffee, baking powder, salt, cereal, cracker meal, grains, feed)
• Pharmaceutical Excipients
  (including starches, oxides, phosphates, etc.)
• Metal Ores 
  (including zinc, copper, lead, aluminum)
• Minerals
  (including coal, phosphates, soda ash, kaolin, clay, cement, gypsum, limestone)
• Powdered and Granular Products
  (including plastics, powdered paints, detergents, fertilizers, resins, adhesives, carbon, etc.)

Use of the Deca Air-Slide Flow Aid System is not limited to standard storage hoppers, bins, and silos, either. It is easily adapted throughout a wide range of material handling containers, including:

• Dust Collectors
• Spray Dryers
• Larry Cars
• Pipes
• Chutes
• Conveyor Transfer Points
• Rotary Kiln Chutes
• Centrifuges
• Batchers

The system operates on strategically placed Air-Slide discharge units and sequentially timed pulse of air managed by a central programmable logic controller. Operating profiles are determined by the vessel shape and material characteristics.

For a truly “engineered” solution to your most problematic material handling concerns, speak with a Deca representative about the capabilities of the Deca Air-Slide Flow Aid System.

Better Equipment, Better Insight from an Industry Leader

While many dry bulk material flow applications share common characteristics, finding the optimum solution demands careful consideration of both product and equipment attributes. Whatever your bulk material application or specialized flow control need, count on Deca for insights into your best options for spot aeration or a total flow aid system solution.

Choose 35 Years of Industry Experience

 Ask a Deca representative for the optimum number, placement, and size of fluidization nozzles recommended for specific types of materials in your material flow aid situation.

Let your Deca representative provide the benefit of more than 35 years of collective material flow experience across a variety of industries and industry applications. Call us at (800) 974-9422, or Contact Us!