There are dozens of conveyor systems you can use in your industrial granary. Each one has its own uses and benefits, but of all these, you may be considering a screw conveyer or pneumatic conveyor system over many of the others. Why? Because these two types of conveyor delivery systems can move loose grain more easily than a roller conveyor where there is a greater chance of losing grain to the work floor below. In order to make an informed decision about which of these two conveyor systems you should choose, the following highlights their differences and how these differences affect your granary's production line.
The Screw Conveyor System
A screw conveyor is named for the giant auger-like component that is housed within a large cylinder. In a granary, the screw conveyor picks up large grains of corn or wheat and propels them horizontally or vertically through an opening and into a waiting vat or storage tank. With a few special attachments, the screw conveyor may also wash the grain and/or bag it.
The drawbacks to using a screw conveyor are:
- A screw conveyor is much slower than a pneumatic conveyor, which means production in your granary is going to be much slower than maybe you had expected or hoped for.
- Screw conveyors, because of their very nature and structure, tend to chop grain up or de-husk the grains during the spinning process when too much grain is being force-fed into the screw conveyor's chamber. This could result is more grain dust and less fiber in the grain for the animals consuming it.
The Pneumatic Conveyor System
A pneumatic conveyor system is extremely fast and efficient when used in a granary. The loads are carefully monitored by the system, and then pressurized air spits the grain loads out into a holding or storage tank. Like the screw conveyor, it too can be slightly modified so that the grain is dispensed into sacks. Because there is nothing grinding against it nor are there any spinning blades in the way, the grain is rarely (if never) separated from its hulls, leaving the kind of roughage/fiber animals need in their diets. The pressurized air in these systems can either blow or suck with such force that you can process several dozens of pounds of grain every hour, preparing it for the bagging and storage processes cleanly and with little grain lost.
The drawbacks to using a pneumatic system are
- Smaller grains can get stuck in the pneumatic delivery tubes. Eventually this leads to a small blockage that will need to be cleared or removed by hand.
- Cleaning and disinfecting the pneumatic tubes may require taking the system apart regularly, which may cause slight delays in production. This can be avoided if you schedule cleanings during slow grain processing months.
The pneumatic system will also require a plant-wide conversion so that the grain can effectively travel the expected distance without human intervention. The screw conveyor only needs to be installed in one area, but will need more frequent cleanings and maintenance. If you want speed and whole grains, the pneumatic system is best. Contact a company like HAF Equipment Inc. for more information.
