Suction Lances Products(5)
Michel Tube Engineering›Octabin Lid
Michel Tube Engineering›Suction Lance
Michel Tube Engineering›Suction Lance Connection
Michel Tube Engineering›Suction Lance - Aluminum / Stainless Steel
Michel Tube Engineering›Suction Lance - Stainless Steel
Suction Lances
The suction lance is the part that takes the raw material from a bag, an octabin or a container and delivers it into the conveying line. It is the first link of the line: a problem arising here affects the whole system.
Products
| Product | Function |
|---|---|
| Octabin Lid (OctaCap) | Closes the octabin mouth, centers the lance and prevents dust escaping |
| Suction Lance — Aluminum | Light, standard applications |
| Suction Lance — Stainless Steel | Food, medical and abrasive material |
| Suction Lance — Aluminum / Stainless hybrid | Light body, durable contact tip |
| Suction Lance Connection | A lance connection mouth for standard containers (bins and similar) |
Why does the right lance matter?
When the lance is positioned wrongly, part of the material stays in the container; a build-up occurs particularly in the corners of an octabin. That is both a waste of material and a cause of old material waiting a long time in the container.
The air balance is critical too: if not enough air enters the container while the lance is drawing material, the vacuum collapses the container or the conveying stops. The octabin lid establishes that balance and at the same time prevents dust escaping.
Related: Magnetic Separators · The system as a whole: granulate conveying systems
Why the suction lance is critical
The lance is the first point where the line touches the raw material. If the setting here is wrong, the conveying works irregularly however well the rest of the line has been built — and the problem is usually looked for in the pump, the line or the filter.
The false air balance
In the rest of the line false air is a defect; at the suction lance, however, a controlled air inlet is part of the design. Granulate cannot be drawn on its own, it has to be mixed with air. If the setting is wrong, two typical outcomes are seen:
- Too much air → the conveying capacity falls, energy is wasted
- Too little air → the granulate piles up in the tube and blockage begins
Lance position
A lance positioned too close to the bottom of the container becomes unable to draw material; one left too high cuts off the suction before the container is empty. If material constantly remains at the bottom of the container, the lance position and the tip geometry should be reviewed. The 45° angled stainless lance is designed to reduce that problem.
Keeping the container closed
Hygroscopic raw material standing in an open container quickly draws moisture back and the drying is wasted. The OctaCap octabin lid or the bin connection mouth is the cheapest link in that chain. The subject is covered in detail on the material drying page.
Material selection
For standard granulate aluminum is sufficient; with abrasive raw material a hybrid or a fully stainless body is preferred.