Pneumatic Conveying Calculator

Air velocity and pipe diameter from product and rate.

Throughput

t/hr

Pipe diameter

Horizontal pipe length

Vertical pipe length

Number of bends

Particle density

kg/m³

Particle size (d50)

Blower efficiency

Tab to move between fields

Design air velocity

45.5 m/s

Solids loading ratio (μ)

1.4

Saltation velocity32.5 m/s

Total pressure drop25 kPa

Pressure drop0.25 bar

Blower power30.92 kW

Blower power41.46 HP

Air consumption48.28 m³/min

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the required material throughput in pounds per hour.
Set conveying distance in feet and pipe diameter.
Input material bulk density and desired air velocity.
Review calculated air flow rate, system pressure drop, and blower horsepower.
Use these outputs to specify blower size and pipeline schedule for the conveying system.

How the result changes with Particle density

Throughput: Material flow rate in tonnes per hour.
Pipe diameter: Internal pipe diameter. Common: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 mm.
Horizontal pipe length: Total horizontal pipeline distance.
Vertical pipe length: Total vertical lift distance.
Number of bends: Number of 90° bends in the pipeline.
Particle density: True particle density. Plastic pellets ~900, cement ~3100, sugar ~1550.
Particle size (d50): Median particle diameter. Powders ~0.05, granules ~1-5 mm.
Blower efficiency: Blower/compressor isentropic efficiency. PD blowers ~0.60-0.70.

Design air velocity: Minimum safe conveying velocity with safety factor.
Saltation velocity: Velocity below which particles settle (pipeline blockage risk).
Solids loading ratio (μ): Mass ratio of solids to air. <15 = dilute phase, >15 = dense phase.
Total pressure drop: System pressure drop including air friction, solids transport, and bends.
Pressure drop: System pressure drop in bar.
Blower power: Required blower/compressor shaft power.
Blower power: Blower power in horsepower.
Air consumption: Free air delivery required at inlet conditions.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Throughput = 5, Pipe diameter = 150, Horizontal pipe length = 50, Vertical pipe length = 10 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Design air velocity
Design air velocity = max(12, minConveyingVelocity)
45.5 = 45.5
Calculate Solids loading ratio
Solids loading ratio = solidsMassFlow / max(0.001, airMassFlow)
1.4 = 1.4
Calculate Saltation velocity
Saltation velocity = 1.5 * pow(g * pipeDiameterM * densityRatio, 0.5) *
32.5 = 32.5
Calculate Total pressure drop
Total pressure drop = airPressureDrop + solidsPressureDrop
25 = 25