Patent Report: Coperion resin conveyor reduces friction

Conveying system. Coperion GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany, has earned a patent for a pneumatic resin conveying system that uses humid air to reduce friction.  

The conveying system has a feed location, at which the resin is fed into a conveying line via pressurized air. It also has a condensation tempering unit that is arranged along a section or sections of the conveying line. The tempering unit changes the temperature of the line to allow moisture to condense into a film on the line’s internal wall, enhancing its sliding properties, according to the patent. The moisture can be selectively condensed for improved conveying conditions along a specific section of the conveying line.  

By producing a film of moisture along the interior of the conveying line, friction is reduced, and the resin pellets slide more easily, allowing a reduction in the pressure used to convey them. “Pneumatic conveyance can thereby be carried out with improved process stability and, in particular, while reducing conveying pressure peaks. The occurrence of abrasion on the granulate is reduced and, in particular, prevented,” the patent states. 

In addition, users can adjust the film of moisture to adapt the system to the properties of different types of resins.  

Patent 11,254,520; issued Feb. 22