[TheForge] Engineering data

[Ries Niemi]

On Friday, February 18, 2005, at 12:48 PM, Rick wrote:

> Hello all -
>
>    Does anyone know where I can find some solid engineernig data on 
> the web for designing a pneumatic conveying system for wood chips?  I 
> have spent some time and am not finding numbers, only innuendo and 
> site-specific stuff. I need to design a system that will move a 
> certain amount of wood per hour and use the least power doing it.
>
>

All the straight air powered systems I have seen are only good for 
dust, not chips. Takes a lot of muscle to move much volume in even 
something as light as chips.
What you are talking about is unusual enough that I really doubt there 
is free info on exactly how to do it just sitting around. You need to 
talk to engineers who have designed systems like this before.
But you could start out trying to pick their brains for free- I would 
start by calling, not emailing, the companies that make commercial 
systems for wood chip movement- start with the obvious ones that sell 
stuff for cabinet shops, but what you really want to find is the guys 
who build the custom systems for small sawmills.
Phone calls, and persistance, is the way to go on this- you just dont 
take no for an answer, you keep asking, if you dont make this, do you 
know who does? And ask to talk to tech staff, applications engineers, 
and designers, not salespeople.

If you type "wood chip conveyor systems" into google, you get a whole 
bunch of places to start your search with.

ries