Air canons
The cement and mineral producing industries use different kinds of air cannons which play a crucial role in the production process.
Air cannons are designed to act as devices that improve flowability of bulk solids and prevent consolidation of solids in silos, hoppers and transition units.
The internal mechanism of a typical air cannon allows quick exhaust of compressed air from a storage vessel into the silo where material is stored. The air is discharged at ultra sonic velocity and cracks the impacted material allowing it to lose its hold and move to the silo outlet.
Air cannons are installed wherever material stored needs to be manipulated, to improve flowability, solve compaction and overcome dust clinging and build up, adhesion bridging rat holing and arching in silos.
One of the firms which stand out in the field of air cannons is L-Tan ltd from Israel.
The range of air cannons engineered, produced and marketed by L Tan represent innovative and exclusive design, a breakthrough in the maintenance free mechanism and a new approach to production of air cannons designed for high temperature –up to 500 degrees Celsius, suitableharsh and extreme environment conditions.
The main claimed technical advantage of the L Tan air cannons over competitors is based on the internal design, lack of seals, o rings, plastic and other wearing parts in addition to easy on site accessibility and dismantling. L Tan air cannons were found to give the longest maintenance free service and the quickest and strongest blow/shot.
The L Tan air cannons replaces older design which were found to be energy consuming, demanded routine and frequent maintenance .
The L Tan air cannons are maintenance free, require no lubrication and dismantling them is done on site without the need to take the complete unit apart.
The range of air cannons produced by L Tan includes 2.5" , 4" , 6" ,8" while 10" and 12" are produced to order.
The range of air vessels volumes is very wide and all air cannons are equipped with the control to allow manual or automatic operation as requested.
All L Tan air cannons comply with the CE regulation and vessels are individually tested and certified.The L Tan air cannons works in -20 to +500 degrees Celsius and can meet other temperature demands as needed.
In the cements mills, gypsum, potash, lime, phosphate and similar process industries
kilns are used during the production, calciners, huge cyclones and hoods
conveyors and furnaces are typically used in the cement mills, with all those
processes dust clings and builds up causing plant losses and possible shut down.
Air cannons were found to be of the best solution and L Tan has supplied during
the years hundreds of their air cannons with big success and the full clients’ satisfaction.
When furnace or transition unit suffer from dust clinging to the walls, such build up usually "chokes" inlet causing elevated temperature and the result is wear to the furnace refractory. High temp air cannons allow these industries to operate continuously with no need for shut downs or problems related to dust built up.
One of the advantages of all air cannons compared with other devices like the pneumatic and electric industrial vibrators is their easy adaptability to all kind of silos whether are metal, concrete, or wooden made, audio sonic horns were found to be successful in many applications but being audio sonic, their operation involves high noise levels which presently becomes more and more unaccepted by the authorities and the end users alike.
Unlike Air cannons, industrial vibrators might cause structure damage in the long run.
The L Tan air cannons are found in cement mills, quarries, oil extracting plants, animal feed mills, seeds bulk terminals to name a few.
L Tan takes pride in their vast experience in the installation of air cannons. It was found during years of field activity that sizing and proper installation supervision is the key element to success and overcoming the problems end users are facing, as a result L Tan has made it a rule to be involved in the implementation and installation of each job they are doing. With hundreds of air cannons installed this proves to be the right approach.
Typical case studies:
1) With one of the cement mills a Lepol kiln is installed, air cannons were installed but it was found that the quantity of installed air cannons was to small, the nozzles were not always in the right location and direction which resulted in frequent planned shut downs for maintenance .L Tan were invited to recommend a solution only after the built up of 500 mm accumulated dust caused the collapse of the Lepol ceiling of over 8000mm long. The time needed for repair was 16 days not to mention the direct and indirect costs involved. L Tan has installed a series of their air cannons and since then, few years ago the Lepol is running smoothly.
2) An oil extracting plant stores soy expeller meal. Due to the poor flowability of the meal and its compactibility nature , client needed to circulate the material between silos minimizing the static storage. When L Tan has introduced their air cannons on the specific silos the need for circulation of material between silos was avoided and client saved money by allowing long static storage.
L Tan are presently in the process of widening their activities
appointing dealers for designated areas and transforming
their success in the domestic market to an international success story.
