The SEEPEX Smart Air Injection (SAI) system, originally developed for cake pumping in the environmental market, is being used in breweries across the globe to convey spent grain, saving considerable amounts of energy.
SAI uses short, pneumatic pulses of compressed air to convey huge, compact plugs of spent grain to silos or storage tanks. It combines a progressive cavity pump with a compressor for dense phase pneumatic conveying.
The system can handle media with a variable moisture content of 60-85%. Conventional methods of spent grain conveyance have included the use of pneumatic conveying systems. These systems require a continuous supply of uncontrolled, compressed air. The SAI system’s ability to produce short, compressed air pulses requires considerably less compressed air, resulting in large energy savings.
According to Dr Ing. Stephan Mottyll, product manager at SEEPEX: “Short, compressed air pulses at greater intervals easily convey long plugs of spent grain. Compared to old pneumatic tube systems, the compressed air consumption can drop by as much as 80%.” The system is easy to integrate into existing automation and control systems.
