A food manufacturing company who are predominantly a bakery, are using aerator pads (also known as airbrators or fluidisers) to aid with the discharge of flour within numerous hoppers around their bakery plant.
Aerator Pads used within this application: A730-0478
White food quality Silicon cone shaped pad rated to 200 degrees C. Complete with stainless steel stud, washer and hex nut, and white sealing washer.
The use of Airbrators in a Flour Application
The temperature of the flour is ambient, and it is travelling through the hopper at a pressure below 150 millibars. There are four aerator pads on each vessel, staggered at the cone outlet from the hopper. The aerator pads are fitted internally, and installed roughly 200 to 250mm apart.
There is an alternate pulsing sequence during product discharge from the hopper on this plant. The amount of air pressure that is fed to the aerators is 2.5 Barg. The effectiveness of the fluidising effect with slight vibrating movement coming from the aerator pads when air is supplied, has made a huge change to the flow rate and production, resulting in a lot less downtime.
The bakery have been using white food quality aerator pads from AKO UK for more than 25 years as a discharge aid for flour from the hoppers, and told us that they could not be without them now.
Airbrators for Flour: Experience
The engineer on site was kind enough to supply us with the above information about the bakery’s application, and also said:
“For us, these vibrating aerators are an inexpensive, reliable small scale discharge aid. We are not regular purchasers of the aerator pads because the ones we use hardly ever have to be replaced, but they are a must-have piece of equipment in our flour hoppers.”
Overall, the bakery’s satisfaction with their use of the aerator pads is very good, and they will have more potential for fitting additional aerators around this food plant in the future, depending on the application.