How does a blow tank operate?

The vessel fills by gravity or vacuum, the inlet seals, and air fluidises the bed and raises the pressure. At the setpoint the discharge valve opens and product enters the line as plugs or dunes. After the vessel empties, air briefly purges the pipe and the valves reset for the next cycle.

Gravity fill or vacuum-assisted fill?

Gravity-fill vessels suit fragile and highly abrasive products because they allow very high solids loading at very low velocity. Vacuum-assisted fill is preferred for fine powders and can reduce pipe size and air demand. The choice follows the material and the available headroom.

What conveying distances are achievable?

Engineered systems reach several hundred metres routinely, and about 1500 m and beyond on suitable duties with a compressor package. The actual figure is confirmed by a material test, because bulk density, particle shape and line pressure all affect the result.

What maintenance matters most?

The inlet and discharge valve seats, the fluidising medium and the pipeline bends. Wear parts are concentrated in the vessel valves rather than along the line, which is one reason dense phase suits abrasive products. Intervals are set from the duty and the material.

What process data are needed for a quotation?

Please provide material name and bulk density, particle size and abrasiveness, required rate, route length and lift, number of destinations, available air supply, and any temperature, inert-gas or explosion requirements.

Conveying

Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying

Name: Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying
Brand: CYprocess
Availability: InStock

CYprocess dense-phase conveying systems — also called blow-tank systems or plug-flow conveyors — move bulk solids at high solids-to-air ratio and low velocity. The result is less pipe wear, less product degradation and lower air consumption than dilute phase, over long distances.

View Details Datasheet (PDF)Request a Quote All Products

Shanghai-built. Drawings come with the quotation, and material certificates are available on request. Factory and documents

Blow tank (sending vessel) for dense-phase conveying

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Overview

About Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying

How this equipment works in powder handling lines and what to consider when selecting it.

Working principle

Product is charged into a pressure vessel, then fluidised and discharged as plug or dune flow under compressed air. The inlet seals, often with a dome or spherical valve that closes through the product bed, and air then pressurises the vessel and pushes the batch into the line. Multiple transmitters can run in sequence for continuous plant feed.

Fill options and selection

Gravity-fill vessels suit fragile or highly abrasive products because they allow very high solids loading at very low velocity. Vacuum-assisted fill supports fine powders and can reduce pipe size and air use, while medium-pressure designs sit between the two. Combined mix-and-convey vessels blend product before transfer.

Where it fits in the process

Material Intake

Conveying

Dosing

Mixing

Packaging

Features

Key Features

Design points that make the Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying practical for industrial powder plants.

High solids-to-air ratio with low conveying velocity

Blow-tank batch transfer with automated fill-convey-purge cycles

Gravity or vacuum-assisted fill; bottom discharge

Dome and spherical inlet sealing for reliable pressurisation

Reduced pipe wear and product degradation versus dilute phase

Lower air consumption on optimised dense-phase designs

Single or multiple transmitters for capacity and redundancy

Specifications

Typical Specifications

Final sizing depends on material properties, capacity and plant layout. Request a project review for a tailored proposal.

Conveying mode	Positive-pressure dense phase (blow tank)
Air pressure	About 2 - 6 bar operating; vessel rated per project
Solids loading	High solids-to-air ratio, medium to very high by duty
Velocity	Low-velocity plug / dune flow
Fill method	Gravity fill or vacuum-assisted fill
Vessel volume	About 0.35 - 9 m³ and above (custom sizes)
Line size	About DN50 - DN175, layout dependent
Distance	Short runs to about 500 - 1500 m and beyond (material tested)

Materials

Suitable Materials

Powder and granule categories typically specified with a dense phase pneumatic conveying. Suitability is confirmed per project from bulk density, particle size, moisture and process conditions.

Minerals & calcines

spodumene calcine, limestone, quartz, sand

Ash & by-products

fly ash, coke fines, sludge ash

Chemical powders

TiO2, PVC / CPVC, resins, lithium salts, lime

Food ingredients

sugar, salt, grains, nuts

Foundry & metal powders

foundry sand, metal oxides, alumina

Fragile granules

break-sensitive pellets and agglomerates

Not sure whether your material will convey? Send us a sample description and we will confirm before quotation.

Industries

Industries Served

Sectors where dense phase pneumatic conveying units are specified today.

All industries

Battery

Contained transfer and metering for NCM, LFP, graphite and conductive additives.

Industry page

New Energy

Powder automation for lithium materials, CNT slurry prep and related plants.

Industry page

Project experience

Where this equipment is running

Selected projects that include dense phase pneumatic conveying.

All case studies

New Energy

300 m Dense-Phase Transfer for LFP Powder with Ceramic Pipeline

Guizhou, China · 2023

Read case

Applications

Process Applications

Process points where this equipment is typically installed, from bulk intake through to packing.

Long-distance silo-to-process powder transfer

Abrasive minerals, pigments and cementitious fines

Fragile pellets and break-sensitive granules

Battery and lithium-related powder handling

Food, chemical and plastics conveying

Power-plant ash and alternative fuels

High solids-loading transfer with limited air supply

Downloads

Catalogs & Datasheets

Technical documents related to this product and our powder handling range.

All downloads

Technical Datasheet

Dense-Phase Positive Pressure Conveying Datasheet

PDF · 181 KB

Download

Product Catalog

CYprocess Powder Handling Product Catalog (2026)

PDF · 3.5 MB

Download

FAQ

Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying FAQ

Common questions about selection, integration and quotation.

When the product is abrasive or fragile, when the route is long, or when the available air supply is limited. Low velocity and high solids loading reduce wear, breakage and air consumption, though the vessel and control system are more complex than a dilute-phase line.

More FAQ