Diseño y simulación de un sistema de transporte por vacío para la evacuación de desechos en el proceso de prensado de revestimientos cerámicos

Abstract

The main objective of this degree work was the design and simulation of a vacuum transport system that allows the evacuation of waste in the pressing process of ceramic coatings, which takes production requirements of Ecuacerámica. It began by collecting information on pneumatic transport to determine the variables that influence the design of the system. Next, samples of the material to be transported were taken and their physical properties were established by means of a granulometric and density analysis. For the conceptual design, the requirements of Ecuacerámica were used to propose three solution alternatives and, with a careful evaluation, the design composed of a blower, rotary valves, a galvanized steel pipe and a conventional cyclone was chosen. Then, the dimensions of the cyclone, its resuspension speed, and the diameter of the pipe along with its sedimentation speed were calculated to rule out blockages. The pressure drop of the system was calculated by adding the individual pressure drops, establishing the total power required and the appropriate blower was chosen, as well as the rotary valves. Finally, the system was simulated using ANSYS to observe the behavior of the material, using the Fluid Flow (Fluent) module, and thus contrast the displacement, pressure and velocity obtained analytically. This simulation showed as a result that the material will be discharged efficiently, that the transport speed assumed in the calculations was correct and that the pressure drop in the system is like that calculated. It is concluded that the designed vacuum transport system fulfills its objective and allows a total transport of the material from the point of generation to the point of discharge. A more in-depth study of the waste material generated in the press area is recommended to improve the system design.