Innovations

PneuCalc
PneuCalc Software Manual
Version 7.0.0
Table of contents
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 What’s new: Version 7.0.0 ............................................................................................................ 1

2. Installation and update ........................................................................................................................ 3

2.1 Installation ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Updates ......................................................................................................................................... 6

3. Licenses ................................................................................................................................................ 6
3.1 License types ................................................................................................................................ 6
3.2 License activation ......................................................................................................................... 7
3.3 License deactivation ................................................................................................................... 10

4. PneuCalc overview ............................................................................................................................. 13

5. Toolbar ................................................................................................................................................. 16

5.1 File menu .................................................................................................................................... 16

5.2 Report ......................................................................................................................................... 17
5.3 Units of measure ......................................................................................................................... 17
5.4 User ............................................................................................................................................ 18
5.5 Help ............................................................................................................................................. 18

6. User preferences ................................................................................................................................ 21

6.1 Acceleration zones...................................................................................................................... 21

6.2 Pipe angles ................................................................................................................................. 22
6.3 Design pressure .......................................................................................................................... 24
6.4 Miscellaneous parameters .......................................................................................................... 24

7. Project tab ........................................................................................................................................... 25

8. Materials tab ........................................................................................................................................ 27

9. Gas tab ................................................................................................................................................. 30

10. Geometry tab....................................................................................................................................... 32

10.1 Components ................................................................................................................................ 32
10.2 Unfolded conveyor layout ........................................................................................................... 34

11. Main tab ............................................................................................................................................... 35

11.1 General inputs and outputs ......................................................................................................... 36
11.2 Saltation velocity ......................................................................................................................... 37
11.3 Summarized calculation Result .................................................................................................. 39
11.4 Diameter override ....................................................................................................................... 39

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11.5 Phase diagrams .......................................................................................................................... 39

12. Details tab............................................................................................................................................ 42

13. Generate report ................................................................................................................................... 43

13.1 Summary tab............................................................................................................................... 43
13.2 Material and gas tab ................................................................................................................... 44
13.3 Geometry tab .............................................................................................................................. 45
13.4 Detailed calculations tab ............................................................................................................. 46
13.5 Components tab.......................................................................................................................... 47

14. Import from PneuCalc Version 6 ....................................................................................................... 48

15. Battery limit ......................................................................................................................................... 48

16. FAQs .................................................................................................................................................... 49

Table of figures
Figure 2.1: Welcome to the PneuCalc Setup Wizard ................................................................................... 3
Figure 2.2: Select Installation Folder Window............................................................................................... 4
Figure 2.3: Confirm Installation Window ....................................................................................................... 5
Figure 2.4: Installation Complete Window .................................................................................................... 6
Figure 3.1: License Wizard Home Window Without License ........................................................................ 7
Figure 3.2: License Wizard Online Activation Window ................................................................................. 8
Figure 3.3: License Wizard Home Window with a License ........................................................................... 9
Figure 3.4: License Wizard License Information ......................................................................................... 10
Figure 3.5: License Deactivation Button ..................................................................................................... 11
Figure 3.6: License Deactivation Window ................................................................................................... 12
Figure 3.7 : Number of Allowed Deactivations Exceeded ........................................................................... 12
Figure 4.1 : Project Workflow ...................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 5.1: File Menu .................................................................................................................................. 16
Figure 5.2: Report Menu ............................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 5.3: Units of Measure Menu ............................................................................................................. 18
Figure 5.4: User Menu ................................................................................................................................ 18
Figure 5.5: Toolbar Help Menu’s Items ....................................................................................................... 18
Figure 5.6: About PneuCalc Window .......................................................................................................... 19
Figure 5.7: Check for Updates Window: Up-to-date ................................................................................... 19
Figure 5.8: Check for Updates Window: Outdated ..................................................................................... 20
Figure 6.1: User Preferences Window ........................................................................................................ 21
Figure 6.2: Upwards pipe slopping from Horizontal Zone ........................................................................... 22
Figure 6.3: Upwards pipe slopping from the Vertical Zone ......................................................................... 23
Figure 6.4: Downwards Inclination from the Horizontal Zone ..................................................................... 23
Figure 7.1: Project Tab................................................................................................................................ 25
Figure 8.1 : Materials Tab ........................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 9.1 : Gas Tab ................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 10.1: Geometry Tab ......................................................................................................................... 32

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Figure 10.2: Diameter Manual Entry ........................................................................................................... 33
Figure 10.3 : Trigonometric Circle Angle References ................................................................................. 33
Figure 10.4: Unfolded Conveyor Layout Manual Scaling ........................................................................... 34
Figure 11.1: Main Tab ................................................................................................................................. 35
Figure 11.2: Saltation Velocity Dialog Box .................................................................................................. 38
Figure 11.3: Line Refluxing Example .......................................................................................................... 39
Figure 11.4: Phase Diagram: Conveying Pressure versus Flow Rate ....................................................... 40
Figure 11.5: Phase Diagram: Conveying Capacity versus Gas Flow Rate ................................................ 41
Figure 12.1: Details Tab .............................................................................................................................. 42
Figure 13.1: Report Summary Tab ............................................................................................................. 43
Figure 13.2: Report Materials and Gas Tab................................................................................................ 44
Figure 13.3: Report Geometry Tab ............................................................................................................. 45
Figure 13.4: Report Detailed Calculations Tab ........................................................................................... 46
Figure 13.5: Report Components Tab ........................................................................................................ 47

Table of tables
Table 5-1: Toolbar File Menu’s Item Descriptions ...................................................................................... 16
Table 5.2: Toolbar Help Menu Item Descriptions ....................................................................................... 18
Table 7.1: Project Tab’s Parameters .......................................................................................................... 25
Table 8.1: Material Tab’s Parameters ......................................................................................................... 28
Table 9.1: Gas Tab's Parameters ............................................................................................................... 30
Table 11.1: Main Tab's General Input ......................................................................................................... 36
Table 11.2 : Suggested Temperature Gradient .......................................................................................... 36
Table 11-3: Main Tab's General Output ...................................................................................................... 37

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1. Introduction
Thank you for your interest in PneuCalc, our pneumatic conveying system design software.
PneuCalc is a pneumatic conveying design software that can be used for calculating either
types of conveying systems–vacuum or pressure–in either conventional modes of conveying–
dilute phase or dense phase. PneuCalc is based on the theory from Zenz and Othmer 1 and
modified based on more than twenty years of practical experience. Due to different material
characteristics, the system cannot predict all variations, but can be accurately used for the
initial sizing of most pneumatic conveying systems, from the infeed point to the product
receiver.

This manual will explain how to use the software with all the input requirements and output
displays. It is not meant to be a detailed set of procedures on designing a pneumatic conveying
system. It is assumed that the user already has a working knowledge and understanding of
pneumatic conveying systems and the primary parameters that are important to the design of
a system.

Hatch does offer extended training and/or additional support if necessary. Please contact us at
[email protected] for more information.

1.1 What’s new: Version 7.0.0

PneuCalc 7.0.0 has all the functionality of the previous versions but features a completely new
interface that is user friendly and powerful. It also adds:

1. an automatic determination of the Geldart chart classification

2. a material and gas database that can be filled, saved, and transferred

3. a 2D representation of the pneumatic conveying system

4. a standard pipe diameter list based on ASME

5. a saltation velocity calculations

6. a dropdown menu for immediate conversion of units of measure for all inputs in the
software

7. An Excel report containing all the software information as well as a components design
tab.

1Theory taken from chapter 11th of "Fluidization and Fluid Particle Systems”, and published as a Reinhold
Chemical Engineering Series, by Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York

If you disagree with any information contained herein, please advise immediately.
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.
All the new features are integrated to provide an efficient workflow, avoid design pitfalls, and
converge quickly and efficiently to an optimized design.

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2. Installation and update
2.1 Installation
To install PneuCalc, either for the first time or as an update from a prior version, the steps are
the same.

1. Double-click the PneuCalc_Setup.msi package window installer file.

2. This will open the PneuCalc setup wizard shown in Figure 2.1, click Next.

Figure 2.1: Welcome to the PneuCalc Setup Wizard

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3. By default, the software is installed in Program Files(x86). Click Browse (shown in
Figure 2.2) to specify a different location.

4. You can also specify if you want the software to be accessed by everyone using the
computer or restrict it to yourself.

5. Click Next.

Figure 2.2: Select Installation Folder Window

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6. Click Next in the following window shown in Figure 2.3 to confirm the installation. This
will start the installation process.

Figure 2.3: Confirm Installation Window

7. Once the installation is complete, window shown in Figure 2.4 will inform you about it.
Click Close and you are ready to go.

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Figure 2.4: Installation Complete Window

To start the software, you can use one of the two shortcuts automatically created by the wizard
on your Start Menu and on your desktop. You can also launch it directly from the installation
folder specified in the wizard’s second window (Figure 2.2).

2.2 Updates
Updates to PneuCalc are managed directly from within the software. At the software start, a
check is always done to verify if the running version is the latest. If it is not, the license wizard
will be opened automatically and will guide you through the software update. The software
update can also be done manually via the software using the Help toolbar. Refer to section 5.5
for more details.

Updating the software is exactly the same process as installing it for the first time. Refer to
section 2.1 of this manual for more details.

3. Licenses
Licenses can be obtained by going to www.PneuCalc.com

3.1 License types

There are three types of licenses that are available:

1. Trial license: license that gives the option to try the software for a week, with a few
functionalities disabled. It blocks the open or save project files, saving or restoring

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materials and gas databases, importing project files from previous PneuCalc versions,
and the generation of reports.

2. Standard single-computer license: license that gives full access of the software for
a single computer, for a year.

3. Standard multi-computer license: license that gives full access of the software for
five computers, for a year.

3.2 License activation

Upon obtaining your activation license key, open the software. If you have not activated a
license before, or if your previous license is now expired, the license wizard will automatically
open at the software start-up. You may then activate your license using your activation key.
Figure 3.1 shows what the home window of the license wizard looks like:

Figure 3.1: License Wizard Home Window Without License

1. To activate your license, Press the “Activate your license” button.

2. Enter your activation key to activate it, as shown in Figure 3.3:

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Figure 3.2: License Wizard Online Activation Window

Once your key has been activated, the license server will generate a unique computer key for
your computer and send it back to the software. This key will be stored on the server and on
your computer. By doing so, whenever you reopen the application, you will not be greeted by
the license wizard and will not need to specify your activation key again. The license wizard
will only be shown again at start-up after your license has expired or if it has been deactivated.

You may reopen the license wizard manually whenever you want by using the toolbar menu. If
your license key is activated and still valid, the home page will indicate what is shown in Figure
3.4:

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Figure 3.3: License Wizard Home Window with a License

By clicking the top-left icon next to the “Your license is activated” text, you can get information
about your license’s expiry date 2 and the number of licenses it provides as shown in Figure
3.5.

2 The expiry date is inclusive, meaning that the license expires at the absolute end of the day displayed.

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Figure 3.4: License Wizard License Information

3.3 License deactivation

The license wizard also allows you to deactivate your license for a given computer. This is
particularly useful if you are changing computers and need to migrate PneuCalc to your new
machine, for example.

1. To deactivate your license key, click the “Deactivate your license” button on the
license wizard home page.

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Figure 3.5: License Deactivation Button

2. On the next window, simply specify your license activation key and click “Deactivate.”

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Figure 3.6: License Deactivation Window

3. Once your license is deactivated, you may activate it on another system following the
same procedure as the first activation.

Note that there are only two deactivations allowed per year for any given activation key. If
you need to deactivate your license key more than twice during a year, contact Pneucalc-
[email protected] for assistance.

4. If you exceed the number of allowed deactivations for the one-year period and try to
deactivate your license, an error message will be displayed. The deactivation will still
go through, but you will only be able to reactivate this license on the current
computer.

Figure 3.7 : Number of Allowed Deactivations Exceeded

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4. PneuCalc overview
PneuCalc is an easy-to-use, single window desktop software. One of the designing goals of
the software was to make the workflow linear and intuitive. PneuCalc comes preloaded with an
existing default project, with all the fields filled up and calculation results shown. These values
are there as an example that you can modify as needed.

Start by defining the project-specific information in the project tab, such as the system
descriptions, the system type, and the site elevation. You can then pick which material and gas
you are going to use for your project from the materials and gas tabs. These tabs are databases
that can be filled in and saved with new material or gas to be used in future PneuCalc Files.
The geometry tab allows you to quickly define your conveyor system by adding components,
specifying their dimensions and orientations, placing them in the right order, and visualizing the
conveyor in the unfolded conveyor layout . Finally, when your system and all the inputs are
defined, you can go to the main tab to find the right parameters by performing calculations and
testing various configurations. Do not hesitate to view the details tab table if you wish to get
more detailed results. Once the design is finished, a Excel report can be generated containing
all the information that was in PneuCalc, plus an additional tab to design typical pneumatic
conveying components. The typical project workflow is shown in Figure 4.1.

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Project Material Gas Geometry Main Detail Report
•Project-specific •Material •Gas •Conveying •Definition of •System detail •Review of the
information definition, definition, system the capacity, analysis design
definition including incuding routing airflow, •Definition of
particle size, temperature definition, velocity, and typical
density, and including conveying components
temperature internal mode
diameter

If you disagree with any information contained herein, please advise immediately.
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.
Figure 4.1 : Project Workflow

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5. Toolbar
The toolbar menu is constituted of five items (with additional sub-items):

1. File menu

2. Report

3. Units

4. User

5. Help

The following section will present each sub-item.

5.1 File menu

The file menu contains all the typical functions in a Windows desktop app.

Figure 5.1: File Menu

Table 5-1 presents each of the items with their descriptions.

Table 5-1: Toolbar File Menu’s Item Descriptions

Item Description

Opens a new instance of the software with preloaded default

New
values.

If you disagree with any information contained herein, please advise immediately.
, Rev. 0
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© Hatch 2020 All rights reserved, including all rights relating to the use of this document or its contents.
Item Description

Opens a file explorer window allowing you to load an existing

Open project file in the software and perform a calculation with the
newly loaded data.

Saves the current state of the project in a project file. In the

last saved file if using “Save,” or in a new file if using ”Save
As.” Also automatically saves the materials and gas
Save / Save As databases.

Automatic backups of both databases’ current states are

saved to the Database Backup folder for further restore, if
needed.

Imports a project file from a PneuCalc 6.0 or PneuCalc 6.2

and performs the calculation with the newly loaded data.
Import from PneuCalc 6
Details about how the import works are given in Section 14 of
this document.

Create a backup of the current state of both the materials and

Backup Database the gas databases in separate new files. These backups can
then be restored using the “Restore Database” menu item.

Opens a file explorer in the Database Backup folder, allowing

you to pick either a material or gas database file to load in the
Restore Database
software. The checked material or gas is kept checked and
added to the database if needed.

Exit Exits the software.

5.2 Report
The Report/Generate report menu item allows you to generate a report of your project and its
results in a Microsoft Excel file. The contents of the report are detailed in Section 0 of this
document.

Figure 5.2: Report Menu

5.3 Units of measure

The Units menu allows you to select which units of measure system you wish to work in the
software, imperial or metric. Selecting a unit system will set the results tables, the results graph,
the geometry graph, the report, and the other software outputs to be displayed in the selected

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system. It also automatically converts the majority of the software values to their equivalent in
the appropriate unit from the selected system. Only the materials and gas database contents
and the diameters are not converted.

Figure 5.3: Units of Measure Menu

NOTE: all input units can be modified from either the imperial or metric system, at all times,
using the drop down menu.

5.4 User
The User menu contains the Preferences item, which opens the user preferences. More details
about the user preferences can be found in Section 6 of this manual.

Figure 5.4: User Menu

5.5 Help
The Help menu contains tools to help you with any problem regarding the software.

Figure 5.5: Toolbar Help Menu’s Items

Table 5.2 describes each item of the Help menu.

Table 5.2: Toolbar Help Menu Item Descriptions

Item Description

Displays general information about the software, such as the

About PneuCalc version number and its date of release. It also shows your
license information as presented on Figure 5.6.

Gives you the contact email address for support with the
Get Support
software.

Manual (PDF) Opens the User Manual (this document).

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Item Description

Opens up a small window, giving information about the

current version and the latest version available. If a more
recent version is available for download, a link to download it
Check for Update
directly from the software will be displayed. Clicking the link
will close the software and automatically launch the
installation wizard. See Figure 5.7 and Figure 5.8.

Opens up the license wizard window from which you are able
to see information about your license and buttons to activate
License Wizard and deactivate licenses. Also, if a newer version of the
software is available, you will also be informed of it in this
window and be able to download it directly from it.

Figure 5.6: About PneuCalc Window

Figure 5.7: Check for Updates Window: Up-to-date

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Figure 5.8: Check for Updates Window: Outdated
BLANK PAGE

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6. User preferences
PneuCalc offers user preferences to help the user in the design of the pneumatic conveying
system. These values have no influence on the calculations, but give guidelines (warnings
highlighted in red) during the design. They are stored in a data file outside of the software,
causing the changes made to these values to be persistent through closing and opening the
software. Exiting the window by clicking the “OK” button saves the changes made to the file.
However, if you exit the user preferences window with the “Cancel” or “X” buttons, changes
made will be canceled and not saved. For access to the user preferences, refer to Section 5.4
of this manual. By clicking the menu item, a window with multiple parameters will appear. Figure
6.1 shows what this window looks like:

Figure 6.1: User Preferences Window

It contains various controls with modifiable values that are divided into four sections :

1. Acceleration zones

2. Pipe angle

3. Design pressure

4. Miscellaneous parameters

The typical values of Figure 6.1 are preloaded in PneuCalc and can be modified as required.

6.1 Acceleration zones

This section defines the minimum acceleration zone length acceptable before PneuCalc gives
a warning (highlighted in red). These zones are where the material is being accelerated in the

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conveying pipeline, based on the ratio between the length and diameter of a component. They
should not contain any bends or inclined sections. There are two locations for the acceleration
zones:

• Material pick-up point acceleration zone: the first pipe of the conveyor system
constitutes this zone. Note that if it is followed by subsequent pipe(s) in the same
orientation and size, the zone length is extended to include all of these pipes.

• Direction change acceleration zone: the first section of pipe after a change of direction
(i.e., a bend component). Note that if it is followed by subsequent pipe(s) in the same
orientation and size, the zone length is extended to include all of these pipes.

The length of the acceleration zones typically depends on the conveying modes, which means
that each zone has an input for dense phase, mixed phase and dilute phase .If a component
ratio is under the defined value for its given category, its diameter and length will be highlighted
in red in the summarized calculation results table to indicate that the design does not follow the
preferences.

6.2 Pipe angles

This section defines the acceptable sloping angle of the pipeline that the user wants to design
the pneumatic conveying system. There are three values to define: upward horizontal, upward
vertical, and downward horizontal.

1. Upward horizontal: the first value determines the upwards pipe slopping defined from the
horizontal, where “X” in Figure 6.2 is the value entered in the user preferences.

Figure 6.2: Upwards pipe slopping from Horizontal Zone

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2. Upward vertical: the second value determines the upwards pipe slopping defined from
the vertical, where “Y” in Figure 6.3 is the value entered in the user preferences.

Figure 6.3: Upwards pipe slopping from the Vertical Zone

3. Downward horizontal: the third value determines the downwards inclination allowed from
the horizontal, where “Z” in Figure 6.4 is the value entered in the user preferences.

Figure 6.4: Downwards Inclination from the Horizontal Zone

Pneumatic conveying system designs with pipe sloping outside of these three zones are still
allowed by the software, but the angle will be displayed in red in the geometry tab to warn the
user that it is not following the user preferences.

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6.3 Design pressure
This section defines the acceptable resulting maximum pressure at which the user wants to
design the pneumatic conveying based on the system types and conveying modes.

1. Pressure system: there is a unique maximum pressure defined for each conveying mode
(dilute, mixed, and dense). The conveying mode selection for the pressure comparison is
the first component (i.e., at the infeed point).

2. Vacuum system: there is only one maximum value defined for all conveying modes, as
the maximum vacuum possible is the atmospheric pressure.

If the conveying design pressure exceeds these values, there will be a warning (highlighted in
red) in the main tab to indicate that the pressure drop calculated does not follow the user
preferences.

6.4 Miscellaneous parameters

The parameters are miscellaneous values that are related to the software calculations that can
be modified to increase the precision of the calculation.

1. Particle minimum vertical velocity: frequently referred to as the “choking velocity.” It is

the minimum velocity at which a particle must be conveyed in a vertical section (i.e., the
resulting velocity between the particle velocity and the terminal velocity of the particle). This
velocity is used to determine if there will be line refluxing. See Section 0 for more
information on line refluxing.

2. Number of data points for graphs: determines the number of points that will be used to
plot the pressure and capacity phase diagrams. Increasing the value in this field will
increase the precision and smoothness of the curves. See Section 11.5 for more
information on phase diagrams.

3. Calculations increment: the solving of a pneumatic conveying system is repetitive. It

starts at a known point, calculates the pressure drop per unit line length, and uses this
pressure drop for a given distance, at which point it recalculates the pressure drop per unit
length and repeats the cycle. The line increment input determines the distance used in-
between each increment.

4. Bend equivalent length (for 90°): determines the equivalent length of an horizontal pipe
for the pressure drop calculations of an elbow. Other bend angles are calculated linearly
based on this equivalent length.

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7. Project tab
The first tab that shows after opening the software is the Project tab as shown in Figure 7.1.

Figure 7.1: Project Tab

In this tab, project-specific information both from a technical and management perspective are
entered. This information will appear on the main page of the report and help identify your
project. Table 7.1 presents all of the parameters.
Table 7.1: Project Tab’s Parameters

Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Project name Name of the project

Conveyor name Name of the conveying system

Revision number Identifier of the revision

Designer name Name of the designer

Date of the design Date at which the design was made

Approver name Name of the design’s approver

Date of the approval Date at which the design was approved

Text field to describe the conveying system

Descriptions
that will appear on the report

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Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Comments Text field to add comments that will not

appear on the report

Location Geographical location of the system

Elevation above sea level is required to X

Elevation above sea level calculate the actual volume of gas and the
resulting pressure drop.

Design temperature (min. Minimum and maximum temperatures at the

and max.) geographical location or the temperature to
be considered in the design. This
temperature needs to be considered for the
selection of equipment.

This temperature does not affect the

calculation as the material and gas
temperatures are defined in their tabs,
respectively. Refer to Sections 8 and 9 for
more details.

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8. Materials tab
The Materials tab allows you to view and edit the contents of the materials database and to
select the material that will be used for calculation by checking the checkbox as presented in
Figure 8.1. Note that only one material can be used for calculations at a time. PneuCalc comes
preloaded with one material in the database that is defined as the generic material, which can
never be modified or deleted from the database. If you select it, the controls to edit and delete
it will all convert to read-only mode.

Figure 8.1 : Materials Tab

Materials can be added in the database by using the green “plus” button. Newly added
materials are automatically selected and are given default values, which could then be
modified. Materials, other than the default one, can also be deleted from the database, by first
selecting a material and using the red “minus” button or the “DEL” key. To modify the

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characteristics of a material, simply select it in the list by clicking anywhere in its row and edit
its characteristics directly on the right-hand-side form. Table 8.1 presents all the editable
characteristics.
Table 8.1: Material Tab’s Parameters

Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Name Name of the material

True density Weight of a solid block of the material. Often

given in terms of specific gravity, which true X
density can be calculated from.

Bulk density Loose weight of the material in a certain

volume.

Amount of heat to be supplied to a given

mass of a material to produce a unit change
in its temperature.

Specific heat capacity This value is used to calculate the equilibrium X

temperature of the mix between material and
gas.

If unknown, 0.5 is typically used.

Material temperature Temperature at which the material will be fed

into the conveying system.

This value is used to calculate the equilibrium X

temperature of the mix between material and
gas.

The previous version of PneuCalc called this

the program modifier.

Use to adjust the resulting calculation

pressure drop if special consideration on the
material is known or if data on a system is
Calibrating factor known. This factor will directly affect the X
conveying design pressure of the calculation.
Recommended factor to be used is 1.

BE CAREFUL: you can reduce it to a point

below the actual requirement and will result in
an inoperable system.

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Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Minimum velocity Minimum velocity at which the selected

material can be transported. If a velocity in a
component is under the defined value, the
velocity of this component will be indicated in
red in the Summarized Calculations table as
well as in the Details tab.

This velocity is normally chosen from

experience or from material testing.

Maximum velocity Maximum velocity at which the selected

material can be transported. If a velocity in a
component is under the defined value, the
velocity of this component will be indicated in
red in the Summarized Calculations table as
well as in the Details tab.

This velocity is normally chosen from

experience or from material testing.

Particle diameter (min.) Minimum spherical equivalent particle

diameter that will be transported system.

Particle diameter (average) Average spherical equivalent particle

diameter that will be transported in the X
system.

Particle diameter (max.) Maximum spherical equivalent particle

diameter that will be transported in the X
system.

Chemical properties Chemicals properties can be checked for

specific material to ensure that the material is
well defined. These properties will also be
carried out in the report.

The Geldart chart is automatically modified based on the spherical equivalent particle
diameters (min., average, max.) indicating which Geldart group the range of diameters that the
selected material is in. By clicking on another material, the Geldart chart will be updated. This
chart is solely for information purposes and cannot be modified.

The modifications made to the database within the Materials tab are not automatically saved
in the database file. They are kept locally, until you save your project with the Menu button. If

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you saved changes to the database and would like to revert them, refer to Section 5.1 of this
manual for more details.

9. Gas tab
The Gas tab works the same way as the Materials tab does. It offers the same functionalities
in terms of the addition or removal, selection, and edition of gases. PneuCalc comes preloaded
with two gases: air and nitrogen. They are both unmodifiable and undeletable. Figure 9.1
presents the Gas tab.

Figure 9.1 : Gas Tab

Table 9.1 presents all the gas characteristics with their specific descriptions.
Table 9.1: Gas Tab's Parameters

Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Name Desired name for the gas.

Density at standard Density of the gas at 14.7 PSI and 68°F.

X
conditions

Isobaric specific heat The amount of heat required to a given

capacity mass of material to produce a unit change in
its temperature, at a constant pressure.

This value is used to calculate the X

equilibrium temperature of the mix between
material and gas, as well as the temperature
change from compression.

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Used for
Characteristics Descriptions
calculations

Amount of heat required to a given mass of

a material to produce a unit change in
Isochoric specific heat its temperature, at constant volume. X
capacity
This value is used to calculate the
temperature change from compression.

Viscosity Specific property of each gas that measures

X
the resistance of a gas to flow.

Reference temperature for Temperature at which the viscosity entered

X
viscosity was taken.

Sutherland constant Specific constant for each gas that is used to

approximate the change in the viscosity X
based on the temperature.

For a pressure system, the temperature at

which the gas will enter the gas mover.
PneuCalc then calculates the heat of
compression and uses the blower discharge
pressure for the air temperature rise in a
Gas temperature pressure conveying system. This X
temperature will then be used to calculate
the equilibrium temperature.

For a vacuum system, the temperature at

which the gas will enter the conveying
system.

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10. Geometry tab
The Geometry tab is where you define the layout of the pneumatic conveying system. It
contains the components that can be added in the system, the default inside diameter of the
added components, the selected component properties, the total length of the system, as well
as a 2D representation as presented in Figure 10.1.

Figure 10.1: Geometry Tab

10.1 Components
To add a new component to the conveying system, simply drag it from the left-hand-side box
of available components (Pipes and Bends) and drop it into the geometry table at the desired
position. It is also possible to double-click on a component to add it at the end of the table.
Newly added components always have the same default length, based on the selected default
diameter dialog and angles (0 degree), which can be modified afterwards in the specific
components selection. To modify an existing component, simply select the row of the
component in question, then use the form in the right side of the tab to edit its values.
Additionally, it is possible to change the position of a component relative to the other
components by using the up and down arrows or with a drag-and-drop operation. Finally, it is
also possible to remove a component by using the red minus button on the right, by using the
“DEL” key, or by drag-and-dropping it into the component dialog.

10.1.1 Diameters
The pipe diameter list values are based on the ASME B36.19M-2018 for stainless steel pipes
and the ASME B36.10M-2018 for welded and seamless wrought steel pipe standards. The user

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interface lists allow you to pick from these standards for a nominal diameter and a schedule
number, and get the resulting internal diameter, both in metric and imperial unit systems. You
may also input an internal diameter manually without using the standards, by checking the
“Manual Entry” checkbox as presented in Figure 10.2.

Figure 10.2: Diameter Manual Entry

10.1.2 Change of direction

There are two types of angle values specifiable in the geometry tab, one for each component
type: pipes or bends. All angle values are in comparison to the standard trigonometric circle 0°
reference as presented in Figure 10-3.

Figure 10.3 : Trigonometric Circle Angle References

The slope of the pipe is the angle at which the pipe is inclined in the conveying system. To
have a vertical upwards, a pipe inclination angle of 90 degrees is required while on the opposite
side, to have a pipe going downwards, an angle of 270 degrees is required.

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The bend angle is the rotation angle of the bend in-between two sections of pipe. It can be
specified in-between 0 and 360 degrees, following the trigonometric circle. It is only used to
calculate the equivalent length for the pressure drop and does not affect the conveyor layout
as the piping layout defines it. PneuCalc considers that a 90 degrees angle is equivalent to 20
feet of pipe in terms of pressure drop. Other angles are calculated linearly based on this
consideration. It is to be noted that typically only bend angles between 0 and 90 degrees are
used.

10.2 Unfolded conveyor layout

At the bottom section of the Geometry tab, there is a 2D graphical representation of the current
conveyor layout. It refreshes in real time with the changes made in the components table. It is
possible to manually set the minimum and maximum values of both the horizontal and the
vertical axes if you want to by unchecking the “Auto Axis Scaling” checkbox as presented in
Figure 10.4. Once the values modified, the refresh bottom needs to be clicked on to refresh the
representation.

Figure 10.4: Unfolded Conveyor Layout Manual Scaling

The blue lines represent the pipe sections, the red dot represents the bends, and the green “X”
represents the infeed point of the conveyor.

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11. Main tab
The Main page is the central point of the software. It contains calculation inputs, the calculate
button and the calculation outputs, divided between the general inputs and outputs, the
saltation velocity, the diameter override, the summarized calculation results, and the phase
diagrams. Figure 11.1 presents the Main tab.

Figure 11.1: Main Tab

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11.1 General inputs and outputs
The general inputs are the minimum input required to finalize the calculation of a system.
Table 11.1: Main Tab's General Input describes each of these inputs.
Table 11.1: Main Tab's General Input

Inputs Descriptions

System Type Selection of the type of system that needs to be calculated : Pressure or
Vacuum.

Instantaneous capacity This is actual instantaneous capacity at which the system will be designed.
This is critical when operating a batch line charger to ensure the
instantaneous rate is used at the PneuCalc input instead of the nominal
capacity of the system.

For pressure conveying systems that do not discharge to atmosphere, but

Conveyor discharge to a process that generates back pressure, the pressure at the discharge
pressure of the system can be entered. As an example, a pressure vessel or a bin
vent can add a back pressure to the system.

The heat lost in a conveying system is dependent on surrounding

conditions, external airflow over the conveying line, indoor or outdoor
installation, rain, etc. Fortunately, the system will modify conservatively if
the following guidelines are used. Input a temperature gradient that you
Gradient of temperature expect along the conveying line. Notably, surrounding air temperature,
material temperature, and airflow will have an effect on this value.
Fortunately, the correction for temperature is not very critical and a close
approximation will yield very good results. See Table 11.2 for suggested
values that might be used based on material temperature.
This is the air volume at standard conditions (14.7 PSI and 68°F) that will
Gas volumetric flow rate be used in the calculations. PneuCalc will convert it to the actual volume
of air entering the gas mover based on the elevation entered and the
equilibrium temperature calculated.

Table 11.2 : Suggested Temperature Gradient

Suggested Material Suggested

Material temperature
gradient temperature gradient

°F °C °F/100 feet °F °C °F/100 feet

70 21 0 550 287 15

150 65 1 650 343 21

250 121 3 750 399 28

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Suggested Material Suggested
Material temperature
gradient temperature gradient

°F °C °F/100 feet °F °C °F/100 feet

350 176 6 850 455 36

450 232 10 950 511 45

Based on all the information entered previously in each tab of the software, PneuCalc will
output the general calculation related to a pneumatic conveying system. Table 11-3 describes
each of these outputs.
Table 11-3: Main Tab's General Output

Output Descriptions

Material to gas ratio Ratio between the mass of material to the mass of gas in the conveying
system, at the pick-up point.

Conveying system design Pressure drop calculated at the pick-up point, from the gas and material
pressure flowing through the pneumatic conveying system, including the discharge
pressure entered as an input. This does not take into account the clean
air pipe pressure drop (i.e., from the gas mover to the infeed point, the
filter receiver to the vacuum gas supply inlet, and any other pressure drop).

Temperature of the mixture between air and material, considering the

Equilibrium temperature at
isobaric heat capacity and the mass of air and material. This temperature
pick-up
is used in the calculations of pressure drops and velocity in the system.

11.2 Saltation velocity

The saltation velocity is the velocity at which a particle, in a horizontal pipe line, starts being
suspended in the gas stream. In a pneumatic conveying system, it is the theorical velocity used
to define the point at which the system goes from the dense phase to the dilute phase. Several
theories exist to calculate this velocity and are more or less applicable depending on the
material and conveying system properties. PneuCalc integrates five of these calculations: Rizk,
Matsumoto, Caprejos & Klinzing, Weber, and Shade & apud YI, to give guidelines. It also
includes a PneuCalc default value which is the average value between Matsumoto and Weber
and based on past experience, it shows to be an accurate value. The selected saltation velocity
will be the one used to determine the conveying mode. By default, the PneuCalc default is
used, but it can be manually entered if another one is preferred., Figure 11.2: Saltation Velocity
Dialog Box presents these details.

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Figure 11.2: Saltation Velocity Dialog Box

There is a transition zone, a mixed phase, that happens in-between the dense phase and the
dilute phase. In PneuCalc, this zone can be specified in terms of percentage, from the selected
saltation velocity. Using the transition zone and the saltation velocity, a maximum velocity for
the dense phase is calculated, as is a minimum velocity for the dilute phase. The exit velocity
in the summarized calculation results are compared to the following shown in the conveyor
mode column:

• Dense: if under the maximum velocity for the dense phase.

• Mixed: if in-between the maximum velocity for the dense phase and the minimum
velocity for the dilute phase.

• Dilute: if over the minimum velocity for the dilute phase.

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11.3 Summarized calculation Result
In addition to the general outputs of PneuCalc, the Main tab has summarized calculation
results that give the component ID, type, internal diameter, length, position in conveying
system, the exit pressure and velocity, the line refluxing, as well as the conveying mode.

The line refluxing column is used to indicate whether the maximum or average particle size
would theoretically rise in the pipe line. The possible results in this column are the following:

• - : if the particle velocity calculated in a vertical section, using the maximum and average
particle size, is higher than the minimum particle velocity selected in the user
preferences.

• Max: if the particle velocity calculated in a vertical section, using the maximum particle
size, is lower than the minimum particle velocity selected in the user preferences.

• Mean: if the particle velocity calculated in a vertical section, using the average particle
size, is lower than the minimum particle velocity selected in the user preferences.

Refer to Section 6.4 for more details on the minimum particle velocity. Figure 11.3: Line
Refluxing Example presents the possible results.

Figure 11.3: Line Refluxing Example

The conveying mode is based on the exit velocity of the pipe compared to the selection that
was made in the saltation velocity as explained in Section 11.2.

11.4 Diameter override

If the diameter selected in the geometry is not the right one based on the outputs, it can be
easily overwritten using the diameter override dialog that allows to override the diameter of
every component in the conveying system, either by using the list or by entering an internal
diameter manually. To do so, select the new diameter, click on “Override” and then on the
“Calculate” button.

11.5 Phase diagrams

PneuCalc generates automatic phase diagrams for conveying pressure and capacity as a
function of the volumetric gas flow rates. These diagrams can be used to optimize and/or
assess an existing system.

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The minimum and maximum values of the diagrams can be modified directly on the diagram.
To update it, use the refresh button. Finally, to get a smoother curve, refer to Section 6.4 of
this manual.

11.5.1 Pressure as a function of volumetric flow rate

This phase gives a visual representation of what is happening in the pneumatic conveying
system:

• the sloping lines up to the left indicate dense phase solutions

• the sloping lines up to the right indicate dilute phase solutions

• solutions in the flatter area are considered mixed phase solutions (i.e., some are dilute
and some are dense, as the material passes through the conveying line, and are usually
best applied to fluidizable powders).

Figure 11.4 presents an example diagram of conveying pressure as a function of volumetric

flow rate flow..

Figure 11.4: Phase Diagram: Conveying Pressure versus Flow Rate

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11.5.2 Capacity as a function of volumetric gas flow rate
This phase diagram gives a visual representation of the maximum capacity that a system can
achieve in relation to the volumetric flow rate and based on a specified design pressure. The
design pressure can be selected directly on the screen dialog. Figure 11.5 presents this
diagram.

Figure 11.5: Phase Diagram: Conveying Capacity versus Gas Flow Rate

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12. Details tab
The Details tab contains a table giving more detailed results of the calculation. Every row in
this table shows information at every increment point for the current distance, pressure,
pressure drop, velocity, mix temperature, and conveying mode. Figure 12.1: Details Tab
presents this tab.

This summary sheet, along with the phase diagrams discussed in Section 11.5, provides
information which is very useful when analyzing the performance of an existing pneumatic
conveying system when troubleshooting a problem or when looking to debottleneck/optimize
the performance by incorporating line stepping into the design.

Figure 12.1: Details Tab

The Details tab allows the user to analyze the conveying parameters more precisely in different
sub-sections of the components. If more points are required, the calculation increment in the
user preferences can be reduced. Refer to Section 6.4 for more details.

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13. Generate report
PneuCalc offers the possibility to automatically generate a complete report of your project with
a single click. Upon successfully creating the report, it will automatically be opened in Microsoft
Excel for consultation. All the data and graphs are Excel-based and can be modified as
required.

It is constituted of five tabs: Summary, Material and Gas, Geometry, Detailed Calculations, and
Components. Each has the same header, composed of the principal information from the
Project tab of the software: the project, conveyor and designer names, the report file name, the
location, the design date, and the description.

13.1 Summary tab

The Summary tab is the first tab and contains a condensed view of the important calculation
parameters, both generated pressure and capacity diagrams, as well as the summarized
calculation results table of the software’s Main tab. Figure 13.1: Report Summary Tab presents
this first tab.

Figure 13.1: Report Summary Tab

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13.2 Material and gas tab
The Materials and Gas tab shows all the information about the material and gas that were used
for calculation, as well as the Geldart chart for this material. Figure 13.2: Report Materials and
Gas Tab presents this tab.

Figure 13.2: Report Materials and Gas Tab

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13.3 Geometry tab
The Geometry tab shows the list of every component in the conveyor system and the conveyor
layout in a 2D graph. Figure 13.3: Report Geometry Tab presents this tab.

Figure 13.3: Report Geometry Tab

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13.4 Detailed calculations tab
The Detailed Calculations tab shows the full contents of the detailed results table found in the
Details tab of the software. Figure 13.4 presents this tab.

Figure 13.4: Report Detailed Calculations Tab

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13.5 Components tab
Finally, the Components tab gives the possibility of finalizing the design of blower in terms
design pressure and volumetric flow rate, the filtration equipment in terms of filtration area
required and the line charger, in terms of volumetric displacement for a rotary airlock or in terms
of volume for a pressure tank. All of the outputs of this tab is calculated by using outputs from
PneuCalc as well as user input, highlighted in orange. Typical suggested value are already
entered and given in comments as guideline. Figure 13-5 presents this tab.

Figure 13.5: Report Components Tab

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14. Import from PneuCalc Version 6
PneuCalc gives the possibility to import a project from previous versions of the software such
as PneuCalc 6.0 or 6.2. Versions prior to 6.0 cannot be used in PneuCalc 7.0.0 This
functionality is accessible using the toolbar menu. See Section 5.1 for more details. A file
explorer window will open allowing you to open an existing PneuCalc project file (.pcf). When
importation is done, all the information that was contained in the previous version will be
restored in the new version. Since additional information is available in PneuCalc 7.0.0, default
values will be set to ensure that the calculation can be done. The geometry will be done the
same way as it was done in PneuCalc 6, using the components. It is to be noted that the incline
section will not be used as it was not part of the previous version. For the material and gas, a
new line item is created for both.

15. Battery limit

It is important to note that PneuCalc only calculates the pressure drop in the conveying system
and does not add pressure drop for clean air piping (from or to the gas mover), check valves,
dust collectors, air coolers, or filters. The calculated pressure drop is due to the air and material
flowing through the transport system only, from the discharge of the line charger to the product
receiver. Similarly, the volumetric gas flow rate entered in the software does not take into
consideration any air leakage that could occur in a valve, line charger, or any other
components. The flow rate related to this needs to be added on top of the one that was used
in the calculations before the final selection of the gas supply can be made.

To finalize the design of the components in terms of either pressure drop or volumetric gas flow
rate, refer to section 13 of this manual.

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16. FAQs
Questions Answers

The selected material and gas are the ones that

have a checkbox in their respective tabs.
Additionally, the gas and material used for the
How do you know which material and gas was calculations are confirmed at the top of the main
selected for the calculations? page.

As soon as a modification is done within PneuCalc,

the “Calculate” button will have a yellow exclamation
How can you ensure that the modification done point showing that the calculation needs to be
in PneuCalc was incorporated in my design? redone.

No, the warning is just there to give guidelines while

doing the design of the pneumatic conveying
Does the warning highlighted in red have an system. All the limits can be modified in the user
influence on the calculations? preferences.

Refer to Section 6 for more details.

The geometry will be the same as in the PneuCalc

Considering that in PneuCalc 6/6.2, the pipe 6/6.2 project (i.e., the slopping will not be
sloping was entered with a combination of integrated). It is to be noted that the same
horizontal and vertical section, how it is managed calculations are done in PneuCalc 7.0.0 for slopping
when a project is imported in the new version? pipe compared to 6 or 6.2, but the calculations are
automatically done when a slopping pipe is added..

Bends are calculated considering an equivalent

length of 20 feet for 90 degrees. Other angles are
How are the bends handled in PneuCalc? calculated linearly.

Refer to Section 10.1.2 for more details.

Yes it does. It was renamed “calibrating factor” and

Does the new version of PneuCalc have a can be found in the material properties.
program modifier?
Refer to Section 8 for more details.

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