Keeping pace with advancements in technology and how they impact our daily errands (both on an industrial scale and a domestic scale) is an ongoing quest. Any unnoticed developments can cost industrial a great deal, even though keeping abreast of technology is not an easy feat.
Internet and networking technologies combine to bring IoT products to homes and industries. Instead of diving into the similarities and differences between IoT and IIoT, it is of great importance to understand the basic concepts of both IoT and IIoT.

IoT is an abbreviated name for the Internet of Things. IoT refers to physical objects (“Things”) embedded with sensors, software and other processing technologies that permit these things to connect and transmit data with other devices and systems through the internet or a communication network.

IoT devices may include refrigerators,  air conditioners and activity trackers. Take for instance a refrigerator – a smart refrigerator, that allows users to monitor various groceries inside the refrigerator in real-time from anywhere, thus enabling them to make necessary orders for the groceries missing in the refrigerator. Some smart refrigerators allow users to monitor the expiry dates on their  groceries for safe and healthy food consumption.

The idea or concept of an interconnected web of “things” forms a foundation for IIoT. IIoT is an abbreviation for Industrial Internet of Things. It is a subcategory of IoT that refers to a unified interconnection system of sensors, machinery and other industrial equipment through the internet and/or business intelligence (BI). In simpler terms, IIoT is considered as the interconnection between people and industrial systems and machinery. It integrates industrial automation, business assets and predictive analytics in one place. The Industrial Internet of Things promotes universal data usage with the switch to data democratization which transforms the scenery of manufacturing industries. Data democratization enables plant operators to utilise data as an everyday tool.

Before discussing the differences between the Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet of Things, let us go through some of the similarities first.

IoT and IIoT both share common concepts and technologies of smart equipment connectivity and cloud computing to establish a system (always online) that collects data to help users make informed decisions. Some of the few tangible similarities between IoT and IIoT include the following:

• They both necessitate a cloud computing framework.
• They both necessitate Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure smart decision-making.
• They both utilise common input/output devices, for instance, sensors, cameras, microphones etc.
• Affordable and high-speed internet connection is an essential resource for both IoT and IIoT.

Although there exists a handful of similarities between IoT and IIoT, they have a quite several distinctions. The following are some of the basic IoT and IIoT differences that can be considered.

With regard to bulk material handling and transfer in various industries, pneumatic conveying systems provide a wide range of benefits compared to other mechanical systems. Pneumatic conveying systems are designed based on the type of the conveyed bulk material and they are generally differentiated on the basis of the material flow pattern inside the conveying pipeline as dilute phase or dense phase. Hence, for this read, we are going to explore the contrast between Dilute Phase and Dense Phase pneumatic conveying systems.

Conveying air velocities in the two types of pneumatic conveying system may give rise to other factors such as bulk material degradation and segregation as well as wear and tear of the systems’ pipeline.

In dense phase systems, bulk material degradation and segregation in the conveying pipeline is lower because of less intensive impact on the internal surface of the pipeline. On the other hand, degradation and segregation of bulk solids in the pipeline is higher because of more intensive impact on the pipeline internal walls. Less wear and tear is experienced in dense phase systems due to low air conveying velocities, whereas high wear and tear is noticed/experienced in dilute phase systems due to high air conveying velocities.

Pneumatic conveying is a simple but effective transferring system, in which bulk solid products are carried from one place to another with the help of pressurized air. Bulk material that will be transferred could be unloaded from a silo or hopper and moved to other systems such as bulk truck, silo, big bag etc.

The aim of the blower is to provide pressurized and vacuum air to the pneumatic conveying system. Since the whole working principle of this system is to carry bulk material with air power, a blower is the key element. Because pneumatic conveying is one of the non-destructive options for delicate bulk solids, it should be designed carefully, considering the application needs.

There are many factors affecting the pneumatic conveying system design, including the blower features and accessories. Some of the factors to consider for blower size and selection are:

• Physical & chemical properties of conveyed bulk solid
  • abrasive
  • corrosive
  • flammable
  • bulk density of product
  • sticky
• Transfer capacity – how large should the blower be?
• Conveying distance – what output pressure is required?
• Environmental conditions
  • altitude
  • ambient temperature
  • humidity
  • dust and particles suspended in the air
• Noise level caused by air pressure changes inside the blower – is a cabinet needed? (Note that the permissible exposure limit is 90 dB for all workers for an 8 hour day.)

Polimak Process Technology has been providing turnkey pneumatic system and engineering solutions in the industry. We aim to design the most ideal equipment & systems for our users. Polimak Roots blowers have been used in a variety of industrial applications so far, offering numerous advantages.

• Roots blowers provide both pressurized air (1000 mbar) and vacuumed air (500 mbar)
• Flow rate of air is between 20 m3/h to 20 000m3/h
• Provided air is oil-free so that no contamination risk for conveyed bulk solid occurs
• Blower body
  • a single piece of cast iron
  • ribbed, so that heat is efficiently dissipated
• Suitable for heavy-duty work
• Provides greater efficiency and minimum noise with 3 lob rotor
• Reduced vibration with high efficiency by using heat treated timing gears
• Secured sealing with ring sealing
• Easy installation
• Low maintenance needed

When it comes to bulk material handling, poor flow problems are one of the most common issues experienced in industrial systems. Basically, when a bulk solid is put to be stored in a vessel, some of it / or all of the product is stuck inside the vessel. An obvious sign of flow problems is slower discharge of your silo or inconsistent flow of bulk material. If not handled well, flow problems could cause serious outcomes from messing up the production line completely, to an explosion in the plant. In this blog post, flow problems, causes and improving methods are discussed.

Flowability of bulk solids is affected by many factors (such as physical properties of product, vessel design, external parameters). So there are numerous flowability problems experienced. The most common poor flow problems are:

Arching / Bridging: Bulk solid build up to an arch-shape obstacle such that material flow stops completely.

Ratholing: Sticky bulk solid sticks on the walls of the vessel (dead zones), causes the capacity to be reduced, and the stuck product could be contaminated.

Segregation: Stored bulk solid particles segregate/smaller in size in uncontrolled fashion.

Poor flow outcomes:

• Reduced capacity of storage unit because of caked or jammed bulk solid inside the vessel
• Inconsistent product flow can cause instant downtime of the bulk solid handling system, hence increases maintenance efforts for the equipment
• Especially for the food and chemical industry – leftover bulk solid inside the vessel may be contaminated and spoiled. Resulting in lower product quality.
• Traditionally, to solve flow problems, operators manually hammer or shake the storing unit – this shortens equipment lifetime and for large capacity units; can cause the silo to be pulled down.
• The most serious outcome is, if the handled bulk material has explosive properties, with an agitation, it could cause an

What causes the flowability problems can be generalized in terms of physical properties of bulk solids, vessel design and external conditions.

Bulk solid physical properties affecting flowability:

• Cohesion & adhesion forces: If particles within bulk solid have high cohesion forces, particles tend to stick together, resulting in arching. If adhesion forces are stronger, bulk solid sticks on the walls, hence forming a rathole.
• Particle size & shape: Particles in granular form have less tendency to stick to each other, and if the particle shapes close to a sphere, they do not interact with each other, and flow well.
• Bulk density: As the particle density & bulk density increases, it is easier for the particles to flow because of the gravitational forces.
• Angle of repose: One of the most important parameters is how steep a stockpile is obtained when the product is poured. Then angle of repose is measured, giving clues about flowability of that material.
• Hydrophilicity: If bulk solid tends to absorb moisture, it will get sticky inside the silo.

Silo design:

• Dimensions such as the silo outlet are critical while bulk solid is discharged.
• Shape and angle of the discharge cone is important.

External conditions:

• Especially if the bulk solid tends to absorb moisture from air, locations with high moisture content could cause flowability problems in storage units like silos.
• High or low temperature conditions do affect flowability depending on the bulk solid properties.

Silo – bin activator is a vibrating equipment used to “activate” the flow of bulk solids stuck in a storage bin or silo for industrial applications. Dry solid materials that are stored for an extended period of time or having low flowability can cause clogging, making it difficult or impossible to discharge them without breaking them up. The bin activator helps discharge solid products by generating vibrations and sending them through to the material. By using a bin discharger, less flowable materials can have a regular, consistent, quick and safe flow.

Having a great deal of experience with bulk solid handling, Polimak Group provides the most ideal solutions for handling systems to the users. Polimak Bin activators have numerous of benefits:

• Allows you to discharge more quickly, easily, and with less mess. Hence, reduces the time spent on discharging bulk solid products from silos.
• Eliminates the need for manual labor in discharging bulk solid products such as hammering. Also, the bin activator sends vibrations without agitating explosive materials.
• Minimizes wear and tear on discharge points, which can extend the life of your equipment
• Polimak Bin activators come with different models so that users can handle bulk solids in different industrial applications – from food industry to handling abrasive materials.
• Reduces downtime for cleaning and maintenance of silos or hoppers
• Polimak Bin-Silo activators can be modified or provided with other accessories according to user’s application
• Polimak Process Technology also loves to solve a challenge, custom-made bin activators for non-standard sized silos or unusual bulk handling systems can be designed. Please contact us from [email protected]