Silicon dioxide is a critical pharmaceutical excipient used as a glidant, anti-caking agent, adsorbent, disintegrant, and carrier. Its fine particle size and high surface area create handling challenges. Mechanical conveyors often cause dust escape, product layering, and attrition. Our pneumatic conveying solution is designed specifically for silicon dioxide excipients, using a closed pipeline and optimized airflow to transport powder gently and without cross-contamination while maintaining stable density and flowability.

Each system is customized around the exact grade, capacity, plant layout, and downstream process. Vacuum conveying is preferred for bag dumping and drum unloading. Dense phase pressure conveying is used for longer distances and higher rates. The system can be integrated with blenders, granulators, tableting presses, capsule fillers, and packaging lines, ensuring continuous automated feeding and eliminating manual handling.

Core equipment includes bag dump stations, unpacking tables, GMP-grade receiving hoppers, filter collectors, reverse-pulse cleaning filters, rotary airlocks, diverting valves, conveying pipes, vacuum pumps or blowers, and PLC controls. Contact parts are AISI 316L stainless steel with Ra ≤ 0.8 μm finish. Dust filters retain fine silica particles and prevent emissions. The control system monitors vacuum pressure, filter differential pressure, conveying velocity, and batch cycles to ensure repeatable transfer.

The conveying process protects particle structure and flowability. Fumed silica has extremely low bulk density and fluidizes easily, while precipitated silica is more granular but abrasive. We select the right solids-to-air ratio and line velocity to avoid high-velocity impact and degradation. Dense phase conveying reduces product settling; vacuum conveying provides gentle low-speed transfer over short distances. The closed system also prevents moisture absorption and contamination, preserving hydrophobic and hydrophilic silica performance.

For contamination control, a dedicated line is used for each silica grade. Lines can be cleaned with purge sequences, wash-in-place, or clean-out ports. Quick-release couplings and removable sections allow manual verification. Filter elements achieve high separation efficiency for submicron particles. All transfer points are dust-tight, with negative pressure maintained, so operators are protected from airborne silica dust and the environment remains compliant with occupational exposure limits.

The system supports batching accuracy and recipe management. Load cells on surge hoppers allow gravimetric feeding and loss-in-weight dosing. PLCs store recipes with conveying time, blowback frequency, and target weight, reducing batch-to-batch variation. Data recording and alarm logs support pharmaceutical documentation. The equipment can connect to MES or SCADA for paperless production and complete batch genealogy.

All systems are designed for pharmaceutical validation, with IQ/OQ/PQ protocols, material certificates, and surface finish documentation. Design follows GMP and FDA guidelines, with smooth drainage, no dead legs, and full accessibility for cleaning. For explosion protection, static grounding, pressure relief panels, and inert gas purging are available. Optional nitrogen supply control, oxygen monitoring, and interlocked valves support high-risk production. From lab-scale trials to full production lines, we provide on-site installation, commissioning, training, and lifecycle support.