Mastering Material Flow in Steel, Metals, and Foundry Operations 🏭

Reliability is directly correlated with the performance of the conveyance systems moving raw materials from railcar unloading to the final injection points. In the rigorous world of steel, metals, and foundry operations, where materials are often hot, heavy, and extremely abrasive, component wear and unexpected downtime can severely impact your bottom line.

Delta Ducon: Technical Solutions for Heavy-Duty Material Handling

Delta Ducon specializes in providing heavy-duty, engineered solutions designed to withstand the demanding conditions of steel and foundry applications. Our core capabilities center on pneumatic conveying systems and highly specialized, abrasion-resistant components that are proven to reduce both planned and unplanned downtime.

Advanced Abrasion Resistance and Wear Reduction

The primary engineering challenge in this industry is material-induced wear. Delta Ducon addresses this head-on with proprietary, extreme-duty components engineered for longevity:

• PERMA/flo® Abrasion-Resistant Pipe & Elbows: These components are manufactured from a proprietary cast alloy that significantly increases resistance to the abrasive effects of materials like fluxes, dense metallic powders, lime, carbon, and silica. By extending the operational life of conveyance lines, the frequency of component replacement and associated labor costs are drastically reduced.

• Extreme Duty Rotary Valves: Engineered for continuous service, these rotary valves feature a unique rotor-to-wear shoe seal design cast out of Delta Ducon’s proprietary P-33 abrasion-resistant alloy. The rotor and wear shoe are not only replaceable but fully adjustable in the field. This engineering prevents material loss, enhances system pressure stability in pneumatic conveying, and minimizes the ingress of air that could destabilize flow.

High-Efficiency Pneumatic Conveying and Injection

Delta Ducon's systems are optimized for both dilute and dense phase pneumatic conveying, allowing engineers to select the appropriate technology based on material characteristics, transfer distance, and target flow rate.

• Dense Phase Conveying: Recommended for highly abrasive materials, this method uses high-pressure air and lower material velocity, which substantially reduces wear on pipework and elbows. This translates directly to reduced operational costs and enhanced system longevity.

• Rotofeed and Rotoscrew Injection Technology: These feeding mechanisms ensure reliable material introduction into the convey lines—a technical requirement for maintaining consistent pressure and material-to-air ratios, which is vital for system stability and efficient furnace injection.

Isolation and Flow Control: Maintaining System Integrity

Maintaining flow integrity and system isolation is essential for safety, efficiency, and maintenance.

• SPHERI® Dome Valves: Featuring a unique inflatable sealing mechanism, this valve provides a pressure-tight seal superior to conventional slide gates or butterfly valves. This makes it ideal for isolating pressure vessels and material storage bins (e.g., silos) in challenging, high-pressure environments. Their robust design minimizes dust leakage and ensures long-term operational reliability.

• KG Diverters: These robust diverter valves provide seamless and reliable direction of material flow to multiple destinations (e.g., different silos or process injection points), increasing operational flexibility and optimizing the utilization of railcar and truck unloading/loading infrastructure.

Supporting Green Steel and Decarbonization Initiatives

The steel industry’s movement toward Green Steel involves new material inputs and processes, such as increased reliance on DRI Iron Pellets and the need for enhanced environmental control. Delta Ducon’s dust-tight, highly efficient conveyance systems directly support these initiatives by minimizing fugitive dust emissions and efficiently handling these new, often denser, raw material streams.

By focusing on engineered material handling solutions, Delta Ducon enables steel and foundry operations to achieve high levels of efficiency and reliability, directly impacting the bottom line through reduced maintenance expenditures and increased furnace throughput.

For more information and to discuss your material handling challenges, visit www.DeltaDucon.com.