Conveying and drying systems for granulated materials

A system for conveying a granulated material from at least one material source, comprising:

• at least one receiver in fluid communication with the material source;
• and
• at least one vacuum generator or pump unit comprising a blower configured to generate a vacuum or a pressurized airflow, a combination relief and break valve in fluid communication with the blower, and a control unit communicatively coupled to the combination relief and break valve, wherein:
• the blower is in fluid communication with the receiver on a selective basis so that an interior volume of the receiver is subjected to the vacuum or the pressurized airflow and the granulated material is transported to the interior volume of the receiver from the material source in response to the vacuum or the pressurized airflow,
• the combination relief and break valve is configured to interrupt the vacuum or the pressurized airflow provided to the interior volume of the receiver when a vacuum level or a pressure level of the pressurized airflow reaches a relief set point, and
• the control unit is configured to adjust the relief set point based on one or more predetermined criteria.

A system for conveying a granulated material from at least one material source to a receiving area, comprising:

• at least one vacuum generator in fluid communication with the receiving area and comprising a blower configured to generate a vacuum, and a control unit, wherein:
• the blower comprises a housing, and an impeller mounted in the housing and configured to rotate in relation to the housing, and
• a motor connected to the blower and communicatively coupled to the control unit, the motor being configured to drive the impeller in rotation, the motor being one of an IPM-SynRM motor, an IPMSM motor, and a PMSM motor;
• and
• the control unit is configured to adjust operational parameters of the system in real-time to optimize energy usage and performance of the system.

A system for conveying a granulated material from at least one material source to a receiving area, comprising:

• at least one pump unit in fluid communication with the receiving area and comprising:
• a blower configured to generate a pressurized airflow, a motor, and a control unit communicatively coupled to the blower, wherein:
• the blower comprises a housing, and an impeller mounted in the housing and configured to rotate in relation to the housing;
• the motor is coupled to the impeller and is configured to drive the impeller in rotation, the motor being one of an IPM-SynRM motor, an IPMSM motor, and a PMSM motor;
• and
• the control unit is configured to control the speed of the motor based on inputs from one of more sensors of the system;
• and
• a material pick-up device in fluid communication with the blower and configured to introduce the granulated material into the pressurized airflow.

A system for conveying a granulated material from at least one material source, comprising:

• at least one receiver in fluid communication with the material source;
• and
• at least one vacuum generator or pump unit comprising a blower configured to generate a vacuum or a pressurized airflow, a combination relief and break valve in fluid communication with the blower, and a control unit communicatively coupled to the combination relief and break valve, wherein:
• the blower is in fluid communication with the receiver on a selective basis so that an interior volume of the receiver is subjected to the vacuum or the pressurized airflow and the granulated material is transported to the interior volume of the receiver from the material source in response to the vacuum or the pressurized airflow,
• the combination relief and break valve is configured to interrupt the vacuum or the pressurized airflow provided to the interior volume of the receiver when a vacuum level or a pressure level of the pressurized airflow reaches a relief set point, and
• the control unit is configured to:
• adjust the relief set point based on one or more predetermined criteria to prevent and excessive vacuum or and excessive positive pressure within the system;
• and to vary a rotational speed of the blower to adjust the vacuum level or the positive pressure of the pressurized airflow within the system.