Feeding the sorters

We notice that many of our customers do not know that you can optimally feed one or two optical sorters with a Walair drum separator.

The operation of the optical sorter depends on a good dosage and a good distribution on the feeding belt. The most used bandwidths of an optical sorter are 2000 mm or 2800 mm. If the distribution and dosage are not optimal, this results in a poorer separation or a lower capacity of the optical sorter. With a Walair drum separator, optimal feeding and dosage can be achieved for one or two optical sorters.

How does this work?

With the Walair drum separator, a heavy fraction is separated from a light fraction. This light fraction is often discharged to an optical sorter (e.g. paper and plastic). Then the light fraction is blown over the rotating drum at an airspeed of more than 20 meters.  After that the fraction ends up in the expansion room, where the air is separated from the light fraction. When an optical sorter is placed behind the drum separator, Walair adjusts the expansion room. The belt under the expansion room will be made wider, namely till 1600 mm or to 2300 mm. The speed of this belt is also increased to approx. 120 meters / min.

Due to the blowing air and the suction over the rotating drum, the light fraction is discharged to the expansion room. In this room the light fraction is spread by the airspeed and dosed well. A few meters before the outlet of the expansion room, the fraction falls onto the wide discharge belt. Which is located below the expansion room and the light fraction is optimally discharged to the optical sorter. Since this belt has almost the full width of the feeding belt of the optical sorter, this results in an optimal feeding of the optical sorter. Walair is currently producing a new version of a drum separator, which transports the light fraction to 2 optical sorters. When this new version has been put into operation, we will publish a new news item about it.

If you are interested in the Walair drum separator or when you have questions, please mail or call Walter Nihot.

Mobile phone: 0031-(0)653368333
Mail: walter.nihot@walair.eu