Particle Sampler

The Particle Sampler (PS) is a fully automated sampling system designed to collect representative increments of dust or powder from pneumatic conveying pipelines. Built for continuous process monitoring applications, the PS captures material incrementally over a defined sampling period, producing a composite sample that accurately reflects the average characteristics of the material being conveyed rather than a single point-in-time extraction that may not be representative of the broader material flow.

Once the pre-set number of increments has been collected, the sample bottle located beneath the PS is removed and transferred to a laboratory for detailed analysis. This straightforward collection and retrieval process minimises handling requirements and keeps the sampling workflow simple for operators working in busy industrial environments.

The Particle Sampler is widely used across a range of industries where accurate dust and powder sampling from pneumatic conveying systems is a routine requirement. It is particularly prevalent in power plant applications for the collection of fly ash, where consistent and representative sampling is essential for monitoring material quality and meeting environmental and operational reporting requirements. The system can be integrated directly into ash transport pipelines or connected to pneumatic blow units, providing flexibility in how and where it is deployed within the plant infrastructure. This compatibility with different pipeline configurations and conveying setups makes the PS a practical and adaptable sampling solution for power generation, minerals processing, cement, chemical, and other bulk powder handling industries across Australia.

The Particle Sampler (PS) is a high-performance, fully automatic system designed for sampling dust and powder particles in industrial environments. It enables precise and consistent sample collection, supporting quality control and process optimization.

• Fully Automated Operation: The PS performs unattended sampling, ensuring reliable and repeatable results.
• Flexible Control Options: Operators can manage the system via a man-machine interface (MMI) or remotely from a central control room, offering seamless integration into existing plant operations.
• Optimized Combustion Monitoring: In fly ash analysis, the PS provides critical data on unburnt carbon (UBC) levels. This information helps operators fine-tune the combustion process, improving fly ash quality and overall plant efficiency.

The PS is ideal for industries such as power generation, cement production, and bulk material handling, where accurate material sampling is essential.

The Particle Sampler features a pitot-style inlet positioned along the central axis of the pipeline, enabling it to collect samples across a half-diameter linear transect of the material flow. This positioning ensures that each increment extracted is drawn from a representative cross-section of the conveyed material rather than from a single point within the flow, which is fundamental to producing a composite sample that accurately reflects the average properties of the bulk material passing through the pipeline.

The system performs multi-incremental sampling over a fixed time period, with each increment contributing to a final composite sample that represents the material characteristics across the full sampling duration. This incremental approach is more reliable than single-point or single-increment extraction methods, particularly in pneumatic conveying systems where material concentration and particle distribution can vary within the pipeline cross-section and over time.

The PS comprises two main components: a mechanical sampler and an electric and pneumatic control unit. To prevent condensation and blockages that can occur when handling fine powders and dusts in pneumatic conveying environments, both the purging air supply and the sample container are heated throughout operation. This heating provision is particularly important in applications such as fly ash collection, where moisture ingress or temperature differentials can cause material to compact or adhere within the sampling components and affect the reliability of the collected sample.

The control unit houses manual switches, a PLC, and a touchscreen panel that allows operators to configure sampling cycles and set the number of increments per sample. This interface gives operators straightforward control over the sampling parameters without requiring specialist technical knowledge, and stored configurations can be applied consistently across shifts to maintain repeatable sampling performance over extended operational periods.

The Particle Sampler is controlled through an integrated PLC-based control system with a touchscreen panel interface that gives operators straightforward access to all sampling configuration and monitoring functions from a single point. Sampling cycles, increment frequency, and the total number of increments per composite sample can all be configured directly through the touchscreen, allowing the system to be set up quickly and adjusted to suit different process monitoring requirements and material types without specialist programming knowledge.

Configured sampling programs can be stored and recalled for consistent application across shifts and operators, ensuring that the same sampling parameters are applied reliably over extended operational periods without the need for manual reconfiguration between sampling runs. Manual override switches provide operators with direct control over the system when needed, supporting flexibility during commissioning, maintenance, and non-standard operational situations.

The PLC manages all automated functions throughout the sampling cycle, including increment timing, purging air activation, heating control for the sample container and purging air supply, and cycle completion signalling. Real-time system status is displayed on the touchscreen throughout each sampling cycle, giving operators visibility over the current cycle progress, increment count, and any system alerts or fault conditions that require attention.

For facilities requiring integration with plant-wide process control and monitoring infrastructure, the control system supports connection to SCADA platforms and distributed control systems through standard industrial communication interfaces. This allows sampling cycle data, system status, and operational events to be monitored and logged within the broader plant control environment, supporting continuous process monitoring, compliance reporting, and quality assurance documentation requirements across power generation, minerals processing, cement, and other bulk powder handling industries in Australia.