Operation Of The Machine - Walinga Airlock 1008 Operator's Manual

Operation of the Machine

The operation procedures for the airlock are heavily dependent on the auxiliary equipment.
Refer to the operator's manual of the auxiliary equipment for operation procedures. The
following are the general operating guidelines:
1. Clear the area of bystanders, especially small children.
2. Ensure the airlock rotates in the counter-clockwise direction, with the exception of
airlocks specifically designed to rotate in the clockwise direction. Prolonged operation in
the reverse direction will result in high wear rates of the airlock casing, product damage,
and overall loss of performance.
3. Start the airlock and allow it to run for a short period of time (~30 seconds), to ensure
any collection structures feeding the airlock are empty before additional product is
introduced to the system.
4. For hydraulically powered airlocks, operate the system at approximately 3/4 capacity for
the first 10 minutes to allow the hydraulic fluid to warm before transitioning to operating
at full capacity. It should be noted that product must be conveyed for the hydraulic fluid
to properly warm.
5. To operate at maximum capacity, the airlock pockets should be as full of the conveyed
product as possible. To completely fill each pocket, the airlock should rotate as slow as
possible. The airlock can be run too fast, not allowing the product to fill each pocket. Do
not exceed the recommended speeds as detailed in the auxiliary equipment's operator's
manual. The airlock speed for maximum capacity varies with each application, with
dependencies including the characteristics of the products being conveyed and the
diameter and length of the conveying lines.
6. If equipped, monitor the movement of the product through sight windows. At maximum
capacity, the window may be covered by the product, but the product should not be
stationary.
7. If equipped, monitor the discharge pressure gauge. At maximum capacity, the discharge
pressure should remain between 8 to 12 psi (0.6 bar to 0.8 bar) depending on the
conveyed product, but the pressure must not exceed 15 psi (1.0 bar).
6-4 00-144476-0 A
OPERATOR'S MANUAL
OPERATION