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Abrasive material handling

When Abrasive Material Flow Drives Wear and Downtime

Pneumatic conveying and bulk material handling systems expose components to continuous abrasive particle flow, high velocities, and repeated changes in direction. SCP manufactures custom silicon carbide components designed to protect high-wear areas and extend service life in demanding material handling applications.

3-10x  Longer Component Life

4,000+ Unique Shapes Manufactured

Complex Shapes  Custom Manufacturing

Since 1994  Industrial Ceramics

Operating conditions

Built for Conditions That Accelerate Wear

Pneumatic conveying and bulk material handling systems subject components to continuous abrasive and erosive wear. The most severe wear often occurs where material velocity, direction, or flow patterns change.

Abrasive Particles

Continuous contact with abrasive powders and bulk solids progressively wears exposed component surfaces.

High-Velocity Flow

Fast-moving material can cause erosive wear, particularly in pneumatic conveying systems.

Changes in Direction

Elbows, bends, wyes, and other redirects experience concentrated wear as material changes direction.

Flow Disruptions

Reducers, transitions, valves, and other changes in geometry can alter material flow and create localized wear areas.

Continuous Operation

High-throughput systems can accumulate wear quickly, making component life and maintenance intervals critical to overall uptime.

WHY SIlicon carbide

A Material Built to Outlast Conventional Wear Components

SCProbond™ components can significantly outlast conventional materials, extending equipment life and reducing the frequency of maintenance and replacement.

Extreme Hardness

Silicon carbide resists abrasive particles that progressively wear conventional metal and other component materials.

Erosive Wear Resistance

High hardness helps components withstand material loss caused by high-velocity particulate flow.

Longer Service Life

Reduced wear can help extend the time between component replacements and maintenance shutdowns.

Custom Geometry

Components are manufactured to match the equipment and flow path, protecting high-wear areas without relying on standard shapes.

SCP offers multiple silicon carbide materials, allowing component design and material selection to be matched to the specific wear conditions, operating environment, and application requirements.

Applications

Common Abrasive Material Handling Applications

SCP silicon carbide components are used in systems handling abrasive powders, grains, minerals, and other bulk solids, including:

  • Pneumatic conveying systems

  • Dense-phase conveying

  • Dilute-phase conveying

  • Powder transport

  • Bulk solids handling

  • Chutes and transfer points

  • Cyclones and air separators

  • Dust collection systems

  • Screw conveyors

  • Micronizing and fine grinding

  • Material redirects and transitions

  • Abrasive piping systems

Components Manufactured

Silicon Carbide Components for Abrasive Material Handling

Component Shape Reference

Elbows

Wyes

Spool liners

Inline chokes & reducers

Material redirects

Transitions

Cyclones

Inlet Heads

Vortex finders

Apexes

Spigots

Chute liners

Feed wall liners

Wear shoes

Hoppers

Discharge orifices

Pump components

Pipe sections

Cone liners

Micronizer / jet mill liners

Quench vessels

Custom wear components

Screw conveyor flight plates

Dust collector components

Have a question about a shape not listed?

SCP is happy to have a conversation about your application, challenges with the current components and the desired outcome.

Proven performance

Built to Extend Component Service Life

Silicon carbide for pneumatic conveying abrasive material.

Limestone Mineral Processing

In abrasive limestone processing environments, SCProbond™ silicon carbide liners significantly extended the service life of cyclones, chutes, pumps, and screw conveyors, reducing wear-related downtime and maintenance costs.

Read Case Study
Silicon carbide trona refining cutter blocks

Trona Refining Cutter Blocks

SCProbond™ nitride bonded silicon carbide cutter blocks outperformed gas nitrided steel, tungsten carbide coatings, and white cast iron, showing only 40% wear after 10.9 million pounds processed and remaining in service beyond 16 million pounds.

Read Case Study
Before and after silicon carbide for pneumatic conveying.

Limestone Screw Conveyor

A shaft liner remains wear free after two years in service, while custom contoured screw conveyor flight plates have preserved diameter and performance for over 20 months after processing nearly 80,000 tons of abrasive material.

Read Case Study

The SCP Difference

More Than a Component Supplier

When a wear problem affects production, you need more than a material recommendation. SCP provides engineering support, custom manufacturing, and direct customer advocacy from application review through delivery.

Application-Focused Support

SCP considers operating conditions, component geometry, wear mechanisms, temperature, and chemical exposure when evaluating a material and component solution.

Reliable Delivery

> 95% on-time delivery helps customers plan maintenance and replacement requirements.

In-House Patterning & Tooling

Patterns and tooling are developed and maintained in-house, giving SCP greater control over precision, revisions, and production scheduling.

Customer Advocate

Each customer receives a customer advocate who serves as a single point of contact for any and all questions through every stage.

Custom & Complex Geometries

SCP has manufactured more than 4,000 unique shapes, including complex and large monolithic components.

Easier Repeat Orders

Your proprietary tooling remains with SCP, creating an established manufacturing foundation for future replacement and repeat orders.

Common Questions

Silicon Carbide for Pneumatic Conveying

Replacing a Worn Conveying Component?

Whether you're replacing an elbow, liner, chute, cyclone component, or other high-wear part, SCP can review your application, geometry, and operating conditions to determine whether a custom silicon carbide solution is appropriate.

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