Resin Drying Hoppers Offer More Energy Efficiency, Durability and Cleanability

The new EH Drying Hopper is designed to retain Conair’s class-leading characteristics for mass flow, heat distribution and cleanability while adding significant improvements in design, durability and energy efficiency. The EH Hopper will be offered as a replacement option for standalone CH Drying hoppers with capacities from 1 to 47 ft.³ and as standard equipment on selected Conair drying systems in mid-2024. 

At NPE, the new EH Drying Hoppers are displayed on newly redesigned dX Series Mobile Dryers, which add a range of customer-focused features to simplify maintenance access while enhancing enhance mobility and convenience. 

The new EH hopper retains key characteristics of Conair’s CH hopper, including: 

• Smooth, stainless-steel material-contact surfaces and a steep 60-degree cone angle to ensure optimum mass flow so pellets move evenly from top to bottom. This feature prevents wet pellets from “funneling down” to mix with drier pellets below and enter the process. 

• An air spreader that forces drying air down to pellets at the bottom of the hopper before it rises, assuring even distribution of drying air throughout the hopper. 

• A sight glass, conveniently located at the cone of the hopper, for instant verification of hopper contents.  

• An access door (available on all but the smallest size) and smooth interior walls that minimize downtime for cleanout and material changes.

In addition, the EH Hopper also adds new and enhanced features:  

• Outside, steel panels give way to standard, textured aluminum panels, which eliminate the need for paint while preventing rust and resisting scratches and dents.
• Improved, thicker insulation around the hopper vessel retains heat longer, saving energy while keeping dried pellets in an optimal state for processing.  The added insulation also protects workers from hot surfaces while making the working environment cooler and more comfortable.

• The inner vessel now features seamless, polished stainless steel, which further resists material or dust entrapment, and makes cleanouts and changeovers faster and easier than before.  
• Precision slide gates, located at the hopper bottom, ensure easy, positive actuation even against the weight of a full hopper of pellets. 

The new EH hoppers will be offered in capacities from 1 to 52 ft.³, capable of delivering flow rates ranging from about 5 to 525 lbs/hr for most typical resins. 

A wide range of options accommodates virtually every installation need, Conair says.