Causes of Damage and Solution for a Screw Conveyor in the Handling of Polymer Wet Cake in the Petrochemical Industry

Abstract

The aim of this research is to identify the root causes of damage and potential solutions for the screw conveyor in the petrochemical industry's polymer wet cake handling process. The study employs metallurgical and finite element methods. SUS304 (JIS)-grade stainless steel makes up the screw conveyor. The hardness testing and chemical evaluation revealed that the material's value aligns with the prescribed standard. The screw conveyor, which consists of a 318.5 mm diameter tube, 17.4 mm thick, and two pieces of 6000 mm length, sustained damage to its shaft. The screw conveyor, when coupled with a sleeve, achieves a total length of 12000 mm. An analysis using the finite element method revealed that the connection point area experienced the highest stress due to the material undergoing turning processes for press fitting with the sleeve. The analysis results are consistent with the detection of cracks in the material in that area. A single screw shaft reduces the maximum stress applied to the connection area by more than 61%.