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April 2021 / 31 to 1,500 fpm), but fragile food materials are still subject to breakage at conveying line bends and sweeps. Aeromechanical conveyors, although they have a different conveyance method, also can degrade delicate materials. In the enclosed, high-capacity mechanical systems, a wire rope with evenly spaced discs travels within a tube at high speed. This generates an internal airstream traveling at the same high velocity, which can also force friable materials through stressful phases during transport. With a slower conveying process, such as with a tubular cable system, processors can lessen material damage but still convey up to 2,000 cubic feet per hour of flakes, pellets, shavings, crumbles, granules, regrind, chunks, prills, and powders with numerous layouts using multiple inlets and outlets. Since material is car- ried between the tubular cable conveyor's flights, safely conveying soft, sticky, or easily compacted materials also can be easier because the material doesn't form plugs, which can happen in a pneumatic conveying system. Configuration, energy use, noise Many tubular cable conveyors can be designed accord- ing to customer-specific requirements. The systems can be tailored to a specific work area and arranged speed through the tube without the use of air. The conveying tubes may be straight or curved, of vary- ing lengths and diameters, and laid out in various configurations, including vertical, horizontal, angled parallel lines, or others. The assembly is an endless loop that runs from the turnaround unit, through the conveying tube and drive unit, then back through the return tube. Along the way, material can be picked up at one or more inlets and discharged through one or more outlets. A drive unit powers the assembly through the tubes, and a tension mechanism main- tains the proper cable tension. Compression couplers and gaskets connect the components, making the system totally enclosed and dust-free. Tubular cable conveyors can transport up to nearly 80,000 pounds of material per hour at low speeds. Air-powered conveyor limitations Air-powered conveying methods, such as pneumatic and aeromechanical conveying, work well for many applications, but they also have limitations. Pneumatic conveying systems use air by creating air pressure above or below the atmospheric level. The two main types of pneumatic conveyors — dilute-phase and dense-phase — differ by speed and pressure, and both can be configured as a pressure or vacuum system. In dilute-phase conveying, material is suspended in the air and transported through the conveying pipe at velocities of 3,400 to 5,000 fpm. The material usually has minimal breakage over straight paths, but many systems have bends and sweeps where material can be forced through constricted areas or forced to quickly change direction, which can cause material damage. In dense-phase conveying, where the material isn't sus- pended in air, systems function at lower velocities (700 A tubular cable conveyor's footprint can be small compared to other conveyor systems, which really helps with tight and compact manufacturing areas. Most tubular cable conveyors have interchangeable components that allow the system to be easily expanded or reconfigured to change the conveying line length, route, and number of inlets and outlets. Many tubular cable conveyors can be designed according to customer-specific requirements. The systems can be tailored to a specific work area and arranged to not hinder staff movement or maintenance access.