Martin Engineering has introduced a heavy-duty air cannon mounting system. The Martin® X-Stand is an organisation system that safely keeps air cannons away from super-heated or potentially hazardous areas while offering easy service access. The result is clearer walkways, improved safety, and greater maintenance efficiency for a lower cost of operation.
“Though secure when held in place by pipework, air cannons can be precariously placed around preheaters, hoppers, and drop chutes, making them hard to get around or reach by maintenance crews,” said Sid Dev, Product Manager of Air Cannons at Martin Engineering. “Some of these applications can also be in high-heat environments in loading zones, so we worked with customers to formulate a more practical and long-term solution. The X-Stand ended up having more benefits than we initially thought!”.
The X-Stand is a rugged steel cube frame that comes in 3 sizes to fit the 35 l, 70 l, and 150 l air cannon tanks, and can fit a range of air cannons. The largest model measures 36 x 36 x 36 in. (91.5 x 91.5 x 91.5 cm) and weighs ~175 lbs (~80kg).
Each cube has a sturdy cross-bar frame designed to distribute weight and absorb vibration from the cannon's firing. The central top hole allows easy access to the valve and attachments, while the bottom hole accommodates a standard 4 in. (~10 cm), 150 lb (~68 kg), 8-bolt ANSI (American National Standards Institute) flange to hold the cannon securely in place. The open sides allow easy access to the flange, hose connection, and tank removal. Solenoid boxes that enable manual firing and control the firing sequence can be conveniently mounted on the side of the rack.
It is specially designed to fit different spaces and stack in several configurations for optimum space-saving, safer access, and ease of maintenance. The air cannons are still secured with a tether for added safety. They are delivered in assembled blocks with all the bolts and nuts required to secure them using standard tools.
Air cannons are an effective way to clear material that’s adhered to preheater vessels or silo walls, as well as clogs in hoppers, bins, and drop chutes. Instead of exposing workers to extreme heat, having them beat vessel walls with hammers, or entering dangerous confined spaces, air cannons do the job safely and remotely.
They comprise a 35, 70, or 150 l tank connected to a compressed air system that delivers a powerful shot triggered from a solenoid box up to 200 ft away. Pointed in the direction the material flows, the high-velocity air passes through a nozzle across vessel surfaces to dislodge adhered material and clogs, promoting efficient throughput with minimal downtime.