PuroVaso® containers offer a versatile solution for handling your product because you can choose from a range of volumes, materials and neck sizes but how do you choose the right container for your process? At PuroVaso® we have changed the ratio of product to container weight to ensure operator’s handling limits are driven by the product ingredient weight and not that of the container. Each customer’s requirements will be unique due to the type of product and application required but there are some basic rules to follow when working out which size container you need.

The simplest rule of thumb is to calculate your product weight and then divide it by the bulk density to give the volume of the product.

Product weight divided by bulk density = volume of product

For example, if your product weighs 5kg and the bulk density is 0.5g/cc then 5 divided by 0.5 = 10L.

So now we know the volume of the product is 10L this then allows you to select the volume of your PuroVaso® container. However, you wouldn’t choose a 10L container because it would be impossible to fill it without leaving gaps.  So, we need add an ullage (free space) factor. This is where the blending question comes in. The rule here is that if you want to blend, then you need to allow more free space to allow the powder to move freely within the container as it rotates. This allows better mixing. If the user is ‘not blending’ then we add a 20% ullage factor, if ‘blending’ is required then we add 30%.

Going back to our example, to calculate 20% ullage factor if not blending:

10 divide 0.8 = 12.5L

To calculate 30% ullage for blending:

10 divide  0.7 = 14L

You would therefore choose a 15L container.

Your next choice is which material?  PuroVaso® containers come in Pure White, Opaque White and Conductive Black and each have advantages for different products. Our containers are made from 3 different choices of Polyethylene (PE) but they are all anti-static grade, FDA approved, BSE/TSE free, phthalate free, melanmine free and suitable for Dust Zone 20/21/22 rated areas.

Our most popular selling material is the Opaque White (OW) which allows operators to see the visual fill level and this container is USP approved.  If you are working with a UV sensitive product, we would recommend using the Pure White (PW) or Conductive Black material which have as minimum a UV10 ASTM G26 rating.  For any ATEX applications where there are high levels of electrostatic charging we would recommend using the CB PuroVaso® which is suitable for Zones 0/20, Zones 1/21 and Zones 2/22.

Finally, there are ergonomically designed accessories to provide effortless handling solutions whether you are lifting, aligning or docking containers in your process.  Designed with the operators in mind, you can choose from a range of lids, clamps, valves, grabs, dollies and lifts to make handling safer and easier. In addition, our containers are compatible with all valve types with a tri-clamp (BS 4825 Pt3 or similar) so we are confident they will integrate with your existing machinery.

To make choosing the right container easier, we have designed a useful configurator tool which can do all the calculations for you. Click here to configure the right container for your process.