Bulk Material Handling Equipment
Vertical Screw ConveyorsEfficient elevation of bulk material in minimal floor space
Orthman vertical screw conveyors elevate bulk materials in a compact, enclosed vertical path. A controlled horizontal feed screw meters material into the vertical screw for consistent transfer and reliable vertical conveying.
Each system is engineered around your material, required capacity, lift height, inlet arrangement, and plant layout. Designed and built in Cleburne, Texas.
The Equipment
What is a vertical screw conveyor?
A vertical screw conveyor elevates bulk material straight up inside an enclosed housing using a high-speed rotating screw. Because the material travels vertically instead of across a long inclined conveyor, significant elevation can be achieved within a relatively small footprint.
The Orthman system uses a horizontal feed screw to deliver material into the base of the vertical conveyor at a controlled rate. Both screws are driven by their own independent screw conveyor drives.
It is a strong fit for dry to semi-dry bulk materials, and particularly effective on powders, granular materials, and free-flowing non-abrasive substances.
- Enclosed conveying path — dust-tight configuration available
- Discharge in any direction — oriented to your downstream equipment
How It Works
How the system works
Controlled feed in. Efficient vertical lift up.
Scroll to see the full diagram
Inlet
Bulk material enters the horizontal feed section from a hopper, bin, feeder, or upstream conveyor.
Controlled feed
The horizontal screw meters material into the base of the vertical conveyor at a controlled rate.
Independent drives
Separate drives allow the horizontal feeder and vertical screw to operate at the speeds required for the application.
Vertical elevation
The high-speed vertical screw generates the conveying action required to move material upward through the enclosed housing.
Discharge
Kicker paddles assist material discharge from the head section into the downstream process.
Why Vertical
Why choose a vertical screw conveyor
Gain elevation without giving up floor space
Gain elevation without the long horizontal run required by a steeply inclined conveyor.
A cost-effective way to go up
Fewer moving parts and less supporting structure than larger elevating equipment, in both purchase price and installation.
Discharge where your process needs it
Head and discharge arrangements can be configured around downstream equipment.
Contain dust when the material demands it
A fully enclosed path means a dust-tight configuration is available where containment or product purity matter.
Straightforward to install and support
Vertical height, lateral supports, and structural connections are configured around the installation.
Built around your material, not a catalog number
Screw diameter, feed arrangement, vertical height, materials of construction, and drives are selected for the application.
Applications
Applications, industries and materials
Where Orthman vertical screw conveyors are put to work, and the kinds of material that suit the design.
Feed & Grain
Corn meal, mash, grain, and pelleted feed elevated to mixers, storage bins, or load-out equipment.
Plastics & Resins
Plastic pellets, resin granules, and similar free-flowing materials elevated to storage bins, blenders, or processing equipment.
Food processing
Flour, starch, dextrose, sugar, and other dry ingredients conveyed to mixers, blenders, or process equipment.
Mineral Powders
Calcium carbonate, gypsum, and similar dry mineral powders are elevated between processing and storage equipment.
Chemical
Soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, and other dry chemical powders or granules transferred to bins, mixers, or downstream equipment.
Rendering
Bone meal, blood meal, and other dry rendered products are handled in an enclosed vertical conveying system.
Custom Engineered
Custom-engineered around your application
Orthman has standards for vertical screw conveyors. They are where a design starts, not where it ends — the length of the feed screw, the height of the vertical and the diameter of each are designed to the specific application.
What gets specified to your job
- Feed screw length — Set by where the material enters and how far it has to travel before it reaches the vertical column.
- Vertical height — Built up from intermediate sections to reach the elevation your process needs, within the design range.
- Screw diameter — Sized to capacity and material. Horizontal and vertical screws are typically the same diameter.
- System configuration — Inlet arrangement, discharge direction, supports and dust-tight enclosure configured to the installation.
Specifications
Technical specifications
Grouped so it is clear what is a capability the system can be designed to, what is a typical operating parameter, and what is a design consideration for your installation.
Capability range
- Capacity
- 400 – 6,000 cu ft/hr
- Designed elevation
- Up to about 30 ft
- Materials of construction
- Carbon Steel, 304 Stainless Steel, 316 Stainless Steel
- Enclosure
- Dust-tight configuration available
- Discharge direction
- Any direction
Typical operating parameters
- Vertical screw speed
- 150 – 250 rpm
- Horizontal feed screw loading
- About 45%
- Screw diameter relationship
- Horizontal and vertical typically the same diameter
- Feed synchronization
- Feed screw matched to the vertical by speed and feed rate
- Suitable material condition
- Dry to semi-dry, free-flowing
Design considerations
- Support at drive end
- Lateral support required
- Support to structure
- Lateral supports every 10 – 12 ft
- Discharge
- “Kicker” paddles at the discharge
- Internal bearings
- Available, but not recommended
- Drives
- Independent drives on the feed screw and the vertical
Reading these numbers: capability range is what a vertical screw conveyor can be designed to deliver, not what every unit does. Typical operating parameters shift with material and capacity. Final specifications are confirmed by Orthman engineering against your material, capacity and layout.
Questions
Vertical screw conveyor FAQ
Direct answers to the questions we are asked most when engineers and plant managers are evaluating vertical material handling options.
What is a vertical screw conveyor?
A vertical screw conveyor elevates bulk material straight up inside an enclosed housing using a high-speed rotating screw. Because the material travels vertically instead of across a long inclined conveyor, significant elevation can be achieved within a relatively small footprint.
How does a vertical screw conveyor work?
Material enters an inlet section on the horizontal feed screw, which runs about 45% loaded and meters product into the base of the vertical housing at a controlled rate. The vertical screw — typically turning at 150 to 250 rpm — carries the material upward, and kicker paddles at the head section clear it into the discharge spout.
What materials are not a good fit for a vertical screw conveyor?
Very light or easily aerated materials, highly abrasive products, sticky or packing materials, high-moisture products, and fragile materials that cannot tolerate higher conveying speeds may require special design considerations or another conveying method. Orthman evaluates bulk density, flowability, moisture, particle size, abrasiveness, and degradation sensitivity for each application.
What is the difference between a vertical screw conveyor and a standard screw conveyor?
A standard screw conveyor moves material horizontally or on an incline, usually in a trough. A vertical screw conveyor elevates material straight up in an enclosed housing and requires a horizontal feed screw to meter material in at a controlled rate. That feed arrangement, and the independent drives behind it, are what distinguish the vertical system.
How high can a vertical screw conveyor elevate material?
Orthman vertical screw conveyors are designed for elevations up to about 30 feet. The height of the vertical, the length of the feed screw and the diameter of each are designed around the specific application.
When should I use a vertical screw conveyor?
When you need to gain elevation with dry to semi-dry, free-flowing bulk material and floor space is limited. It is a strong choice where an inclined conveyor would need more horizontal run than the plant allows, and where an enclosed or dust-tight conveying path is preferred.
Tell us what you need to move, and how high
Send your material, capacity and the elevation you need, and we will size a vertical screw conveyor system around them. If a vertical screw is not the best answer, we will tell you which of our conveying products is — and we build those too.