Tube Chain Conveyor for Brewery Malt and Grain Handling

A tube chain conveyor — also called a tubular drag conveyor — uses a sealed stainless steel tube housing with an internal drag chain fitted with evenly spaced discs or flights to pull bulk grain material through the enclosed circuit. Unlike open screw conveyors that expose grain to the environment during transfer, the tube chain conveyor operates as a fully sealed system, eliminating malt dust emission and preventing cross-contamination between production stages. It also allows multi-directional conveying — horizontal, vertical, and inclined — within a single continuous circuit, reducing the number of separate transfer units required in a brewery grain handling layout.

ZR BREW’s tube chain conveyor is designed to handle all standard dry brewing and distilling grains including pale malt, crystal malt, wheat malt, corn, barley, rye, oats, sorghum, rice hulls, and spent dry grain materials. The system is also adaptable for transferring other dry granular and powdery materials used in commercial fermentation and beverage production environments. Please confirm your specific grain type, bulk density, and required transfer volume when requesting a quote so our engineering team can specify the correct tube diameter, chain speed, and motor power.

Yes. ZR BREW supports complete custom engineering of the tube chain conveying system, including total conveying distance, tube diameter, number and position of directional changes, inlet hopper configuration, discharge outlet quantity and positions, and drive motor power. Whether your facility requires a straight horizontal run, a multi-level vertical lift, or a combined L-shaped or U-shaped conveying path with multiple discharge points, our engineering team will design the system to match your exact layout. 2D and 3D layout drawings are available upon request.

All grain-contact components — including the sealed tube interior, drag chain, disc flights, inlet hoppers, and discharge outlets — are fabricated from food-grade SUS304 or SUS316 stainless steel. This material selection ensures full compliance with commercial food and beverage processing hygiene standards, provides corrosion resistance against grain moisture and organic compounds, and supports long-term structural integrity during continuous high-volume conveying operations. Surface finishes are available in sanitary polished or brushed specifications.

The enclosed tube housing design significantly reduces grain residue accumulation compared to open conveyor systems. Between production runs, the conveyor can be cleared by running the chain empty at low speed to purge residual grain from the tube circuit. For deeper periodic cleaning, access panels and inspection ports along the tube housing allow manual cleaning and chain inspection. Routine maintenance focuses on drive motor lubrication, chain tension adjustment, and disc flight wear inspection. Maintenance procedures are documented in the equipment manual supplied with each unit.