When I first introduced remote air cannon cleaning to the cement market, it was not the norm to use either high pressure water washing or Cardox. Yet today, this is accepted, and common place.
Now when I visit plants, I often ask if they’re satisfied with their current air cannon setup. Occasionally the answer is yes—but then I ask, “How often do you manually clean your riser and feed shelf?” Often, the reply is once or twice per shift. That tells me everything. What was considered unacceptable in the 1980s is now standard. My response is the same: ‘Wow.’ Because clearly, those air cannons aren’t doing their job.
Manual cleaning persists not because it’s effective, but because the air cannon systems in place are poorly optimized and outdated. Cements plants have evolved since the early 2000’s and are much larger now. The day when an air cannon was good enough when it cleaned one meter ahead is long gone.
Now to have effective cleaning, the blast must reach up to five meters in front. Dracyon knows that by Following the Science, one can apply the right amount energy with the correct nozzle so that buildup doesn’t occur. In this way, manual cleaning is eliminated.
It is also important to note that all air cannons will fail, and they fail much faster when installed too close to hot, harsh cement process. It doesn’t matter how powerful your air cannon is if it
isn’t working. Reliability and cleaning performance is directly linked. Improving reliability improves cleaning! Our remote air cannon system uses a 400L tank that has 5 times the stored
energy over conventional cannons. And with the right nozzles, our system gets the job done!
By Following the Science, Dracyon can accomplish the following:
Eliminate the need for manual cleaning. During a recent conversation with a refractory salesman, he told me the #1 selling tool for refractory is high-pressure water washing. The reason? This procedure destroys the refractory lining —guaranteeing annual replacement! Good for the refractory salesman but it’s a costly setback for the plant.
Let’s dig deeper. When the riser duct is opened for manual rodding, the estimated cost is $1,000 an hour. A 1” diameter hole in the tower is $50 an hour of wasted fuel. And when the 8X8 access door is open for manual cleaning, it is upwards to $3,200 plus an hour. All these examples of false can cost millions of dollars a year and that doesn’t include the cost of leaking air cannons! So instead of losing that money to avoidable maintenance, why not redirect it straight into your plant’s bottom line? I haven’t had a single plant disagree with saving money!
Buildup is an upsetting condition which causes production and efficiency losses. If you eliminate this buildup, your process will be more stable and efficient. This is why you installed an air cannon in the first place. Let the air cannons do their job! In order to make this happen, you must increase your tank size to increase the cleaning energy. Remember that the first blast dislodges the material and then with our extra cleaning energy, volume carries it away.
The first step is to have enough cleaning energy. Please watch these 2 videos to see how to have powerful solutions
The second step is to use the right nozzle:
Most cement plants use a fan jet (Smart Nozzle) which are designed to clean a short wide area. Short and wide has applications, but if you Follow the Science, you understand how a 4” air cannon just isn’t powerful enough to clean most applications in today’s cement plant.
The nozzle is the governor, and it determines success or failure. When buildup is considered in riser duct, which are 50% larger than twenty years ago, one knows that cleaning 1 meter ahead will never work. It will not matter how many cannons are used they will leave buildup in the middle. Dracyon’s Monster Nozzle is designed to focus the blast on length and not width. It provides enough cleaning energy to not only move material, but to move it away. Our 6” nozzle arrangement, 1 in each of the 4 corners of the riser duct for, compared to eight 70L cannons, has over four times the cleaning energy! The Dracyon system will eliminate the need for HPWW and will clean the whole wall.
Please note our third party evaluated CFD:
The impact on safety is also important. There is little to no doubt that the practice of either high pressure water washing or Cardox is both time consuming as well as a safety risk. In many cases this alone is enough justification.
If you Follow the Science, then this can be done. Dracyon is willing to offer the three G’s.
The Three G’s, our guarantees, are listed below:
10-year guarantee on air cannons
This offer of a 10-year guarantee is very rare in any industry, and you might wonder how Dracyon can offer such a strong warranty. The answer is simple. For the warranty to remain in effect the air cannon must be protected from the harsh cement environments. When aircannons fail, typically it is not the design but the location of the installation. Again, failure is all about improper location and once the air cannon is protected from residual flow and high process heat, these simple devices will deliver years of trouble-free service. So, what’s the catch? For our innovative warranty to be effective, it means that we will partner with any of our customer that chooses this option. And together, working as a team, the results will be operational efficiency and trouble free service!
3-year Guarantee on Nozzle Tips Life
Dracyon’s Monster Nozzles and High Velocity Nozzle Tips are redefining industrial cleaning performance. Engineered for maximum impact, these nozzles are designed to deliver concentrated, forceful blasts of air that break through even the most stubborn buildup—making them ideal for cement kilns, silos, and power plant SCR systems. Their unique internal flow path minimizes air restriction while amplifying discharge velocity, outperforming conventional nozzles by a wide margin in both efficiency and reliability.
What sets Dracyon apart isn’t just performance—it’s our commitment to long-term value. That’s why we back our nozzles with a 3-year performance guarantee. In an industry where reliability is critical and maintenance downtime is costly; this warranty reflects our confidence in the durability and effectiveness of our products. Customers gain not only superior cleaning but also peace of mind, knowing their investment is protected against wear and failure.
As operators demand longer-lasting, higher-performing solutions, Dracyon’s nozzle technology is poised to lead the market. Our Monster and High Velocity Nozzles aren’t just an upgrade—they’re a breakthrough.
Performance guarantee
Our team of experts will evaluate preinstallation to determine the best cannon system, nozzles, and operational cycle needed for each particular applications. Dracyon will be there as it is installed to oversee and if unforeseen problems arise, we will do whatever it takes to ensure the system is working. If not and there is nothing left, we will refund the costs. However, this has never happened, but just in case, we know customers like the extra assurance with cement plant’s investments.
For decades, I’ve seen plants lose millions to the same problems—underpowered cannons, wrong nozzles, poor placement, and constant manual cleaning. Dracyon’s approach ends that cycle. We combine proven engineering with field-tested results to deliver the cleaning power, reliability, and guarantees no one else offers. Every day you run the same system, you’re bleeding air, fuel, and production time. Following the Science means acting now—before the next shutdown, the next repair bill, or the next year of avoidable losses. The technology isready, the results are proven, and the guarantees are unmatched. The only real question is: when will your plant start keeping that money instead of wasting it?