What this article covers
This article examines why a global EPC company chose to replace a screw auger conveyor with a Floveyor Endura F4 aero-mechanical conveyor (AMC) on a lithium-tantalum project in Western Australia’s Goldfields region. It covers the specific challenges of conveying soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na₂CO₃) in a mineral processing environment, including abrasiveness, hygroscopic behaviour, and the maintenance burden associated with screw conveyor technology. A side-by-side comparison of screw conveyor versus AMC performance for sodium carbonate is included for a quick snapshot of the most common questions engineers ask when evaluating mineral processing conveying equipment.
At a glance:
| Industry | Critical minerals / lithium processing |
| Customer | Global EPC company |
| Material | Soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na₂CO₃) |
| Challenge | Screw/auger conveyor causing downtime, maintenance burden, and flow issues |
| Solution | Floveyor Endura F4 aero-mechanical conveyor (AMC) |
| Outcome | Enhanced operational availability, in-situ maintenance, reduced downtime risk |
In mineral processing, the choice of conveying equipment can determine how much of your day is spent running product, and how much is spent managing downtime in the form of unplanned maintenance. For a global EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) company working on a large lithium project in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, that question came to a head when the project design specified a screw conveyor to transfer soda ash through the process circuit.
Before the plant ever turned a wheel, the engineering team had concerns. Experience on comparable mineral processing projects had already shown the drawbacks of using screw and auger conveyors when handling cohesive, moderately abrasive powders like soda ash. The EPC company wanted to find a better answer to avoid those problems.
A material handling evaluation led them to Floveyor and to a purpose-built solution that addressed every concern the project team had.
The soda ash challenge: why auger conveyors fall short
Sodium carbonate is not the most difficult material to convey, but it is unforgiving if you choose the wrong equipment. Soda ash material characteristics include:
- bulk density of 0.95 to 1.15 g/cm³
- moderate abrasiveness
- moderate hygroscopic behaviour.
Soda ash presents a particular set of challenges for screw and auger conveyor systems:
- Hygroscopic materials absorb moisture from the air, causing them to become sticky and prone to binding on the flighting and trough of a screw conveyor.
- Moderate abrasiveness accelerates wear on the conveyor’s internal components, increasing maintenance frequency and the likelihood of unplanned downtime.
- Material build-up in the auger conveyor creates blockages, disrupts consistent flow to downstream processes, and demands time-consuming manual cleaning.
- When maintenance is required, screw conveyor systems often need to be removed from the line entirely and returned to a mining equipment workshop. This has a significant negative impact in a continuous processing environment.
The engineering team had seen these failures on comparable projects. The objective for the project was to improve plant availability and reliability from the design stage and avoid problems after commissioning.
| Soda Ash Properties | Screw/Auger Conveyor | Floveyor Endura F4 |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk density | 0.95 – 1.15 g/cm³ | 0.95 – 1.15 g/cm³ |
| Abrasiveness | Moderate: causes wear on flighting and troughs | None: abrasion is minimised and isolated via quick changeover parts |
| Hygroscopic behaviour | Moderate: material can clump and bind to surfaces, causing blockages | None: Cohesive Material Pack aids flow but material can still clump and build up |
| Maintenance access | High: requires removal of conveyor from line, workshop repair | Low: in-situ maintenance in hours not days |
| Downtime exposure | High: blockages, wear, and cleaning demands | Low: enclosed system, minimal residue |
| Cleaning requirements | High: manual clean-out of trough and flighting | Low: Dry Clean Pack, filtered vent port, clean-in-place (CIP) |
| Spare unit requirement | High: often necessary to maintain uptime | None: lower inventory capital tied up |
Caption: Table 1: Soda ash conveying comparison — screw/auger conveyor vs Floveyor Endura F4 AMC
Choosing Floveyor: from online search to engineering confidence
The EPC company discovered Floveyor through an online search while evaluating alternatives to the screw conveyor specified in the project design. What began as research quickly became a serious engineering conversation.
The project team visited Floveyor’s manufacturing facility in Perth, Western Australia, where they were able to inspect the equipment directly and observe the assembly process. Seeing the design simplicity, the accessibility of the maintenance interfaces, and the overall build quality gave the team the confidence they needed to make a decision.
From an engineering standpoint, the Floveyor aero-mechanical conveyor addressed the risks associated with conveying soda ash in a mining and mineral processing environment without requiring any major modifications to the process layout. That resulted in no redesign costs and no schedule impacts.
The solution: Floveyor Endura F4, configured for the application
Floveyor supplied one Endura F4 AMC which was already engineered for the demands of the lithium project application. The Endura range is built for continuous use in demanding industrial environments. It had no problem handling the moderate abrasiveness and cohesive nature of sodium carbonate in powder form. In addition, Floveyor AMC conveyors such as the Endura are known for gentle handling which preserves material integrity of even the most fragile powders and granules.
The system was configured with a targeted set of options chosen to mitigate the specific risks the engineering team had identified:
Heavy & Abrasive Material Pack
Soda ash’s moderate abrasiveness poses a long-term wear risk to conveying equipment. The Heavy & Abrasive Material Pack for Floveyor’s powder handling conveyors reduces internal wear, extends equipment service life, and keeps maintenance costs predictable over the life of the plant.
Cohesive Material Pack
Sodium carbonate’s hygroscopic behaviour means it can clump and bridge under certain conditions. Floveyor’s Cohesive Material Pack promotes consistent, uninterrupted material flow from the process line to the designated storage hopper, which helps the production cycle run without bottlenecks.
Low-speed sensor
Early detection of operational anomalies is critical in a continuous processing environment. The low-speed sensor provides real-time monitoring and interlock capability. If a fault is detected, it safely stops upstream and downstream equipment before a small issue becomes a costly one. This directly supports the project’s objective of enhancing operational availability and reducing the risk of unplanned downtime.
Electric rope tensioner system
Rope tension adjustment is one of the most routine maintenance tasks on an AMC. The electric tensioner system makes this fast, straightforward, and safe for operators. It reduces maintenance time and the skill level required to keep the conveyor operating at peak performance.
Dry Clean Pack and drain plugs
Cleaning and maintenance in a powder-handling environment must be efficient and thorough. The Dry Clean Pack and drain plugs support clean-in-place (CIP) between product runs, optimising downtime.
Transfer interface and custom hopper
BFM flexi ducting, spigots, and flanged adaptors were included to provide dust-tight connections at the transfer points. A project-specific hopper was designed for controlled material infeed, ensuring consistent feed rates and maintaining material integrity throughout the conveying process.
Mining-duty drive system
A TECO MAXe3 mining duty motor rated at 415V was specified to meet the site’s electrical requirements. This ensured the drive system was aligned with the demands of a working lithium processing plant from the first day of operation.
Why the Floveyor Endura F4 won the mining equipment tender
The EPC company evaluated the Floveyor Endura F4 against the originally specified screw conveyor on several critical criteria. The AMC offered clear advantages across each one:
- Maintenance can be performed in situ, eliminating the need to remove the conveyor and take it to a workshop.
- Typical maintenance activities are completed within hours rather than requiring extended outages.
- Reduced reliance on critical spare units lowers inventory requirements and the capital tied up in spares.
- Common screw conveyor failures (build-up, wear, blockages) are eliminated by the AMC’s fully enclosed, rope-and-disc conveying mechanism.
- No layout modifications were required, allowing seamless substitution for the screw conveyor in the original design.
- The flexible, application-specific engineering approach meant the system was configured for the actual material characteristics of soda ash, not a generic solution.
For a project team focused on delivering a reliable, high-availability mineral processing plant for the battery materials supply chain, those advantages made for an easy decision. Installation and commissioning responsibilities were handled in-house, another indication of the ease of use Floveyor conveyors provide to customers.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes. Soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na₂CO₃) is a moderately abrasive, moderately hygroscopic powder with a bulk density of 0.95 to 1.15 g/cm³. The Floveyor AMC, configured with the appropriate Heavy & Abrasive and Cohesive Material Packs, reliably handles these material characteristics. The enclosed conveying mechanism prevents moisture ingress, reduces the risk of material build-up, and maintains consistent flow to downstream processes, all common problems for screw and auger conveyor systems when conveying soda ash.
Screw and auger conveyors are prone to several failure modes when handling cohesive, hygroscopic powders like sodium carbonate. Material can bind to the flighting and trough, causing blockages and disrupting flow. The moderate abrasiveness of soda ash accelerates wear on internal components. Maintenance typically requires removing the conveyor from the process line, which extends downtime significantly. These issues combine to reduce operational availability, a serious consideration in critical mineral processing applications where uptime is essential.
Unlike screw conveyor systems, the Floveyor AMC is designed for in-situ maintenance. Routine tasks, including rope tension adjustment via the electric tensioner system, can be completed onsite within hours, without removing the conveyor from the line or sending it to a workshop. The low-speed sensor provides early warning of operational variances, enabling condition-based maintenance rather than reactive repairs. Together, these features support higher plant availability and reduce the risk of unplanned outages.
In most cases, yes. One of the reasons the EPC company selected the Floveyor F4 Endura for the lithium project was that it could be substituted for the originally specified screw conveyor without requiring significant modifications to the process layout. This avoided redesign costs and schedule impacts, important considerations in any capital project. Floveyor’s engineering team works with project teams to ensure the conveyor is configured to integrate with existing or planned process equipment.
For more information
If you’d like more information about Floveyor’s mineral processing capabilities, get in touch. We’re happy to discuss your requirements and work with you to develop a safe, efficient powder-handling system for your critical minerals operation.
