How do you handle difficult materials like bulk lime quickly but safely? How can you do it in complex logistical conditions?
That’s the challenge faced by many metal manufacturing companies who burn money for every extra minute they spend truck loading. Efficiency is key, with logistics companies being charged based on time spent loading.
Ensuring adequate loading equipment and availability reduces unnecessary delays and subsequent related costs.
Challenges of handling bulk lime
Bulk lime must be handled with care and ideally requires a fully enclosed conveying system. The fine powder can be hard to contain during materials handling. When airborne, it creates a dangerous environment for operators who may suffer from skin and eye irritation or damage to their lungs. Add moisture and you can trigger a chemical reaction that generates heat and creates another safety issue.
In addition to safety hazards, the powder is difficult to transfer. Hydrated lime is prone to bridging and “ratholing” in conveying equipment, sticking to the sides and building up in the machinery.
Efficient bulk bag unloader reduces demurrage charges
While gravity-fed silos are the fastest way to decant lime, it’s a costly solution and time-consuming to construct. When a large bulk lime producer asked what options were available for a mobile conveying system to provide reliable and efficient truck loading, we knew we could help. To remain profitable, they needed to operate above 50 tph to avoid demurrage charges at the initial bulk bag unloading point.
Requirements for conveying bulk lime using a mobile bulk bag unloader system
The company needed a turnkey solution that was easy to run and maintain. In addition, they wanted a conveying system for a bulk bag unloader that was:
- Low profile and mobile — must fit inside a standard warehouse and allow for easy storage and relocation
- Operable at rates of over 50 tph for hydrated and quick lime
- Fully contained with sealed connections between the 1,000 kg bags and the truck
- Environmentally friendly
Floveyor conducts extensive testing of bulk lime to evaluate suitability
Extensive material testing was performed to evaluate the Floveyor truck loader’s capacity for rapid, dust-free conveying. Testing resulted in conveying speeds of over 54 tph, exceeding the testing requirements.
Conveying system provides continuous operation at maximum speed
Based on test outcomes and further discussions with both the bulk lime producer and the metal manufacturer, Floveyor designed a clean, safe system which was fast enough to allow two forklifts to operate simultaneously due to the throughput rate.
Key features include:
- Two bulk bag unloader positions equipped with mechanical cutting blades for ultra-fast opening and dumping
- A 4 m3buffer zone below the cutting point to enable preloading to insure instant filling for trucks and continuous operation
- A trough screw conveyor to feed the bulk lime from the large hopper into the Floveyor aero-mechanical conveyor
- An integrated extraction system to eliminate dust at all unloading and loading points
- A control system to enable safe, sequenced loading by alerting the operator when a truck pod is full
- An adjustable loading boom equipped with a winch arrangement to raise and lower the bellow chute to engage multiple truck inlets.
Mobile truck loader offers a turnkey solution
Floveyor’s mobile truck loader eliminated dust and the need for truck clean downs. It also eliminated congestion in the loading area.
This complete conveying system allowed the bulk lime producer to have complete control over the supply chain for bulk lime in their operations.
For more information
If you’d like more information about Floveyor’s bulk lime and bulk bag unloading capabilities, get in touch. We’re happy to discuss your requirements and can work with you to develop a safe, efficient powder handling system for your operation.
Mobile, relocatable Floveyor conveying system.
Bulk bag unloader with dual hopper station.
Dual station disposable bulk bag splitter.
