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 loading tanker loaders.
Challenges of handling bulk lime
Bulk lime must be handled with care. 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 bridge and “rat hole” in conveying equipment, sticking to the sides and building up in the machinery.
Reducing 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 lime producer asked what options were available for a mobile solution to help with tanker loading, we knew we could help. To remain profitable, they needed to operate above 50 tph to avoid demurrage charges at the initial unloading point.
Requirements for conveying lime using a mobile tanker loader
The company needed a turnkey solution that was easy to run and maintain. In addition, they wanted a conveying system for decanting 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 tanker
- Environmentally friendly
Mobile transit loading with Floveyor
Extensive material testing was performed to evaluate the Floveyor Tanker Loader’s capacity for rapid, dust-free conveying. Testing resulted in conveying speeds of over 54 tph, exceeding the testing requirements.
Continuous operation at maximum speed
Based on test outcomes and further discussions with both the 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:
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- Two bulk bag unloading positions equipped with mechanical cutting blades for ultra-fast opening and dumping
- A 4 m3 buffer zone below the cutting point to enable preloading to insure instant filling for tankers and continuous operation
- A trough screw conveyor to feed the lime from the large hopper into the original Floveyor
- 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 tanker pod is full
- An adjustable loading boom equipped with a winch arrangement to raise and lower the bellow chute to engage multiple tanker inlets.
Turnkey solution for mobile transit loading
Floveyor’s mobile tanker loader eliminated dust and the need for tanker clean downs.
This complete conveying system allowed the metal manufacturer to have complete control over the supply chain for bulk lime in their operations.
If you’d like more information about Floveyor’s mobile transit loading capabilities, get in touch. We’re happy to discuss our experiences with slashing turnaround times for transit loading and can work with you to develop a safe, efficient powder handling system fit for your purpose.