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IS S U E NO. 257 M AY 2 0 2 2
FEATURES Global Cement Trades
Cement Handling & Storage
Software & Automation
Pneumatic Bulk Handling Equipment
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CONTENTS
Five SENNEBOGEN
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SENNEBOGEN 895 E) and the 9300 E port crane working together at the same quay at İDÇ Port in Turkey. SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH Sennebogenstraße 10 D-94315 Straubing, Germany T: +49 9421 540-0 E: info@sennebogen.com W: www.sennebogen.com PUBLISHERS Jason Chinnock jason@dc-int.com
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Doubts about dry bulk trade CEMENT TRADE: BELLWETHER OF WORLD ECONOMY
SHIPPING & TRANSPORT
GTMaritime celebrates 10,000 vessel milestone BHP signs Letter of Intent for Australia-East Asia iron ore Green Corridor
PORTS, TERMINALS & LOGISTICS
The Port of Rosyth’s Agri-hub reaches one million tonne milestone Itaqui loads largest-ever soya consignment New bulk port proposed for Brazil Marcor Stevedoring to operate dry bulk terminal at Steinweg Hartel Terminal
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
4B Group launches Nylathane™ — next generation of industrial elevator buckets SMOOTH OPERATORS: KEEPING CEMENT MOVING SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT BIOMASS IN BULK: POPULARITY OF ‘GREEN’ SOLUTIONS LIKE BIOMASS CONTINUES TO RISE BREATH OF FRESH AIR WITH THE LATEST PNEUMATIC TECHNOLOGIES IF-THEN-ELSE: SOFTWARE & AUTOMATION IN BULK HANDLING MINIMAL IMPACT: PROTECTING OUR WORLD WITH ENVIRONMENTAL BULK HANDLING
REGIONAL REPORT
SCANDI-BULK: BULK DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SCANDINAVIAN REGION
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HIP TO BE SQUARE: FIBCS & BAGGING EQUIPMENT
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BULK CARRIER TRADE & FLEET OUTLOOK
Doubts about dry bulk trade
O
ver the past couple of months doubts about strengthening commodity imports into many countries have multiplied. Events affecting import demand, and also export supplies, point to intensifying restraints on growth in world seaborne dry bulk trade during 2022, resulting in last year’s robust recovery fading. Earlier expectations of a slowing world economy have been accentuated in recent weeks by clearer signs of rapidly rising inflation, exacerbated by the impact of the war in Ukraine, and weakening progress in China. In midApril the International Monetary Fund commented that “global economic prospects have been severely set back”. The IMF forecasts world GDP growth decreasing to 3.6% in 2022 (after last year’s 6.1% rebound), a reduction of almost one percentage point from its previous estimate.
COAL Upheavals in the global energy market have been a feature this year, resulting in higher international prices for all the main energy commodities, including coal. Supply shortfalls, actual or potential, are affecting trade flow volumes and altering patterns of trade. Slowing economic activity in many countries will restrict overall energy usage, but coal import demand could be solidly supported. While some observers still foresee limited growth in coal trade in 2022, others are less optimistic. Analysts at the Australian Government’s industry
department, in their latest quarterly update, predicted that world trade in coal (including land movements, but mostly seaborne), could decline by 37mt (million tonnes) this year. The volume is a 3% reduction, from 1,382mt in 2021, to 1,345mt. Almost all of that fall is expected to be concentrated in the steam coal segment.
IRON
ORE
Benefits for raw materials movements derived from higher steel demand and output this year now seem likely to be smaller than predicted earlier. The construction activity and manufacturing production recovery after the pandemic is becoming more muted as adverse influences unfold. Global steel output in the first quarter of 2022 was 7% below the level of last year’s first three months. The World Steel Association’s updated short-range outlook published in mid-April emphasized the “high uncertainty” surrounding demand forecasts. WSA calculations suggest that global steel demand may be virtually unchanged this year, after growing by 3% in 2021. In China, an expected flat performance this year follows a 5% decline in the past twelve months. In the remainder of the world, which achieved a notable 13% rebound last year, the 2022 increase may be under 1%.
GRAIN &
SOYA
Prospects for grain and soya trade have deteriorated. The impact of weakening
import demand in some countries is now accompanied by pressure from large shortfalls in Black Sea supplies, amid the conflict in Ukraine. Recent US Department of Agriculture calculations indicate that overall world trade in wheat and coarse grains, plus soyabeans and meal, could total 658mt in trade year 2021/22. This volume is about 1% below the quantity recorded in the previous twelve months. Among buyers, weakness is most apparent in China, where the import total could decline by 16mt or 10%, to 145mt, including large reductions in corn and soyabeans purchases.
MINOR
BULKS
A sub-category of the minor bulks segment is comprised of ‘agricultural’ commodities including various oilseeds and meals, rice, sugar and a range of fertilizers. These trades together are estimated to have totalled over 420mt last year and signs suggest a similar outcome in the current period.
BULK
CARRIER FLEET
About two-fifths of the entire world fleet of bulk carriers is comprised of Capesize and larger vessels, statistically defined as ships of 100,000 deadweight tonnes and over. This fleet grew by more than 4% last year, as shown by table 2, after several years when 3–4% growth was seen. But in 2022 a deceleration to a 1–2% increase is envisaged, reflecting lower newbuilding deliveries and perhaps higher scrapping.
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TABLE 1: STEAM COAL IMPORTS IN KEY ASIAN COUNTRIES (MILLION TONNES) Japan South Korea Taiwan China# India Total of above
source: various & BSA estimates
2017 121.0 116.0 58.2 118.7 152.7 566.6
#excluding lignite
2018 119.8 117.5 58.4 122.4 171.3 589.4
2019 116.8 109.9 56.8 124.6 186.2 594.3
2020 110.4 93.2 52.9 132.3 161.3 550.1
2021 119.0 94.3 58.2 150.4 148.0 569.9
2022* 122.0 93.0 58.0 135.0 160.0 568.0
*BSA forecast
MAY 2022
TABLE 2: CAPESIZE (100,000DWT & OVER) BULK CARRIER FLEET (MILLION DEADWEIGHT TONNES)
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Newbuilding deliveries Scrapping (sales) Losses Plus/minus adjustments Feet at end of year % change from previous year-end
2017 15.3 6.4 0.3 0.1 323.9 +2.8
source: Clarksons (historical data) & BSA 2022 forecasts
2018 14.3 3.1 0.0 –0.1 335.0 +3.4
2019 19.0 5.9 0.0 0.0 348.1 +3.9
2020 25.0 11.4 0.5 0.0 361.2 +3.8
2021 19.0 3.4 0.0 0.0 376.8 +4.3
2022* 11.0 5.5 0.0 0.0 382.3 +1.5
*BSA forecast
by Richard Scott, Bulk Shipping Analysis, Tel: +44 (0)12 7722 5784; Fax: +44 (0)12 7722 5784; e-mail: bulkshipan@aol.com
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Cement trade bellwether of world economy building infrastructure depends heavily on cement
Despite high cement production capacity, both China and India depend on clinker and limestone imports A symbiotic relationship exists between the volumes of seaborne trade in cementitious materials and how the world economy — particularly in emerging nations such as China and India and developing countries — fares at a given point, writes Kunal Bose. This is because in their pursuit of building infrastructure and providing housing to the masses, large volumes of cement and steel will come for use. Even while China has a towering presence in cement manufacturing capacity and production as it has in steel and aluminium, it leads other countries in import of clinker made from processing of limestone for use in making cement. The
China Cement Association (CCA) informs that while cement production in China has continued to stay high, the country is accessing growing amounts of clinker from abroad, particularly Vietnam, which with cement output of 100mt (million tonnes) ranks third in global pegging after China and India. According to analysts, China’s 2020 clinker imports at 33.4mt registering a 47% year-on-year leap are a pointer to two compulsions: first, clinker production based on burning of fossil fuel coal is a major emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) and, therefore, a subject of concern for the Chinese ministry of ecology and environment. Second, besides
conservation of local limestone resource leading to reduction of GHG emissions at the point of mining, Beijing wants the industry to be committed to permanently shut down the ageing clinker units, all energy guzzlers. Incidentally, as much as 60% of Chinese imports of clinker are from Vietnam. That there could be uneasiness in Beijing about such overwhelming dependence on Vietnam for clinker imports is a given. Uneasiness in political relationship and also the fact strict state control obtains in Vietnam further add to Beijing concern. In this context, CCI has dropped hints of China fixing standards for clinker imports linking to verification of
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carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and product quality. Cement machinery manufacturers, particularly in Europe, are concerned that the Chinese move on clinker import screening will favour the export surplus countries where Chinamade machinery is in use. Whatever it is, the fact is Vietnam has rich deposits of limestone, both in terms of size and quality. According to a recent study of clinkermaking raw material (limestone) deposits in Vietnam and Korea, the material is found over 50,000 to 60,000km2 of the former nation or 20% of its territory. The report says of the 351 limestone deposits in Vietnam, 274 sites have undergone investigation revealing reserves of 12.557bn tonnes and resource of 32.180bn tonnes. This apart, the country is fairly richly endowed with dolomite, with reserves of 124mt and resource of 2.676bn tonnes. (Dolomite seen mainly as a refractory material also finds application in cement.) Indonesia too is sitting on huge limestone deposit. Jamaica, known more for its bauxite exports has limestone deposits of 150bn tonnes of which 50bn tonnes are deemed recoverable at this stage. Calcium carbonate concentration in much of Jamaican bauxite being 95% to 98%, the resource there will be much coveted. Almost every country owning the material in large volume wants local value addition to clinker rather than export the raw material itself. Here too sub-nationalism is at work. Then limestone lends itself to seaborne trade ideally over short distances because of its bulk and low value. India, which is the world’s second largest in terms of cement capacity and has a share of around 8% of global production of the binding material is too an importer of clinker and also of cement. The principal source of Indian import of clinker is Iran and of cement United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Vietnam, Japan and Bangladesh. However, revenues from and volume of exports are far in excess of imports. For example, during 2020 out of India’s total cement imports of 2.2mt, UAE had a share of 691,000 tonnes. That year Iran supplied 522,000 tonnes of clinker to India. India mainly exports cement to Sri Lanka, Nepal, the USA, the UK and Maldives. Incidentally, South India Cement Manufacturers Association (SICMA) wants New Delhi to impose customs levy to an extent that will discourage imports of clinker and cement. Asked about the logic supporting the demand, a spokesperson for SICMA says: “We are facing cement duty barriers in a number of markets where we are traditional exporters. You know, the
country’s cement capacity is distributed regionally and south Indian plants have a predominant share of 40% of that. Similarly, the major portion of Indian limestone resource is found in the south. Put a higher duty on imports. But at the same time facilitate movement of clinker and cement produced in the south to other parts of the country through telescopic railway freight.” An Indian cement industry official says that over the years Chinese cement machinery and equipment manufacturers have invested heavily in research & development resulting in “significant improvement in product quality, coming quite close to what are all available from European suppliers.” He further says: “The gap between European and Chinese machinery in terms of efficiency and durability is hardly 10%. But China is already making some machines that are as good as the ones available anywhere else in the world.” Machines in employment in India with a long tradition in cement making are very largely from European manufacturers such as Copenhagen headquartered FL Smidth and Loesche GmbH. But the rapid emergence of China as a supplier of quality machinery at competitive prices has made
cement clinker and grinding units in India to start placing orders with Chinese equipment suppliers. The Chinese cement making capacity may not grow further. But what has already started happening, as the world earlier saw in cases of steel, aluminium and coal, is that cement plants of old vintage emitting unacceptable levels of GHG will soon start to be replaced with new units under a state order. For securing such orders, European machinery suppliers will be engaged in fierce competition with their Chinese peers. Besides India, cement capacity growth will be occurring in some south and southeast Asian countries, West Asia, Africa and Latin America where also machinery manufacturers of European and Chinese origin will be locked in competition to secure orders. More and more countries are demanding of industries to bring down GHG emissions. Cement, which has a share of nearly 8% of global GHG emissions, is naturally an important correctional target of governments from China to India to Western European countries. This is also the case with steel which pollutes the global environment in a slightly bigger way than cement. The question is how does the cement
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industry go about the goal of net zero GHG emissions? International Energy Agency (IEA) says the direct CO2 intensity of global cement production increased 1.8% a year during 2015–20. This calls for 3% annual cut in emissions till at least 2030 to be on track with net zero emissions target by 2050. The key strategies to arrive at that goal, IEA says, will be to “improve energy efficiency, switch to lower-carbon fuels, promote material efficiency (that is, to reduce the clinker-to-cement ratio and total demand) and advancing process and technology innovations such as carbon capture and storage (CCS).” (Incidentally, during 2015–20, the global clinker-tocement ratio is estimated to have increased at an average of 1.6% per year, reaching an estimated 0.72 in 2020. Unquestionably, this rise was the main reason for the increase in direct CO2 intensity of cement production over the period.) The last of IEA recommendations underpins the need for machinery manufacturers to produce more advanced plants with better energy efficiency and much less emission of GHG. The quality of machines to be available in future in terms of environment friendliness will depend on their investment in R&D, where considerable government support, including liberal financial incentive will be needed. Expect the ongoing competition between European and Chinese cement machinery makers to now also focus on making plant and machinery that will have increasingly high standards of environmental friendliness. A few Chinese mills have installed CCS units at a very high capital cost. But they are not able to recover the resulting incremental production cost from cement sales. The cost consideration is standing in the way of CCS system gaining popularity in the industry. An official of a leading Indian cement group says: “This kind of competition works to our advantage. Most of the leading cement companies are setting up either clinker units or grinding plants or both at the same time to grow capacity. We are advantageously placed to drive hard bargain with machinery manufacturers whose margins may come under some kind of pressure. Recent major price inflation of metals, particularly steel, will, however, force machinery makers to pass on the incremental cost to us.” Foreign groups such LafargeHolcim acquired majority ownership of two major Indian cement companies, namely, ACC and Ambuja Cement with combined capacity of 65.90mt and Heidelberg Cement that
opened its India chapter with acquired capacity of 3mt in 2006 has by now more than doubled capacity through organic and inorganic routes. In fact, the Indian cement sector with considerable growth potential is holding major attraction for foreign groups. Indian Brand Equity Foundation says in a report that between April 2000 and September 2021, foreign direct investment (FDI) in cement and gypsum products in India was $5.24bn. Going by the forecast of rating agency ICRA, cement in India will have new capacity of 80mt by 2024 and that will be most impressive since the start of the millennium. This is driven by government-directed high spending on infrastructure and housing in which the private sector is a keen participant. ICRA further says rural housing demand and push to infrastructure projects had likely lifted Indian cement production by 12% during the financial year ended March 2022. According to the country’s Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), India has built capacity of 545mt, 99% of which is dry process based. Over the years, the Indian cement industry has seen some remarkable capacity consolidation initiatives, heralded mostly by Ultratech Cement, part of KM Birla Group, which also owns leading aluminium maker Hindalco. Experts say, capacity consolidation work is largely over with Ultratech, a serial buyer of assets, being counted among world leaders in terms of size, operational excellence and profitability (EBITDA basis.) The demand for assets is still very much there, but nothing any longer is coming on the block. In the circumstances, industry leaders are concentrating on optimizing the operating assets and also embarking on organic growth. For example, chairman of Ambuja Cement Narotam Sekhsaria says: “As part of our growth strategy, we are investing in cement grinding expansion plan of 7mt across locations, including in a greenfield project at Barh in Bihar. This will help us move closer to our target of achieving 50mt capacity (currently 31.45mt) in the
near future.” As well as Ultratech and LafargeHolcim, some others such as Shree Cement, Dalmia Bharat, Birla Corporation, JK Cement and Ramco have made significant contribution to capacity consolidation. Interestingly, now a buzz is getting increasingly stronger that LafargeHolcim, the world’s largest in global pecking order in the industry, is considering exiting Indian cement business, wholesale. As the Swiss company is “gauging interest of potential buyers” in India and abroad about acquiring its two subsidiaries — Ambuja Cement and ACC — it may already be engaged in preliminary talks with JSW Group and Adani Group. But why should LafargeHolcim want to leave India after its highly successful journey over 17 years? It may have got to do with its move to diversify away from its core cement and aggregate business to focus more on building technology as it swears by sustainability. The Swiss Group has in recent times sold assets in Brazil and Zimbabwe and using the proceeds to retire debts and diversify through acquisitions, outside traditional cement in roofing and building products. Well established on the home turf, Ultratech (the biggest in India with capacity of 120mt) has a strong presence in UAE, Bahrain and Sri Lanka. In the meantime, Shree Cement acquired UAE based 4m tonne Union Cement Company (UCC) in 2018 at an enterprise value of $305.24. UCC located close to the Saqr port is strategically placed to sell cement in Gulf Cooperation Countries, Africa and south Asia. An industry official says: “Technologically and also financially some Indian groups have the required muscle to indulge in their kind of wanderlust. But their focus will be mainly on building capacity in India where cement will be much in demand from infrastructure, construction and house building sectors.” Since its acquisition of Union Cement, Shree Cement has commissioned at Ras Al
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Khaimah in UAE one of the world’s largest kilns with daily capacity of 14,500 tonnes. In the meantime, Beijing wants the cement industry to be cleaned up of “ageing, energy intensive and polluting” capacity, ideally in the next three years. Accordingly, CCA has identified 210 kilns with capacity of less than 2,000tpd [tonnes per day] (or 3.2% of industry total capacity) and 125 kilns of less than 2,500tpd (4.3% of capacity) to be taken off the production line. The combined clinker making capacity of the two sets of kilns is 134mt, which is equivalent to cement production capacity of 210mt. CCA says all these plants earmarked to be taken down were built in
1990s before a major wave of technological breakthroughs in cement making emerged. As China is on the path of replacing polluting capacity with energy efficient advanced plants, it has also decided to go the Western way to push the country’s nearly 3,400 cement units to use in an increasingly bigger way alternative fuels such as solid municipal waste, used tyres and methane from landfill. China generates annually over 300mt of municipal waste and Beijing wants cement mills to use all of that as a fuel alternative to coal. But China’s progress in alternative fuel ratios at 3% pales into insignificance compared to 20% to 30% obtaining in many other countries. Germany’s advance in this area approaching 70% is the most impressive. Indian cement makers are yet to make a meaningful beginning in using non-fossil fuels to cut GHG emissions. In most places, including China and India, the focus remains on reducing clinker to cement ratio, helped to a major extent by
increasing consumer uptake of blended cement. Because of this, the world will experience from here stronger growth in cement blended with industry by-products fly ash and slag and grey cement in general and more modest growth in clinker and white cement. CW Research says in a report that the combination of production rationalization and a regime of increasingly stricter environmental regulations will have a bearing on local supply of cement in China in future years. (Incidentally China had a share 2.5bn tonnes of cement in 2021 total world output of 4.4bn tonnes.) That will give a push to its imports, mostly from Asia Pacific region. The research agency further says following the post Covid-19 general economic rebound, the volume of seaborne trade in cementitious materials will climb to 192mt by 2026. In this the combined share of clinker and grey cement will be almost 85%. The growth in seaborne trade will be mostly on the back of China.
MAY 2022
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Impending election in Brazil ‘opens the taps’ and causes cement surge
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The Brazilian cement industry has experienced a revolution in the past couple of years, writes Patrick Knight. The industry’s 96 plants are set to sell 64.8mt (million tonnes) this year, compared with only 52.3mt sold last year. This was the sixth year when sales average about 50mt. Brazil sold a record 71.2mt in 2014. The structure of the industry has changed entirely in the past few years as well. This year only 11 companies will make cement, while in 2019, 24 such companies operated. This year, companies will operate 96 mills, compared with the 30 operating in 2000. The industry is composed of 100 plants. The industry is dominated by three giants: v Votorantim, the world’s fourth largest cement maker, made 22mt in its plants last year. Votorantim’s cement sells in nine countries, the US, Canada, Spain, Bolivia & Uruguay in South America, Turkey, as well as Morocco & Tunisia in North Africa. v The merged Lafarge/Holcim, Brazil’s second largest cement maker, also has 22 plants. v In third place is Intercement, owned by Brazil’s largest construction company, Odebrecht, which has 19 plants. Odebrecht is strong in the region, having plants in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Only one company, Apode, has more than a
dozen plants. Brennand and Lisa each have four plants. Four companies, Ciplan, Nacional, Itambe & Cecil have only one plant. The main reason for the sudden resurgence of demand for cement in Brazil, (40% of which is sold in 50kg bags to small consumers, who use it to improve their ‘self built’ homes) is that Brazil’s controversial President Jair Bolsonaro, is standing for election in September this year. Until a few months ago, it seemed virtually certain that Bolsonaro would be soundly beaten by his long term rival, the two term ex-president, ‘Lula’ da Silva. But the gap has narrowed greatly in the past few weeks. Bolsonaro has adopted the tactic usual to politicians. He has opened the taps. Previously cash-
CEMENT PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL . Year 2022 (est) 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 Source: Cement Industry Association.
tonnes 64.8 52.3 50.1 54.4 52.7 53.8 57.6 64.4 71.2 71.2 69.3
strapped local adminstrations, have seen funds start to flow in freely. Work has started on delayed projects connected with infrastructure. Brazil has embarked on a major new rail building programme, with thousands of kilometres of new track being laid. New ports and airports are being built, new roads are being built. A major new housebuilding programme has been started. All this means, of course, a huge upsurge in demand for cement. It is perhaps surprising that this surge in demand for cement comes at a time when the Brazilian economy is stagnating. The country’s GDP growth has been negative for several years. Inflation is soaring, unemployment up. The situation has been saved by the boom in exports. Because of the war in Ukraine, the prices of all grains, notably soya and maize, are booming. Demand for, and prices of, bulk goods, notably iron ore, bauxite, alumina, copper, and nickel are up. Many industries are suffering, notably the motor industry. Others, such as the buoyant pulp and paper industry are doing very well. Several very large new mills are under construction, as sales to China, now by far Brazil’s leading export market, not only for pulp and paper, but also for iron ore, and above all, crude oil, of which Brazil has now become a major exports. With crude prices so high, oil exports, along with those for grains and iron ore, are a major contributor for Brazil’s export earnings. DCi
NEWS
GTMaritime celebrates 10,000 vessel milestone GTMaritime offers ship owners and operators a suite of future-proof data communications solutions such as email, endpoint antivirus, data replication and software deployment which have been specifically developed to overcome the challenges of remote connectivity. The company has also created its own multistream data transfer platform, FastNet, to optimize secure data exchanges between ship and shore and provide the core of all GTMaritime solutions going forward. “We are extremely proud to be the data transfer solutions supplier of choice for so many vessels worldwide, and to have GTMaritime products installed on over 10,000 vessels is testament to the hard work and dedication of the GTMaritime team,” said Rob Kenworthy, CEO, GTMaritime. “GTMaritime has evolved over the last two decades with the demands of the shipping industry and I’d like to thank our customers for their continued loyalty, but also our partners and resellers for their support and the important role they have played in reaching this milestone.”
ABOUT GTMARITIME: v Over 20 years maritime communications experience v 10,000+ vessels & 1,300+ businesses worldwide trust GTMaritime with their communication software v Proven 100% service record with no unscheduled downtime v 100% malware blocking with over 90,000 zero day malware attacks stopped in the last 12 months v Over 5.3m spam messages and 1.7m known viruses blocked in the last 12 months v 24-7-365 technical support from ITIL trained engineers v Offices in the UK and Singapore along with a global partner network v Continuous software development ensures rapid deployment of new functionality, as well providing software updates for vulnerabilities v Since 1998 GTMaritime has been providing a range of technology solutions and services to the maritime industry that serve to enable effective communications over satellite.
SHIPPING & TRANSPORT
Major provider of secure maritime data communications software, GTMaritime, has passed the 10,000-vessel installation milestone, as worldwide demand for secure and reliable maritime software-based solutions continues to grow. GTMaritime customers now include some of the largest ship owners and operators in the world, with increasing data traffic moving between ship and shore driving a surge in installation requests over the last 12-months. Jamie Jones, Technical Director, GTMaritime, said: “Over the last year in particular, vessels have been dealing with greater volumes of data — a trend we expect to continue — and there has been heightened awareness of cyber security issues following the introduction of IMO2021. Customers are looking for solutions that are secure, can handle increased data loads and are easy to integrate into vessel operations. We understand the growing need to stay connected at sea and continuously develop our services and solutions to deliver reliable, secure, and easy-to-use data services.”
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BHP signs Letter of Intent for Australia-East Asia iron ore Green Corridor
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In early April, a consortium, led by the Global Maritime Forum and consisting of BHP, Rio Tinto, Oldendorff Carriers and Star Bulk Carriers Corp., have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to assess the development of an iron ore Green Corridor between Australia and East Asia. To mobilize demand for green shipping and to scale zero- or near-zero greenhouse gas emission shipping, governments and industry decision-makers are increasingly looking to enable and simplify the task of decarbonizing the maritime sector by establishing Green Corridors: specific shipping routes where the economics, infrastructure, and logistics of zero- or near-zero emission shipping are more feasible and rapid deployment can be supported by targeted policy and industry action. “Zero-greenhouse gas emission pathways require the creation of a parallel value chain that involves new ways of working, new contractual relationships, and drives the development of decarbonized fuel production and infrastructure. This new iron ore green corridor collaboration is an important step towards enabling zero greenhouse gas emission shipping from both the supply and demand side,” says Johannah Christensen, CEO at the Global Maritime Forum. Last year, the Getting to Zero Coalition report The Next Wave demonstrated how Green Corridors can be conceived, prioritized, and designed with a prefeasibility study for an iron ore route between Australia and East Asia. The study
suggested that green ammonia is the likely fuel choice for this corridor based on favourable production conditions, an enabling regulatory environment and willing stakeholders. Taking the study further, the parties in the consortium intend to jointly assess green ammonia supply, bunkering and first mover support mechanisms, necessary for their participation in a viable Australia to East Asia iron ore Green Corridor. “BHP’s membership of this Green Corridor consortium is testament to the importance we place on targeted exploration and partnerships in identifying pathways to decarbonization for the maritime sector. As one of the largest bulk charterers in the world, we recognize this opportunity and have announced a number of partnerships across our value chain to seek to accelerate the process,” says Rashpal Bhatti, Vice President of Maritime and Supply Chain Excellence at BHP. Through the work in the consortium and with inputs from the wider supply chain, the partners aim to develop a framework as a preparatory step towards real-world implementation of a green iron ore shipping value chain. Laure Baratgin, Rio Tinto’s Head of Commercial Operations, said: “As a leading charterer, we recognize we have an important role to play in the decarbonization of our own shipping and the broader industry. This collaboration is another important step towards accelerating the delivery of our climate commitments on shipping, as part of Rio
Tinto’s broader goal of net zero emissions by 2050 and a 50% reduction by 2030, and supports efforts in providing our customers and partners with sustainable value-chain solutions.” The Green Corridor collaboration’s outputs are intended to lay some of the groundwork for real world implementation of the Green Corridor. “Focusing on the feasibility of decarbonizing specific trade routes of the world is an indispensable step to create the foundation for the maritime energy transition. Consistent with our vision to lead in the industry’s efforts to phase out GHG emissions, Star Bulk is committed to partnering up with other frontrunners to enable progress in this multi-dimensional, yet so critical for our future, challenge,” says Charis Plakantonaki, Chief Strategy Officer at Star Bulk Carriers Corp. The new consortium will facilitate a robust public-private dialogue to investigate conditions that need to be in place to mobilize demand and to feasibly scale zero or near-zero-GHG emission shipping on the corridor. Peter Twiss, CEO & President at Oldendorff Carriers, said: “Oldendorff Carriers is delighted to be working with like minded leaders in the industry to accelerate solutions for decarbonizing shipping. We view our commitment to stewardship of the environment as an urgent obligation and participating in the establishment of a Green Corridor in one of the most significant trading routes is a big step forward.”
PORTS & TERMINALS
Forth Ports in this enterprise. The facility helps us supply the Scottish market with key raw materials that the feed, food and drink industries require to be imported. “In addition, we have worked for Scottish farmers, to develop new, interesting export markets for grains and oilseeds that we have loaded out from Rosyth. Reaching the landmark figure of 1mt of throughput in such a short period of time from the opening is a testament to all involved.” Rosyth’s location and logistical links to the motorway network, make it ideally suited to supply all areas of Scotland and Northern England. The port has both deep sea and short sea capabilities. To create the agri-hub in 2020, the Port of Rosyth was deepened to provide a true deep-water port capable of taking vessels carrying up to 50,000 tonnes of cargo. The port’s existing storage facilities have been
significantly extended with the addition of a new 200,000ft2 purpose-built agricultural products terminal, increasing the port’s storage capacity to around 100,000 tonnes. The port invested in a new Liebherr mobile harbour crane for bulk handling capability and to manage dust emissions; a SAMSON ecological hopper is also in place at the port. The eco hopper is the first of its kind in the UK and forms a key component of the new agri-bulk hub facility.
ABOUT FORTH PORTS Forth Ports Limited owns and operates eight commercial ports in the UK: Tilbury on the [River] Thames; Dundee on the Firth of Tay; and six on the Firth of Forth — Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy. Within and around the Firths of Forth and Tay, Forth Ports manages and operates an area of 280 square miles of navigable waters, including two specialized marine terminals for oil and gas export and provides other marine services, such as towage and conservancy.
ABOUT CEFETRA LTD
MAY 2022
Cefetra Ltd is the largest agricultural trading company in Scotland with an annual turnover of £1billion. The business, headquartered in Glasgow Scotland, is active throughout the UK and Ireland, trading over 5million tonnes annually. It dispatches between 85,000/90,000 tonnes of raw materials to industry partners every week and delivers 550/600 lorry loads per day.
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Scotland’s largest agricultural products hub (agri-hub) at the Port of Rosyth has reached a milestone of handling one million tonnes of product for Cefetra. The Agri-Hub, which opened in early 2020, handles an extensive range of important agricultural products for Scottish animal feed, food and drink and farming industries. The port has been fully open and operational throughout the global pandemic, with the port’s key workers handling these essential products. The location and facilities at the Agri-Hub on the Firth of Forth ensure an efficient supply chain as cargo can be shipped directly from many origins from all around the world to Scotland without the need for transshipments at a European port. This also means there is a reduction in truck road miles as the hub is located centrally in Scotland for many farmers and food manufacturers. Commenting on the news, Andy Lamb, Deputy Port Manager at the Port of Rosyth said: “Our Agri-Hub in Rosyth is a success story. Over the past two years, our team have handled 1mt [one million tonnes] of agri product for our partner Cefetra. We have shown resilience during a very challenging time for the port and our team have worked hard to ensure that the supplies reach the key farming and food market.” Andrew Mackay, Managing Director at Cefetra Ltd, said: “We are extremely pleased with how the Agri-Hub is working and the cooperation we have had with
NEWS
The Port of Rosyth’s Agri-hub reaches one million tonne milestone
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Fastest route to the Heartland of North America The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System Sailing from Europe, Africa or South America, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System enables carriers to bring cargo deep into the Heartland of North America. The 3,700 kilometer waterway consists of the St. Lawrence River, St. Lawrence Seaway, five Great Lakes and connecting deep-draft channels. Ports as far inland as Chicago, Illinois and Duluth, Minnesota are easily accessible. Why stop at the East Coast when you can sail this close to your last mile? The binational System consists of 110 ports in the United States and Canada. Skilled stevedores, freight forwarders, dock and crane workers, vessel agents and more are on hand to unload and load dry bulk cargo and swiftly connect ships with trains and trucks for last mile delivery. With a consistent reliability rate exceeding 99%, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System provides global shippers with a simple, direct route to your destination.
FOR DETAILED INFORMATION CONTACT:
PETER HIRTHE International Trade Specialist Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Peter.Hirthe@dot.gov
+1-414-551-3161
Sept-Îles Port-Cartier Baie-Comeau Thunder Bay
Saguenay Lake Superior
St
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Belledune
Two Harbors
gan
Lake Michi
ron Hu ke La
Québec Trois-Rivières Sault Ste. Marie Bécancour Duluth/Superior Marquette Montréal Sorel Cheboygan Escanaba Valleyfield Rogers City Johnstown Ogdensburg Green Bay Goderich Oshawa Picton Manitowoc Toronto rio Saginaw ean Lake Onta Oc Oswego Hamilton ic nt Muskegon la Port Milwaukee At Sarnia Colborne Buffalo Detroit Windsor Erie Waukegon e Erie Monroe Lak Conneaut Toledo Chicago Ashtabula Burns Lorain Cleveland Harbor
Dry Bulk Cargo our specialty The ports and cargohandlers throughout the Seaway System specialize in moving dry bulk cargoes. Moving with efficiency and reliability, bulk cargo is a mainstay of the System. New terminals with advanced and enclosed conveyor systems serve as key connectors to the last mile destination. Bulk cargo handled in the Seaway System includes products that are loose and unpackaged, such as grain, sand and coal, which are typically loaded and unloaded via conveyor systems, as well as break bulk cargoes in bags, drums or bales.
Great Lakes region Economic Impact
$6 trillion ANNUAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT
51 million
30%
30%
3rd largest
JOBS
U.S./CANADIAN WORKFORCE
COMBINED CANADIAN-U.S. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, IF IT WERE A COUNTRY
NEWS PORTS & TERMINALS
Itaqui loads largest-ever soya consignment In early May, the Brazilian Port of Itaqui loaded its largest ever consignment of soya. This took place at berth 103, where the Kydonia took on board 80,270 tonnes of soya bound for Spain. The operation took place at Terminal de Graos do Maranhão (Tegram), which said this shipment was the largest it had undertaken since opening in 2015. Prior to the Kydonia, the largest single consignment had amounted to 76,000 tonnes. The cargo was the responsibility of Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura S.A, which is one of the partners in the Tegram Consortium. According to Ted Lago, president of the Port of Itaqui, the mooring of the Kydonia demonstrates that Itaqui has the infrastructure to operate with vessels like this and possibly even larger ones too. He added that this was the result of investment that had made the port
increasingly efficient and attractive for grain exports. CLI Operations Director Marcos Pepe Bertoni also made some significant observations. He said three factors made this record shipment possible: improved operational efficiency, specialized dock workers, and the fact that CLI is the only operator whose owner is not a trading or transport company. Tegram is one of Brazil’s largest grain terminals and exports a lot of domestically produced soya, soya bran and corn from the state of Maranhão. The arrival of the Kydonia illustrates a change in global trading patterns and the productivity it requires had shown that Tegram is able to handle such vessels. Tegram can now operate across two berths, simultaneous activity, in addition to its operations in the VLI terminal. The port expects to handle more than
13.9mt (million tonnes) of grain this year, with Tegram accounting for 11mt of this. Barry Cross
MAY 2022
www.drycargomag.com
Nectar helps Oostende in its growth process
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Port Oostende and Nectar Group have entered into a co-operation agreement. Nectar is a major UK-based port operator and expert in cargo handling, with activities in many locations in Africa and Asia. The Group is now taking steps to cement its position as an operator by contributing to the development of trade through the historic port of Oostende and UK. The ambition of Port Oostende is to offer a competitive service with regards to the loading and unloading of ships and to increase its maritime traffic. The arrival of an additional, established operator contributes towards this. Nectar will occupy a site in the outer port and will invest in handling equipment, including a mobile harbour crane to efficiently load and unload vessels. In the first phase Nectar Group will focus in Oostende on LOLO (lift-on/lift-off) activities primarily related to breakbulk cargo. Nectar Group has worked in 75 countries and celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2022. The Group handles approximately seven million tonnes of cargo annually. As a major international provider of innovative and cost-effective solutions for handling bulk and breakbulk cargoes, the new company in Belgium will
be Nectar’s first operational subsidiary in Europe. It is envisaged that operations will commence this summer. With the arrival of this independent global player the range of cargo handlers in the port of Oostende is enriched. This is an important step in attracting new additional traffic and contributing to development of bulk and breakbulk cargoes with the UK ports. Charlotte Verkeyn – Chairman Port Oostende, said: “The arrival of Nectar Group proves that Port Oostende is a good breeding ground for both SMEs and international players. Port Oostende is fully committed to realizing additional traffic and we are confident that this is a step in the right direction. The arrival of Nectar Group will also benefit employment in Oostende.” Dirk Declerck – CEO and Managing Director Port Oostende, said: “After attracting companies in Plassendale I in recent years, the focus for the coming years will be on attracting new maritime traffic. We are therefore very pleased with the choice of Nectar Group for Port Oostende.” Han Ozturk – Operational and Technical Director Nectar said: “Nectar Group are delighted to have the opportunity to work
together with Port Oostende. We are excited to be playing a part in the next stage of the development of the port through the provision of high class, competitive services to port users. Port’s direct access to sea and Nectar’s presence in the UK will provide opportunities to develop additional breakbulk and bulk trades between Oostende and UK.
PORT OOSTENDE Port Oostende focuses on continuity, sustainable growth markets and employment within five pillars: Blue Economy, Bulk & Project Cargo, Cruises & Roll-On-Roll-Off, Circular Industry and the Fisheries Sector. These sectors are further expanded on the basis of two foundations: prioritizing safety, health and the environment, and secondly, supporting innovation and development.
NECTAR GROUP Nectar Group operates and manages a number of bulk and breakbulk terminals around the world as well as offering a range of value-added solutions for handling bulk cargoes, employing over 350 people globally. Since its inception in 1972, Nectar Group has operated in 165 different locations in 75 countries.
On 30 April, the Port of Itajaí in Brazil undertook its first operation this year handling dry bulk in big bags. This took place at berth 04, which is a public dock, and involved the 200-metre long Kiwi Arrow. Inbound from China, the vessel took on board 12,500 tonnes of manganese sulphate, which is used to manufacture animal feed and general fertilizer. This it then transported to the Port of São Francisco do Sul, also in Brazil. Barry Cross
ANTAQ, Brazil’s national ports and inland waterways authority, is involved in negotiations between the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure and operator Nordeste Logística S/A in respect of the proposed NELOG Private Use Terminal (TUP). This will be located at Praia Barra do Cauípe, in Pecém Port Complex. This new facility will be used for the handling and storage of dry bulk, general cargo and containerized cargo, destined for or coming from the inland waterway network. TUP NELOG is a greenfield project, situated adjacent to the authorized area of the TUP owned by Companhia de Integração Portuária do Ceará (CEARÁPORTOS). If built, it will cover an area of some 835,000m². Barry Cross
PORTS & TERMINALS
New bulk port proposed for Brazil
NEWS
Itajaí operates with dry bulk in big bags
Largest-ever bulk carrier visits Essar Ports India’s largest iron ore handling complex, Essar Ports Vizag Terminal Ltd (EVTL), has handled its largest-ever dry bulk vessel. This was the 2018-built Star Eleni, which took on board 165,000 tonnes of iron ore fines. The terminal is both fully mechanized and has eco-friendly infrastructure, and believes it can be benchmarked with the best across the globe. It is located in the Bay of Bengal in close proximity to iron-ore mines at Chhattisgarh, southern Odisha and Jharkhand. It mainly serves growing markets in Southeast Asia such as China, Japan and Korea, as well as undertaking coastal movements for the steel industry within India. Barry Cross
Marcor Stevedoring B.V. to operate dry bulk terminal at Steinweg Hartel Terminal Marcor intends to extend its floating terminal in Rotterdam with the development of a dry bulk terminal at the Steinweg Hartel Terminal on Maasvlakte. The terminal is currently run as a breakbulk terminal by C. Steinweg – Handelsveem B.V. (Steinweg), Marcor’s parent company. After the redevelopment and construction of the state-of-the-art storage facilities, Marcor aims at offering sustainable and efficient storage and transhipment services in phases at this location by the end of 2023.
INCREASING DEMAND
FROM BREAKBULK TO DRY BULK
MAY 2022
The Hartel Terminal will be the scene of the transition from breakbulk to dry bulk cargo in the next few years. The 13-hectare terminal has a total quay length of 600 metres and a depth of 16 metres, so that a wide range of vessel types can be served with ship-to-ship and terminal transfer. Marcor’s plans include the construction of new quay-based warehouses and using the covered warehouse space of approximately 28,000m2, already developed by Steinweg. Agribulk, minerals and biomass products will be among the products stored at the terminal. Located near the N15 motorway and with a railway connection already in place, the terminal has multimodal transport connections from and to the hinterland. A final investment decision for the development will be made towards the end of 2022 at the latest. The plans for redeveloping the terminal have been realized in consultation with the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Steinweg.
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For several years now, Marcor has had the ambition to extend its floating storage and transshipment activities in Rotterdam on land to strengthen its dry cargo position and meet the growing demand for covered storage capacity. Marcor is specialized in storage and transshipment of dry bulk and is known in the port of Rotterdam for its floating cranes and storage vessel in Waalhaven.
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NEWS ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
4B GROUP launches Nylathane™ — the next generation of industrial elevator buckets 4B, a prominent supplier of bucket elevator and conveyor components, has announced the release of its Nylathane™ line of industrial elevator buckets engineered for maximum durability and efficiency. Nylathane™ is a high-performance polyamide 6 (Nylon 6) based polymer that is toughened through the addition of an elastomer. Typical applications include ultra-high performance elevator buckets for high impact and high wear resistance industrial applications. Using Nylathane™ in lieu of steel can reduce part weight by as much as 75%. Lighter buckets can prolong the life of costly components such as elevator belting or chain, can help reduce energy consumption of the equipment, and can help improve personnel safety while handling the parts. Nylathane™ possesses anti-stick properties that help improve bucket fill and discharge efficiency, and static conductive properties that help improve safety when conveying materials that generate combustible dust. Nylathane™ is available in AA, AC, and MF style buckets and are compatible with belt or chain bucket elevators.
MF Nylathane™.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF INDUSTRIAL BUCKETS
AC Nylathane™.
NylathaneTM Buckets ABOUT 4B GROUP
AC
Tougher than Nylon
AA
Slick
A subsidiary of The Braime Group, 4B GROUP has long been at the forefront of the industry in developing high quality, innovative, and dependable material handling components for the agricultural and industrial sectors. 4B’s product line ranges from elevator buckets, elevator bolts and drop forged conveyor chain to level monitors, speed switches and hazard monitoring systems. With offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia along with a worldwide network of distributors, 4B can provide practical solutions for applications in any location.
as Urethane
MF www.go4b.com 4b-group@go4b.com
AA Nylathane™.
NEWS
Oil-resistant conveyor belts
CONVEYING
MAY 2022
www.drycargomag.com
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
ADVICE
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Conveyor belts that are transporting cargo that contains oil or resin such as grain, biomass, organic fertilizers and other forms of cargo containing wood derivatives need to be made of a rubber compound that is resistant to oil. Rubber belts that are not adequately resistant will provide a much shorter working life than they should. As the oil imperceptibly penetrates the rubber, the ability of the rubber to withstand abrasive wear will decrease quite dramatically. As the rubber continues to soften it also steadily loses its tensile strength while at the same time becoming much more prone to ripping and tearing. The next stage is that the rubber begins to swell and distort. This causes steering and handling problems along with a serious reduction in the elongation at break (the amount of stretch before the belt snaps). There are two distinct sources of oils that damage rubber — vegetable/animal and mineral. Vegetable oil is the most predominant source in bulk cargo materials and is defined as all forms of oil (and resin) that is derived from flora and fauna. Mineral oil on the other hand is usually a liquid by-product of refining crude oil to make gasoline and other petroleum products. Mineral oil is composed mainly of alkanes and cycloalkanes, which are related to petroleum. It is important to bear in mind that there can be a marked difference in the swelling caused by different oils and resins on rubber compounds Despite the fact that each has its own particular effects, most conveyor belt manufacturers only offer one oil-resistant rubber cover quality compound. This is often referred to as ‘MOR’ (medium oil resistance). In my experience, to provide the best possible protection against the differing effects of each category requires an oilresistant rubber that is as specific as possible to the type of oil or resin rather than a single ‘one rubber compound suits all’ approach. A small number of manufacturers do have more than one type. Netherlands-based Dunlop Conveyor Belting is one such example with its ROM grade for vegetable-based oils and ROS grade for mineral based oils and products with a particularly high concentration of vegetable oils or resins. It is important to be aware that some of the Oil seriously distorts biggest manufacturers of flat rubber belts. belting in the world,
There are two distinct sources of oils that damage rubber – mineral and vegetable/ animal.
primarily those in Asia but even some based in Europe, use the DIN reference number 22102 G when referring to oil-resistant belting. This can be very misleading because the fact is that there are no firm requirements, test methods or limits specific to oil-resistant belting associated with DIN 22102 G. The letter ‘G’ is simply used to denote oil(or grease-) resistant belting and is NOT an indication of the actual resistance level. Oil-resistant conveyor belting can be quite a complex subject in its own right so if you have any doubts or questions then it is always best to seek expert advice. Bob Nelson
RopeCon® Ef昀cient Solutions for Bulk Material Handling Wherever bulk material needs to go – across impassable terrain, rivers, highways and buildings – RopeCon® delivers without a hitch! Long distances, capacities of up to 25,000 tonnes/hour, minimal environmental footprint, quiet operation plus low operating and maintenance costs: These are the features that convinced leading mining businesses. doppelmayr-mts.com
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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Giant Mantsinen 300M arrives at the Port of Immingham
The world’s largest hydraulic crane has arrived at the port of Immingham making it the first in Great Britain. The crane, model Mantsinen 300M Hybrilift arrived direct from the Mantsinen factory in Finland in a £3 million investment by Associated British Ports (ABP). It was supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling Ltd, a major UK independent port equipment supplier. Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP
Humber said: “The arrival of the Mantsinen crane marks another significant milestone in ABP’s ongoing investment programme to enhance and expand our offer. Across the Humber Ports we are investing around £32 million in cranes as part of a five-year programme to ensure we offer have the right equipment and infrastructure to support our customers and bring growth to the area.” A team from the Port of Immingham
consisting of operations and engineers visited the Mantsinen factory in Finland last month to check on its build progress. It also gave them an opportunity to test the new crane simulator and see how it handles. Port operatives will now be trained in how to use the new model before it becomes operational. Launched in 2018 these super-sized machines now have the reach and capacity to serve Panamax-size vessels and can
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
handle as much as 1,500 tonnes per hour — far greater than the rope crane equivalents. It also has sustainable technology in the Hybrilift energy storage and recovery system, which increases energy efficiency by up to 50%. The machine weighs in at 365 tonnes
(without attachment) and is diesel powered by an EU stage 5 Volvo 16 litre diesel engine, which offers high performance but low fuel consumption and durability. ABP has opted for an 18.5m curved boom and 14m stick and the machine has a wheeled undercarriage of six axles with four wheels per axle, which provides for greater
mobility, especially on uneven ground. The machine has come supplied with Mantsinen’s cab riser to enable the operator to position the cab in the optimum position over the hold to gain a direct line of sight. Supplied with a range of automatic and semi-automatic attachments, this reduces the need for direct labour in
www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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The Port of Immingham.
the holds thus enhancing safety further than if stevedores were slinging. Associated British Ports (ABP) is investing £32 million in port equipment in the Humber as part of a five-year strategy. It’s part of a wider Group investment and will ensure the ports are future proofed. The strategy involves purchasing further new cranes, the full refurbishment of existing cranes and investing in landside equipment. The plan has involved looking at the eco-friendliness of new plant and equipment ensuring that ABP continue to invest in environmentally friendly and sustainable equipment.
ABOUT ABP HUMBER ABP Humber Ports complex forms the UK’s busiest trading gateway. The four ports of Immingham, Grimsby, Goole, and Hull handle more than 58 million tonnes of cargo between them each year worth approximately £75 billion. Across the Humber, the ports support 34,900 jobs and contribute £2.5 billion to the UK economy. ABP Humber’s major investment programme ensures the ports offer state-of the-art cargo handling infrastructure and equipment, alongside a highly skilled team who can handle a vast array of cargo safely,
efficiently and sustainably. ABP Humber works collaboratively to build long-term partnerships and deliver the right supply chain solutions for customers, including value-added services and new facilities tailored to suit their business needs. Its Port Operations are complemented by the Pilotage Service and Vessel Traffic Service which ensure vessels are safely navigated through the Humber Estuary. ABP Humber offers 364 hectares of development land across its port locations capable of attracting investment and delivering transformational benefits for the economy both locally and nationally. The ports are all part of the new Humber Freeport, which offers three tax sites with an exceptionally business-friendly tax and regulatory environment for potential manufacturing investors. ABP Humber supports its local communities. The ABP Humber Coastal Half Marathon and 5k is now in its sixth year and complements ABP’s race sponsorship across the country.
ABOUT ABP ABP, the UK’s leading ports group is Keeping Britain Trading with 21 ports and
other transport related businesses, creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo. ABP is driving growth, contributing £7.5 billion to the UK economy every year and supporting over 200,000 jobs. Its current investment programme promises to further increase its contribution to regional economies around the UK. ABP is also an essential partner for the Offshore Wind industry, providing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for over 50% of the sector’s activity, as well as investing in infrastructure to realize future renewable energy generation.
ABP IN NUMBERS v ~ 90 million tonnes of cargo handled each year; v 5,000 hectares of port estate owned; v 1,000 hectares of open storage; v 1.4 million square metres of covered storage; v 87km of quay; v > 1.5 million vehicles every year; v ¼ of the UK’s rail freight generated; and v > £55 million investment made in low emission and renewable energy DCi generation technologies.
keeping cement moving safely and efficiently with the right equipment
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Smooth operators
Louise Dodds-Ely
Siwertell road-mobile unloader for dust-free cement handling in Sweden The filter automatically returns collected dust to the conveying system. Road-mobile systems also offer a high degree of flexibility and can move from port to port, requiring minimal infrastructure. They have a worldwide reputation for reliability and efficiency. “This was certainly a factor in the order, along with good feedback from other Siwertell ship unloader owners” notes Ojeda. “We also could offer a local presence, with offices close by for any through-life service support.” Swecem’s new Siwertell 10 000 S nextgeneration road-mobile unit will have a continuous cement unloading capacity of 300 tonnes per hour and is able to discharge vessels up to around 10,000dwt. It will be delivered fully assembled to the operator’s import terminal in May 2022.
MAY 2022
because it is part of a growing picture that will see all operators taking more sustainable steps,” Ojeda continues. “Sweden has a mounting legislative drive to reduce the environmental impact of the country’s cement industry. However, the same industry has to maintain, and even exceed, current ship unloading capabilities to keep up with growth, posing a potential future gap in supply and demand. Our systems can, and will be, part of this positive change.” Siwertell road-mobile unloaders deliver totally enclosed material handling from the ship’s hold to the receiving system, which minimizes dust emissions and eliminates spillage entirely. Furthermore, they have a dust filter installed at the top of the loading conveyor, creating negative pressure to minimize fugitive dust at transfer points.
www.drycargomag.com
Bruks Siwertell has received an order from Swecem AB, a subsidiary of Peab Group’s Swerock, for a next-generation Siwertell road-mobile ship-unloader. It will secure environment-friendly, dust-free material handling for the Merit producer and cement purchaser in the port of Helsingborg, Sweden. “Environmental protection is a key consideration for Swecem’s operations and it adheres to very strict standards,” says Jörgen Ojeda, Sales Director Mobile Unloaders, Bruks Siwertell. “With this in mind, Swecem was looking for a shipunloading solution that could deliver continuously high through-ship capacities, but at the same time, ensure enclosed dry bulk material handling to minimize any environmental impact. “This is also an important order
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
BEUMER Customer Support assists cement manufacturer in the modernization of bucket elevators
The drive pulleys are equipped with segmented laggings. A steady running of the belt is ensured by the crowned drive pulleys (all photos: BEUMER Group GmbH & Co. KG).
IT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE NEW
MAY 2022
www.drycargomag.com
Outdated technologies often lead to increased maintenance, and that can rapidly become expensive. A cement plant owner faced this problem with his bucket elevators. An analysis carried out by the BEUMER Customer Support team made things clear: it is not necessary to replace the whole systems, but only components. The service experts were able to
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modernize the bucket elevators and make them more efficient, even if the systems were not from BEUMER. “Right from the beginning, our three bucket elevators caused problems,” says Frank Baumann, plant manager at a mediumsized cement company based in Erwitte, North Rhine-Westphalia, near Soest, Germany. In 2014, the manufacturer also established a plant in Duisburg. “Here, we
No material can penetrate between belt and bucket.
produce blast furnace cement, using a central chain bucket elevator as circulation bucket elevator for the vertical mill and two belt bucket elevators for the silo feeding,” describes Baumann. The central chain bucket elevator on the vertical mill was unusually loud right from the beginning and there was also an immense chain vibration of more than 200mm. Although the original supplier made several improvements, a high level of wear and tear was evident after only a short running time. “We had to service the systems more and more frequently,” says plant manager Baumann. Of course, this was expensive, on the one hand because of the downtimes, and on the other because of the spare parts.
FREQUENT DOWNTIMES, HIGH COSTS Due to the frequent downtimes on the vertical mill circulation bucket elevator, BEUMER Group was contacted in 2018. The system supplier not only supplies bucket elevators and modernizes them if necessary, but also optimizes existing systems of other suppliers. “In cases like this, operators of cement plants are often faced with the question of whether a completely new plant or a possible
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
After casting, the junction is cured very quickly.
The ends of the steel cords are divided into individual strands in the U-shaped part of the belt clamping connection, twisted and cast with white metal. conversion would be the more economical and targeted measure,” explains Marina Papenkort, Area Sales Manager in the Customer Support division at BEUMER Group. Because modernization can be worthwhile: “With our customer support, we help our customers to fulfil future performance and technology requirements in a cost-efficient way in the context of modernizations and modifications”, says Papenkort. “Typical challenges of our customers include performance improvements, adaptations to modified process parameters, new materials, optimization of availability and extension of
the maintenance cycles, designs easy to maintain as well as reduced noise levels.” In addition, all new developments with regard to Industry 4.0, such as belt monitoring or continuous temperature monitoring, are included in the modifications. BEUMER Group offers everything from one single source, from technical dimensioning to assembly on site. The advantage is to have only one contact and thus to benefit from reduced organizational and co-ordination expenses. The profitability and especially the availability play a crucial role for customers, because modifications are often an
interesting alternative to new constructions. In case of modernization measures, as many components and structures as possible are kept — in many cases also the steel structure. This alone reduces material costs by approximately 25% compared to a new construction. In the case of this company, the bucket elevator head, the chimneys, the drive unit and the bucket elevator boot could be reused. “In addition, the assembly effort is lower, and so the downtime is usually much shorter,” explains Papenkort. This leads to a faster return on investment compared to a new construction.
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MAY 2022
“We retrofitted the central chain bucket elevator to a high-capacity belt bucket elevator type HD (heavy duty),” reports Papenkort. Belts with wire-free zones, and to which the buckets are fastened, are used for this type of bucket elevators just as with all BEUMER belt bucket elevators. In the case of products from competitors, often the steel cords are cut through when mounting the buckets. Thus the steel cords are no longer covered, which might result in moisture penetration and, as a consequence, lead to corrosion and damaged supporting cords. “That’s not the case with
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GRAINED MATERIAL
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
our systems. The tensile strength of the bucket elevator belt is completely kept,” explains Papenkort. Another important factor is the belt clamping connection: the rubber of the steel cord ends is first removed on all BEUMER steel cord belts. The technicians divide the ends into individual strands in the U-shaped part of the belt clamping connection, twist and cast it with white metal. “Thus, the customer benefits from a huge time advantage,” says Papenkort. “After casting, the junction is completely cured after a very short time and the belt is ready for use”.
FOR STEADY RUNNING OF THE BELT In order to enable the steady running of the belt and to extend the service life in view of the abrasive material, the BEUMER team exchanged the existing segmented laggings of the drive pulley by specially adapted ones equipped with ceramic. These are crowned for a steady straight run. The design, which is easy to maintain, enables to quickly replace the single segments of the segmented lagging through the inspection hatches. Thus, it is no longer necessary to exchange the complete drive pulley. The segmented laggings are rubberized, with linings made of full
The buckets are mounted with forged segments and screws on the back side of the belt. ceramics or steel. The choice depends on the material conveyed. The buckets are adapted to the crowned shape of the drive pulley and thus lie flat on, which considerably increases the service life of the belt. Their shape allows for smoother running and therefore less noise generation. Depending on the intended use, the operator receives the buckets in the design that suits him best. They can for example have a rubber bottom or be made of high-quality steel. The proven BEUMER HD technology impresses with a special bucket connection: In order to prevent coarse-grained material
MAY 2022
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The parallel takeup device ensures that the take-up pulley is limited to parallel movement.
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from penetrating between bucket and belt, the bucket is provided with an elongated back plate, which can be mounted flush to the bucket elevator belt. In addition, with the HD technology, the buckets are mounted firmly to the back of the belt with forged segments and screws. “All the screws would have to get lost for a bucket to tear out,” explains Papenkort.
TO KEEP EVERYTHING RUNNING STRAIGHT In order to achieve a permanently correct tensioning of the belt, BEUMER mounted an external parallel take-up device without product contact in Duisburg, which ensures that the take-up pulley is limited to parallel movement. The tension bearing is designed as inner bearing in a completely encapsulated construction. The bearing housings are filled with oil. “A part of our HD technology is the cage-type foot pulley which is easy to maintain. The bars are hardened due to the abrasive material conveyed and screwed into the cage-type foot pulley to enable a rapid replacement. The take-up pulley is equipped with a double deflection cone, which reliably prevents damage to the belt caused by jammed bulk materials,” explains Papenkort.
SATISFACTION LED TO FOLLOW-UP ORDER “This modification enabled us to increase the availability of our vertical mill circulation bucket elevator and to be more competitive on the long term,” Baumann says happily. “Compared to a new investment, it was possible to reduce our costs and we were operating faster. At the beginning we had to convince ourselves more than once that the retrofitted circulation bucket elevator was in operation, because the noise level had changed drastically and we were not familiar with the smooth running from the previous chain bucket elevator.” The company was so enthusiastic about the retrofitting that it
With this modernization, the cement manufacturer was able to increase the conveying capacity of the bucket elevators for the cement silo feed.
commissioned BEUMER Group to also optimize the other two bucket elevators with regard to the conveying capacity. Also in this case, the operator complained about continuous off-tracking, buckets hitting the shaft casing and difficult maintenance conditions. “In addition, we wanted to further increase the throughput of the mill and were therefore interested in greater flexibility in terms of the conveying capacity of the bucket elevators,” explains Baumann. In 2020, the Customer Support of the system supplier also solved this problem. “We are completely satisfied,” states Baumann. “In the course of the retrofitting, we could also reduce the energy consumption of the bucket elevators.”
ABOUT BEUMER GROUP BEUMER Group is an international expert in the manufacture of intralogistics systems for conveying, loading, palletizing, packaging, sortation, and distribution. With 4,500 employees worldwide, BEUMER Group has annual sales of about €950 million. BEUMER Group and its group companies and sales agencies provide their customers with high-quality system solutions and an extensive customer support network around the globe and across a wide range of industries, including bulk materials and piece goods, food/non-food, construction, mail order, post, and airport baggage handling.
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To avoid caking, the take-up pulley is designed as cage-type foot pulley and is provided with a double deflection cone. For this order, the screwed & hardened version of the cage-type foot pulley has been used.
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Cement handling – reliable equipment to do the job Fast and reliable handling of cement, including transport and storage, is a topic of great interest today. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, availability was affected by disrupted supply chains and this situation was further aggravated by the war in Ukraine. Conductix-Wampfler’s expertise in providing robust power and data transmission solutions for all mobile machinery and equipment in the cement industry, is based on many years of working on challenging projects involving material handling at various levels of the supply chain. Whether handling raw materials or finished products or storage, ConductixWampfler provides reliable, high-quality service that helps customers improve productivity, optimize operations, increase
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technology that uses wear-free permanent magnets that do not require lubrication and act like a torque limiter that protects the cables during operation, thus extending their service life. The beauty of such a system is that it can be adapted for all harsh environmental conditions: at the seaside, in dusty environments, in very low (and high) ambient temperatures of –40°C (+70°C) with easy maintenance and a reduced set of spare parts. Slip ring assemblies used on circular
MAY 2022
storages as well as on shiploaders (or unloaders) have been subjected to rigorous testing and a wide variety of conditions during their development and are extremely efficient thanks to the knowledge and data gathered over the years. Spring-driven cable reels for overhead reclaimer systems are a further evolution in the development of solutions for cement storage applications. Manufactured in robust all-steel construction with effective corrosion protection and equipped with lifetime sealed bearings and high-performance textured steel springs. Large cement companies such as Lafarge, Holcim, CNBM or CEMEX attach great importance to reliability, availability and innovations and require customized solutions. This is the reason why Conductix-Wampfler is highly appreciated. Qualified employees can design a suitable solution for every customer requirement, which is manufactured and delivered as quickly as possible in specialized locations around the globe and, if required, installed, and commissioned on site by experienced specialists. ConductixWampfler solutions keep customers’ vital business moving.
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safety, and reduce energy consumption, and comply with the most demanding environmental regulations. As a full-range supplier ConductixWampfler is an ideal partner for customized solutions for power supply, data transmission and controls that are modularly designed, based on standard components, and comply with nearly all international standards and protocols. Conductix-Wampfler’s portfolio ranges from spring or motor driven cable and hose reels, cable festoon systems to slip ring assemblies and rotary joints to conductor rail systems, energy storage solutions and safety radio remote controls. The company’s global production footprint and strong sales network including comprehensive, tailor-made aftersales services complete the offer. Global OEMs such as thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG, AUMUND Group, FLSmidth or Beumer (just to name a few) regularly rely on the company’s support due to local contacts and the extensive technical support. Motorized Cable Reels with the proven magnetic coupler technology (MAG drive) are often a perfect fit for end-users. It is a modular system developed to be able to design the most technically suitable product for each customer requirement. It is based on a proprietary magnetic coupling
A tough design for really demanding applications
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Cement plant solves belt drift using highly responsive tracking equipment
MAY 2022
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Ash Grove Cement plant in Chanute, KS (USA) (© 2022 Ash Grove Cement).
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The belt on a conveyor can either gradually inch its way out of alignment or suddenly – without warning – lurch sideways and get shredded against the stringer, writes Cory Goldbeck, Territory Manager, Martin Engineering. In some cases, the belt will realign itself or activate a stop switch, shutting the entire system down. The worst outcome is when the contact between the belt and the stringer causes enough friction to ignite the cargo or belt and convey a fire quickly through the facility. Either way, the general result of belt mistracking is hazardous and expensive. The Ash Grove Cement plant in
Chanute, Kansas has received dozens of safety awards since the facility’s modernization in 2001, and when operators experienced several frustrating involuntary shutdowns and rising costs from drifting belts, prevention-minded managers sought an effective solution. “Although there was one belt that had a particular issue with tripping the emergency stop switch, mistracking was a problem on several belts from the limestone quarry all the way to the raw mill,” said Danny Wolken, Maintenance Planner at Ash Grove Chanute. “We have different materials converging into a single
With the discharge so close to the belt entrance, the tracker had to be installed immediately outside (© 2022 Ash Grove Cement).
area, and disruption to the flow affects the productivity of the whole system.”
A LONG HISTORY The Chanute plant has been in operation since 1908, producing high-quality Portland cement. After several modernizations through the decades, the plant now has a production capacity of 1,628,000 tonnes of clinker per year. It also carries the distinction of being the first cement kiln in the U.S. to utilize 20–25% alternative fuels on an annual basis, reducing the use of fossil fuels. Various materials from the storage
dome are carried approximately 1,150 feet on eight belts to the raw mill for mixing and insertion into the preheater for calcining in the kiln. With an average belt width of 36 inches (914mm) running at ≈375fpm [feet per minute] (1.9mps [metres per second]), the system transports ~500 tph (453mtph [metric tonnes per hour]) of material. The outdoor conveyors are covered to protect cargo from the variable Kansas weather patterns.
OBSTACLES TO EFFICIENCY The belt carrying limestone was of particular concern. After passing through the crusher, four inch-minus (<100mm) aggregate would be loaded onto the conveyor. After leaving the settling zone,
the belt had a tendency to crawl up on the side of the idlers. This would disrupt the centred distribution of the material on the belt, causing smaller aggregate to spill along the length of the system until the belt drifted far enough to activate the stop switch, which shut down the conveyor. Stop switches are sensors that are installed at intervals along the length of the conveyor on both sides of the belt near the outer limit of a safe belt path. The wandering belt pushes a lever arm and activates a switch, which either sets off an alarm or, in Ash Grove’s case, interrupts the conveyor’s power circuit, stopping the system. Costly downtime and lost production make these devices less of a solution to the misalignment and more of
an indicator of a severe problem. The shutdown would have a ripple effect throughout the plant. During the unscheduled downtime, several maintenance workers would drop what they were doing, rush to the area, go through the lock-out/tag-out/blockout/test-out procedure and then manually realign the belt. “This one conveyor hit the stop switch 26 times last year, for a total of 17 hours of downtime,” Wolken explained. “Although the limestone conveyor had the worst problems, issues with tracking stretched across all eight conveyors. That adds up, since we run ten hours a day, seven days a week.” Along with excessive unscheduled downtime, the belt on the limestone
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Figure 1 – Camber can happen in the manufacturing process, and belts should be inspected prior to installation (© 2022 Martin Engineering).
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conveyor began to fray from contact with the structural components of the system. Having only been replaced six months earlier, labour, downtime and equipment expense makes belting one of the costliest components of the system. Incidental contact drastically reduces the belt life and can degrade the splice. The belt damage likely contributed to further misalignment and spillage. Adding to the problem, every 45 days or so several workers dedicated about 50 hours of time to clean under and around the structural supports of the eight systems. This helped mitigate accumulation that could potentially encapsulate the belt and kept the area safe. “The regular cleaning and the stop switch helped protect workers and saved the system from more serious damage,”
SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS With a long-standing relationship of providing quality equipment and service, Martin Engineering was asked to inspect the systems and offer solutions. Technicians walked the belts individually and took detailed notes on the unique causes of mistracking for each system. “We were already extremely familiar with these conveyor systems, since we also service and install belt cleaners at the plant through our Mr. Blade program,” said Jacob Taylor, Service Technician for Martin Engineering. “We had an idea of where and how the conveyors were having tracking problems. Walking the belt and filling out a
MAY 2022
detailed checklist helped solidify those assumptions and revealed some specific details we might have missed, so it pays to be thorough.” First, technicians found that when the belt drifted, cargo shifted downward to one side of the belt, causing it to mistrack further. The material lost surface area and spilled over the edge of the belt. The spillage dropped along the entire length of the system, causing product loss, creating potential workplace safety issues and requiring excessive cleanup. Second, technicians suspected some potential manufacturing flaws of the belt attached to the limestone conveyor. If the belt isn’t precisely engineered or properly stored, it can bow or camber. [Fig.1] This might have contributed to the tracking and belt damage issues. Third, the extreme temperatures and high winds common to Kansas can impact belt alignment. Ash Grove enclosed the conveyors specifically for shelter against the prevailing wind, which helped minimize dust emissions and frozen idlers, but changing temperatures can still cause components to expand and contract, with changes in friction and functionality. Fourth, belt manufacturing issues may have also contributed to the ‘cupping’ observed by the technicians. Commonly seen on the return side of the belt, cupping is when the belt curls on either edge, reducing the surface contact and tension with rollers, causing it to drift. A wider drift area means the belt can be wildly offcourse by the time it encounters tracking equipment, making the force and angle of
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The Martin® Tracker™ for the carrying side adjusts to fit the system’s trough angle (© 2022 Martin Engineering).
Wolken said. “But mistracking was also impacting productivity and the cost of operation, so we needed an alternative.”
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Enclosures help protect the conveyor from wind and weather (© 2022 Ash Grove Cement).
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the belt nearly impossible to correct. Fifth, the existing tracking systems were found to be inadequate. They delivered only minor corrections to discourage belt damage and quite often broke, requiring additional maintenance. Technicians realized that the belt’s return run also needed a solution for the whole system to remain in line.
The Martin Tracker has minimal impact on the stringer structure (© 2022 Martin Engineering).
PREVENTATIVE SOLUTIONS Martin technicians pinpointed the problem areas on each of the conveyor belts and offered an economical solution that utilized modern belt tracking technology where it was needed. “Across the eight conveyors, we recommended installing 28 Martin Trackers,” Taylor said. “Many of the units control the belt return, but there are also upper trackers strategically placed in problem areas.” Utilizing innovative multiple-pivot, torque-multiplying technology, the Martin® Tracker™ has two sensing arms that extend out to either side of the conveyor with rollers at the tip, which smoothly ride the edges of the belt. The sensing arms detect slight variations in alignment and use the force of the belt to immediately pivot the position of the troughed idlers against the misalignment with equal force, thus returning the belt to its intended path. [Fig.2] With its sensitivity to misalignment, less opposing force is needed for the equipment to realign the belt. Early detection with a reduced range of drift before correction makes the belt run more efficiently, mitigates spillage and results in longer equipment life. The lower trackers have a flat roller with a polyurethane coating. Raised slightly above the belt plane, the roller acts partly as support with just enough downward
force from the belt for the polyurethane to grip the belt and return it into alignment.
INSTALLATION The installation was performed by two Martin technicians during scheduled downtime. Since edges of the belt on the limestone conveyor had serious damage caused by the mistracking, another team replaced the belt as well. The new belt was thoroughly inspected to ensure that it did not contribute to tracking issues. Trackers were installed with minimal impact on structural supports except for a few bolt holes. The idler angle of the upper trackers matched the trough angle of the system to ensure a smooth belt path, and the torsion arms were properly aligned
Figure 2: a tracker pivots against the mistracking, using the force and weight of the belt to redirect it.
with the belt edge. The working grade (standard-duty, heavy-duty or extra heavy duty) of the trackers depended on the thickness and weight of the specific belt. The heavier the belt, the more force is put on the torsion arms and the pivot support, requiring proportional reinforcement. If the unit is not properly matched to the belt weight, it may not be able to adjust quickly enough. Three critical areas on the conveyor required tracking: the exit of the settling zone, the entrance to the feed mill and along the return path. A lower tracker placed along the belt path and near the loading zone ensures the belt is aligned as it hits the tail pulley to promote centered loading. An upper troughed tracker at the settling zone exit reinforces a straight belt path as it travels the length of the system. One of the most difficult installations involved the trackers placed at the entrance to the feed mill. Raised off the ground in the weighing tower, the technicians required some extra safety equipment and time to install those units. This was an important step, because a centered belt entering the head pulley ensures that the belt cleaner blade adequately dislodges adhered material from the belt. Specifically positioned to clean the center of the belt where carryback resides, belt drift may cause some of the material to avoid the blade, dropping spillage and fouling rollers along the return path.
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The return side Martin Tracker lifts the belt slightly for appropriate contact (© 2022 Martin Engineering).
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STAYING CENTRED The installation of a new belt helped with testing the tracking system to ensure that the trackers are addressing cargo and transport issues and not belt flaws such as camber or cupping. Initial testing revealed positive results, with the belts remaining centered along the entire length of the system. “Every time we replace a belt it costs approximately $35,000 in equipment and labour, not counting the loss of production,” Wolken said. “Replacing the belt is not a sustainable solution, so seeing the trackers keep the belt in line was a positive result.” The belt remained centered from pulley to pulley, drastically reducing the amount of spillage. As with any bulk handling, cleanup is always a factor, but operators pointed out that the time and labour for cleanup were significantly reduced. This improved efficiency and lowered the cost of operation. Observation over time revealed that the belt remained aligned through changes in weather, and none of the belts have come in contact with the emergency stop switches since the installation. This has resulted in a significant reduction in unscheduled downtime, improved efficiency and eliminated the need for maintenance staff to interrupt their work to get the system running again. “We trusted that Martin Engineering would be able to offer an affordable solution that could solve our problem, and they really came through,” Wolken concluded. “We like the trackers, so we’re looking into installing them on other systems. They have definitely paid for themselves.”
ABOUT MARTIN ENGINEERING Martin Engineering is a global innovator in the bulk material handling industry, developing new solutions to common problems and participating in industry organizations to improve safety and productivity. The company’s series of Foundations books is an internationally recognized resource for safety, maintenance and operations training — with more than 20,000 print copies in circulation around the world. The entire 500+ page volumes can also be downloaded as free PDFs from the Martin web site. Martin Engineering products, sales, service and training are available from 19 factory-owned facilities worldwide, with wholly-owned business units in Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, the USA and UK. The firm employs more than 1,000 people, approximately 400 of whom hold advanced degrees.
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66% INCREASE IN PERFORMANCE THANKS TO BETTER-RUNNING ROLLERS The Oman Cement Company (OCC) SAOG, Muscat, Oman, has upgraded the performance of its 30-year-old conveyor, which transports hot cement powder from the cement mill to the silo, from 150tph (tonnes per hour) to 250tph, write Jens Hagenau, Product Manager and Export Manager (Bulk Material) at Rulmeca in Aschersleben, Germany, and Anil P George, Business Head, UAE – Synergy International FZE. The implementation of this 66% increase in capacity via a retrofit of the existing conveyor (with a horizontal length of 255m and a vertical stroke of almost 44m) was enabled with the use of highperformance rollers from Rulmeca. The Oman Cement Company symbolizes Oman’s quest for selfsufficiency in its core industries. This company, with ISO 9001 certification, has
Oman Cement Company (OCC) conveys hot cement powder with bulk material handling technology from Rulmeca.
become the backbone of the construction industry in Oman ever since the cement plant was established in 1983. As such, it plays a key role in the development of the country’s infrastructure and provides the necessary resources to support the nation’s self-sufficiency efforts. This has been successfully achieved. The plant is
continuously increasing its production capacity, and it currently produces 2.4mt (million metric tonnes) of cement a year. All the raw materials required for its production are indigenous. The limestone deposit, additives, quartzophylites and ferrogenous quartzophylites can be found near the site of the plant. Gypsum, which is
MAY 2022
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Cement conveyor belt retrofit with high-performance rollers from Rulmeca
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The new OCC cement conveyor is a retrofit, using high quality conveyor components from Rulmeca to significantly increase throughput with the existing basic design.
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used to slow down the cement In dusty environments such as the OCC setting, is extracted from the mines cement conveyor, the quality of a conveyor at Ghaba in Wilayat Adam. Three roller has a significant impact on the total cost kilns and four cement grinding mills of ownership. allow for the flexible production of various types of cement. As part of increasing the output of the cement mill, the conveying technology used in it (both upstream and downstream) has also had to cope with higher throughput. Some throughput optimization can be achieved with the utilization of existing performance reserves of existing conveyor technology, simply by making the belt run faster. However, in the case of the conveyor responsible for transporting the hot cement powder to the downstream silos, this buffer was no longer sufficient. Considerably more throughput capacity needed to be achieved. Yes, everything could have been torn down, with the construction of a new conveyor. However, with such large conveyors, one tries to preserve the handling (e.g. belt conveyors, industrial basic frame with its supporting structures, chains, gearboxes, fluid coupling systems), as seeing as how its implementation required such high investments. The challenge is therefore to increase throughput via a retrofit at minimum investment cost. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) specialist Synergy International FZE was commissioned with the concept for the retrofit. Synergy International FZE has been based in the Ras Al å economic hub in the United Arab Emirates since 2005, and has more than 15 years of experience in the markets of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as well as in Europe and India. The company specializes in the fields of mechanical power transmission and bulk materials
well as wear management solutions and environmental solutions (such as dust collection systems), ball mill optimization, steel mill optimization, automated flow control systems, plant assembly, and commissioning. It is thus an ideal partner for OCC. To increase throughput via a retrofit, Synergy International FZE had to use all possible measures to ensure a higher throughput with the existing basic design. As part of this, the conveyor belt was widened by 23% (from 650mm to 800mm). The belt running speed was increased from 1m/s to 1.34m/s (i.e. +34%), and this required rollers which were significantly more resilient. The drive drum was increased from 500mm in diameter to 800mm, to increase grip. As part of this, the power of the drive motor (with fluid coupling and gearbox) was also increased from the existing 55kW to 90kW. Other important elements include Rulmeca’s high-performance idlers, The technical differences between Rulmeca’s rollers and the competition’s rollers – which easily get hot – in detail.
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which are crucial for reliable long-term operation of such large conveyors with increased throughput. Compared to simple rollers of inferior quality, they run much more smoothly, and this reduces thermal stress. In addition, they also contribute significantly to lowering overall ownership costs. This is because they have a much longer service life than simple lower-quality rollers, and they also ensure the high reliability of the entire system due to their lower failure rate. These quality products are manufactured from precision-turned components. Especially hardened steels and other alloys ensure that the conveyor belt rollers function optimally over a long period of time and under the toughest conditions. Various protective measures for the bearings and minimal concentricity tolerances are paramount for the longevity of the bulk material conveyor rollers. Rulmeca achieves maximum precision by balancing each individual roller. It is understandable that this has its price. This investment in quality is all the more worthwhile given the higher speed and greater length of the belt. However, large conveyors such as OCC’s are not equipped with a single type of idler. Rather, what is required is a very wide variety of components which must be precisely matched to the particular conveying task. Synergy International FZE chose the following components from Rulmeca’s bulk material transportation belt roller range in the design of the OCC conveyor. v PSV1 series rollers (20F, 108N, 323) with a pitch of 1.3m are used on the carrying side. PSV2 series rollers (25F, 108N, 958) with a 3m pitch are used on the return side. Both product series are specially designed for heavyduty continuous operation under high workloads and are characterized by smooth running and minimal maintenance requirements. The rollers of the PSV2 series are designed
for higher loads. v For better damping of the belt at the loading point, so-called loading rollers (PSV1,20F,63/108NA,323) have also been fitted. These shock-absorbing rollers are fitted with rings designed to absorb the impulse generated by the impact of the material on the belt. v On the return side, tape guide rollers of model SG080-30-800-958 are now positioned at three strategic locations. They serve to correct possible belt skew in the return direction and are characterized by the fact that they can centre themselves. v On the carrying side, self-centralizing troughing sets with a braking effect (P3SF/70 F14 108 H155) were also applied every 25m: in the event that the belt is misaligned, the selfcentralizing rotation of the troughing sets guides the belt back to the centre. In addition to these moving parts, Synergy International FZE has also used Rulmeca conveyor roller accessories, thus ensuring the provision of virtually all components from a single source: v A3P1 series transoms (5A-F14-108 H155 Z) are used for smooth belt transition from 10 to 20 and from 30 to 35 degrees of trough angle. v SPT series supports (1478 H70 Z) are used on the return side. v A primary cleaner (HM-800) and a secondary cleaner (P-800) achieve almost 100% cleaning efficiency at the conveyor’s head. A plough cleaner (VLP-800) is also used for rear cleaning. The retrofit design and component selection was carried out with the use of software by the Australian company Helix Technologies. The modelling was done using SOLID Works (USA) and AutoCAD. Structural analysis is the main tool for ensuring that a structure can withstand the various types of forces that it will be
exposed to during its normal operation — this Rulmeca managed with the German software Dulbal. The feed chute has a wear-resistant lining for a longer service life — this was also modelled using Helix software. The project was wholly managed using MS Project. Rulmeca provided corresponding CAD data for its entire range. This allowed Synergy International FZE to provide OCC with a complete package in which all components in use were comprehensively coordinated with each other. Rulmeca always co-operates with local partners on such conveyor technology tasks, so that the end user can be provided with the most comprehensive support possible during the development process and, as a result, may also be able to take care of maintenance tasks quickly and efficiently (should these be necessary at all): Rulmeca’s conveyor belt rollers are designed for maintenance-free operation of at least 30,000 hours. Incidentally, the challenge in the design of the feed chute was to optimize it so that it could not overflow — this was a problem with the previous conveyor in particular — but this bottleneck is now a thing of the past.
ABOUT RULMECA RULMECA GERMANY GmbH is part of the RULMECA Group based in Almè/Italy, which provides materials handling movement technology worldwide. Rulmeca Germany GmbH produces idlers, motorized pulleys, and belt pulleys which meet the highest demands and every application common with unit load and bulk material handling technology, at an ISO-certified location in Aschersleben, Germany, and employs more than 200 people. RULMECA cooperates worldwide with leading equipment manufacturers, development offices, and end users. In addition to the production of conveyor technology components, Rulmeca also offers its customers the service of calculation of conveyor belt elements of complex plants.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Sustainability in the bag — high-quality cement bags from Starlinger
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Smooth and clean filling process on high-speed cement filling lines with AD*STAR sacks (all photos: ©Starlinger).
High-quality tear-proof cement sacks save tons of cement and cement packaging that would otherwise go to waste and contaminate the environment, writes Sigrid Eder-Ince, Marketing Manager at Starlinger & Co GmbH. Made of woven polypropylene tape fabric, Starlinger’s AD*STAR block bottom valve sacks are highly resistant to breakage and can help to reduce CO2 emissions in the cement industry. In the 1990s, Austrian machine manufacturer Starlinger & Co. GmbH, a respected supplier of machinery and complete plants for the production of woven plastic packaging, developed and patented the AD*STAR block bottom valve sack as a tear-proof and highly protective packaging for dry bulk goods. Next to cement, the sacks are used for packaging a wide range of free-flowing goods such as other building materials, fertilizer, chemicals or resin, but also for flour, sugar and animal feed. Currently, more than 17 billion AD*STAR sacks are produced on Starlinger lines installed on five continents every year.
MAY 2022
SAVINGS POTENTIAL FOR GREENHOUSE
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GASES Note: AD*STAR® is a registered trademark. AD*STAR® sacks are exclusively produced on Starlinger machinery.
A Life Cycle Assessment carried out in 2016 and commissioned by Starlinger showed that AD*STAR sacks have lower global warming potential (also known as carbon footprint) than, e.g., paper sacks. A decisive factor for the positive results of AD*STAR sacks in this study are the low breakage rates in the course of the life cycle of the sacks. Due to the special
production process, AD*STAR sacks are extremely robust despite their very low weight. The strength and resistance result in breakage rates below 1% during the entire usage phase of the sa cks — i.e. from filling, transport and storage until unpacking of the cement. This means that if AD*STAR sacks are used, less cement is lost and needs to be replaced, and less packaging is
AD*STAR sacks are available in various sizes and with useful features such as handles or easy-open strip.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Starlinger’s AD*STAR conversion lines ensure highly precise sack conversion with a minimum of rejects. needed — consequently, fewer greenhouse gases are produced. As about 4.1% of the total global CO2 emissions are caused by the cement industry , millions of tonnes of CO2 emitted during cement production could be saved additionally each year by low sack breakage rates.
HIGH-STRENGTH PACKAGING
THE TECHNOLOGY
v high strength and durability – reducing CO2 emissions due to low breakage rates; v raw material savings due to the low packaging weight; v easy-to-recycle mono-material packaging solution; v suitable for automated filling, handling and palletizing; v fully automated sack production; v no spillage or leaking because of the polypropylene coating; v adjustable air permeability due to optional micro-perforation — keeps dust formation to a minimum and protects moisture from entering the sack (longer shelf life); v tamper and theft-proof; and v attractive sack design with high-quality print or laminated BOPP film for best brand promotion.
LATEST PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: AD*STAR *EASY The new patented easy-open feature allows for quick and easy emptying of AD*STAR cement sacks without the use of mechanical tools. To open the sack, a strip that is welded to the bottom patch of the sack is simply pulled off. This means that woven plastic sacks are now catching up with paper sacks in this regard and greatly facilitate the daily work of end consumers. The development of the AD*STAR *easy sack was prompted by the great demand in the market, which is reflected by the
CONCLUSION AD*STAR sacks offer benefits for the environment and the cement producer: They are economical in the use of raw material, have an extremely low breakage rate, help to reduce CO2, and can be either recycled or reused for other purposes. Each one of these ecological advantages also is an economic benefit for the cement producer. The special characteristics of tape fabric ensure high strength and durability while significantly less raw material is used in the production process. The favourable breakage rates of AD*STAR sacks help to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry, saving tons of spilled cement from entering the environment and avoiding replacement cement production.
ABOUT STARLINGER & CO GES.M.B.H. Starlinger is a Vienna-based mechanical engineering company with production sites in Weissenbach and St. Martin, Austria, as well as Schwerin, Germany, and Taicang, China. As a major global supplier of machinery and complete lines for woven plastic bag production, recycling and PET extrusion and refinement, Starlinger & Co Ges.m.b.H. is a synonym for leadership in quality and technology in over 130 countries. Founded in 1835, the familyowned business has been exporting machines worldwide for more than 50 years with an export quota of over 99.5 %. Sales and service centres in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uzbekistan ensure quick and professional technical support and service.
MAY 2022
Starlinger provides the full range of technical equipment together with the know-how needed for the production of AD*STAR sacks: polypropylene tape extrusion lines, tape winders, circular looms for fabric production, coating and printing machinery, as well as the ad*starKON block bottom sack conversion lines. The entire AD*STAR technology has been developed with the focus on high sack quality. This ensures the high strength and durability of AD*STAR sacks, as well as smooth and trouble-free cement filling on
AD*STAR CEMENT SACKS — ADVANTAGES:
increasing number of conversion lines sold equipped with the easy-open feature.
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AD*STAR sacks are block bottom valve sacks made from coated polypropylene tape fabric and sealed with a patented hotair method without the use of glue or sewing threads, making them a monomaterial packaging that is easy to recycle. The sack bottom and top are closed in a special conversion process by means of hot air welding. The use of high-strength polypropylene for fabric production and the tight sealing of the sack bottom and top ensure low breakage even during rough handling, dropping, or after contact with water. The precise production process on Starlinger’s AD*STAR sack conversion lines ensures high-quality sacks with minimum size variations. If required, optional microperforation provides aeration without product emission.
the most modern filling lines. Starlinger’s AD*STAR conversion lines cover a broad format range, from a sack capacity of only five litres up to 100 litres.
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
K-Sure® Belt Support System ideal for cement/clinker conveyors When it comes to providing conveyor belt support — for bulk products including cement and clinker — Kinder Australia has a solution to suit any transfer point regardless of any configuration or application. These factors can include: v product; v belt width; v duty/belt speed; and v budget. Rollers alone with spacious gaps, do not give ample support to the critical transfer point. If support is not provided adequately, belt sag can occur — along with detrimental productivity issues such as material spillage and excessive dust. The product loss, equipment damage and downtime issues caused by poor conveyor belt support is inconvenient, unsafe and expensive. Kinder Australia’s K-Sure® Belt Support System is engineered to provide the support that the transfer point requires. It utilizes the existing conveyor idler frames and load, carrying the centre conveyor roller. The wing rollers are then replaced by the K-Sure® Belt Support
System’s universal adaptor brackets and low friction polymer belt support rails. The K-Sure® Belt Support System requires no pre-engineering, adjustments or special tools. It is available in a standard two-metre length assembly kit. Other lengths can be modified upon request.
Effectively, it is designed to provide a consistent and stable support for the troughed belt profile by reducing the number of rotating components. K-Sure® Belt Support System eliminates any belt edge sag and therefore increases the effectiveness of the skirting seal.
Keeping it clean: Mideco dust-control systems ideal for cement handling
MAY 2022
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Mideco has been widely known for its prominent role in industrial dust collection for over 60 years. Mideco is an acronym for Mechanical, Industrial, Domestic, Engineering, Company. Established in 1950, it is Australian-owned and operating, with agents in multiple countries, delivering turnkey industrial dust collection solutions across a diverse range of industries to keep thousands of employees healthy and the
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environment safe. Mideco works closely with its customers to provide individualized solutions as unique and specific to the requirements of each customer. Its extensive capabilities and track record of global success mean that it can confidently recommend the best dust collection technology for its customers needs, in a range of industries including cement
Bat Booth.
Burnley Baffles.
handling. The underlying philosophy here is to achieve solutions that provide mutual benefits both environmentally and financially. Mideco has extended its commitment to dust elimination around the globe — in countries such as Germany, UK, and South Africa. Its clients range from large multinationals to start-ups, having a common desire for clean air, healthy employees, high-quality, solution-driven, and
Cleveland Cascades Ltd Global leader in bespoke dry bulk loading chutes
Ship Loaders
Silo Loaders
Truck Loaders
Cleveland Cascades are Specialists in the design and manufacture of bespoke dry bulk loading chutes. Our bespoke solutions are designed to meet each customer’s specific requirements from a tool kit of proven components, utilising the expertise of a team of specialist in house design engineers.
Tanker Loaders
We lead the loading chute industry & set the standard for dust emissions and environmental pollution control in dry bulk handling. Our worldwide reputation is built on high quality, well-engineered, robust, high performance chutes, backed up by excellent customer service and global lifetime product support.
Contact Cleveland Cascades Ltd Unit 22, Dukesway, Teesside Industrial Estate, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, TS17 9LT, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1642 753260 | Fax: +44 1642 753270 E-mail: enquiries@clevelandcascades.co.uk | Website: www.clevelandcascades.co.uk
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
precision-built products that meet the highest standards in health, safety, and the environment. Some of Mideco ‘s clients include Boral, Glencore, Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group, BHP Billiton, Holcim, NSW Government, and many others. Mideco provides advanced industrial dust collection solutions, at the heart of our de-dusting solutions is the ‘Bat Booth’, which has two variations: Bat Booth Standard and Bat Booth Premium both use the National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety (NIOSH) design. One of the most dreadful health concerns faced by industrial sectors is respiratory illnesses caused by airborne dust silica (silicosis), ‘black lung’ (miner’s lung), pneumonia, and also non-respiratory issues such as heatstroke. Bat Booth helps to keep clean a person’s dusty uniform, which can have dangerous exposure levels to respirable dust. A smarter, sleek, simple and effective variation of Bat Booth Standard is the Bat Booth Premium. It has a medically calibrated infrared sensor to measure the person’s body temperature which can detect early signs of heat stress, a control panel inside the booth which changes colour and displays instructions based on the temperature; all in less than half a second. Both versions use high-volume
Economy filters.
MAY 2022
www.drycargomag.com
Dust collectors.
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CLEANER, SAFER, MORE PRODUCTIVE CONVEYING
Reversing Trackers
Keep your belts on track, minimize wear and tear, and help prevent spillage. elt tracking products from Martin® Engineering automatically provide immediate, continuous adjustments that maintain precise conveyor belt alignment—even as they withstand the various stresses caused by wide, thick belts carrying heavy loads at high speeds.
Modular Trackers
Roller Trackers
Correct tracking prevents belt edge damage, extends overall belt life, protects associated structure and system components, and restricts costly downtime. A properly aligned belt keeps your cargo in the flow stream and reduces fugitive material, which helps maintain a cleaner and more productive work environment. Stay sharp. Stay straight. Stay safe. Contact us today!
For factory-direct service, training and sales call 1-309-852-2384 or to access our education and professional development options visit martin-eng.com, click the Learning Center tab.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
low-pressure compressed air to safely remove dust from the person’s clothing in ten seconds. Burnley Baffles is an internationally patented dust suppression device to reduce the escape of dust from dump hoppers and chutes handling dry granular raw materials such as grains and ores. A set of Burnley Baffles when applied to a hopper alone can eliminate up to 80% of dust, and on applying a dust collector directly to the hopper can eliminate 100% of dust. They come in five different models depending on the granular material involved: cement and clinker, grain, fertilizer, soda ash, ores, coal, or any other materials. They are a simple yet effective design based on the principles of gravity and air movement. Burnley Baffles are a modular system that fill the open inlet face of a hopper. Each module contains a set of blades that pivot to allow the material flow into the hopper. The baffles strip the air moving through the hopper off the pieces of grain or ore because the air pressure on all sides of baffles is all but constant. As the air is not heavy enough to open the blades, only the product enters the hopper while the dust is kept below the blades. The competitive advantage of Burnley Baffles is hard to beat as they are easy to install, virtually
Dust collector. maintenance free, can be customized to a hopper of any size and is available in various sizes to suit different types of dry granular bulk raw material. Economy filters are uniquely designed to maximize the filter cloth area while minimizing the space requirements, where these economy filters can be easily used with pulse or shaker cleaning systems. They include the essentials required for effective dust collection and can be customized to suit customer requirements with the addition of maintenance platforms, ladders, gas strut lids and insulation or cladding. The economy filters can be used on
MAY 2022
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Scrubbing system.
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conveyor transfer points, in tight places, low-head room applications, and with offline reverse air heating to manage high moisture applications. Mideco has developed unparalleled expertise with the use of the latest ultrafine filtration technology using the HEPA After Filters (H13), using reverse air filters in high moisture conditions, and incorporating forward-thinking technology for optimal performance using Mideco’s Tubular Pulse Filters. Lastly, Mideco’s range of dust scrubbing systems effectively removes harmful exhaust gases before they are released into the environment. In order to meet the requirements of any dust scrubbing application, Mideco can provide customized instrumentation and control systems, alternative materials such as stainless steel, and specialized paint or coating systems. The two kinds of dust scrubbers Mideco offers are Venturi Scrubbers and Peabody Plate Scrubbers. Mideco has developed and improved its range of products, satisfying the market and aiming its goal of protecting people at their work sites. The company became interested in finding a way to prevent the collective workforce and those close to them from suffering predictable and preventable diseases. In 2006, Mideco patented a diesel fume control system for use in bulk material storage sheds, and received a Bulk Materials Handling Award for Environmental Project of the Year. In 2014, it launched its flagship product, the Bat Booth. Aside from providing services and products to existing and potential customers, Mideco also aims to create a positive social impact. It develops longterm partnerships with its clients and will be there to assist with ongoing support from advising how to purchase the perfect product that fits business requirements, running a training programme, and also for servicing the equipment.
The long co-operation between Colacem and Bedeschi continues with a contract award to Bedeschi. Bedeschi has been contracted for the complete upgrade project for the limestone reclaiming system located in San Cristobal plant, Dominican Republic, and managed by Domicem (part
of Colacem Group). The original stacking and reclaiming equipment, installed by Bedeschi in 2004, allows for clay and limestone handling at the plant: the upgrade of the machine will improve the limestone reclaiming system, increasing its capacity from 200tph (tonnes
CEMENT LOADING AS A ‘STRESS TEST’ FOR LOADING UNITS
MAY 2022
How much a loading unit is capable of becomes clear when it is subjected to a stress test. A prime example of such a test is cement loading: the extremely abrasive loading product requires a special design in terms of material quality and workmanship. Robustness is also essential because product temperatures of up to over 100°C can occur during loading due to residual embers in the silos. Moreover, cement is so powdery that it recognizes every ‘escape route’. An effusion at the dome opening can be largely prevented by a tight fit of the loading head and a powerful extraction system. But depending on the design of the loader, the suction slows down the product flow unnecessarily — or even creates negative pressure that leads to strong vibrations at the dome opening. There is a whole range of problems that need to be solved
per hour) to 360tph, the capacity needed to feed the new production line that will be installed at the plant. The system will be renewed from the mechanical and electrical point of view, in order to guarantee the upgrade of all the components so that a completely new system is delivered. www.drycargomag.com
Fully up to the stress test: MUHR’s MBG-600
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Bedeschi upgrade project: increase the reclaiming capacity of an existing limestone-reclaiming plant
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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here. The MUHR MBG-600 with double bellows does this, and in the smallest of spaces. The double bellows enables a significantly higher loading speed because automatic pressure equalization is established between the loader and the container, while the rubber cone of the loading head ensures optimum tightness at the dome opening. The high-quality design of the trim allows loading of highly abrasive products even in extreme temperature
ranges, making it durable and less susceptible to repairs. Another advantage of the double bellows is that it compresses enormously in its L min and can therefore be used in almost any installation situation: this is an advantage in older cement plants with low ceilings. DOUBLE BELLOWS: THE FASTEST WAY TO THE GOAL Traditionally, cement is loaded with a bellows that contains product cones made
of an abrasion-resistant material that are inserted into each other. However, products such as cement and also lime, gypsum, anhydrite or dolomite are so fine that some of the loaded material passes through the gaps between the cones into the exhaust air stream of the outer bellows and is carried back upwards. This reduces the ‘efficiency’ of the loading process and the filters are unnecessarily loaded. In addition, the extracted product must be
THE ADVANTAGES OF GERMAN SPECIAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
disposed of via a separate organ or returned to the product flow — additional efforts that are associated with financial, time and personnel costs. In the case of the MUHR double bellows, the product flow in the inner bellows and the outflow of air in the outer bellows are completely separated from each other. Assuming an efficient external filter system on site, the loading performance can be noticeably increased. There is no need for additional peripheral
equipment such as separators and rotary valves, and no manpower is required to move separated material. The inner bellows is equipped to withstand the same loads as the solid product cones. A practical example from a MUHR customer shows how high the optimization potential is: with the MBG-600 loaders introduced in the cement plant, a reduction of the loading time from approximately 15 to approximately eight minutes was achieved. The filling of the trucks could also
Expect all-around excellence in enclosed, open and combined dry bulk loading chute technology
Muhr is ‘Made in Germany’ in the original sense: all engineering, manufacturing, assembly and acceptance take place at the main site in Brannenburg (which has recently been expanded). The installed components are also purchased on the German market. Quality, workmanship and flexibility go hand in hand: for a special mechanical engineering company like MUHR, it is a matter of course to take special requests into account and respond to a multitude of specific requirements.
www.muhr.com
From bulk material loading from silos or conveyors onto ships, trucks and railcars, MUHR is offering a wide range of truly excellent loading solutions and services. Get in touch via +49 8034 90720 or info@muhr.com
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
be optimized through a special design of the loading head: the fill level indicator is located at the highest possible point above the locking cone and only signals when the truck is almost completely filled. Due to the intensive loading activity, cement loading in silo vehicles requires loaders with maximum robustness and reliability. The product itself and the high loading capacities required by the customer place great demands on the loading and process engineering processes. The MUHR loading system MBG-600 meets these requirements in an excellent way, which is proven by numerous positive customer references.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
STANDARD INDUSTRIE improves production performance Since 1978, Standard Industrie International has been a major engineering and manufacturing group specializing in the handling, storage and transportation of bulk materials. Its innovative solutions help to improve production performance and efficiency, reduce maintenance costs and risks, and ensure a safer working environment. They are regularly used mainly in the cement industry and in more than 60 industries throughout the production process.
THE AIRCHOC® PREVENTS PRODUCTION STOPPAGES DUE TO MATERIAL BUILD-UP The AIRCHOC® air cannon (picture 1) acts preventatively on the material through regular shots. It is an economical solution that uses air only when the shots are activated. With a wide range of products (tank capacities from four litres to 400 litres), this solution is suitable for many areas of bulk material.
MAY 2022
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Picture 2.
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WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF APPLICATION OF THE AIR CANNON IN THE FACTORY? The AIRCHOC® is regularly installed on raw material storage units (sand, powders, flours, grains, wood chips, peat, straw, mulch, etc.). AIRCHOC® can also be found at the end of the process on fly ash or lime silos (Picture 2). Used in boiler rooms, for example, AIRCHOC® air cannons, placed at the level of heat exchangers, guarantee continuous heat production and allow operators to supply energy without the risk of breakage due to fouling. STANDARD INDUSTRIE’s technical teams carefully study the blockage factors, the behaviour of the clogged product, the inclinations of the storage unit, the productivity issues, etc... This complete diagnosis makes it possible to establish an optimal installation recommendation according to the environment of use (various risks, high heat zone, corrosiveness, humidity). The recom-
Picture 1.
mended AIRCHOC® solution will also take into account the need for precise orientation of the shot, the number of shots, the diameter of the spigot according to the available pressure, the volume of the tank and the length of the spigot.
Particularly attentive to the requirements of its customers, STANDARD INDUSTRIE, and in particular the design office team, has spent more than a year testing modifications to its legendary AIRCHOC® air cannon in order to make it even more efficient and economical. The AIRCHOC® has always had performance, economy and safety features. The latest innovations focus on: v saving compressed air: thanks to a better sealing of the piston and the possibility of shooting using only part of the air contained in the tank. It is also planned to programme jerky shots. v Reliability: due in particular to an improvement in the force of impact of shots from the barrel. (No AEP): no air passes through the piston seal, so no seal wear. v Spare parts: such as the solenoid valve, the valve or the silencers — rationalized and selected for their durability, these new components of the AIRCHOC® simplify its maintenance. In this respect, Standard Industrie has also created an AIRCHOC® maintenance kit that avoids the need for long and costly
interventions by production site operators.
HOW TO UPGRADE AN EXISTING AIRCHOC FLEET? STANDARD INDUSTRIE offers its customers fleet audits to evaluate the needs in terms of equipment renewal and homogeneity. Of course, the transition to the new version of AIRCHOC® guarantees the continuity of supply of compatible spare parts. The conversion of the fleet only concerns AIRCHOC® heads, so the change of tank is not systematic.
EXAMPLES OF A RECENT INSTALLATIONS OF AIRCHOC® SYSTEM IN CEMENT PLANTS: v A cement plant equipped its tower of preheating with 11 AIRCHOC® air cannons in order to eliminate the concretions and to avoid the manual ringing. They have been installed in the riser duct during the kiln shutdown, in addition to the 18 AIRCHOC® acquired (12 air cannons in July 2018 and six air cannons in May 2019) installed in the kiln inlet, smoke chamber and cyclones. This site, which has a 760tph (tonnes per day) 1970 KHD production furnace, uses 80% gas and 20% fuel oil. The
AIRCHOC® air cannons are very effective on this type of installation. v A different cement plant was looking for a better cleaning of the equipment. The customer noticed in PLC that at the furnace inlet, cyclones and goosenecks equipped with AIRCHOC® air cannons in 2016 for the last ones, have a higher impact force and a better result/speed than those from a competitor, at the outlet, too small. Therefore, he wanted to install the AIRCHOC® at the furnace/cooler outlet. Solution installed: ten AIRCHOC®, DN 150 high temperature, 100 litres with deflectors reinforced baffles, Blowpipe tapping and safety accessories such as guillotine insulators, solenoid valves spares, etc.
CONCLUSION Building on its proven expertise with more than 5,000 customers worldwide, STANDARD INDUSTRIE brings, with its new generation of air cannon, a reliable and long lasting cleaning solution. It can help plants with handling and storage problems optimize the performance of their production tools while reducing their operating and maintenance costs.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS ARE OFFERED TO AIRCHOC® USERS?
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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Contractor flattens dust from cement plant renovation By any measure, preparing for a $320 million site renovation at a cement plant in West Virginia was a huge undertaking. Demolition of 16 storage silos was followed by a massive excavation effort to remove all buried footings, foundations and underground structures, making way for new pilings and foundations. Each of the silos measured 26 feet in diameter, with eleven of the structures 45 feet tall and the other five nearly twice that height. The project also included several additional buildings, ranging from one to three stories and with an average footprint of about 25,000ft2. What really complicated this project was the fact that all of the silos were still half- to ¾ full of sand, powdered cement or aggregate. The potential dust volume was staggering, and demolition engineers needed proven high-performance dust suppression as a key element of the company’s site-specific Health & Safety Plan and detailed demolition notice submitted to the West Virginia DEP. “Without the appropriate control techniques, the emptying and demolition of the silos could have been a dust nightmare,” observed one of the contracting managers. For the health and safety of employees as well as the surrounding community, it was apparent that traditional hoses or sprinklers would not be sufficient to prevent such a large quantity of dust from becoming airborne. In addition to controlling the surface dust, it was critical for the chosen technique to be an effective method of scrubbing solid particles from the air, efficient enough to prevent migration. The demolition effort included 16 storage silos, each measuring 26 feet in diameter.
The greatest attraction between dust particles and water droplets occurs when they are roughly the same size, avoiding a slipstream effect. “With a Mining Safety & Health Administration representative directly onsite, it was very important that we achieve our goals for dust suppression,” the manager said. After reviewing several control options, the company selected two DustBoss® model DB-60 units as the best method for dust management on the project. The oscillating carriage-mounted machines were outfitted with portable generators for added flexibility, allowing them to be located wherever they were needed most on a given day. The DB-60 is one of the largest models from BossTek (Peoria, IL), with a throw of more than 200 feet (about 60 metres). When equipped with full oscillation, the unit is able to blanket nearly 125,000ft2 with a powerful dust-trapping mist from a single machine — more than 2.5 football fields.
Critical to the unit’s efficiency is its ability to balance the size, spray pattern and speed of the dust-trapping mist, atomizing the water droplets to the optimum diameter and velocity to deliver maximum dust attraction, while remaining large enough to carry for substantial distances. The DB-60 employs a series of 30 specially designed brass nozzles to atomize water into droplets 50–200 microns in size, the optimum for effective dust particle attraction. Launched by a powerful 25HP (18.6Kw) motor that generates 30,000CFM (nearly 850 cubic metres per minute), the atomized spray has a throw of more than 200 feet (approximately 60 metres) to produce the massive coverage area of more than 2.8 acres.
APPROACHES TO DUST CONTROL Basic spraying techniques such as sprinklers or hand-held hoses can help capture surface dust before it becomes airborne, but they have a tendency to saturate target surfaces, often resulting in standing water that can create additional hazards or damage sensitive cargo. The range of these techniques also tends to be limited, frequently requiring significant staff time to man the hoses or reposition sprinkler heads. Their greatest drawback, however, is droplet size: water droplets produced from hoses and sprinklers are simply far too large to have any meaningful effect on airborne dust particles. A more effective option is the atomized mist produced by the DustBoss, which relies on the principle of creating tiny droplets of a specific size and delivering them at high velocity over a wide coverage area, inducing collisions with dust particles and driving them to the
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Complicating the project was the fact that all of the silos were still ½ to ¾ full of sand, powdered cement or aggregate. ground. The method has proven well suited for managing dust from cement, coal, aggregates, and other bulk materials. It’s also one of the few technologies capable of delivering control of both airborne and ground-level dust. As dust particles and water droplets approach each other, the best chance for a collision is created when they are roughly the same size, avoiding a slipstream effect that can carry them past one another.
MAY 2022
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THE TAKEDOWN
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Demolition crews used several different pieces of heavy equipment to demolish the buildings and foundations, including a Komatsu PC 450 LC with a fabricated steel rake attachment, a Komatsu PC 400 LC with concrete pulverizer and a Komatsu
300 with pulverizer. A 200-tonne P&H lattice boom crane took the tall silos down to about 40 feet, so the PC 450 excavator could safely level the structures to grade. The firm also employed a wheel loader with a five yard bucket and a Cat 236 skid steer loader. The DustBoss equipment was in service primarily when heavy equipment was working. The twin oscillating units were strategically located for the greatest possible coverage, creating a virtual dust barrier between the demolition area and the remaining plant structures, which remained operational during the process. The concrete silos were constructed with a substantial amount of rebar, with inner I-beams for additional reinforcement. As they were demolished, scrap metal was
Each oscillating DB-60 can blanket nearly 125,000ft2 (1.16 hectares) with dust-trapping mist.
sorted from the debris and loaded into containers, then sent off-site for recycling. Demolished concrete was placed in a stockpile for crushing, while sand and cement were trucked to separate storage areas. Once the structures were demolished to grade, the contractor proceeded to remove all slabs, foundations and footings, aided by a Komatsu 300 with 8,000 psi hammer, a Komatsu 200 with 5,000 psi hammer and a Cat 963 track loader. In all, more than 150,000 yards of material was excavated, sorted, transported and stockpiled. The entire four-month project was completed without a single injury or safety incident. “Thanks to the excellent control from the two DustBoss units, we didn’t receive one dustrelated complaint,” the manager added. “We were very pleased with their effectiveness and would definitely use them again on a project of this nature.”
ABOUT BOSSTEK BossTek is an expert in effective dust and odour control solutions for bulk material handling, demolition, rock processing and recycling. The company’s DustBoss® product line helps reduce labour costs vs. manual spraying, freeing up manpower for more important tasks. The automated units also use less water than hoses and sprinklers, with some customers realizing payback in less than six months and netting an annual cost savings of more than $50,000. DCi
managing dust in unfavourable weather conditions
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Atomized mist cannon
The DB-60 Surge is built for versatility and continuous use in punishing outdoor weather conditions.
rise structures,” he said. “Some of them use attachments that can be mounted on a high-lift boom, but that can bring its own complications. When we started working on a solution, we realized that this technology would also deliver benefits to a wide range of applications in which variable wind conditions can be a problem, such as port facilities, material processing operations and large outdoor storage facilities.” The DB-60 Surge combines the power of an industrial fan, misting ring and heavyduty barrel with the reach and force of a central high-pressure spray nozzle. The pressurized spray resists wind shear and even uses the force of the wind to further fragment and carry the droplets, enhancing its dust suppression capabilities. This is achieved without the need for the high
MAY 2022
operations ranging from demolition to bulk material processing and storage. “Our customers operate in very different circumstances; some with highreach excavators, some in open areas without natural barriers, while others are located in narrow corridors where wind velocity is amplified,” explained BossTek Dust Control Specialist Mike Lewis. “What these customers have in common is the difficulty in controlling fine atomized mist during blustery conditions. So we worked with our industry partners, listened to their feedback and engineered our most versatile and innovative machine to date.” Lewis recalled that one of the initial drivers behind the new design was a need in the demolition industry. “Several customers described their challenges in suppressing dust during demolition of high-
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The next advancement in industrial dust suppression has been introduced by a renowned atomized mist technology specialist — a powerful cannon that is designed to fight dust with maximum efficiency. Developed in response to the needs of customers in areas with variable winds, the DustBoss® DB-60 Surge® features water propelled at high velocity from a center nozzle, combined with the industry-proven fan and misting ring system. With three remote-controlled stages and precision oscillation for optimum command over water volume and coverage area, the cannon uses highpowered jets that surge through the wind for over 250 feet (76.2 m) to suppress both surface and airborne dust. The result is effective and versatile dust mitigation in challenging weather for outdoor
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Figure 1 – Water volume of each stage.
water output associated with a hydrantdependent hose or industrial sprinkler system. In high-wind situations, dust is lifted into the atmosphere and carried beyond the site line over long distances, which can lead to permit violations. Operators of bulk storage mounds, demolition sites, ports, recycling material piles, etc. often mitigate particulate emissions using a sprinkler or hose to saturate a material’s surface. The higher the wind, the more water pressure is required to break through the shear,
resulting in greater amounts of water filling the surrounding work area — often 300GPM (1,135 lpm) or more. There are several issues associated with the use of hoses and industrial sprinklers. Hoses typically require manual labour, removing workers from other critical tasks. Moreover, both sprinklers and hand-held hoses contribute to high water bills. Taking compliance and expenses into consideration, the long-term cost of operation for sprinklers and hoses is higher than it might appear.
MAY 2022
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The design features three remote-controlled stage and precision oscillation for optimum coverage.
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The DB-60 Surge addresses wind, labour and water usage issues. While striving to stay compliant with dust regulations, operators can now better match the water requirements to the specific application. Fed by a standard 1-½ in. (38 mm) hose with a cam-and-groove quick disconnect coupling, the powerful booster pump delivers as much as 500PSI (27.5BAR) of water pressure to the centre nozzle, with an output of 37–100GPM (140–378 lpm). Controlled by a three-stage system
The cannon uses high-powered jets to cut through the wind, suppressing surface dust and airborne particles. adjusted by a hand-held remote, the first stage is highly effective on moderate days for airborne and surface coverage. It uses the powerful 25HP/30,000CFM (849.5CMM) fan and misting ring to deliver millions of fine atomized mist droplets over a wide area, which collide with tiny dust particles and drag them to the ground. For windy days, stage two features a pressurized stream delivered by the central nozzle. On high wind days, operators can utilize the fan, misting ring and center nozzle for maximum coverage. The versatility and coverage area is extended with the customizable 359º horizontal oscillation range and 0–50º vertical throw angle. Using the hand-held remote, the operator can raise the spray angle to reach extended heights, directing the 250ft (76m) spray to areas such as high-reach demolition or across the beam of large bulk cargo ships. The oscillation range is easily controlled with the left and right trigger of the remote control to customize the precise desired horizontal range. Mounted on a heavy-duty roadworthy trailer for towing at highway speeds with a standard ball hitch, it can be placed by a pickup truck, skid steer or lift truck wherever dust suppression is needed. As supplied, the DB-60 Surge can run potable or nonpotable water, as it is equipped with two in-line 30 mesh, 595 micron filters to avoid clogging. One filter is located at the water entry point to the booster pump, another prior to the pipe feeding the central nozzle. After the initial setup, the DB-60 Surge requires no labour to operate. The remote control has a 1,000ft (305m) range, so operators using heavy machinery from high-reach excavators to front loaders can command the machine without leaving the cab. Lewis mentioned that other options are already available, including tower mounting and a version of the company’s popular Fusion lineup, which pairs the Surge with a generator to alleviate the need for a nearby power source. “DustBoss is known for its rugged quality and long equipment life, often described as one of the most reliable and lowmaintenance pieces of equipment on any job site,” he added. “Our three-year or 3,000-hour warranty is evidence of our confidence in the products. The DB-60 Surge is designed with that same philosophy and is built to last.”
ABOUT BOSSTEK BossTek is globally renowned for its dust- and odour-control solutions for the storage and handling of clinker, petcoke, coal, rock and aggregate, as well as controlling air quality during port unloading, recycling and scrap processing, mining, earth moving, and demolition activities. The company’s DustBoss product line utilizes atomized mist technology propelled by powerful fans to DCi capture fugitive particles over a wide area.
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Biomass in bulk Close-up of the exterior of Enviva’s storage domes at the Port of Pascagoula
popularity of ‘green’ solutions like biomass continues to rise
Louise Dodds-Ely
MAY 2022
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Enviva expands capacity with plans to double production of wood pellets
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Enviva’s Port of Pascagoula in Mississippi, USA received its first delivery of pellets from its Lucedale, MS wood pellet production site on 31 March this year, and has been in ‘continuous operation’ since 9 April. The first shipment of pellets will be in Q2 of 2022.
ABOUT ENVIVA Enviva Inc. is the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source produced by
aggregating a natural resource, wood fibre, and processing it into a transportable form, wood pellets. Enviva owns and operates ten plants with a combined production
ABOUT THE PORT OF PASCAGOULA At the Port of Pascagoula, through collaboration with the Jackson County Port Authority, Enviva Inc. owns a deepwater marine terminal in the Bayou Casotte Harbor that will serve as the shipment point for pellets manufactured at Enviva’s Lucedale plant and its other plants under development in the Gulf region. The terminal will be capable of receiving product by rail, barge, and truck and supporting Panamax-sized vessels. The facility includes two wood pellet storage domes with 45,000 metric tonnes of storage capacity each.
Aerial view of the Port of Pascagoula.
ENVIVA ANNOUNCES MOU WITH US CUSTOMER , PROVIDES UPDATES TO BUSINESS AND SALES PIPELINE, AND ACCELERATES CAPACITY EXPANSIONS
ASSET EXPANSION UPDATE In response to the increasing pace and scale of commercial progress, Enviva is accelerating its plans to double its production capacity over the next five years, from 6.2 million MTPY to approximately 13 million MTPY. To capitalize on this momentum, Enviva is broadening and deepening its development capabilities and leveraging relationships with key equipment suppliers and construction partners to enable it to build and commission two plants per year, up from its historical rate of one plant per year. Enviva plans to continue utilizing its ‘build and copy’ approach to plant design while increasing the nameplate production capacity of its new plants to approximately 1.1 million MTPY, up roughly 45% from the previous standard of 750,000 metric tonnes per year. Enviva’s ‘Multi-Plant Expansions’ are expected to be completed by year-end 2022. Enviva also expects its plant in Lucedale, Mississippi, which is the first plant in its Pascagoula cluster, to ramp production throughout 2022, exiting the year at its designed run-rate of 750,000 metric tonnes per year. Additionally, in the first half of 2022, Enviva plans to commence construction of the fully contracted plant in Epes, Alabama, the second plant in the Pascagoula cluster. Enviva’s business model of fully contracting plants before commencing construction remains unchanged. Given the current pace of contracting with customers, Enviva plans to accelerate the construction of a third wood pellet production plant in its Pascagoula cluster in 2023, along with other proposed plants in the Savannah and mid-Atlantic regions.
MAY 2022
CONTRACTING UPDATE Enviva announced the signing of an MOU with a US-based cleantech company to codevelop a supply chain strategy for advanced, low-carbon transportation fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with a focus on the customer’s operations in the US Southeast and potentially California. Under the MOU, the customer’s refining process will convert Enviva’s woody biomass into a drop-in replacement for crude oil used for producing aviation fuel. Enviva’s current operations and numerous potential development sites in the US Southeast position it to co-develop alongside the SAF refining capacity the customer intends to construct in the region. California is another jurisdiction where Enviva is evaluating plans to build one or more facilities with the intent of utilizing low-grade wood fibre from highhazard zones in the state both to mitigate devastating wildfire risk in the region and tackle the negative effects of climate change globally. This latest MOU represents not only the second industrial agreement Enviva has recently signed, but also Enviva’s second agreement related to SAF, which underscores the demand momentum for low-carbon transportation fuels. Enviva recently announced its first shipment to Germany to serve its emerging industrial market (including steel and cement) and other adjacent use cases (such as lime, a key input in cement manufacturing) that are progressing through the phases of design, development, and application, as industrial companies pursue not only their own net-zero goals, but also fulfill the increasing demand for greener products from their own customers. As of 1 January, 2022, Enviva has a total contracted revenue backlog of over $21 billion. This contracted revenue backlog is complemented by a customer sales pipeline exceeding $40 billion, which includes contracts in various stages of negotiation. Enviva’s customer sales pipeline consists of the US-based MOU, the previously announced J-Power MOU, and other longterm off-take opportunities in traditional
markets for biomass-fired power and heat generation in geographies ranging from the UK to the European Union (including emerging opportunities in Germany and Poland), to Asia (including incremental demand in Japan, emerging potential in Taiwan, and maturing opportunities in South Korea), as well as in developing industrial segments across the globe (including steel, cement, lime, chemicals, SAF, and biodiesel). Enviva is negotiating long-term wood pellet supply contracts with several leading industrial companies in each of these difficult-to-abate sectors that are actively and urgently pursing large-scale decarbonization. Over the next 12 months, Enviva expects to progress negotiations and convert several sales pipeline opportunities into binding contracts, including MOUs.
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In mid-January this year, Enviva provided a business update announcing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Enviva’s first US-based customer, and detailing plans to significantly accelerate its capital expansion timeline due to recent commercial momentum with power and heat generators and with industrials in hard-to-abate sectors. The business update also included preliminary 2021 financial results. Highlights of the report include: v Plans to accelerate doubling of production capacity over the next five years, including bringing forward plans for a third plant in the Pascagoula, Mississippi cluster as well as additional plants around Savannah, Georgia and in the mid-Atlantic regions, with capability to build and commission two plants per year, up from one per year; v Signed MOU with Enviva’s first USbased customer, to develop a supply chain strategy to support the customer’s biofuel refining facilities in the Southeast U.S. and potentially California; v Plans to evaluate building production capacity in California, potentially utilizing fibre in high-hazard zones to mitigate devastating wildfire risk and improve climate benefits of forests in the West; v First shipment of wood pellets to Germany serving emerging industrial and other adjacent use cases; v Updated customer sales pipeline to more than $40 billion with the addition of the US customer MOU and
recently announced J-Power MOU; v Provided preliminary 2021 financial results; and v Finalized Green Finance Framework and received independent Second Party Opinion (SPO) from S&P Global confirming alignment with green bond and green loan principles.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
capacity of approximately 6.2 million MTPY (metric tonnes per year) in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. Enviva sells most of its wood pellets through long-term take-orpay contracts with creditworthy customers in the UK, the European Union, and Japan, helping to accelerate the energy transition and to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, lime, chemicals, and aviation fuels. Enviva exports its wood pellets to global markets through its deepwater marine terminals at the Port of Chesapeake, Virginia, the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, and the Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and from thirdparty deep-water marine terminals in Savannah, Georgia, Mobile, Alabama, and Panama City, Florida.
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ENVIVA ANNOUNCES $250 MILLION
MAY 2022
In April this year, Enviva announced it will invest approximately $250 million in Bond, Mississippi to build a new wood pellet production plant. The facility is a key component of the company’s growth strategy to double production capacity from the current 6.2 million MTPY to approximately 13 million MTPY annually over the next five years. “Markets for our renewable products have been growing rapidly as countries look for new ways to reduce their dependence on coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels for heat and power generation. Demand from manufacturers driving to reach ‘netzero’ by decarbonizing industrial production of steel, cement, lime, and sustainable aviation fuel is also growing
community for being such great partners during site selection,” Keppler said. “Enviva’s decision to invest a quarter of a billion dollars and create 100 new jobs in Mississippi is another tremendous win for our state’s economy. It’s further proof that Mississippi is a prime location for manufacturing. I’m incredibly proud that these wood pellets, produced right here by hardworking and skilled Mississippians, will be distributed and used around the globe. I’d like to thank Chairman and CEO John Keppler and the entire Enviva team for their dedication to our state and all that they have done to bolster Stone County and its residents. We look forward to our continued partnership for many years to come,” said Governor Reeves. Construction is expected to begin in early 2023, subject to receiving the necessary permits, and is expected to take approximately 18 months. The Bond plant is expected to have a production capacity of more than one million MTPY of wood pellets. Mississippi has a robust fibre supply basket, and the plant intends to use lowvalue and low-grade softwood and hardwood fibre sustainably sourced within 75 miles of the facility, creating durable markets for local landowners and incentives to keep land as forests. The facility will use state-of-the-art environmental control technology to minimize any impact from the plant’s operation on the community. “Stone County was founded on the timber industry more than a hundred years ago. Our citizens have long respected the woods and the natural resources they provide. With the announcement of Enviva, we have an opportunity to produce a record number of new jobs because of the plentiful resources in Stone County. Our most important asset, our people, will benefit from the growth we will experience for decades to come,” said Lance Pearson, President of the Stone County Board of Supervisors.
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INVESTMENT IN NEW PRODUCTION PLANT FOR BOND, MISSISSIPPI TO SERVE GROWING DEMAND FOR RENEWABLE RESOURCES
rapidly for us,” said John Keppler, Enviva’s Chairman and CEO. “And in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment, countries and companies around the world are seeking security of supply from stable partners like the US. This new facility, the community in which it operates, and the tremendous people who support it every day will continue Mississippi’s strong tradition of helping friends across the globe secure energy independence and win the fight against climate change,” he added. The facility site, directly off Highway 49 in Bond, was selected in close collaboration with Governor Tate Reeves, the Mississippi Development Authority, and Stone County officials. The plant is fully contracted under longterm take-or-pay supply contracts with customers around the world, providing for durable, positive economic impact to the community. In addition to creating around 100 local jobs with wages projected to be approximately 70% higher than the county average, the Bond plant will generate more than $1 million in taxes per year for the county and school district and deliver over $250 million annually in economic impact in the region. Once operational, the plant will support more than 350 jobs, including those in related industries such as logging and transportation. The new plant in Stone County joins two other Enviva facilities in Mississippi, one in Amory, which is Enviva’s first production plant in the state, and the company’s most recent manufacturing facility in Lucedale. The company also owns and operates a deep-water marine terminal at the Port of Pascagoula from which pellets are shipped to customers in Europe and Asia. Combined, Enviva’s total investment in the Magnolia State is more than $600 million and supports over 850 direct and indirect jobs in Mississippi. “We very much appreciate the skilled workforce and great business environment in the state. I want to thank Governor Reeves, his team, and the Stone County
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Additionally, it plans to commence and complete the fully-permitted 300,000 metric tonne per year expansion of its Lucedale plant during 2023, which will increase its nameplate production capacity from the current 750,000 metric tonnes per year to approximately one million MTPY. In 2024, Enviva plans to place both the proposed third and fourth Pascagoula cluster plants in service and begin construction on two additional plants expected to be located in its Savannah, Georgia and Wilmington, North Carolina clusters. In 2025, Enviva expects all of its Pascagoula cluster plants will be operating at their full run-rate, in addition to having the new Savannah cluster plant in service. It anticipates that construction of its proposed Wilmington cluster plant and Chesapeake cluster plant to be underway. In 2026, Enviva plans to have both proposed Wilmington and Chesapeake plants in service, with the proposed Savannah plant and Lucedale expansion ramping to full run-rate by the end of the year. In total, Enviva plans to place six plants in service over the next five years and expects that the construction and commissioning of new plants with a nameplate capacity of 1.1 million MTPY will take up to 18 months, on average, and cost between $200 million and $250 million, with total capital expenditures spanning nine quarters. Each plant is designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for an average of 350 days per year when accounting for scheduled maintenance days.
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Terval’s focus on coal shifts to include biomass options
MAY 2022
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Terval SA founded in 1981 and based in the port of Liège in Belgium, is a company specialized in the trading and processing of coal for the western European industrial market. Terval trades about 2mt (million tonnes) of material a year sourced from all around the world. More than 90% of the volume handled by Terval transits by waterway. The rest is divided between the rail- and roadway. The Port of Liège ranks
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second after Duisburg among European inland ports. Terval’s trimodal terminal can load up 6,000 tonnes and unload up to 12,000 tonnes of dry bulk daily. For the last several years, European governments and EU commissions have been strengthening their environmental politics, which tends to force the industry to change its way of thinking by disinvesting itself from fossil fuel. A few years ago, we
saw many industrials turn to gas due to its low prices and its lower dependency on logistical issues — low water levels on the major rivers of Western Europe for instance. Nevertheless, over the last months, and due also to the Ukraine war and Europe’s desire to become less dependent on Russian gas imports, this trend appears to be reversing and industrials are returning to coal.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Beyond coal and gas market, there is also a willingness from industry to implement biomass in their energy portfolio. It’s a long-term job that requires a lot of time and resources. Terval, via its French subsidiary Bioval, works directly with its current clients — mainly the sugar industry and the dehydration of lucerne crops in France — in the implementation of biomass projectors to convert their furnaces and coal boilers. The objective is to transition to 100% Biomass-to-Energy. With the technology developed by Bioval, Terval can revamp existing installations, thus minimizing CAPEX costs. Furthermore, generally it is possible to increase evaporation capacity for an existing dehydration plant of ca. 30%. With Bioval’s expertise in the combustion of solid fuels, it helps its customers to
MAY 2022
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productions and from abroad. A new warehouse project with 3,200m² is under construction and will offer a capacity of between 10,000–18,000 tonnes for pellets or other biomasses. Terval also trades torrefied wood pellet quality for the industry. This pellet has a brown colour and is water resistant. Therefore, outside storage without damaging the structure/quality of the product is no problem. The manufacturer of this pellet is using a specific technology of vapocracking allowing an outwards transfer of the lignin inside wood molecules. It is this outwards transfer of the lignin that will give this hydrophobic property to the pellet. It is a brand-new technology and volumes are quite limited so far, but this product will potentially find its way in the biomass market.
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optimize combustion, which represents in general the highest cost factor to them. Also, many different biomass types can be used. By choosing the Bioval solution, the customer is able for transition of up to 100% biomass, to increase the plant’s capacity and to optimize its combustion. The objective now for Bioval is to broaden the spectrum of customers as well to extend abroad by recruiting new engineers. Terval has 24,000m² warehouse space, with 3,200m² dedicated to ±10,000 tonnes of woodpellets storage. Since 2020, Terval has been working with the Danish Company CM Biomass, a major market maker in Europe. It organizes, on their behalf the unloading, storage and reloading of wood pellets for industrial end-users. These pellets are originated from European
Associated British Port’s (ABP) Port of Immingham is the leading UK port specializing in the latest facilities and equipment to store and handle biomass. The team at the state-of-the-art Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal (IRFT) works closely with customers to offer safe, efficient, and cost-effective handling of cargoes. IRFT has the latest leading-edge handling and storage solutions and is the Europe’s largest biomass handling facility bringing in the bulk energy cargo (wood pellets) to fuel the UK’s leading power plants. It can discharge and store 200,000 tonnes of wood pellets in eight silos. The facility can handle 6mt (million tonnes) per year with two dedicated continuous ship-unloaders,
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
The Port of Immingham — helping to power the nation
and fully automated enclosed conveyors which transport the biomass to the silos for storage. A reclaim system efficiently delivers high volumes of cargo for onward transit by rail. £150 million has been invested into facilities and equipment at the terminal to ensure it is at the forefront of technology. The team at IRFT is focused on the continuous improvement of their operation and is always implementing new ways of working that improve the Health and Safety of all terminal users, and the efficiency and productivity of the terminal’s operations. The Humber port can also handle some of the largest vessels in the world at the Humber International Terminal (HIT), which is ABP’s largest terminal. It benefits from excellent road and rail connectivity to the rest of the UK. The Port of Immingham in the Humber Estuary is the UK’s largest port by tonnage, handling around 46mt of cargo every year. It forms a critical part of the supply chain for energy production, helping power the nation and helping to cement the Humber as the ‘UK’s Energy Estuary.’
www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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New technology for feeding biomass and MSW feedstocks into high-pressure environments Biomass is a general term used to describe a variety of materials including wood chips, pellets, sawdust, milled switch grass, corn stover, etc, writes Dr. Jayant Khambekar, Senior Consultant, Jenike & Johanson. From a material storage and handling perspective, these materials can exhibit various handling challenges. Materials such as milled corn stover are very light and often exhibit nesting tendencies that result in discharge issues from hoppers and silos, whereas materials such as woodchips exhibit strong interlocking tendencies. Pellets may undergo attrition and generate dust, which can pose an explosion hazard. Municipal Solids Waste (MSW) is a feedstock which has flow characteristics that are similar to biomass materials. As such, MSW feedstocks also experience similar flow issues during handling. Whether it is gravity-reclaim stockpiles, silos or feed hoppers, or feed-systems to pressurized reactors, unless properly designed, they can experience flow problems such as flow stoppages, limited live storage capacity, feed rate limitation, etc. Similarly, if the feeder and transfer chutes are not designed properly, they can result in flow problems. These problems in the feedstock receiving area can be avoided by properly designing or retrofitting the storage and handling systems. Even more critical are the problems with feeding material into high-pressure, high-temperature environment. Many technologies for biofuels involve feeding biomass materials into such high-pressure, high-temperature reactors. Delivering feedstock reliably across this pressure barrier is no simple task, especially when the feedstock is difficult to handle materials like biomass and MSW. Many of the existing technologies for feeding materials into high-pressure environment that are based on use of plug-screw-feeders have to overcome challenges with pressure blow back. On the other hand, existing technologies based on lock-hoppers have to overcome challenges with arching/ bridging associated with feeding material into a high pressure environment. Getting a continuous discharge from a typical lockhopper systems can be a problem too as these systems usually work on batch process mode. The success of any such biofuels or waste-to-energy plant depends on reliably feeding the reactor. To address these problems, Jenike & Johanson (Jenike) has developed a new
technology to feed materials like biomass and MSW into high pressure, high-temperature environments. This patent-pending technology is focused on reducing consolidation of feedstock during handling, minimizing springback of biomass materials, and providing continuous discharge into pressurized environment using a unique lock-hopper-based system design. Established in 1966, Jenike is a global technology company which provides solutions for reliable storage and handling of bulk solids. Jenike has more than five decades of experience in designing handling systems for various challenging materials like biomass and MSW. Jenike also has significant experience with designing lock hoppers, since 1980s. Leveraging Jenike’s experience in biomass handling and lockhopper design, it has developed this unique, patent-pending technology that can reliably feed biomass and MSW feedstocks into high-pressure, high-temperature environments such as biofuel reactors. The company is excited about this new technology and is happy to discuss it with any interested reader. Apart from feeding pressurized reactors, Jenike is also uniquely positioned to assist clients with designing/retrofitting feedstock handling systems, right from the receiving area up to the feed-system for the pressurized reactor. For this upstream handling, various solids flow issues can occur. Problems Jenike solves/avoids: v flow stoppages or erratic flow due to arching and ratholing in silos and feed hoppers; v limited live storage capacity in silos and gravity reclaim stockpiles; v feeder discharge issues; v chute pluggages; v attrition and dust generation during pellet handling; and v solids handling equipment failure investigations. Bulk solids handling problems are often the major cause of costly downtime and demurrage charges for many facilities, especially during startup! These same flow
problems continue plaguing on-going operations by limiting throughput and creating safety and health risks, as well as reducing equipment life, increasing maintenance costs and causing premature equipment failure. To address these costly problems, Jenike has developed proven ways to design handling equipment that will promote reliable, smooth and unrestricted flow of bulk solids. Bulk solids handling equipment design should not be a trial-and-error approach; Jenike doesn’t guess at material properties, it measures them. The company has the largest and most complete laboratory in the world for characterizing the flow properties of bulk solids under representative environmental conditions. For over 56 years, Jenike has focused on developing first principle theories on bulk solids flow and conveying behaviour. Jenike’s services include: v licensing technology for feeding material into a pressurized environment; v biomass flowability study; v silo, hopper and stockpile gravityreclaim system design; v feeder design; v transfer chute design; v calculation of material flow induced loads on silo and hopper walls; and v training on solids flow and pneumatic transport Jenike combines test results and real world project experience, which yields the best solution in terms of reliability and costeffectiveness. Its skilled and experienced engineers provide detailed structural and mechanical design of solids handling equipment, and routinely design silos, hoppers, feeders and transfer chutes.
Around the globe, an increasing share of total energy production is generated by biomass powerplants. Biomass has rapidly become an important substitute for other more traditional sources of energy generation such as coal and has become a key part in the energy transition journey. The largest source of biomass energy is wood and residues from wood. Whether it’s woodchips, pellets or also other types of biomass, then during handling, shredding and/or upgrading a considerable amount of dust is generated. Extended or repeated exposure to fine biomass dust has a negative health effect as biomass dust is a carcinogen, i.e. a substance that promotes carcinogenesis or the formation of cancer. Furthermore, it is a fact that from biomass handling points — such as power plants or recycling facilities — dust travels for miles and spreads out over the surrounding areas and communities. Apart from the health issues that this causes, there is also a considerable loss of product. Over the years, dust-control specialist Wuvio has, in close co-operation with a number of important players, developed a range of solutions dealing with biomass dust.
FOAMING In general, the basis for Wuvio’s solutions to combat dust in biomass environments is foaming. This is a solution used for inline treatment, with increased active duration of up to 30 days if need be. Applied with compressed air, a Wuvio’s dry foam is created with minimal usage of water and consequently low moisture levels, so that the (calorific) value of biomass is not impacted. Ideally Wuvio’s dry foam is applied by using a spray bar with nozzles
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Dealing with biomass dust with foam solutions from Wuvio
that spray it into the drop points of the conveyor belt system or shredder. Furthermore, Wuvio’s foam solution has a number of advantages over the spraying of water, as the product: v can be applied using existing/standard nozzles and sprinklers; v reduces water consumption by 80%; v reduces dust emissions by 90%; v is 100% biodegradable and harmless to the aquatic environment; and v is 100% safe for people and the environment.
EQUIPMENT
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Wuvio’s focus is to provide a fully integrated solution, which is built to be rugged enough to withstand harsh environments. The key is to have the equipment work for you, so typically Wuvio’s spraying solutions are integrated with system automation to work in conjunction with the production line. Wuvio offers a variety of spraying equipment: v spraying cannons which can be used for spraying stockpiles — various tank sizes; v automated foam dosing units, spray bars & atomizing systems; and v a full range of automated mixing solutions including buffer tanks and silos.
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Precast concrete storage for biomass cargoes with Hanson Silo LP
Hanson Silo LP recently completed a biomass storage containment system with its precast concrete 12ft-high storage wall panels. The bunker is storing Humus waste. Essentially, 30 million gallons of human manure is mixed with stover bales to run a digester, and then the final product is sold as a compost fertilizer. The VERBIO Nevada Biorefinery, located in Nevada, Iowa (USA), is the first industrial scale renewable natural gas (RNG) facility in North America using agricultural residues as its feedstock. The plant is 100% owned by VERBIO North America Holdings Corporation. RNG production from corn stover began in December 2021 with the completion of Phase I, at a capacity of seven million ethanol gallons equivalent (EGE) per year. Upon completion of Phase II in the fourth quarter of 2022, the site will begin operating as a biorefinery, producing 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol and an additional 19 million (EGE) of RNG from stillage. The integration of RNG and ethanol production, unique to VERBIO, incorporates advanced operational technology currently practised at the company’s facilities in Germany. The process also yields humus, a soil amendment, and organic fertilizers.
ABOUT PRECAST PANELS It is possible to use every inch of a bulk storage building with precast panel walls along the perimeter. The panels are designed to optimize pile heights and locations to help users load, handle and work more efficiently. There is no wasted space and no wasted material in a custom building designed around a precast panel containment system. v Faster construction: precast concrete panels are fabricated and delivered to
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
the site. The panels are assembled and cured in a controlled environment for easy, expedited manufacturing. Because the panels are made offsite, they are not delayed by weather or construction permits. After assembly, the panels are delivered to the building location and set in place, with no footings and no additional curing time. An entire precast panel system can be assembled in just one day. v Durability: precast concrete withstands pressure from stored materials, increasing the bulk storage capacity of a fabric building. An experienced building consultant will calculate the size of the precast panels needed based on tonnage and
requirements. A custom panel system provides the required storage without wasted materials and labour. Concrete panels withstand constant exposure to corrosive elements and collision. They are not vulnerable to pests and do not serve as feedstock for rodents. The quality of concrete does not deteriorate over time, making them a longer-lasting option for bulk storage. v Exceptional value: in addition to the faster construction time, concrete panels allow the building owner flexibility for current and future storage needs.
Precast panels are moveable and reconfigurable to store or blend new products. Changing the size and shape of a bin is as easy as moving a few panels and loading the new product in place. Concrete is easy to wash and dry when cycling through materials. And precast panels are portable assets if the building is relocated in the future.
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Beyond agricultural bulk, the major bulk challenge for the Port of Bordeaux in France is to recover and develop the volumes generated by all niche dry bulk, by proposing an adapted and quality offer, where storage plays a major role. Biomass is an energy recovery process that consists of using the calories contained in waste by burning it and recovering the energy thus produced. It is included in the Bordeaux port’s 2021–25 strategic project as one of the processes of the future. This is why the port is committed to renovating and bringing up to standard the hangars of the Bassens terminal, i.e. hangars 45, 43 and 42bis from the end of 2022. These investments are an initial response to the needs of the various existing and future industries in the port of Bordeaux and in the hinterland when necessary, particularly all products derived from biomass. This work will make it possible to expand the classes of products that can be stored in the warehouse and to guarantee better storage and handling conditions for the goods (2022). The stakes are high because the storage activity, which is essential in the case of volumes generated by biomass, is a link in the logistics chain associated with the goods. The challenge for the shipper is to minimize costs while having a responsive and fluid supply chain. Mention should also be made of the investments made for Bordeaux Opérations Portuaires (BOP), the Bordeaux port branch specializing in handling. The acquisition of a Mantsinen 300 series crane (the largest model on the shovel crane market) is a strong signal of Bordeaux Port’s ambitions in the dry bulk sector. It is indeed a hydraulic machine intended for multi-bulk operations, which will reinforce the fleet of cranes existing at the port of Bordeaux. The reception of this material handler took place this month in May with commissioning scheduled during June. Fitted with a 14m3 bucket, this newgeneration crane will be able to handle all
New Mantsinen crane and shredded tyres in the background (photo:© Rosamund Quentin Chaumy). types of traffic related to the biomass sector with flexibility and efficiency, whatever the vessel.
THE PROSPECTS FOR THE WOOD-ENERGY SECTOR
Wood is the first source of renewable energy used in France, where the resource is present in quantity. It represents more than 40% of renewable energy in France. Wood energy is therefore expected to contribute significantly to the French energy and climate objectives (ADEME). The wood energy sector is growing and demand is increasing, whether for boiler rooms (pellets) or heat production (agricultural greenhouses) or electricity. The sector is organizing itself to improve logistics and become competitive so that maritime flows are possible. Wood-energy represents 80% of renewable heat. The production of heat is the main outlet of wood energy, wood being used in various forms (logs, briquettes, pellets). The consumption of pellets in France is essentially national, or in import/export with neighbouring countries for small volumes. Wood biomass of the pellet type is a bulk product of low density adapted to the massive modes. The ban announced by the Government to install new oil-fired boilers makes the biomass prospects strengthened. In a context of energy transition, it is of
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The biomass sector at Bordeaux Port
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Bassens terminal (photo: ©D.Trentacosta).
course renewable energies that must answer the call. However, importing pellets from distant regions (e.g. Brazil for Gardanne) does not appear to be a sustainable solution for the Port of Bordeaux.
DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS New Aquitaine benefits from a significant biomass resource, with the largest cultivated forest in Europe. It does not therefore need to import in the short or medium term. On the other hand, from the port of Bassens, export/cabotage prospects could exist, to supply the regions of Central France, less well endowed with cultivated forests. Bordeaux Port already operates 15 to 20kt of chipped wood annually. In addition, Bordeaux Port signed an agreement with CVE on 1 December 2021, allowing the construction and operation of a methanization unit within the perimeter of the port in the municipalities of Bassens and Ambarès-etLagrave. This territory project, developed within the framework of the PEEPOS (Positive Energy and Economy Port) approach and in a circular economy logic, will allow the production of bio-methane which will be directly injected into the local gas distribution network. The CVE/Port of Bordeaux project will allow the recovery of up to 25,000 tonnes per year of organic matter from the region, including by-products from port industries and local agri-food companies, organic matter from local communities and agricultural matter produced nearby. The biomethane produced by the unit will be directly injected into the local network. The unit will produce the equivalent of the consumption of about 3,500 households, i.e. the equivalent of the DCi population of the town of Bassens.
with the latest pneumatic technologies
Innovation Center at Doncaster, UK, showcases Schenck Process’s expertise in dense, lean, vacuum and injection pneumatic conveying systems. Customers can benefit from extensive tests and assessments on their materials and review the entire process, in-person or remotely. Recent additions at the Test & Innovation Center will serve to enhance the process insights that are on offer. The new installations include the company’s
patented E-Finity® continuous dense phase system and Enhanced Dilute Phase Pneumatic conveying (EDIP) system, which uses the air supply from engineering technology company Lontra’s innovative LP2 Compressor Blower.
DEVELOPING PNEUMATIC CONVEYING SOLUTIONS
The Schenck Process Test & Innovation Center at Doncaster is highly experienced
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Improving processes and optimizing efficiency in material handling industries are paramount to Schenck Process. This ethos runs through every part of the business to drive continuous improvements for its customers. At the heart of these developments are the company’s global Test & Innovation Centers which are dedicated to finding tailored solutions for industry challenges. The pneumatic technologies Test &
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Advances in pneumatic conveying technology showcased at UK Test & Innovation Center
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Breath of fresh air
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in executing various tests within pneumatic conveying systems designed for multiple industries, including food, pet food and chemicals through to metals. The facility has machines in place to test the capabilities of traditional dense phase, lowpressure dense phase and lean phase, alongside others. Dense phase conveying is an energy-efficient method of transporting abrasive or fragile materials through pipelines at very low and stable velocities to minimize product degradation and equipment wear. The traditional dense phase setup at the Test & Innovation Center can use 80mm, 100mm and 125mm pipes enabling Schenck Process to test conveying distances up to 500m. Numerous options can be configured with plain pipes, density stabilizers and autoflow. The E-Finity system is a patented continuous dense phase system from Schenck Process, which provides gentle and energy-efficient conveying of granular and pelleted products. Traditional continuous dense phase systems use blowers and rotary valves, which can cause unstable air leakage due to the increased pressure in the pipeline. To overcome this problem, the E-Finity uses precise pressure monitoring to control the valve and manage the airflow, automatically compensating for any leakage or changes in temperature. With the E-Finity conveying system, Schenck Process can carry out comparative monitoring of conveying air, pressure, feed rate, leakage and power consumption. Using a one bar g blower or regulated compressed air source for longer distances, it will feature 100mm pipe routes up to 240m. The material will be fed at a rate of up to 10m3/hr and can be provided from a loss-in-weight hopper or big bag discharger. Lean phase conveying capabilities have also been enhanced following the partnership agreement with Lontra to use its LP2 blower, which features its innovative Blade Compressor® technology. The pipes range from 50mm to 125mm and conveying distances of up to 500m with 10tph (tonnes per hour) rates, while the rotary values measure between 200mm to 300mm. With this new technology, the Test & Innovation Center can demonstrate the capability of the state-of-the-art, highly efficient EDIP to the traditional lean phase system.
EFFICIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE AND LOWER ENERGY CONSUMPTION
The Enhanced Dilute Phase Pneumatic Conveying (EDIP) system is a method designed by Schenck Process to improve the operation of a dilute phase conveying system by minimizing the speed of the blower under all operating conditions. Combining the Lontra LP2 blower with the EDIP system guarantees customers a more efficient system through automatically controlled optimized airflow. With energy savings of 20–30%, this is one of the most efficient lean phase conveyors available to the market.
COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS CAPABILITIES The E-Finity and EDIP systems have two positions in the Test & Innovation Center for optimization work and conveying trials. Position one allows performance tests with full instrumentation and state-of-the-art data logging capabilities. The second position replicates typical industrial installations and is used to highlight the technologies to customers. The E-Finity and EDIP systems are not the only improvements at the Doncaster Test & Innovation Center. Other recent installations include: v big bag filling and discharge equipment; v new vacuum receiving hopper and vacuum pipework; and v new routing equipment. Vacuum conveying can be tested at distances up to 65m through pipes of 38mm, 50mm, 63mm, 75mm and 100mm in diameter. The Test & Innovation Center can also demonstrate bottom discharge, top
discharge and rotary valve fed pickup points. In addition, the Pneumatic Injection ProStream HP, Twin ProPhase Dense Phase Pumps with Interlocked Phase-IQ Control and MultiCell & Screw Feed Rotary have all been commissioned in the center. The Pneumatic Injection ProStream HP system is designed to inject solid materials into processes pneumatically, either continuously or on a batch basis, to one or multiple points. The ProPhase Dense Phase Pump is a modular pneumatic conveying pump design that users can electronically configure to suit almost any pneumatic conveying application.
OPTIMAL PROCESS INSIGHTS ON SHOW As well as being set up for customer trials and training programmes, the UK Doncaster Test & Innovation Center is preparing to host a series of industry pneumatic trial events. Visitors can observe the conveying technologies available from Schenck Process using materials applicable to their business. The dedicated facility is also open to all customers seeking to determine the optimum and most energyefficient process globally. Digital remote access is available to ensure all customers can benefit from the services offered, no matter their location.
SCHENCK PROCESS: Schenck Process is a major global provider of sustainable products, integrated solutions and services in mission critical applications for bulk materials. Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, the Group has more than 3,000 employees with a presence in over 20 countries across six continents focused on the food, mining, chemicals and performance materials, and infrastructure and energy market segments. The product offering includes solution for industrial weighing, feeding, conveying, pulverizing and classification, screening, mixing and blending and associated digital applications. The Group was acquired by Blackstone International in 2017 and generated revenues of nearly €600m for the year ended 31 December 2020.
Two NIV 600tph VIGAN pneumatic ship-unloaders on rails delivered to Nord Céréales in Dunkirk (France). The most recent one is equipped with two 250kW electrical motors with frequency inverter, a suction boom of 28.5m and a chain conveyor of 15.5m allowing the feeding of a quay conveyor. The machine can unload vessels up to Panamax, and is also equipped with a slewable loading arm for the loading of up to 5,000dwt vessels.
TWO APPROACHES
mechanical unloader is stopped before the end of the vessel because it was not efficient during the final clean-up. After the mechanical unloader was stopped, the pneumatic unloader continued working 100% of the time because it was efficient through the full vessel.
PNEUMATIC UNLOADERS VIGAN’s pneumatic equipment works on the principle of conveying by air, which handles the product inside the pipes and thus behaves as the transport medium. This means that, at the suction nozzle and using the vacuum produced by the turbo blower(s), a certain amount of air is mixed with the free-flowing products. Sufficient air speed in the pipes maintains the products in the air flow, and the cargo is therefore conveyed in the same way as the air. At the centre of the equipment, when the product arrives inside the receiving cyclone or hopper, the air will be sucked and filtered upwards into the turbine while the products settle down into the hopper bottom or cyclone. After being conveyed down by an airlock (rotary valve), the products will be transported to their final destination such as into trucks, railway cars, silos and/or
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There are two types of CSUs — mechanical and pneumatic — and both offer different advantages. Mechanical unloaders have a significant advantage when it comes to energy consumption. They are known to be much more energy-efficient, and there is less ‘wasted’ energy. While pneumatic
unloaders are undoubtedly highly efficient, there is no doubt that, inevitably, much of their energy is expended on sucking up air. This is not the whole story, however. When considering ‘through-the-ship’ efficiency, mechanical unloaders fall down in that they are unable to get right into the corners of a hold — it is here that the pneumatic unloader comes into its own. With mechanical unloaders, a front-end loader is lowered into the hold to help with clean-up. The last layer of cargo in the bottom of the hatch needs much more time to be discharged with a mechanical unloader, making its efficiency lower than the pneumatic unloader. The result is that the total time to discharge the vessel “berth in – berth out” is shorter with a pneumatic unloader compared to the same situation with a mechanical unloader of same capacity. This is widely accepted in the industry. Several terminals that initially opted for a mechanical unloader, later added a pneumatic unloader to solve this efficiency problem of the mechanical unloader for hatch cleaning. A few years ago, time records were taken on the discharge of a vessel by operators in Hamburg with the combination of mechanical unloader and pneumatic unloader. The result is that the
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Created in 1968, the Belgian company VIGAN manufactures a complete range of pneumatic and mechanical conveying systems for dry agribulk products and has renowned expertise in pneumatic shipunloading equipment. From the alloyed steels — which are produced by a sister company — used for all the metallic structures and parts, up to the pre-assembly in the factory, VIGAN’s production remains Belgium-made. All the company’s activities take place on the same 12,000m² site, which enables easy exchange of information between all teams including sales, engineering, manufacturing, quality control and aftersales technical assistance. This guarantees an accurate quality control of the entire machine manufacturing process and enables an easier and shorter response time with respect to after-sales support.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
VIGAN offers pneumatic — as well as mechanical — expertise to the market
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storage warehouses. Due to the inherent flexibility of VIGAN’s equipment range, they can be used to unload pneumatically any size vessel, as mobile units can be put on the deck of large size vessels, and large size models can have a boom with a suction pipes of up to 30 metres to unload post-
Panamax size vessels. One notable advantage that pneumatic unloaders offer over mechanical units is reduced blockages. The only location where the system can be blocked in a pneumatic unloader is the airlock, so any stoppages are very short because the airlock is in the machine room with easy
access, and most of the time a simple electrically controlled reverse pulse of the airlock unblocks the system. For mechanical unloaders, it is much more difficult to locate a blockage, and finding and accessing the location, and carrying out a repair, could cause hours and days of ship demurrage. In terms of maintenance, a
VIGAN 200tph pneumatic barge unloaders at Brabomills.
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pneumatic unloader has barely any moving parts above the vessel, so maintenance is much simpler than with mechanical unloaders which, by design, are subject to heavier maintenance work.
Long working life: 160tph pneumatic barge unloader installed at Ceres in 1996.
PNEUMATIC UNLOADING CUSTOMERS Thanks to unloading solutions that are particularly well suited to the needs and environment of Belgian flour mills, VIGAN has over the past several years developed partnerships of great value with the three largest Belgian mills. Ceres Mills is part of Soufflet group. It was the largest Belgian flour mill and among the top five in Europe, producing flour essentially for bakers. For more than 20 years, Ceres has used the same 160tph (tonnes per hour) VIGAN pneumatic barge unloader for the discharge of cereals arriving by waterway to its facility in Brussels. Brabomills-Paniflower is part of the ‘La Lorraine Bakery Group’, market leader in the field of fresh bread. On its site in Merksem (Antwerp), Brabomills grinds about 400,000 tonnes of grain annually. The wheat and rye is delivered by ship from France and Germany. Brabomills uses a 200tph VIGAN pneumatic barge unloader for discharging grains. The machine is also equipped with a loading arm for loading of pelleted fibres, a resulting by-product of the milling process. Being located in an urban area, sound emissions had to be contained even more than usual. VIGAN’s equipment has been installed inside the production building. Several features have been added to the
VIGAN 200tph pneumatic barge unloader installed at Dossche Mills in 2014.
equipment to improve the acoustic insulation of filter, tower, piping and suction nozzle. Dossche Flour Mills is one of Europe’s largest mills, with 3,200 tonnes of wheat transformed daily and its flour being distributed in 40 countries. It is also one of the largest European exporters of flour and mixes, having gained important market shares in Africa, the Gulf countries and in Latin America. Dossche Flour Mills is currently using a 200tph VIGAN pneumatic barge unloader for discharging grains at its production facility in Antwerp. Several other big companies, like CARGILL, SYRAL, ADM, AXEREAL, HEINEKEN or ROQUETTE, are also important wheat users as far as they transform grains (mainly wheat, barley, corn and cocoa beans) into starch, glucose syrups, Vital Wheat Gluten, malt, chocolate
and other derivate products. Most of them have found their way to VIGAN unloading solutions for their raw materials. For example, VIGAN has delivered several pneumatic unloading and loading machines to CARGILL Group (namely in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland), SYRAL (in Marckolsheim, France), ADM (namely in United Kingdom), AXEREAL (unloaders and loaders in France), HEINEKEN (mainly in France and the Netherlands), MASELIS (in Belgium), ZUIDNATIE (in Belgium), and so forth. VIGAN is proud to receive repeat orders from existing customers. Some of them are still using machines that were built 30 years ago. VIGAN’s dedicated policy to produce maximally at its in-house facilities allows adequate follow-up of all of its customers.
After a slow drawback in sales due to Covid, VIGAN is back on track. Due to travel restrictions, transport prices that went through the roof and economic uncertainty, the world definitely slowed down. But people must eat and therefore cargo must move. From is birthplace to its destination. Loading and unloading, that is what it is all about. From a leading position in providing pneumatic unloading equipment, VIGAN started to put more emphasis on the loading business. It is proud to install an 800tph (tonnes per hour) loader in the Black Sea region. The company’s salespeople, draftsmen and project engineers are putting more and more energy into this business as globalization of the world moves on. VIGAN has been exporting its equipment ever since 1968. Countries with vast populations in areas where climatic conditions are not always ideal for the growth of typical crops have expressed their trust repeatedly in its equipment: as we speak, VIGAN unloaders are travelling and are being mounted or commissioned in Taiwan, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Africa,
Germany and Saudi Arabia. What counts for customers in these regions is mainly robustness and reliability. And that is what they get for their money. Since the crisis in transport availability and prices, the challenges are more important than ever. Demurrage costs are at their highest and therefore efficient unloading and loading operations became even more critical.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
VIGAN gets back on track after Covid slowdown
VIGAN equipment is known to be trustworthy. But it is also low in operating costs and energy consumption — two features that with respect to the current energy price crisis have become very critical. That is why VIGAN uses the highest possible quality components on its equipment. They don’t let customers down and can be serviced locally by the strategic presence of VIGAN suppliers.
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Further tendencies in the market deal with ecological aspects: sound and dust pollution. VIGAN equipment often operates in highly populated areas where people want to live with little contaminating noise, and where the want to breathe dust-free air. VIGAN’s filter systems are in line with the highest standards and its machines are acoustically insulated so they can operate in cities, even 24/7. It is not a coincidence that VIGAN has sold, and continues to sell, machines in the Netherlands, France, and Scandinavia. In Germany, seven VIGAN unloaders are operating, of which five were sold in the last five years, and are used daily to provide their customers with grains and seeds. These machines represent a total of 2,100tph; even for a country as vast as Germany, these are significant figures. VIGAN has also taken a leading role in another emerging business: the energyproducing market. More and more companies produce their Megawatts by burning wood pellets. These companies found their way to VIGAN equipment. VIGAN has been selling pellet unloaders in the UK, the Netherlands and very recently in Denmark. Their requirements and specifications are the most stringent: safety, reliability, ATEX, integration in the complete plant… From the outset, VIGAN’s experience helps it to build this business further, and it is clear that climatic constraints will further boost this business.
The outlook for VIGAN in 2022 and 2023 looks bright. The company has diversified in all directions. It can handle difficult cargo such as rapeseed, soybean meal, pellets, and fertilizers. It has also secured its machines so they can operate according to the highest safety standards (energy suppliers). To permit logistic operations in urban areas, VIGAN minimized sound emissions and reduce dust emissions to nearly zero. From a time where industry created cities, VIGAN has evolved to a situation where people want to live quietly near industrial operations. VIGAN still builds and pre-assembles its
machines under one roof in Belgium. This means that it is possible to carry out secure assembly on site, with no surprises whatsoever. And, on a continuous basis, VIGAN keeps on improving even its existing machines. Some of the company’s unloaders installed 25 or even 30 years ago got a small makeover, essentially on the powering of the turbines — frequency steered ABB hi-speed engines replace their older brothers that served long and well. These ‘older’ machines are again ready to operate according to actual standards, more smoothly and at optimized energy consumption. DCi
High precision sampling with MIRS’ Robotic Bulk Sampler
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MIRS has developed an innovative robotic sampling system that safely and reliably collects representative samples while minimizing human interaction and eliminating sampling errors. It is designed for sampling bulk materials in harsh environments from trucks, maxi-bags and trains, and can be applied to various industries handling any bulk solids like mining (ore concentrates of copper, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc, lead and others), construction (sands, cements) and in agriculture (silage of cereals, seeds, fertilizers and other granular goods). The high precision of the robotics and MIRS’ high engineering standards make the Robotic Sampling System the most advanced sampling system in the mining and heavy industry markets. It is designed to fully penetrate the bulk container, ensuring that representative and equiprobable samples are obtained. The heart of the system is a sampling tool based on a specially designed auger that is attached to the robotic arm. The auger length, auger tip, auger flight, vertical speed and rotational speed are designed according to requirements and material being sampled. The sampling tool has proven operations and is currently in operation at sites and ports such as Impala Terminals in Peru, sampling an average of 100 trucks per day.
Jay Venter
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Software & Automation in bulk handling
MIRS’ robotic sampler was designed to fully penetrate the bulk container, ensuring that representative and equiprobable samples are obtained.
If-then-else
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Challenge your material limits Nothing should stand in the way of your productivity – least of all the materials you move. With our compact Hägglunds direct drive systems, you can adapt easily to the job at hand, taking advantage of full torque at an in昀nite range of speeds. And should an overload try to stop you, the drives’ low moment of inertia and quick response will keep your machines protected. We’ll support you too, with an agile global network and smart connectivity to bring you peace of mind. Driven to the core.
Hägglunds is a brand of Rexroth. www.hagglunds.com
Tekomar XPERT marine’s customer portal offers all-inone vessel efficiency and emissions monitoring.
the system’s delivery of information needed to support decision-making related to the optimal timing of cleaning events, and the identification of the root cause of reduced propulsion efficiency. Essentially, with Tekomar XPERT marine customers are ready for the next level of data-driven decision making.” Results of analyses from all the three modules are immediately available to shipowners and operators, and the solution can be integrated to work with existing data collection systems without the need for installing additional hardware. The expanded digital analytics offering promotes benchmarking, historic tracking and forecasting. Furthermore, the system offers advisory support on all levels, from the engine to the ship’s hull and propeller, as well as its emissions and CII ranking. Customers can gain 24/7 access via a portal where they can view and benchmark their entire fleets. Operational data can be shared with ABB via C-2-C connectivity, following which ABB will assess, analyse and provide expert operational insights. Tekomar XPERT marine functions across all engines regardless of make, type and age. ABB’s Process Automation business specializes in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. It serves its customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including its distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industryspecific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings.
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propeller and the emissions modules have now been launched to further extend the solution’s capabilities. The emissions module enables the CII rating and CO2 emissions to be accurately forecasted, allowing for pre-validated emissions reporting in line with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) and the EU’s Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV) requirements. The module has an easy to use, automated reporting function based on electronic logbook data. The actual CII ranking and its simulation is based on the key operating parameters of the vessel, as well as historic data. The hull and propeller module provides insights into the vessel’s performance in real time. For example, it enables an accurate assessment of de-fouling requirements, which can have a significant positive impact on vessel’s performance – fouling can lead to an overconsumption of fuel of up to 20%. With this level of insights, effective planning of improvement actions is greatly simplified. “Tekomar XPERT marine raises our digital offering to a new level by adding the hull and propeller, and emission modules to our engine room offering. These combined analytics deliver real customer value through enabling greater efficiencies. For example, fuel savings of up to three tonnes per day can be achieved by optimizing performance of the engines alone, which translates to some nine tonnes of CO2 emissions per day,” said Cristian Corotto, Vice President Digital Customer Solutions ABB Turbocharging. “Just as important is
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ABB Ability™ Tekomar XPERT marine is a digital suite delivering powerful insights into vessel performance, as well as CO2 emissions monitoring and reporting ABB estimates that deeper insights into a vessel’s operational data enabled by Tekomar XPERT marine can provide up to 20% fuel reduction, cutting costs and emissions as a result The digital marine suite provides easy to use, automated reporting that saves time and increases operational efficiency ABB Turbocharging has launched Tekomar XPERT marine, a comprehensive digital solution that offers shipowners simplified management of propulsion efficiency and emissions reporting. By enabling potential combined emission savings of up to 20%, this product suite can make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the shipping industry, which is under regulatory pressure to halve its carbon footprint by 2050. Tekomar XPERT marine comprises three modules covering the engine, hull and propeller, and emissions. Combined, these modules provide actionable insights into ship performance, based on which shipping companies can make better operating decisions, which lead to notable fuel savings. This, in turn, enables vessels to achieve improved carbon intensity index (CII) ratings. Charter party conformity on emissions reporting is also eased. Tekomar XPERT’s engine module is already an established solution favoured by many shipping companies and currently optimizes the performance of more than 8,000 engines in operation. The hull and
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
ABB Turbocharging’s digital suite helps ships cut fuel consumption by up to 20%
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Rockwell recognized as among World’s Most Ethical Companies Rockwell Automation, Inc., the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, has been recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2022 World’s Most Ethical Companies. This is the 14th time Rockwell has been included on this prestigious list which honours companies that demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to business integrity through best-in-class ethics, compliance, and governance practices. “We’re proud to once again accept this recognition by Ethisphere, which highlights our commitment to ethics and integrity,” said Rockwell Chairman and CEO Blake Moret. “We’re doing extraordinary things for our industrial customers. We approach these challenges with passion because what we do is essential to making the work more productive and more sustainable.” Ethics and integrity are among Rockwell’s highest scoring drivers of employee engagement, nurtured and cultivated through a robust commitment and a strong ‘speak up’ mindset, including the company’s long-standing Ombuds programme. Rockwell also requires 100% of its Board of Directors, employees, and contractors to complete an Annual Ethics Training, which is updated each year. “Today, business leaders face their greatest mandate yet to be ethical, accountable, and trusted to drive positive change,” said Ethisphere CEO Timothy Erblich. “We continue to be inspired by the World’s Most Ethical Companies honorees and their dedication to integrity, sustainability, governance, and community.” Rockwell was one of only 136 honorees recognized spanning 22 countries and 45 industries. Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity, and initiatives to support a strong value chain.
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Big appetite for SET Maritime toolkit to enable digital transformation SET Maritime is pointing the way for digital decision-making in the shipping industry after a surge of downloads of the newly launched Software Evaluation Toolkit (SET) as more supporters seek to come onboard. “This has certainly hit the sweet spot in an industry struggling with digitalization and the level of interest we have seen shows there is a definite need for such a tool in shipping,” says David Levy of Get SET Maritime, a joint initiative of various stakeholders set up to promote it to the wider industry. There have already been scores of downloads of the free open-source tool – essentially a workbook with benchmarking criteria to evaluate different software vendors — with a high conversion rate of around 36% from visits to the SET Maritime website within a few weeks of the launch. In addition, three other companies — software suppliers Dataloy and Ports+, and media firm Fathom World — have so far come onboard as supporters, in addition to existing backers Kongsberg Digital, DTN, SEDNA, OrbitMI, Stena Bulk, The Digital Ship, Marine Money and Blue-C.
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‘CONFUSING LANDSCAPE’
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Fathom World owner Craig Eason says: “The time is right for this toolkit given the myriad number of maritime software vendors out there and the difficulties for shipping companies in making the right selection decisions to procure applications aligned with their business model.” Levy explains SET Maritime is intended
to help companies make the right software decisions to speed up industry adoption of new digital technologies that are necessary to meet decarbonization goals, as well as stimulate cost savings in areas such as fuel efficiency. “The problem is there are now multiple vendors touting different applications within categories such as voyage management, navigation and cargo & vessel tracking, and this makes the maritime technology landscape very confusing for software buyers,” he says. “The number of software vendors has tripled to more than 550 in only three years so there are a lot of aggressive vendors looking to capitalize on market demand for digital tools and it is difficult to determine which of these has a relevant product – or just a Powerpoint presentation.” “Software buyers can become confused over what type of technology is available in relation to what they really need and, consequently, bad choices are made. Ultimately, progress gets slowed down, and money and valuable time are destroyed.”
according to these criteria and provides a final visualization in the form of a radar chart showing the relative performance of each vendor. Levy underlines the tool is provided as a blank workbook with no pre-set weighting or prioritization of vendors, so companies do their own scoring and can also customize it according to their individual needs and preferences. SET Maritime supporter Stena Bulk is already far along in its digitalization journey, and its sustainability and transformation manager Peter Björkborg says: “Digital solutions will play a vital role in the decarbonization of shipping as these can address inefficiencies in both fleets and individual ships. SET Maritime is a key enabler for companies to embark on this transition.” Kim Evanger, who leads Maritime Partnerships at backer Kongsberg Digital, says: “We see SET Maritime as a liberating tool to make sense of a confusing software landscape for shipowners and facilitate informed decisions on applications to accelerate digitalization of shipping.”
SCREENING AND ANALYSIS
SPREADING THE WORD
To tackle this pressing industry issue, SET Maritime functions as a screening and analysis tool that enables software buyers to assess up to six different vendors based on criteria such as company profile, solution architecture, and usage and extendibility. The workbook has a 1–4 scoring system to rank vendors on a checklist
Get SET Maritime now aims to spread the word to put the toolkit in the hands of technology buyers across the industry, as well as attract new supporters to the cause including classification societies, shipowners, managers and software vendors, according to Levy. The toolkit is available for download from SET Maritime’s website.
SUMMARY Various factors have led to breakbulk and general cargo terminals having disparate processes, focussed on turning around ships as quickly as possible then mopping up the data capture afterwards, writes David Trueman, Managing Director, TBA Group. This creates several challenges such as confirming the manifest, recording predamaged cargo, and locating the cargo in the warehouse. However, implementing data capture in the field, which solves these problems, is a significant change management exercise, which can make or break a project. Therefore, a preparedness to customize to find the best balance for every application can be the best approach to guarantee success.
THE PROBLEM
In comparison typical Break Bulk/GC terminals have the following traits: v No standard EDI, just bespoke point to point messaging (if you are lucky) or worse, just a spreadsheet OR even worse, a fax! Cargo manifests especially can be very large, variable in format and unavailable in any usable format. v Cargo comes in many shapes and sizes with multiple storage criteria for example, indoor/outdoor, hazardous/ non-hazardous, limited stack height, multi-tier and changeable ownership structures. v Cargo identification is variable, from colour marks to RFID tags and everything in between but never positioned to make the stevedores life easy. v Cargo may need to be consolidated, de-consolidated, conditioned, repacked, quarantined, FIFO, LIFO.
To manage this environment many terminals have implemented software to handle their inventory, often a Warehouse Management System, which addresses the core aspects of stock recording and gate management without ever introducing process improvements or optimization. This is acceptable to many terminal operators because it also avoids the difficult issue of data capture at the quay during discharge. The upside of this approach is that it allows stevedores to unload cargo in the most expedient way possible, often leaving the checking against the manifest until the cargo is already in the warehouse. The downsides of this approach are numerous: v No real time performance data or progress reporting. v Having to find cargo in the warehouse after unloading. v Not validating the manifest until the vessel has sailed. v Not recording damages at the point of receipt. v Delay in customs clearance. v A large team of back office administrators performing data entry. v The sweet spot in data capture within a bulk terminal falls midway between a strict workflow and a flexible approach.
ESTABLISHING AN OPTIMAL TOS The first ‘must’ is to electronically import the cargo manifest (In a usable form) into the system. If you are not able to solve this problem, you simply can’t overcome the burden of manual data entry. The optimal
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To further add to the challenge terminals are often in a very competitive environment (you only need a warehouse and a few forklifts to play the game) with short term contracts restricting the possibilities for investment.
A TYPICAL SYSTEM SOLUTION
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When selecting a TOS many terminals try to take a standardized approach, using software developed for other industries and work hard to make it fit to the operational parameters of a breakbulk or general cargo operation. This may work to some extent but rarely does the solution fully deliver the results that drove the initial purchase. So, what is the real issue? Why does the standardized option fail to deliver in breakbulk and general cargo terminals? Let’s look at a close relative of the break bulk and general cargo sector — container terminals. When we consider container operations, we typically have several immovable objects, which force stakeholders down a standardized path to digitization. It is not uncommon to find the following:
v Standard dimensions of containers standardize storage rules. v Standard EDI messaging. v Standard type and position of container numbers facilitates easy reading by OCR systems. v The terminal can operate efficiently without needing to know the details of the container contents.
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TOS for breakbulk and general cargo – finding the sweet spot
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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answer is EDI (remember there are no standard messages) with an Excel uploader being a less efficient compromise. To establish an effective EDI environment will require effort involving numerous parties. Ideally the TOS has a standard API connector which can be mapped to various customer systems using a tool such as Dell Boomi but customers still have to buy into the investment on their side and work to ensure the data is consistent. The next must is to decide on an approach to data capture, which allows the terminal to optimize the whole operation, not just the quayside. We talk about finding the Data Capture ‘Sweet Spot’, where the effort required to capture is balanced with the business improvements facilitated by the data. The sweet spot in data capture within a bulk terminal falls midway between a strict workflow and a flexible approach. In all process areas the terminal needs to assess the balance between: v Using the TOS’ standard workflows at the cost of changes to working practices. v Adapting the TOS workflows to reach a compromise, which is easier for users to adopt. Mobile applications are easier to customize than the core product and the cost/risk of customization here can be worthwhile to facilitate buy in. If union labour is utilized, then data capture on the quayside using mobile devices may be hindered by the Luddite rules of the union. However, if it is possible to scan as the cargo comes off the hook, then grasping the nettle of introducing this
process needs to be explained to the stevedoring gangs as the improvements in all areas behind the quayside more than compensate for the extra task. It is also beneficial to scan cargo into location at the time of placing it rather than placing it first then going to find it later. Ultimately, if the terminal wishes to minimize double handling, capture all billable events, reduce the back-office burden and establish continuous improvement strategies data capture must move into the operational areas. This will require changes in working practice and therefore Change Management needs to be a key function of an implementation project. Our experience teaches us that following activities will help to support the acceptance of change required for a successful implementation: v The establishment of explicit goals which act as a reference point for all stakeholders during the project. For example: “We are implementing a TOS because we want to know which cargo is left to unload from the ship in real time so that we can update our customers and more accurately predict vessel completion. This will improve our customer service and allow us to win more business.” v Take time at the conceptual stage to understand what needs to change and what must stay the same. Consider customization based on this assessment but be aware that going beyond an 80/20 standard to customized ratio will make the project more difficult.
v Work with your customers to establish effective integration with their systems. The benefits are mutual, but they will need a budget, so you need to sell the improvements to them. v Ensure that you sweat your new TOS asset to deliver the best returns for the business. Understand the business case before you start and test for success.
CONCLUSION Too many terminals fail to maximize their software assets because they set out to find a product to support their ‘as is’ processes without understanding what is possible. Of course, managing the inventory is important but this alone won’t deliver a strong return on investment. TOS providers have a key role to play in demonstrating what can be achieved but making a step change in business improvement requires a collaborative approach, advocated by senior management but understood and supported at all levels of the business
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Trueman, a managing director at TBA Group, has over 20 years of experience in delivering solutions to the bulk, breakbulk and general cargo sector. His understanding of the challenges faced within the sector led his organization to develop CommTrac, an awardwinning Terminal Operating System, which has been designed to empower clients to drive optimization strategies, increase operational performance and improve competitiveness.
Dedicated software for bulk terminals – TBA Group advances operational excellence at Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal In March 2015, Transnet Port Terminals’ Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal (SIOT) in South Africa deployed a sophisticated software solution by TBA Group – CommTrac, to optimize its bulk operations and terminal management. This bulk and general cargo dedicated Terminal Operating System (TOS) is an integrated application linking the outside world and physical infrastructure and allows the SIOT’s operators to support and control all administrative and operational processes. Since the deployment of the CommTrac application, the system has been proven to be stable and reliable in the eight years that it has been running at Saldanha without any downtimes and has increased this bulk terminal’s performance levels significantly.
SIOT is the largest iron ore export facility in Africa and is situated 140km northwest of Cape Town. In 2012, as part of Transnet Port Terminals (TPT)’ Market Demand Strategy to drive economic growth in South Africa, SIOT embarked on a journey to use the latest technology to improve the operational performance of TPT’s terminals. As South Africa’s only dedicated iron ore terminal, the bulk terminal can handle up to 60 million tonnes of iron ore and accounts for roughly 96% of all iron ore exports from South Africa. TBA’s CommTrac terminal management system was selected to replace their obsolete inhouse system with a state-of-the-art software application.
Fernando Goncalves, the IT manager at SIOT during this project, stated: “We tried to take our former (in-house developed) TOS to the next level by linking and/or integrating with other systems both on the financial and automation side. A business decision by Transnet, was to look at a new terminal operating system and go out to the market with an open tender. CommTrac was then selected to become the ‘new’ TOS for the Iron Ore Bulk Terminal of Saldanha. “I was involved right from the start with implementation, development, customization, processes, reporting, etc. to the end product that it is today. We did venture into some unknown territory but with the assistance of both Delton and Daubert and
Saldanha Iron Ore Bulk Terminal.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT others has contributed to its success.” …. “We did request a lot and TBA was accommodating to reach this point (of success). We intend to do more and look forward to the next version of CommTrac” David Trueman, Managing Director TBA Doncaster, says: “TBA and TPT have worked well together over the years and that collaborative approach delivers real value to the users. We are proud of the levels of optimization afforded through the use of CommTrac and look forward to many more years working together with ever more powerful iterations of the product.”
ABOUT THE COMPANY TBA Group is a respected international consultancy and software company, that uses in-house simulation and emulation software, to provide integrated and sophisticated solutions to simplify the operations of ports, terminals, and warehouses. CommTrac is the software for bulk terminal operations, which enables the terminal operator to plan, track and manage in real-time all agribulk, breakbulk, mineral, marine and general cargo, manned/automated assets, and people right across the terminal or terminal network. It provides the tools, control, and management information the operator needs to maximize the operations, profitability, compliance, and growth DCi potential whilst reducing risks.
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inventory tonnage position, real time overview of loading and discharge progress and real time overview of delays and variances among many other important functions and insights. Goncalves said: “Information became available and reliable at a touch of a button, so there was enough data for decisionmaking and data analysis including real-time scale reading which are critical to our vessel loading operations.” On the question asked what the major changes between the former system and CommTrac are, he mentioned: “Using CommTrac made an impact and one of the successes for Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal is, that users have access to information all the time. It’s accessed in such a way that users cannot change or modify data and therefore, the integrity of data is maintained. Users have the ability to view the data on screen at any given time, as PDF or to download to Excel, providing management information that does assist in operational decision making and improve efficiencies.” He further added: “In the six to seven years (using CommTrac), I don’t think we’ve had any downtime from CommTrac. So yes, it’s been very reliable.” Goncalves said: “We’ve gone beyond the off-the-shelf CommTrac that we’ve got. Our SAP link, SCADA tag reading, anticontamination rules, stockpile management, permit system, vessel graphical representation in near-real time, automated scheduled reports, amongst
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the development team from TBA, we got to where we are today and CommTrac has served us well.” Alvin Gulzar, Acting TPT ICT Executive Manager stated: “In 2014, TPT had developed a viable General Cargo Operating System (GCOS) in-house which while efficient for breakbulk, automotive, container and skip-handled bulk operations — it was unable to cater for the bulk operation handled by SCADA systems integration. It was important for us to find a technology solution that was, adaptable, created visibility and increased the performance of our bulk terminals nationally. In an open tender to market, we were able to secure CommTrac because they offered a solution that best fit our operation. Their customization offered measurable value, along with dedicating a South African-based support person.” By installing an integrated application that is linked to the outside world and physical infrastructure, this allows the SIOT’s terminal operators to support and control all administrative and operational processes. CommTrac forms a real-time and near real-time operating system in the layer between high level systems such as ERP and weighing and conveying equipment at a terminal. The software collates and processes information from other systems and automates manual processes where feasible, whilst improving the user experience in being able to perform their function more efficiently. It provides real time accurate reporting,
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Protecting our world with Environmental Bulk Handling
Bruks Siwertell shipunloader conveyor.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Minimal Impact
Jay Venter
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Screw conveyors: turning the tide on energy efficiency ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND PROTECTION THROUGH-LIFE COSTS
clean operations are essential.
Today, hundreds of installations, from industrial facilities and port terminals, to ships, silos, and power plants, benefit from the unique capabilities of our screw conveyors. They offer some of the most outstanding dry bulk material handling attributes on the market. Here are a few highlights:
OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
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Screw conveyors have very low energy consumption demands and are totally enclosed, protecting the environment by ensuring that dust emissions and spillage are eliminated when conveying all materials. They can handle virtually any dry bulk and are ideal for powdery, dusty cargoes, especially where scrupulously
Screw conveyors can be supplied with multiple inlets and outlets, allowing for very flexible cargo distribution arrangements. They can be delivered as stand-alone units or as part of complete bulk material handling systems and are available in several diameter sizes to accommodate a wide range of applications, and capacities range from 30 to 1,700m³ per hour. Screw conveyors operate with the helical flight moving the bulk material forward by rotational action. A vertical screw conveyor can elevate material up to 40m, combining multiple conveyors in a series allows material to be raised to any required height. The same principle holds
for horizontal conveyors, which can also be inclined and are reversible.
LOW WEIGHT ADVANTAGES Bruks Siwertell screw conveyors are lightweight with a very small physical footprint. This makes them ideal for jetties with weight restrictions and when installing a conveying system within existing infrastructure. For example, vertical screw conveyors require much less space than a bucket elevator, making them ideal when space is limited.
THROUGH-LIFE COSTS The rigid and heavy-duty construction of our conveyors reduces wear and enables easy maintenance at infrequent intervals. Bruks Siwertell’s screw flights offer some of the industry’s longest service lives.
Storing and safely handling bulk materials such as grain in harbours — and in bulk handling stockyards — is a challenging prospect and an area where Schenck Process engineers and supplies a unique solution in the form of its MaxiStore®.
SOLVING STORAGE CHALLENGES IN DEMANDING ENVIRONMENT
for any given space. MaxiStore manages the area safely by minimizing dust that can lead to explosions.
MAXISTORE: DURABLE AND FULLY ADAPTABLE SOLUTION TO CUSTOMER NEEDS
Each MaxiStore system can be specifically designed to meet the customer’s exact needs, no matter how complex. By working with the customer to understand the particular requirements, Schenck Process developed a robust system that optimized the storage volume for the limited store size and maximized profit. The result empowered them to work within their conditions and have a storage system that could operate continuously. The MaxiStore system is made to handle large quantities of animal feed, minerals, and other bulk materials at rates up to 1,000 tonnes per hour. It enables the user to maximize its space while providing better and safer material distribution. The MaxiStore was proven to provide the most efficient and flexible filling of dry bulk solid materials throughout a storage building. Schenck Process offers installation and after-sales support — across the entire lifecycle of its process solutions — assuring the customer of the longevity of the
systems it designs, manufactures and engineers. With over 100 years of experience in mechanical conveying and storage solutions, the customer benefited from access to a wealth of Schenck Process’s expertise. Maintaining the infrastructure within the harsh marine environment of the port has been crucial to extending the service life of its acquisition, giving it confidence that it had purchased a best-in-industry storage solution. Having a long-term satisfied customer is a testament to the performance of Schenck Process’s solutions and demonstrates their commitment to developing innovative and efficient automated bulk storage solutions. The system installed 15 years ago is still working 24 hours a day and remains a fundamental part of the customer’s port operation.
SCHENCK PROCESS:
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Schenck Process is a major global provider of sustainable products, integrated solutions and services in mission critical applications for bulk materials. Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, the group has more than 3,000 employees with a presence in over 20 countries across six continents focused on the food, mining, chemicals and performance materials, and infrastructure and energy market segments. The product offering includes solution for industrial weighing, feeding, conveying, pulverizing and classification, screening, mixing and blending and associated digital applications. The group was acquired by Blackstone International in 2017 and generated revenues of nearly €600m for the year ended 31 December 2020.
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A customer, part of the dry bulk commodities industry, wanted a long-term bulk material storage solution within its limited available space at a harbour. The company contacted Schenck Process for a solution that led to the MaxiStore demonstrating its longevity and starting a relationship lasting over 15 years. With restricted space within the port, the customer needed to maximize what was available. A traditional loading system uses a high-level conveyor with a tripper supported from the apex of the building roof. Potentially, it could have made for a costly build and resulted in inefficient material loading. Also, controlling the material positioning across the length of the store could have proved difficult for that system. After establishing that the traditional system wouldn’t solve the customer’s challenges and a more innovative approach was required, the team at Schenck Process proposed the unique MaxiStore system. Based on the combined advantages of proven Redler, en-masse conveyor technology, and an industry-leading approach to the process of store loading, the MaxiStore system used a cranked en-masse chain conveyor within a steel structure to span the building laterally. The machine could move along the length of the store with material fed through the chain conveyor to drop to the floor. It allowed the material to easily be fed to any required storage bay while having the capacity to fill up to the ceiling and along the entire length of the building, optimizing storage volumes
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Longevity of material storage solution from Schenck Process proven in demanding circumstances
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Huge energy savings on transport and processing iron ore Iron ore production is expected to rise steadily to reach 2.7Bt by 2025, according to GlobalData’s estimates. In this huge industry energy savings are key to keep production costs within limits and to minimize the ecological footprint of the products. The dust control agent C-Force Industry IPC, developed by Instral B.V. the Netherlands, not only reduces dust, it also gives the pellets and sinter a moisture-repellent layer, which shields the materials from taking up moisture during rainfall. Less ballast water in the pellets means major savings further in the process, both in transport and when the water needs to be removed during the melting process.
ABSORBING WATER When mined, stored, shipped or otherwise handled, iron ores can get wet from rainfall or moist environments. Since the pellets and sinter are poriferous, they tend to absorb water, leading to several issues such as liquification, leaching and lumping because of frosting. Apart from these problems, excess water in the pellets can also lead to unnecessarily high energy bills, both during transport and in the melting process.
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GORETEX QUALITIES
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The C-Force coating acts as Goretex in our raincoats; it keeps the water from coming in but is breathable at the same time, allowing moist to evaporate from the pellets. Instral B.V. conducted tests with pellets to determine water uptake with or without the C-Force coating. The coating proved to reduces the amount of moisture in bulk pellets significantly.
end-user will also save on CO2-taxes due to energy savings.
ENERGY SAVINGS
PRACTICAL USE OF C-FORCE
Since the pellets will take up less water during storage and shipment, ballast mass (water) does not have to be shipped to customers, thus providing for a return on investment for the producer of US$0.45/metric tonne on average. The savings for the end-user will be substantial when moisture repellent pellets are being used, as the removal of water costs a lot of energy. Based on the average industrial consumer energy prices of 0.153 $/kWh the savings could amount to US$1.56/metric tonne. On top of that, the
Water is used as a carrier to distribute the C-Force® Industry IPC on the surface of the pellets. The coating can easily be applied to huge amounts on pellet stacks using a waterspray cannon or by using spray nozzles (from two sides) when pellets are transported by belts. The latter is most effective, covering all pellets on all sides. C-Force Industry IPC can be applied on cold as well as hot pellets/sinter (–25 to 290ºC) and stays on the pellets all the way into the oven. The C-Force Industry products are non-hazardous and burn ash-less.
INSTRAL C-FORCE® INDUSTRY IPC PROGRAM BENEFITS v Effective dust control v Long-term performance v Weatherproof v Moisture repellent v Easy to apply v Environmentally friendly COST REDUCTION v Saving on water use v Saving on energy v Saving on shipping costs v Less production loss v Lower cleanup costs
energy cost to zero in addition to generating additional electrical power. This energy saving from QM’s uniquely designed and custom-tailored conveying system enables total transportation costs per tonne to be reduced dramatically.
INTELLIGENT CONVEYING SOLUTIONS “In 2015 we realized a pioneering project of a 3,5km long conveying system,” says Christian Drewes, Deputy General Manager and Technical Manager, Quarry Mining, “with a total capacity of 2 x 4,000tph [tonnes per hour] in one of the largest limestone quarries in the world. It was the first downhill conveying system in the region and with that system our client can reduce the transportation costs per tonne to a minimum and saves a lot of energy. Now, seven years later we are building the third system and it’s going to be commissioned by mid of 2022.”
One of the most important tasks was the partial downhill route of the conveying system. In order to prevent the system from overspeed caused by natural gravitation force, the potential energy has to be ‘pulled out’ of the system. Thus, a control system with an electronic braking system was developed by QM. With that system, it is possible to brake the downhill conveyor electrically and wear-free. In addition, the potential energy of the material is converted into electrical energy, which is then fed back to the grid and can be used for other plants. With this innovative solution, a negative energy balance of the conveying system can be realized. “This means not only that the material transported is completely energy free, but also that electrical energy can be generated from the transportation.” explains Drewes. In case of power failure,
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QUARRY MINING LLC (QM) designs, manufactures and installs crushing & screening plants in compliance with European standards, while adhering to the same safety standards and features that you would expect of equipment produced in Europe. QM is certified for quality management by ISO Certificate 9001:2008 and for environmental management by ISO Certificate 14001:2004 from the German Technical Inspection Association TÜV Rhineland/Germany, and includes the continuous integration of all upgrades. QM is founded and managed by German Nationals but located in the United Arab Emirates. QM can supply high-quality plants at very competitive prices. Conveyors have been used for material transport in a wide range of applications in mines and quarries. The key factors behind QM’s track record of safe and efficient operation of such conveyor systems is sustainable maintenance and use of high quality parts specifically the rollers, drums and belt; but also the drive and control systems. As operational companies need to ensure maintenance and energy costs are kept as low as possible whilst keeping plant downtime to a minimum, there is always a balancing act which directly impacts the final price per tonne. QM has developed an innovative solution to absorb and reuse excess electrical energy from material transported on downhill conveyor systems, therefore reducing the overall
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Conveyor system with power generation
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a special braking system ensures the safe-stop of the entire operation; highest safety standards are employed at all times. Frequency converters are used as a driving unit to ensure smooth start and stop of the >700m-long conveyors. To generate the electrical power and to keep the belt speed as consistent as possible, a highly complex PLC system is required to control the conveyor at any given time with only a maximum speed difference of 1% for any and all load conditions. Only if these requirements are met will a safe operation of the entire plant be ensured. As can be seen with the full load in figure 4 (on the right), the energy demand is negative and energy is generated in addition to the material transported. The feedback capacity depends on the height difference between head and tail drum. The larger the height difference, the bigger the energy generation. Power generation increases with the more material that is on the belt because more material will create a higher potential energy and will ‘drive’
The figures above show the varying load conditions of the conveyor system and the corresponding energy demand. the belt more. It is therefore a win-win solution; the higher the quantity of material, the larger the energy savings. Such a system can be realized whenever material needs to be transported downhill. This solution, engineered, designed,
manufactured, installed and commissioned by Quarry Mining LLC is a unique, innovative and future-oriented solution provided to the client. It is sustainable, extremely environmentally friendly and reduces the energy costs dramatically.
Chile takes the environment seriously. That’s according to Managing Director for ISG, Garry Pinder. Chile is the mining logistic , storage and ship loading bench mark for countries who have the environment in mind. Chile has passed many laws over the years to protect the environment. One law states: “Commodities being moved from the mine site to the port must be in sealed units so there is no product loss or dust problems.” The ISG system fits that criterion. ISG has successfully implemented its logistic, storage and shiploading system in 70% of the ports in Chile which load copper concentrate. Most of these ports are container ports giving them another string to their bow by now becoming a bimodal port with very little capital expenditure (buying a tippler is the only additional equipment required for a container port).
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2) Clean up costs HOW DO YOU PLEASE BOTH PARTIES:
LOGISTICS
A new era of bulk loading
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Port of Angamos loading copper.
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Chile, the world’s largest copper exporter – a country case study
Look at the top two items that the green movement protests about with mining logistics: 1) dust control 2) water pollution
ISG supplies containers to the miners who load them with their concentrates and move them by either rail or road to the port. The containers all have sealed lids so there is no product loss or unwanted dust, making them an environmental logistical solution.
Look at the two items executives try to minimize: 1) product loss
PORT STORAGE
mining At the port the containers are block-
stacked instead of being unloaded into labour-intensive and dust-emitting storage sheds. This makes the system an environmental storage solution and turns container ports into bulk ports.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
BHP Spence mine loading in the Port of Meijonnes.
SHIPLOADING When the ship arrives, the containers are taken around to the quay side and with the use of the ISG tippler the containers are lifted into the ships hold and the lid is taken off using the patented ISG lid lifter and the containers are turned 360°, so the product is unloaded. Depending on the product a misting system is used making the ship loading process an environmental ship loading process.
The Port of Mejillones, who load the BHP Spence mine’s copper, lined up to display the ISG containers loaded with copper and awaiting the ship to arrive .
STANDARDIZATION
GLOBAL AWARENESS
With 70% of the ports using the same system and same container designs every miner has the option to use various ports to export from in the event of a port closure for various reasons or road or rail blockage.
Other countries are now starting to benchmark Chile with mining ministers talking to mining ministers and many mining companies visiting Chile ports to see the results.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
An unparalleled choice for the loading of bulk products For 75 years, Cimbria — provider of hightech technologies and services applied to conveying of various products — has been serving companies all over the world with specific solutions for bulk handling. The range of products offered to the cement business is named Moduflex and it is made in different lines of loading chutes, especially designed and built to ensure a perfect job in the field of limestone, fly ash, clinker, minerals, where extreme heavyduty resistance and volume handling are mandatory. With more than 17,000 systems sold to various industries worldwide, including the very high demanding sector of port terminals, Cimbria can profit of the experience and the firm foundation of knowledge which is of constant benefit to customers around the world who invest in bulk loading equipment.
LOADING CHUTES MODUFLEX , STURDY
To prevent all risks related to dust, Moduflex is equipped with specific features to avoid dust all through the process.
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PRODUCTS MADE TO LAST
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Cleanliness, precision, safety: an authentic mantra when it comes to Moduflex, the Cimbria range of telescopic loading chutes, designed for loading dry bulk materials without any dust escape. The range has been developed to satisfy various business needs, from cement products, to industrial commodities and raw materials or chemicals and can be used permanently or for special needs. The layout of loading chutes can be adapted to tank trucks, open trucks, dumper trucks, rail cars and open/closed containers. The range also features specific solutions for ships, compliant with the port loading needs, and for loading in warehouse and stockpiling, inspired to durability and high capacity. Indeed, the resistance is the primary feature of the range, made to ensure heavy-duty jobs and the endurance notwithstanding the extremely highvolume loading. The flexible outer chute is made by PVC-clad polyamide and it is suitable for loading not exceeding 70°C. The chloroprene rubber-clad polyamide, with increased wearing qualities and protection against UV light, gives shape to solutions intended to treat products with a temperature arriving up to 130°C. Inlets are provided in mild steel, stainless steel, wear-resistant steel or ceramic inserts for highly abrasive products. Heavy-duty metals are also used for the other components and especially for the outlet skirts and the supporting rings. The internal cones can be specified in nylon, mild steel, stainless steel or resistant steel
depending on the usage they are addressed to. Materials, as well as design features, have been studied to solve specific issues related to operations involving different bulk products and means of transport. So the flexibility, together with the maximum sturdiness of the whole project are the real plus of this range built to fit and resist to the hardness of the heaviest works.
LOADING CHUTES MODUFLEX , MODULAR SOLUTIONS FOR EFFICIENT RESULTS
The Moduflex range offers many different options specifically developed for the various bulk material applications. A specific range of accessories enhances the great versatility of these slides, which become truly ‘made to measure’ and can be adapted to suit 99% of all known applications within the dry bulk industry,
thanks to the various combinations of standard components. The very best advantage of Moduflex is its modular structure, which ensures the client receives the solution matching his specific purpose. For regular maintenance and in the event of accidental damage, it is only necessary to replace the affected section rather than the entire chute assembly. Besides obvious savings in direct costs, there is another important cost benefit in terms of reduced plant downtime. Furthermore, the base of standard components ensures operators that the Moduflex chutes are always built of well-founded, well-tested technology and entails quick access to standard spare parts, if a breakdown occurs. The Moduflex loading chutes can cater for capacities up 4,000m3 per hour in the
The Cimbria Moduflex range is specifically designed to allow the dust-free loading of bulk products.
LOADING CHUTES MODUFLEX , DUST-FREE OPERATIONS IN CLOSED SYSTEMS
tanker requires a wave compensator at the outlet, to even out the small movements caused by the waves, to have a constant seal between chute outlet and the tanker hatch during loading.
LOADING CHUTES MODUFLEX , SERVICE AND SUPPORT
Cimbria is a global brand of AGCO and is globally respected in the fields of industrial processing, handling and storage of grain and seed, as well as animal feed, foodstuffs and other bulk products. Cimbria works together with its customers to design, engineer manufacture, install and service individual machines, customized systems and complete turnkey installations.
ABOUT AGCO: AGCO is a global expert in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services help farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $11.1 billion in 2021.
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Cimbria is always at the forefront when it comes to optimizing and upgrading bulk loading stations. Smart solutions, often custom-made at first, are regularly added to the standard program after proven success. Thus, customers of Cimbria can always be certain to have purchased a thoroughly tested and documented products. The vast programme of products is completed with a great emphasis on the consultancy approach ensuring targeted advice, enabling customers to select the very best solution to match both the specific technical and financial conditions. In addition, the after sales reaction to any issues is very quick and efficient thanks to the always-in-stock spare parts.
ABOUT CIMBRIA
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The Cimbria Moduflex range is specifically designed to allow the dust-free loading of bulk products. Every part of the system has been optimized so dust cannot escape from the loading solution in closed environments. This is critical in businesses with an intrinsic risk of creating waste and dust, especially for the impact that dust can have on the quality of the loaded material, as well as on the quality of the surrounding environment and working conditions. To prevent all risks related to dust, Moduflex is equipped with specific features to avoid dust all through the process. A range of filtration modules is offered with the inlets as an integral part of the chute, which together with a reverse jet air system produces the necessary negative pressure to return all filtered dust into the delivery stream, while the particular design of the cones ensures effective separation of the material stream from the dust-laden upward airflow. Moduflex is widely used for the loading of tanker trucks and closed railway wagons, a challenging supply due to the number of trucks’ and wagons’ doors. Cimbria Moduflex loaders are designed to cover the hatches with an outlet cone ensuring a dust-free loading. The ‘secret’ lies in the design of outlets that seal the opening and contains the dust inside the container, guaranteeing a safe and clean process for operators. In addition, the loading chutes are equipped with an outlet coupling fitted with three adjustment wire bushes, which are mounted to allow quick adjustments of the outlet, making sure it is in a straight horizontal position. For port terminals, Moduflex offers applications for the tanker ship loading, which requires a transport arm with the ability to pivot up and down together with the loading, so that the chute remains in a vertical position. The different sizes of ships and the movements caused by the tide, force the precision with the height adjustment, in order to allow the correct flow of the product, minimizing the wear factor on the entrance and on the guide cones of the slide. Furthermore, loading
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
standard configuration, and a drop of more than 30 metres. This high level of flexibility can only be achieved using a loading chute, and is not possible with alternative loading methods. Systems are produced in sections in two standard modular lengths, 300mm (12 in) and 600mm (24 in) and a range of diameters determined by throughout capacity.
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Sustainability: Bedeschi’s daily mission for the future
Shiploader for Cargill Australia delivered fully erected. For Bedeschi sustainability means more than green. In the last hundred years, the company’s major target has been creating value for customers and stakeholders carefully selecting its value chain partners to fit with its vision of sustainable and modern manufacturing. Bedeschi operates in three main areas: innovative engineering, pollution control and power consumption.
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Renova pipe conveyor for grain.
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INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING Bedeschi’s business has been increasingly compelled to meet stringent standards reducing emissions and pollution. This is not only true for what is directly generated by operations, but also involves becoming a greener system as a whole. Besides the constraints imposed by the law, the desire to impact as little a possible on earth’s environment can only be translated into
facts considering efficiency, seamlessness, dust limitation and sustainability as a single, integrated target rather than unrelated and independent issues. The ability to apply known solutions with a ‘think out of the box’ attitude is the key to achieving the goal. Sustainability is about so much more than controlling dust emissions. Welldesigned and innovative solutions can reduce the overall environmental impact
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Grain ship-unloader with chain elevator and enclosed conveyors on board.
DUST CONTROL
and/or chain conveyors in ship-unloading or shiploading systems, ensures that the material is handled in a completely sealed volume, all along the conveying path from or towards the ship’s holds. The need for dedusting equipment is reduced to its minimum — and sometimes even eliminated. The use of eco hoppers and controlled flow chutes are some of the technologies used by Bedeschi to guarantee dust control: these technologies consist of the application of systems to monitor dust production as controlled flow spouts, air cleaning filters and dry fog that use micro drops of nebulized water to keep the surrounding environment clean. Special applications as eco hoppers, combine the design, dust suppression, suction system
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The use of completely closed or pipe belt conveyors helps to avoid emissions and spillage of material. Moreover, the PC technology reduces the necessity for dust suppression systems, which in turn means saving the energy usually required to operate dust control units. Also, this
system gets rid of all the drops between conveyors that waste energy and are totally useless for the process. Without transfer towers, it saves a lot of steel, foundation works, and erection activities, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the plant and the environmental impact. Environmentally friendly pipe conveyors are also very useful in the grain sector; one example is the Renova project. This is the first-ever pipe conveyor to be used in Argentina. The system, which was developed as a turnkey mechanical project, was completely engineered and supervised by Bedeschi America. It is one of the largest in Latin America thanks to its capacity of 1,500tph and the length of about 900 metres. The use of enclosed belt conveyors
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with a more effective port operation and logistics. In Australia, for Cargill, Bedeschi reduced by up to 50% the average mooring time of the vessels, with all the related benefits in term of fuel consumption, noise and gas emissions. With a nominal conveyor capacity of 1,000tph (tonnes per hour), this guarantees an overall efficiency improvement of more than 80% on the entire shiploading operation.
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Melon Eco-Hopper.
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and CF chute to facilitate dusty material handling through grabs. The use of ecofriendly or even food-grade oil and grease, and system for energy recovery is of great importance. Bedeschi supplied several dedusting hoppers. To increase efficiency, these can be supplied fully erected and pre-tested. In the case of Melon S.A., Bedeschi supplied a new Eco-Hopper to be operated on the austral port of Punta Arenas, Chile. The Eco-Hopper is designed for direct unloading of clinker to trucks at a rate of 600tph and is designed to work with 12m3 grabs. The machine is equipped with pulsejet bag filters with high filtration capacity and performance and with low compressed air consumption: an economical and flexible solution to satisfy the stringent environmental standards required.
The Eco-Hopper is designed with a special support structure that allows a solid anchoring of the hopper to the pier structures during unloading operations, but at the same time it allows the machine to be moved by means of SPMTs (selfpropelled modular transporters) when not in use. This configuration is made necessary by the multi-purpose nature of the Punta Arenas port and due to structural limitations of the existing pier. These operational constraints forced Bedeschi’s engineers to find a winning solution in terms of flexibility of use, weight limitation and structural strength.
POWER CONSUMPTION Last but not least, to offer its customers efficient and innovative solutions for
optimizing energy consumption, Bedeschi has developed advanced technologies to meet strict capacity and quality standards, at the same time compatible with Industry 4.0. Multiphysics and DEM Analysis helps to push the design of the machines with positive impact on energy consumption for operation. Finally, Bedeschi’s R&D department is constantly working to improve the capability of its systems to minimize the environmental impact. This includes dedicated studies on the noise reduction, both by design and by passive insulation, and on light pollution, by means of lighting simulations. These are performed to reduce the overall installed lighting power while, at the same time, having a properly illuminated working area, without disturbing the surroundings.
Pictured: RAM & Eti Bakir during commissioning & training at the Eti Bakir Samsun copper facility.
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Containerized Bulk Handling turning the tables
RAM’S REVOLVER ON REACH STACKER REPLACES TABLETOP BULK LOADER AT ETI BAKIR Turkey’s largest mining and metallurgy operations company, Eti Bakir, is turning the tables on its bulk handling with a further order of the Revolver on reachstacker. Before introducing containerized bulk handling, Eti Bakir used a rotating tabletop frame system to handle pyrite concentrate at their Mazidagi plant in Mardin, Turkey. Consisting of a rotating frame, the tabletop system with open-top containers mounted above a hopper is fed by a reachstacker onto a conveyor belt.
TURNING UP THE VOLUME WITH CBH The benefits of introducing CBH: Eti Bakir is able to utilize their existing hopper/conveyor system with a rotating spreader at its Mazidagi plant, where it handles pyrite. Eti Bakir also uses the same system at its Samsun plant, using two RAM Revolver’s to handle copper concentrate.
With cycle times in less than three minutes, compared with 15–20 minutes from the tabletop system, Revolver CBH
BRIDGING THE GAP As CBH is flexible in its application, Eti Bakir are using the RAM Revolver rotating spreader also on an overhead crane. This allows CBH to be used at different locations, without the need for expensive infrastructure or storage sheds being built in anticipation of an increase in demand at certain times of the year.
SHIFT FROM PORT TO INLAND BULK After delivering many Revolvers to load bulk to ships direct from boxes, many of RAM’s customers saw the benefit of moving bulk inland with CBH. CBH is fast and simple, compared to bags or dump trucks. It has virtually zero waste and can flexibly handle any commodity in containers.
ON THE DOUBLE After experiencing the benefit of CBH, Eti Bakir is now considering a spare Revolver for its Mazidagi & Samsun facilities. “Our revolver customer base has expanded from ship loading to now 50% of orders being inland bulk logistics.” says Cameron Hay, RAM Spreaders.
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LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
allows Eti Bakir to increase its product flow to meet demand.
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The tabletop system was temporary and proved slow and cumbersome. Following an increase in demand, Eti Bakir had to consider another bulk handling method, as its existing system could not sustain the high-volume levels required. The team at Eti Bakir looked for a reliable, quick to set up and cost-effective solution, capable of being integrated into their existing handling process, with minimal impact environmentally and with zero loss of commodity when handled. They had to look no further than Revolver Containerized Bulk Handling (CBH) that is being used for a variety of bulk handling projects around the globe, and is celebrating ten years of success.
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Keeping fugitive material in its place
External wear liner and dual self-adjusting seal with belt support. © 2022 Martin Engineering Company
Dust accumulation on rolling components can cause abrasive damage and premature failure. When tonnes of bulk material hit a moving conveyor belt, three things happen: fines scatter in random directions, cargo shifts and dust becomes airborne, writes Daniel Marshall, Product Engineer at Martin Engineering. The impact creates turbulent air pressure inside the transfer chute that escapes from any available gap, carrying dust and fines with it. A properly designed enclosure will manage bulk solids, allow cargo to settle in the center of the belt and contain most of the dust inside a settling zone enclosure. Well-designed conveyor loading zones also keep walkways clear from spillage and control dust emissions, allowing hazard-free inspections and maintenance.
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THE COST OF SPILLAGE
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If left uncontained, fugitive material in the form of dust and fine particle spillage will increase labor costs for cleanup, foul equipment, potentially encapsulate the belt and pose a serious safety hazard. A dirty and dusty environment also discourages workers from doing regular maintenance on the problem area and negatively affects morale. Since trips and falls are regularly among the most common workplace accidents, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors are constantly on the lookout for those hazards. Dust levels are also strictly regulated by OSHA, and permit violations are often accompanied by fines and potential downtime.
SEALED CHUTE COMPOSITION A well-designed loading zone typically
consists of a combination of components. These include: v An enclosed transfer chute should be long enough to give dust and fines time to settle. v A heavy-duty belt support system absorbs impact, protects the belt and can handle rapidly shifting heavy material. v Closely spaced idlers help avoid sags in the belt that allow gaps where fines can escape and ease material disruption from bouncing. v Externally adjustable or self-adjusting skirting contains fine particles and adapts to fluctuations in the belt plane. v Easily serviced wear liners can be changed from outside the chute without confined space entry. v Dust curtains set strategically throughout the enclosure control airflow and help settle dust. v Dust bags or mounted air cleaners collect tiny, highly active particles. v A sealed tail box protects the tail pulley from the backflow of fines, dust and spillage. v Exit curtains prevent fugitive dust from escaping from the end of the chute.
CASE STUDY A US power generating facility has drastically reduced dust and spillage from its biomass fuel handling system, helping to prevent fugitive material from reaching nearby homes and businesses. The fuel includes wood from open loop sources (such as waste wood, limbs and agricultural waste) and closed loop sources (dedicated
crops of trees), with a goal of averaging 75% of the power generated from biomass fuels. The material handling system at the site is critical to the plant’s efficiency, but from the time it began operations, controlling dust and spillage was a challenge. Because of the largely residential area in which the facility is located, controlling carryback and spillage were among the top priorities. After a thorough evaluation of the material handling system, Martin Engineering technicians began by installing primary and secondary belt cleaners on all four conveyors. The primary units on each belt are brush-type cleaners, a unique electricpowered design that provides an effective, cost-efficient solution for residual beltborne material. The secondary units are versatile ‘deflected blade’ designs that feature a gentle pressure to prolong service life and prevent belt damage. “We installed electric brush cleaners on each conveyor, because they’re very effective on the type of cleated belts used at this facility,” observed the Martin Engineering Territory Manager. “The rotating brush delivers good cleaning performance in difficult applications, including belts with ribs, grooves or chevrons, and belts carrying sticky materials or stringy fibres.” Part of the problem was that some of the conveyor sections were at steep angles, and with the variable size and moisture content of the fuel, there were always chips that would fall back down. To address the issue, Martin Engineering technicians removed troublesome sections of the conveyor and replaced them with specially-engineered transfer points. They also modified existing transfer points, installing drop chutes to help eliminate dust and transfer chutes with a hood-andspoon design to improve the material flow. “Reducing the material turbulence during transfers is key to preventing
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT A field-fabricated drop chute fitted with a vibrator to improve material flow to the new transfer point.
A new head chute and brush cleaner reduced dust by an estimated 95% at the bucket elevator.
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fugitive dust,” observed a Martin technician. “By managing the material speed and direction, transfer chutes help minimize impact and wear on liners and belts, while containing the dust and spillage that are often generated at transfer points,” he said. “All of the chutes were field-fabricated, which helped us get an exact fit and minimize lead time.” The transfer chutes employ special geometries that capture and concentrate the material stream as it travels through. Each unit is customized to suit the specific material characteristics and conveyor systems of the individual customer. They provide the dual benefits of minimizing aeration and preventing buildup within the chute, particularly important when dealing with combustible materials. The installation team also placed electric rotary vibrators in key locations on drop chutes to reduce the potential for plugging. To further ensure control of fugitive material, settling zones were created at the transfer points to slow the air speed, with dust curtains to contain airborne particles. Finally, skirtboard sealing systems were installed on the sides of the loading zones to contain dust, eliminate spillage and reduce cleanup. The dual-sealing system incorporates a primary seal clamped on the steel skirtboard to keep lumps on the belt and a secondary or ‘outrigger’ strip to capture any fines or dust particles that pass beneath the primary seal. The secondary seal lies gently on the belt and self-adjusts to maintain consistent stripto-belt pressure, despite high-speed material movement and fluctuations in the belt’s line of travel. The unique design incorporates two wear surfaces on a single elastomer sealing strip, installed along the bottom of the skirtboard. When the bottom side of the strip against the belt is worn, the sealing strip is simply flipped over to deliver a second service life. With the modifications in place, the facility reports significant reductions in spillage and airborne dust. “We’re very pleased with the results we’ve seen in fugitive material control,” said a source close to the project. “We’re now reviewing several other conveyor sections to determine the opportunities for additional dust control measures. Our goal has always been to provide customers with safe, reliable power that’s produced and delivered in an environmentally-responsible manner, and this work is a reflection of that commitment.”
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
Tough new silo protection guidelines call for a tough new product
SHIELD LITE 2 IS THE FINAL WORD IN
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SILO PRESSURE SAFETY
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Recently having reinforced its reputation as a silo safety expert by collaborating with the Mineral Products Association (MPA) on new guidance for safer pressurized tanker deliveries, Hycontrol Ltd is now proud to announce the launch of the updated SHIELD Lite silo protection system. The revised SPS is smaller than previous versions, with all critical silo-top safety components built-in and pre-wired to provide simpler, easier and lower-cost installation. This design yields safe deliveries straight out of the box, cutting the chance of wiring mistakes. Utilizing purpose- designed pressure monitoring and control equipment, SHIELD Lite meets and exceeds current best practices, including those in the new MPA guidance. Powder storage silos are used across many industries but are at risk of overpressurization during tanker deliveries. Pressures as low as one psi are enough to rupture a silo or forcibly eject the filter unit from the roof. Besides the physical danger and risk of fatalities from falling equipment, this can cause massive equipment damage and environmental pollution. A comprehensive, failsafe safety and control system is vital to prevent such disastrous outcomes. SHIELD Lite goes beyond failsafe, providing a fully-automated self-testing safety system that removes the risk of human error from the delivery process by thoroughly monitoring and controlling it.
The high-accuracy pressure safety components are preassembled and wired for simple installation. In addition, SHIELD Lite incorporates Hycontrol’s pioneering Ground Level Testing (GLT), whereby a single key-turn activates a full-function test of all the crucial safety components without climbing the silo. Hycontrol Managing Director Nigel Allen said: “We have insisted for many years that simplicity is the key to safety, so we have made a system that will make a silo safe straight out of the box. With baked-in failsafes like ratio alarms, filter blockage warnings and driver delivery behaviour diagnostics, we can effectively eradicate the risk of human error. We understand that mistakes in maintenance and testing are inevitable. Our philosophy is to accept this and provide a system that
monitors and safely alerts you when these errors occur. Safety for staff, contractors and drivers should always be the number one priority. As we say — safe silos are tested every time.” About Hycontrol: Hycontrol has been at the forefront of level control and silo protection technology for nearly four decades. The company has pioneered failsafe silo pressure safety and groundlevel testing. Hycontrol systems reduce risk, create a safer working environment, and provide the best-engineered solution — without compromise.
cannot work apart because of the high interrelationship of passive and active systems. The Passive dust control system is the key element that creates a controlled volume to isolate the point where dust is generated allowing the Active one to do its job. Active systems cannot function without a corresponding passive system – dry fog does not function in open space; dust extraction cannot function without some constraint on the flow of extracted air. If an enclosure is the passive technology, then the larger the enclosure, the tighter it is sealed, the more collection surface is contained within it — the more efficient the passive system and the less the active system will be needed to achieve the goal. If we skimp on passive features, we have to go heavy on active energy and, in some cases, will never achieve the same efficiency. As an example of the relevance of the passive dust control on truck dumps, I am presenting data collected by the Raring Corporation between 1988 and 2010 and its conclusions. Of the approximately one hundred truck dump dust control systems that has sold between that period, only a handful can be said to work well. 80% of the projects we’ve done use fog and the remainder use only water spray. Twentyfive per cent of the projects that use fog
also use water sprays. Only five of the one hundred systems are fully enclosed (stilling shed) and all of those use fog and work very well. A further four are partially enclosed, use fog, and work well. Very few of the open truck dumps using fog have been successful. When a truck dump that is not covered by a stilling shed but that has a large hopper, includes turning veins to circulate displaced air back into the hopper, and when wind velocity is either naturally below 15km/h or controlled with a Weathersolve windfence (passive dust control), and the dumper orientation is correct with respect to the wind, the dust control can also be efficient. At the transfer between conveyor belts, we recommend a large passive enclosure with the best possible continuous belt support in the loading zone, dust-tight skirting, a flow control transition from chute to belt that prevents dust from escaping from the back end (or a tail box), enclosure baffles, and three scrubbing zones of dry fog. Raring Corp has been designing, manufacturing and supplying dust control systems for the last 38 years and it remains convinced that its systems couldn’t be as successful without the Passive Dust Control features.
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Environmental regulations and scientific research have helped material handling companies to consider airborne dust as a key issue under their operations. This will keep their workers’ health safe, their neighbouring communities dustless and protect our environment, writes Gonzalo Campos Canessa, CEO, The Raring Corp, TRC. Dust is not easy to control and when it becomes airborne it already polluted the air, so dust must be stop at the source. Although there are different levels of dustiness which basically depends on two main factors: lack of moisture and wind. When bulk material is dry, it is easier that its fine particles become airborne, because it is difficult for them to stay together and to be heavier as a whole bulk. The second factor is how the dirt is exposed to wind. If the dirt is dry and exposed to wind, dust emissions will be seen. Just focusing on the material handling sources of dust, we can assume that all sources are due to transferring material from one point to another. Within the transfer we can identify wide open transfers (like dump hoppers, open top bins and stockpiles) and those naturally encapsulated (like conveyor belt transfers, fine crushers and screens), where each of them present different levels of complexity when containment has to be implemented. In real life, material handling companies are in the business of moving as much bulk material as they can, and they are reluctant to spend the money required to design ‘dust control friendly’ facilities. Dust control is a combination of two elements, Passive and Active. The Active dust control systems are those that uses energy to operate, there are several options and suppliers who can take care of this important part which can be done by TRC’s Dust Suppression, Extraction or Scrubbing. Regarding the Passive dust control system, we can say that it is as important as the Active one, and they
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
The importance of passive dust control
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Two electric cranes at the Port of Ipswich cut ABP carbon footprint further
MAY 2022
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Electric cranes arriving ABP Port of Ipswich.
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Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading ports group, will further reduce its carbon emissions, as two of the very first fully mains-electric powered hydraulic cranes arrive at the Port of Ipswich. These cranes are amongst the first of their kind in the UK and are the latest in a series of bold investments in sustainable measures from ABP, which have contributed to a 36% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2014. The cranes, Mantsinen model 95ER, have been configured around specific workings of the operations at the Port of Ipswich to optimize efficiencies and further reduce energy consumption. It is estimated that these two electric cranes will save up to 5,275 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime. To provide perspective, one tonne of CO2 is equivalent to driving a car once around the world (circa 23,000 miles). ABP has partnered with provider, Cooper Specialised Handling in this pioneering agreement to invest in these multi-million-pound, state of the art cranes that can be powered by the solar energy generated at the port itself. The Port of Ipswich already has ~4,000 solar rooftop solar arrays and has invested in an onsite sub-station to future proof sustainable portside operations, that can accommodate up to four electric powered cranes. The port has also invested in
electric vans to minimize the impact of port operations on the environment. The two cranes will be able to manage a range of material received in the East Anglian Port, which handles over two million tonnes of cargo each year and is the UK’s leading grain export port. Not only will this initiative improve ABP’s green credentials, reducing the port’s CO2 emissions and decreasing energy consumption by up to 40%, but it will also allow for quieter operations and improved air quality. Paul Ager, Divisional Port Manager said: “ABP is really committed to reducing the Greenhouse Gas emissions arising from port activity. This £4 million investment at the port is the latest development in ABP’s carbon reduction goals tailored to its operations. The transition to electric machines will not only improve ABP’s cargo handling service to its customers, but will also feed into ABP’s wider policy to reduce CO2 emissions all the way down to zero.
ABOUT ABP EAST ANGLIA With the support of its customers, ABP’s Ports of East Anglia, King’s Lynn, Lowestoft and Ipswich contribute £360 million to the UK economy every year, supporting 3,700 jobs in the region and 5,300 jobs nationally. v ABP’s East Anglia ports handle more
than 3 million tonnes of cargo every year v Ports in East Anglia handle over 2mt (million tonnes) of agribulks and 170,000 tonnes of timber annually v The Port of Ipswich is the UK’s leading export port for agricultural products
ABOUT ABP With 21 ports and other transport-related businesses, ABP creates a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo. The company contributes £7.5 billion to the UK economy every year and supports 119,000 jobs. Its current investment programme promises to further increase its contribution to regional economies around the UK. ABP: v Handles over 1.5 million vehicles every year. v Generates around one quarter of the UK’s rail freight. v Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage. v Has 1,000 hectares of open storage. v Handles around 90mt of cargo each year. v Owns 5,000 hectares of port estate. v Has 87km of quay. DCi
bulk developments in the Scandinavian region
v Solutions: optimized propulsion systems; hybrid marine propulsion systems; LNG gas supply; and exhaust gas after-treatment. v Applications: bulker; container; cruise; ferry; fishing; LNG; LPG; Navy & coast guard; offshore; tanker; workboat & tugs; and yacht. v Services: spare parts; retrofit; service agreements; technical service; on-site recovery; propeller maintenance concept; engine zone; and service centres.
PRODUCTS FROM MAN ENERGY INCLUDE: v Two-stroke engines; v MAN B&W ME-LGIM;
v v v v v v
MAN B&W ME-GI & ME-GA; MAN B&W ME-LGIP; Four-stroke engines; MAN 175D; Propeller & aft ship; and Turbocharger.
THE BULK CARRIER MARKET MAN Energy solutions knows that modern bulk carriers must adapt to new requirements. Bulk carriers dominate international waters, making up over 40% of the total world fleet operating today. But operators face growing demands in terms of reliability, efficiency, and low maintenance costs. Bulk carriers constitute the single
MAY 2022
MAN Energy Solutions believes in a carbon-neutral economy. The company has been at the forefront of advanced engineering for more than 250 years, and provides a unique portfolio of technologies. Headquartered in Germany, MAN Energy Solutions employs some 14,000 people at over 120 sites globally. Its aftersales brand, MAN PrimeServ, offers a vast network of service centres to its customers all over the world. MAN Energy’s involvement in the marine industry involves: v Strategic expertise: emissions control; operations control; efficiency control; digitization; and future fuels.
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Growing global trade with cleaner bulk carriers — MAN Energy Solutions shows the way with efficient and environmentally friendly engines
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YOU ARE RUNNING A TIGHT SHIP Now let’s tell the world. DCi To find out how you can benefit from advertising in the world’s only monthly dry bulk publication contact Andrew Hucker-Brown on: T: +27 31 583 4360 E: info@dc-int.com W: www.drycargomag.com
S M A R T E R P O R T LO G I S T I C S S O LU T I O N S Through our new port logistics services, we help our customers improve efficiencies in their supply chain, save on freight costs and reduce carbon emissions. All in line with our purpose of enabling smarter global trade. Visit us on norden.com
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Source: IHS Markit & MAN ES.
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Source: IHS Markit
The Dry Bulk Fleet Age Profile shows the large influx of vessels immediately after the financial crisis (Age 9-12 yrs.) Many of these vessels are believed to be technically challenged by the EEXI and CII legislation and should be either up for early retirement or engine retrofit if possible. The current average scrap age is therefore expected to fall over the next decade as younger vessels are expected to be obsolete in a more climate friendly shipping market.
largest part of the world's merchant fleet when counted in deadweight tonnage. As such, the propulsion of bulk carriers deserves special attention in an industry increasingly focused on reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses. The demand for raw materials like iron ore, copper, grain, etc., has increased considerably since the turn of the millennium. From 2000 to 2018, the cargo carried on board bulk carriers per year has almost doubled from 17,380 to 34,193 billions of tonne-miles. This is a consequence of globalization and the great demand for raw materials in China and other developing economies in Southeast Asia, owing to the fast economic growth. This means that the Southeast Asian
industry, among others, is absorbing large quantities of iron ore whereas the growing population consumes other bulk cargoes like grain and soya beans. The bulk carrier market, therefore, has been very attractive, which caused a tremendous boost in the signing of newbuilding contracts until the economic crisis in 2008. As the full scale of the economic crises were realized, orders dropped significantly, first to stabilize during 2014-2015, and later to drop further due to overcapacity in the market. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced regulations on the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) in 2011, seeking to limit the emission of greenhouse gases from
international shipping. The EEDI guidelines are a mandatory instrument adopted by the IMO that ensures compliance with international requirements on CO2 emissions of new ships. The EEDI represents the amount of CO2 in grams emitted when transporting one deadweight tonnage of cargo for one nautical mile: The requirements for efficiency are increasingly tightened through three phases: 10% reduction from the baseline has been required since phase 1 came into force in 2015, a 20% reduction is required from 2020 by phase 2, and finally a 30% reduction by phase 3 in 2025 for bulk carriers. EEDI requirements demand that
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Size Small Handysize Handymax Panamax Capesize VLBC
DWT <10,000 10,000–40,000 40,000–60,000 60,000–100,000 100,000–200,000 >200,000
Source: IHS Markit & MAN ES.
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The Dry Bulk fleet consists of approximately 12.400 vessels. 92% of the Dry Bulk fleet above 2000 DWT/GT is two-stroke propelled. Panamaxes constitute 33% of the current Dry Bulk fleet and are in general the largest vessel sub-group of the entire two-stroke merchant fleet. In general, 500–600 cm bore size is the typical Dry Bulk two-stroke engine.
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Source: IHS Markit & MAN ES.
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Source: IHS Markit & MAN ES.
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Source: IHS Markit & MAN ES.
In recent years, the contracting volume has been relatively moderate compared to 2007-2014. Dual fuel vessels are now being contracted in the larger size classes: 45 of the 50 vessels contracted with DF propulsion is Capesize or VLBC size.
POWER FOR THE BULKER: MAN B&W TWO-STROKE ENGINES Since the year 2000, more than 8,000 bulk carriers have been equipped with MAN B&W two-stroke engines MAN’s two-stroke engines are an ideal solution for the propulsion of all kinds of merchant vessels, such as bulk carriers. All of the company’s two-stroke engines are manufactured by a family of licensees— mainly based in Asia. The main advantages of the electronically controlled ME engines include: optimized fuel, lube oil consumption as well as improved low load operation, built on decades of success enjoyed by their mechanically controlled predecessors.
Besides its trusted ME-C engines, MAN also offers its portfolio of proven dual-fuel engines for the propulsion of bulk carriers. The ME-GI is a highly efficient, flexible propulsion solution. With its introduction, MAN began a new chapter in diesel history, from which bulker vessels stand to benefit. With the ME-GI, MAN is able to offer vessel owners the option of using fuel oil or gas — depending on market prices and availability. The ME-LGI engine, on the other hand, offers liquid gas injection and is therefore well suited to all kinds of modern cargo ships: the main advantage is the possibility of using fuels with a low flash point and low sulphur content, like LPG and methanol.
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innovative solutions be implemented for the propulsion of this vital workhorse of the global economy. Today’s bulk carrier owners need costeffective propulsion systems with low initial costs to make their operations profitable. Since bulk carriers often sail in environmentally sensitive areas, their engines need to meet strict limits for NOx, SOx, and particulate emissions. With stricter IMO restrictions, finding highefficiency propulsion systems with low fuel consumption is key. Operators need the best two-stroke engines that meet low rpm demands to achieve ideal ship designs with highly efficient large propellers.
MAY 2022
Source: Clarksons Research
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Source: Clarksons Research
Despite the recent decrease in freight rates, the level is still healthy and the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to cause increasing freight rate levels. The high level of new vessel contracts in 2020-2021 at the major shipyards have increased the price levels in general concurrently with the size of the order books
Indexator from Vindeln in Sweden — the world’s biggest manufacturer of hydraulic rotators — is adding to its compact rotator range with the powerful XR350. The XR range comprises compact,
powerful rotators with superb bearings. They are designed for extreme applications where rotator function requirements and loads are especially high. Optimally designed for both fixed and floating
REGIONAL REPORT
Indexator is adding the XR350 to its XR programme
installation. Slew bearings, high performance and long service life make the XR series the rotators to rely on when it really counts. XR rotators come into their own
About the XR Series Patented power transmission design.
Indexator’s patented design.
Competing solutions.
Indexator’s tried-andtested vane motor principal.
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Thanks to the XR-series’ patented power transmission design, external forces acting on the bearings cannot affect the motor and swivel inside the rotator. This extends rotator service life significantly in comparison with competing solutions.
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whenever and wherever you need to handle large loads. Indexator is now launching its midsize XR350 as a complement to the XR300 and XR400 model sizes. The XR 350 is designed to handle both positive and negative axial loads up to and including 15 metric tonnes. The model is also built for a radial load tolerance of 11 metric tonnes and is thus ideal for applications with high side loads such as fixed installation sorting grapples on excavators, or floating for e.g. scrap or timber handling applications.
EAGERLY-AWAITED ROTATOR “There’s never room for unscheduled downtime when it comes to rotators. Because they simply have to go on working, hour after hour, high reliability is just as important as high-performance,” says Johnny Karlsson, Area Sales Manager at Indexator. To make sure that it is up to the job, the XR 350 has been put through its paces in rigorous test environments and the type of real-world scenarios machines and tools encounter. The result of all this testing is a rotator with long service life that delivers performance every day.
The XR 350 rotator size has been eagerly awaited by customers and market demand is high, especially among customers who already use other sizes from the XR programme. “There is great demand from machine and tool manufacturers, who already incorporate other XR rotators in their designs. The XR350 is a great addition to our product range and thus great for our customers, too,” says Karlsson.
ANGLE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY ENABLES AUTOMATION
Indexator also launched ‘smart rotators’ in 2021. In brief, this means rotators can be equipped with patented angle sensing technology. The technology enables the machine system to sense the position and angular velocity of the rotator. “This is a technological leap that enables partial or full automation. We launched the technology on other rotator models, but it’s also available in the XR program,” says Karlsson.
VARIANTS ALLOW MORE FUNCTIONS AND AREAS OF APPLICATION
A number of XR350 variants are available in conjunction with the launch. “Initially, we’ll be offering a standard
variant with top and bottom interfaces of Ø265mm and Ø340mm respectively. This model is also available with axial hose connections at the top, allowing protected hose routing through the link. There will also be a variant that will fit the IR22 mounting to the rotator. More interfaces are also possible,” explains Karlsson.
PATENTED POWER TRANSMISSION, LONGLIFE VANE MOTOR AND EASY MAINTENANCE
Another feature that benefits service life is Indexator’s tried-and-tested vane motor, and this is the only compact rotator on the market to use this principle. While vane motors provide high torque, they are also very forgiving of torsional forces and large slewing masses. The modular design with slew bearings, motor and swivel in separate modules, makes service and maintenance easy. In common with other models in the XR program, the XR 350 has a patented power transmission design. “In a nutshell, the technology means the swivel and motor are not affected by external forces, which provides significant life expectancy benefits compared to competing solutions,” concludes Karlsson.
Today millions of tonnes of bulk cargoes are transported within Europe. The dry bulk comprises a variety of commodities ranging from sand and gravel for the construction industry, grain and fertilizer related to farming, while the energy mix in many countries also requires coal and biomass. In addition, the focus on circular economy will enhance the demand for bulk cargoes, while the ports may have a broader role to play in this transition. It has been said that the largest resource in Europe, is what is hidden in the more than half a million landfills. The term extended landfill mining was coined and various projects has already taken place, but the possibility to reuse resources is the cornerstone of the circular economy that is one of the pathways to fighting climate change. Upcycling and recycling seem especially relevant for the construction industry, which annually generate more than 900 million tonnes of waste in Europe. The value of change towards the circular economy can already be observed for plastic waste. The ban on the export of plastic waste from Europe to non-OECD countries, except for clean plastic waste for recycling, has already resulted in surge in pyrolysis, but also increased the price of raw materiel of plastic. This will result in increased activities in the ports and drive
up demand for vessels capable of transporting these commodities. In context to the construction sector, the entrance to circular economy may not only be sound business, but also benefit the environment. According to the International Energy Agency, the building and construction sector accounted for 36% of final energy use and 39% of energy and process-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2018. This industry could therefore benefit with more upcycling and recycling activities. In Port Esbjerg in Denmark, they have decided to engage in this possibility with the introduction of the circular
www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
environment, where building materiel can be upcycled and recycled. The business area is a progression from the shiprecycling facilities, which already exist in the port. Here, the ship is recycled, while most of the equipment is upcycled. Exemplified — an engine is not scrapped, but restored and sold, and this is the business model of ship-breaking companies today. A similar approach is needed for the building industry, albeit that the volumes are significant and more may need to be recycled. Concrete needs to be crushed and recycled, while things like steel and bricks may be upcycled. The possibilities are significant but will inevitably require ports to be involved in the transport. In Port Esbjerg, they advocate port operations are pivotal in the circular environment and it is important to understand the transport requirements of this upcoming industry. There may be ports shipping the waste, while other ports receive and process this for shipment of products that are recirculated into the construction industry. In context to bulk operations, this must be in ports due to the cost of moving larger volumes. The processing of the materiel will therefore also have to be in ports, and this provide a new role for ports, as seen with the interest for placing recycling activities in the port.
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The circular economy will affect the future short sea bulk market
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Seaber cloud-based solution drives digital transformation in shipping Seaber is a Finnish maritime software company dedicated to reducing inefficiencies, errors, costs and the environmental impact of bulk and breakbulk shipping. Seaber’s cloud-based schedule planning, optimization and communication solution helps charterers & shipowners to reduce emissions by improving asset utilization. The company co-operates closely with charterer and shipowner companies to drive the digital transformation of the entire shipping industry. The company: v is a Finnish maritime software company, based in Espoo; v has 18 employees v was founded in 2017; v specializes in optimizing oil & dry bulk shipping; v customers are publicly listed multibillion charterers & major shipowners; v is privately owned; and v is backed by global investors.
STORA ENSO AND SEABER TO DIGITALIZE
MAY 2022
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MARITIME LOGISTICS
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In March this year, Seaber announced a partnership with Stora Enso. Seaber’s innovative technology will enable the digitalization of Stora Enso’s bulk and breakbulk shipment planning and communications, optimizing the company’s cargo flows globally. Seaber’s AI-assisted management and planning solution is revolutionizing the bulk & breakbulk shipping industry. The webbased application is designed for both charterers and shipowners, allowing them to maximize efficiencies in schedule planning and communications. They can collaborate in this dynamic industry in real time, with each stakeholder maintaining total control of the
Stora Enso develops and produces solutions based on wood and biomass for a range of industries.
information being shared. Seaber’s technology is the first solution targeted at increasing efficiencies in the bulk and breakbulk shipping industries on such a wide scale, making it uniquely positioned to reduce the sector’s environmental impact. “After an extensive evaluation of available solutions on the market, we believe that Seaber provides the best tool for us to efficiently handle the planning of shipment schedules and communication with all stakeholders” says Niklas Fahlen, SVP Logistics, at Stora Enso. He continues: “Together with Seaber’s offering for shipowners, we are able to jointly improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions by optimizing port calls and doing our part in avoiding unnecessary repositioning of vessels.” Seaber is delighted by the partnership. “Stora Enso is a great partner, especially because, like us, they put a lot of effort into being an environmentally friendly company and are also an early adopter of new technologies. We are thrilled that Stora Enso selected us and are looking forward to a close cooperation with their team,”
explains Sebastian Sjöberg, CEO and Co-founder of Seaber. ABOUT STORA ENSO Stora Enso develops and produces solutions based on wood and biomass for a range of industries and applications worldwide, leading in the bioeconomy and supporting its customers in meeting demand for renewable eco-friendly products. Building on their heritage and know-how in forestry and trees, Stora Enso is committed to the development of products and technologies based on renewable materials.
SEABER SECURES FURTHER FUNDING OF €1.5M In December last year, Seaber revealed that it had raised €1.5m from Counterview Capital, Lifeline Ventures and Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment) to further increase product development, as well as sales and marketing activities. “We are excited about Seaber’s mission to digitally transform the $400 billion bulk shipping industry,” says Brian Rubenstein, Partner at Counterview Capital. “Many of the key operational processes of bulk and breakbulk charterers, shipowners, and brokers are highly inefficient. Most of the players in this massive industry are still planning their logistics with Excel spreadsheets. Seaber’s planning and communication platform is just the first step towards optimizing global fleet utilization, cargo flows, scheduling, and route configuration which can vastly improve efficiency and reduce costs across the entire industry. It’s that vision, combined with deep expertise and understanding of the maritime space, that separated Sebastian and his team from all of the other companies that we’ve looked
ABOUT COUNTERVIEW Counterview Capital is a New York-based venture capital firm focused on investments in pre-seed and seed stage technology companies. It partners with creative and unconventional thinkers building innovative products that will nudge the world.
Sebastian Sjöberg, founder and CEO of Seaber.
ABOUT LIFELINE Lifeline Ventures is a sector agnostic earlystage investor that wants to partner with founders from the very beginning of their journey and support them throughout their growth. Its team has global experience in building and scaling companies both as founders and in various CxO roles. It invests in ambitious and determined teams that can one day become industry leaders. ABOUT TESI Tesi (officially Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) – is a state-owned investment company investing in venture capital and private equity funds and directly in growth companies. It makes investments on the same terms and return expectations together with private investors.
SEABER APPOINTS HENRIK DAHL TO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD On 6 April, Seaber welcomed a new Chairman of the Board, Henrik Dahl. Currently, Dahl serves as a board member and advisor for several companies in the
marine and technology space including Saxdor Yachts, Awake.ai, and GIM Robotics. He is also the co-founder of Blue Alliance, a platform that helps innovative maritime companies reach global markets. Seaber’s CEO and co-founder, Sebastian Sjöberg is thrilled about this news: “We are excited to welcome Henrik to our board during an important time in Seaber’s evolution. Henrik is a recognized leader in the maritime technology industry whose extensive commercial and corporate strategy experience will be instrumental in executing on our vision of digitally transforming the bulk shipping industry.” Dahl is a highly successful tech entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in marine tech. Previously he was a board member and interim CEO for StormGeo, a major weather analytics company that was recently sold to Alfa Laval. He also co-founded and led Eniram, a pioneer in maritime data and analytics which was sold to Wärtsilä in 2016. He has ample experience in all aspects of building startups to scale, including sales expansion, fundraising, and M&A activities. Dahl is excited about joining the team: “Seaber is a maritime startup to look out for. Seaber’s ability to add value to charterers and shipowners with the schedule planning is crystal clear and serves as a natural first step in a broader optimization of the whole shipping & logistics cycle to make the industry more efficient and environmentally friendly. I look forward to contributing to Seaber’s future growth and success as the company develops its software tools further and expands to new markets. I am especially excited about working with such a talented and motivated team of professionals and entrepreneurs”.
MAY 2022
In mid-May, Seaber travelled to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, to attend this year’s Breakbulk Europe trade show. After a couple of years’ break, Breakbulk Europe returned, and Seaber took the opportunity to exhibit its offering, where it gave attendees the opportunity to make their own optimized schedule with the Seaber tool, and see for themselves the full extent of its solution. Breakbulk Europe brings the project cargo and breakbulk community together. The trade show was an opportunity for attendees to meet industry professionals from more than 120 countries, representing the end-to-end industrial supply chain.
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SEABER ATTENDS BREAKBULK EUROPE IN ROTTERDAM
REGIONAL REPORT
at in the market.” Aligned with its green values, Seaber takes part in the ‘Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization’. For the world to fully decarbonize by 2050, shipping must decarbonize. The call to action, also known as Getting to Zero, has industry actors calling on world leaders to work together to deliver the right enabling environment to achieve this goal. “Lifeline Ventures invest in ambitious and determined teams that can one day become industry leaders. We at Lifeline see this potential in Seaber: their ability to improve the planning and communication of shipping companies and charterers — reducing the carbon footprint of maritime industry and significantly cutting down CO2 emissions,” says Lifeline’s Partner Kai Backman.” Seaber’s founders have been working on Seaber since late 2017 and have been growing the team over the last four years. “Our vision is to be there at the front line supporting shipping towards a new phase where technology can be utilized to benefit everyone”, says Sjöberg. “During the past year, we have developed our product jointly with customers who already achieve significant savings by using Seaber. We are thrilled by the shipping industry’s excitement to work with us on our mission to decarbonize shipping”, continues Sebastian.
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REGIONAL REPORT www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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Shipshave’s innovative hull-cleaning solution saves time and money Norwegian company Shipshave AS has launched and commercialized the disruptive hull cleaning solution In-Transit Cleaning of Hulls (ITCH). With ITCH the seafarers take charge of the hull performance and fuel economy without idle time or specialists. ITCH combines sustainability with fuel cost savings in a cost-competitive package. The ITCH is different in that it is the only known hull cleaning solution executed by the crew while in transit. It is so user-friendly that it can be installed and operated by a vessel’s crew. Not only is there no need for the vessel to be docked during cleaning, the system actually harvests the propulsion energy of the vessel being cleaned. ITCH offers: v hull cleaning without hassle; v no downtime for the vessel; and v no high costs specialists. Shipshave sold two pilots for ITCH in October 2020 to two Norwegian ‘early adopters’. The two owners have a history of being first takers of new technologies. Since that time, Shipshave has further simplified and improved its solution. As of 19 April this year, thus far the company has delivered 20 solutions to progressive buyers globally in multiple shipping segments. ‘Proactive grooming’ is a buzzword in shipping today, as opposed to brutal retroactive cleaning methods. With Shipshave’s In-Transit Cleaning of Hulls, early-stage fouling sometimes refereed to as ‘slime’, is removed by soft brushes without damaging the paint. It is the vessel’s own crew that is in charge of the hull performance while the vessel is sailing. There is no need for either specialists or vessel idle time. The operational speed and hull shape of both bulk carriers and oil tankers mean
Vessel close to the end of the docking schedule. ITCH about to be retrieved.
REGIONAL REPORT
From early days development testing. that they are optimal for ITCH. Recently, Shipshave verified functionality on a 15,000 TEU container vessel, meaning that ITCH can be also operated on faster vessels — maybe naval vessels will be next? During the same trials, Shipshave tested brushes capable of removing fouling beyond ‘slime’, and will share firm figures on fuel savings obtained once the owner of the vessel has ample operational comparison data. Shipshave has covered a lot of ground since October 2020 and multiple customers are now making the transition
from early adopter to repeat customer. The company aims for ‘fleet sales’ in 2022. Shipshave is developing a supplementary tool to clean the hulls of static vessels too. Early market evaluations indicates that a robot will be ideal for bulk carriers that have prolonged periods at anchor, as well as smaller vessels where the whole hull can be cleaning within two hours. The robot is already grooming very efficiently, but Shipshave is focusing on making the robot sufficiently autonomous for any seaman to operate on a large hull.
As a second phase of development the same robot will also be able to proactively groom the propeller by interchangeable brushes. Shipshave is generating keen interest globally. Owners preparing for an Enhanced SEEMP & CII whilst Charterers are looking to Scope #3 emissions. On 2 May this year, Shipshave has been invited to present at an IMO/Glofouling-sponsored antifouling webinar. By that time, it hopes to have engaged in dialogue with a major charterer of vessels. DCi
Recent development testing of grooming robot on a static vessel. www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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BREAKBULK & BAGGING
Hip to be square: FIBCs & Bagging Equipment
Jay Venter
STATEC BINDER: specialist in high-performance packaging and palletizing systems
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per hour. The wide product portfolio allows the company to meet the needs of its customers in a variety of industries, while also offering an excellent customer service programme. On the one hand, there is the PRINCIPAC — one of the world’s fastest
bagging machines with up to 2,000 bags per hour — and on the other hand, the CERTOPAC, which is ideally designed for bagging free-flowing materials up to 1,500 bags per hour. The ACROPAC model was developed by STATEC BINDER for small and medium-sized operations with lower
MAY 2022
With more than 40 years of experience in packaging and palletizing technology, STATEC BINDER offers not only highquality equipment but also efficient and high-speed total solutions for the customer's entire packaging process. STATEC BINDER stands for absolute reliability, distinguished by precision and constant innovation. The customer and his individual requirements are in the foreground at the globally active company. Each machine is individually adapted to the customer's product in order to achieve the best possible solution and capacity. Whether petrochemicals, food or pet food — the company is active in a wide range of industries for free-flowing or powdery bulk materials. With over 1,700 machines successfully installed worldwide, STATEC BINDER looks back on numerous positive references. The company counts small firms as well as large corporations, represented on all five continents, among its existing customer base. Thanks to proven technology as well as continuous developments and optimizations, STATEC BINDER serves as an internationally recognized partner to many. For many customers, it is a very complex process to weigh, pack, seal and deliver their actual goods on a pallet — and that too with a high number of bags
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BREAKBULK & BAGGING
production capacities and is suitable for bagging up to 600 bags per hour. STATEC BINDER’s high-performance palletizer PRINCIPAL-H with a capacity of 2,400 bags per hour completes an all-around high-quality and efficient palletizing process with a nice and stable layer pattern. With the robotic palletizer PRINCIPAL-R, which is a high-tech version, bags up to 1,400 bags or boxes per hour can be achieved. The various longlasting machines differ
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Industriestrasse 32, 8200 Gleisdorf, Austria Tel.: +43 3112 38580-0 E-Mail: o ce@statec-binder.com
from the competition not only in terms of capacity but also in the high quality and service related to the purchase of the equipment. Expertise in consulting and service are important factors for the company when it comes to long-term partnerships. Therefore, STATEC BINDER customers are not left alone even after purchase: Customer training and service appointments ensure that the entire packaging and palletizing process runs smoothly. The 1-6-11 service programme was also developed for this purpose, which ensures that the customer receives intensive support from the customer service team after purchase. STATEC BINDER specialists are always available to provide assistance and answers to questions, from dealing with orders of spare parts and their delivery, ongoing inspections and maintenance of machines and individual customer training programmes, to tailor-made service agreements — the fullest satisfaction of the customers has the highest priority. The company focuses on a high level of communication, fast availability and proximity to the customer within its partnerships and ensures that the machine is state of the art. Customer service is characterized by highly trained employees and remote service with real-time support. Customers all over the world put their trust in STATEC BINDER every day. Expert consulting services, a high level of service competence and support for any concern provide reasons for this.
Qingdao LAF Technology Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer of economic dry bulk liners, manufactured using cutting edge production techniques. The company offers full-service and technical support covering every aspect in the course of dry bulk commodity shipment. Container liners are economical solutions for free-flowing bulk cargo. The transportation distance of bulk cargo is usually very long and needs to be transported from one continent to another, so it makes full use of the advantages of containers. The liner will be installed close to the inner wall of the container, it makes full use of the space of the container, which is equivalent to forming another nested ‘container’ within the container. Liners can be used very easily and flexibly in containers ranging from 20 feet to 40 feet. The dry bulk liners can be customized according to the requirements of the end user, as well as according to the loading and unloading equipment. The adapted liner bag can greatly improve the efficiency of loading and unloading. Before designing the container liner, Qingdao LAF Technology ensures that it understands the loading and unloading methods that will best meet the needs of its customer.
Image Copyright: Qingdao LAF. Technologies Co., Ltd.
v
v
v
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CONTAINER LINER BAGS? v
or two people to complete the installation process without investing too much time or effort. In addition, it only takes about one hour to fill the goods at place of departure or unload the goods at the destination. Compared with the traditional bags, it completely realizes the door-to-door transportation method: eliminating the links of traditional labour-intensive filling, moving to the warehouse, packing into the container, and unloading the container to the storage warehouse — in this way, it improves efficiency and saves logistics costs. In addition to the reduction of logistics links, using container liners in this way can secure the integrity of the goods and reduce cargo losses. Because of its excellent sealing and easy disassembly function, compared with bare loading in containers, the
Is it possible for an FFS machine to pack cements & fine powders into plastic bags? EXPLORING THE FFS MARKET
HOW SHOULD CEMENT BE PACKAGED? Paper bags and fabric sacks are popular materials for packaging cement, thanks to
MAY 2022
Building, infrastructure and construction industries around the world rely on cement for its versatility and wide range of applications. It’s used in everything from small residential projects to massive industrial builds and experts predict that this year, global cement production will exceed four billion metric tonnes. Customers that sell cement products and are looking for a new packaging solution might be considering purchasing a Form Fill Seal (FFS) packaging machine. Before doing so, it is important to know about this machine’s capabilities.
cargo residue will be much reduced after unloading from liner bag. v As a package, it can protect the goods inside. Some dry bulk food commodities have strict sanitary conditions. In this case, the dry bulk container liner bag is used firstly because the liner bag itself can be a food-grade hygiene standard, the second is that it can effectively avoid the invasion of external environmental pollutants during transportation. In addition, it can play a role in moistureproof. v For some goods that are easy to pollute containers, such as carbon black, the use of dry bulk container liners can prevent pollution of the container walls and crosscontamination with previously loaded goods, thereby reducing cleaning costs and improving the turnover rate of containers.
www.drycargomag.com
v The major advantage of using container liners is that they are very easy to install and require up to one
BREAKBULK & BAGGING
Container liner bags: transfer traditional containers into fluid containers
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BREAKBULK & BAGGING www.drycargomag.com
their low cost and ease of use. However, they might not protect the product adequately or be a feasible packaging option when scaling up production volumes. With FFS machines becoming more widely adopted and packaging materials like polyethylene (PE) widely available, customers might wonder if this option is right for them. The following information details what factors should be taken into consideration. Cement requires careful packaging to preserve its quality. It is vital to protect it from water, dampness or moisture to avoid triggering a chemical reaction that will harden it. It should also be packaged securely to keep it from rupturing and spilling. By selecting the wrong packaging, it is possible that the end result would be a poorly performing or useless product . It’s important to remember that a moisture content of just 5% can render a bag of cement useless for construction — and if its packaging allows it to leak, it could lead to workers inhaling it unknowingly.
MAY 2022
PACKING CEMENT USING FFS MACHINERY
DCi 128
PE has become a popular packaging material as it’s cheap, accessible and can keep air and moisture away from the products it packages. Using it with an FFS machine could help package cement
CHOOSING WEBSTER GRIFFIN As a specialist in FFS packaging machines, Webster Griffin can develop a solution for
BREAKBULK & BAGGING
products quicker and more efficiently. Before making the switch, it is important to recognize that FFS machines have certain limitations. Cement is a fine and light powder and will need special treatment during packaging. FFS machines tend to trap air inside the packaging when dealing with lightweight and aerated powders like cement. This can cause it to burst or make each package bigger and more challenging to store and transport. To circumvent this, some FFS machine manufacturers perforate the packaging material so air can escape. This solution might work in the short term but in time will allow atmospheric moisture to enter the packaging and ruin the cement. A creative solution is required here. It is essential to work with an FFS machinery manufacturer that won’t just give a standard solution and will be willing to adjust the machine to the customer’s needs. An FFS system can integrate a combination of air blasting, deaeration or evacuation technology to keep cement hermetically sealed.
its customers’ businesses that saves time and money while keeping the integrity of the product intact. Since 1975, Webster Griffin has provided businesses in locations ranging
from Siberia to Saudi Arabia with packaging solutions. Whether customers need a palletizing unit to add to an existing arsenal or an integrated packing plant solution, Webster Griffin can help.
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The France-based company RBL-REI, a worldwide expert in the design, manufacturing and construction of bulk handling systems, is still proving its skills, particularly in terms of turnkey projects, capabilities and innovation for such challenging works. RBL-REI recently took the order to design two automatic big bag bagging lines for one of its port customers in France. The first harbour company at La Rochelle in France has entrusted RBL-REI with the design and construction of two automatic big bag bagging lines. The contract includes all the complexities involved in this type of turnkey project, including: civil works, electricity/ automation works, dedusting systems, ATEX design, firefighting systems, commercial weighing systems, and so forth. Each line has a capacity of 100tph (tonnes per hour), and has the capabilities to load different sizes of big bag — 500kg, 600kg, 800kg and 1,000kg. The system was originally, designed for fertilizer products, and the customer asked RBL-REI to also load cereals, biomass, etc. For this, RBL-REI has integrated ATEX equipment, dedusting systems, a good cleaning system and nonretention of product to prevent crosscontamination between the different products. In addition, all equipment has
BREAKBULK & BAGGING
RBL-REI supplies two automatic bagging lines to port customer in France
full redundancy, allowing loading at a minimum capacity of 100tph. With this kind of installation, the customer has an installation that is flexible in complete correlation with its markets. DCi
www.drycargomag.com MAY 2022
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Company
Page
4B Braime Components Ltd
18
A/S Cimbria
101
Company
Page
Listenow GmbH & Co.
41
Mack Manufacturing Inc
61
BEUMER Group GmbH & Co KG
11
Martin Engineering
55
Bodewes Purchasing & Logistics bv
31
Maschinen und Mühlenbau Erhard Muhr GmbH
59
Buttimer Engineering
35
Neuero Industrietechnik GmbH
Cambelt International LLC
48, 49
Cleveland Cascades Ltd
53, Back Cover
Inside Back Cover
ORTS GmbH Maschinenfabrik
25
PEINER SMAG Lifting Technologies GmbH
70
Conductix-Wampfler
39
Port of Esbjerg
Control Systems Technology Pty Ltd
73
RAM SMAG Lifting Technologies (UK) Ltd
67
RULMECA HOLDING S.P.A.
26
SAMSON Materials Handling Ltd (AUMUND Group)
45
CRS – Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S
3 114
118
DCL, Incorporated
40
SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH
Doppelmayr Transport Technology GmbH
21
SIBRE - Siegerland Bremsen GmbH
9
5
Starlinger & Co. Gesellschaft m.b.H.
124
STATEC BINDER GmbH
126
E-Crane Worldwide Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp’n Hägglunds
90
Intermodal Solutions Pty Ltd Italgru S.r.l.
130 19
JEM International
129
Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH
DCi
14, 15
7
Front Cover
Telestack Limited
63
Terex Deutschland GmbH
43
Van Aalst Bulk Handling BV
36
Verstegen Grijpers BV
Inside Front Cover, 47
Vigan
84
DRY CARGO
international www.drycargomag.com FREE ACCESS to up-to-date news affecting the dry bulk and breakbulk industries FREE ACCESS to over 200 digital issues of Dry Cargo International magazine FREE ACCESS to the DCi online archive search utility FREE ACCESS to DCi’s unrivalled global market coverage
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SHIP LOADER SPECIALIST NEUERO produces the most reliable and high-quality bulk ship loaders worldwide. Environmentally friendly with less dust, less noise and more efficiency | neuero.de/en
Cleveland Cascades Ltd Global leader in bespoke dry bulk loading chutes
Ship Loaders
Silo Loaders
Truck Loaders
Cleveland Cascades are Specialists in the design and manufacture of bespoke dry bulk loading chutes. Our bespoke solutions are designed to meet each customer’s specific requirements from a tool kit of proven components, utilising the expertise of a team of specialist in house design engineers.
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We lead the loading chute industry & set the standard for dust emissions and environmental pollution control in dry bulk handling. Our worldwide reputation is built on high quality, well-engineered, robust, high performance chutes, backed up by excellent customer service and global lifetime product support.
Contact Cleveland Cascades Ltd Unit 22, Dukesway, Teesside Industrial Estate, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, TS17 9LT, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1642 753260 | Fax: +44 1642 753270 E-mail: enquiries@clevelandcascades.co.uk | Website: www.clevelandcascades.co.uk
