ABHR Nov/Dec 2020

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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

In this issue: Food processing feature To refurbish or replace?

The rise of bulk automation

FENNER DUNLOP’S VISION OF INTELLIGENT CONVEYING

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CONTENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

24

16

30

40

6 Industry News

34 Calibrating and validating iron ore fines with DEM

Food processing

36 Delivering the goods

42 Vortex Global provides coffee handling solutions

16 T-Ports grows grain exports for SA 18 The surprising versatility of mobile conveyors 20 Slipping on a low friction liner

38 Sensing the silos

44 Ingredients for success

50 Engineering inconsistency

22 Aurora advances Australian automation

40 Kotzur cracks into food storage

46 Joining the effort for better food safety

54 Replacement vs refurbishment

24 Fixing belt mistracking problems 26 The rise of electric linear actuators

58 TUNRA’s Ten Commandments for reliable transfer chute design

28 Commissioning during COVID

62 Member Profile: Jayne O’Shea

30 When screen classifying cutters outperform hammer mills and knife cutters

www.bulkhandlingreview.com

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

In this issue: Food processing feature To refurbish or replace?

The rise of bulk automation

FENNER DUNLOP’S VISION OF INTELLIGENT CONVEYING To find new ways of turning data into something useful for its customers, Fenner Dunlop has created a new team focused solely on the development of new conveyor technologies.

Following the mantra of “Intelligent Conveying,” the Conveyor Technology Team attempts to develop new solutions and better ways to intelligently improve the performance of conveyor belt systems for their customers.

ABHR speaks with Alan Clout, Fenner Dunlop’s National Technical Manager and Samuel Wiffen, the Conveyor Technology Manager to learn more about what’s in store for the future and how they will harness Industry 4.0 technology.

FENNER DUNLOP’S VISION OF INTELLIGENT CONVEYING

For the full story, see page 10.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 4

AUSTRALIA

EDITORIAL

AUSTRALIA

REVIEW

Published by:

REVIEW

Doing data right 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Editor William Arnott E: william.arnott@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Rob O’Bryan E: rob.obryan@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey Design Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Subscriptions T: 03 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

www.bulkhandlingreview.com The Publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article or advertisement submitted and requires indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. © Copyright – No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.

As technology develops, more and more ways to capture data are being brought online, adding to the deluge of information available on the cloud.

However, data alone is not enough to be a silver bullet.

By the time you have finished reading this sentence, an unfathomable amount of information has been collected and recorded around the world. Not all of it will be particularly useful.

Finding ways to quickly find the relevant and helpful data to inform decision making is the key. Some companies, like Fenner Dunlop, have developed tools to make accessing and harnessing this data easier and more effectively helping busy bulk handlers make better decisions.

The company’s digital intelligence hub connects its conveyor technology tools and data sources to better understand their operations, moving away from lengthy PDF reports. Instead, the DigitalHub automates the process, allowing customers to quickly log onto the service and get the results they need with easy to understand visualisation.

Similarly, LEAP Australia has been helping engineering companies design and troubleshoot equipment for the mining industry through its Rocky DEM simulation software. By using accurate simulations, users can thoroughly test and validate products, optimising them for the role.

Data can also be harnessed for automation, which COVID-19 has highlighted the need for. Aurora Process Solutions has been helping small and medium enterprises understand the growing accessibility of the technology, which has already become established in places such as Europe. Automation can provide producers with the flexibility they need to accommodate dramatic shifts in demand and operating conditions.

As 2020 comes to a close, it will be exciting to see what the next year has in store for technological development and adoption. Programs like Zoom and Whatsapp have become normalised, and are even being used to help during the commissioning phase of projects.

Finally, the team at Australian Bulk Handling Review would like to wish you a safe holiday break.

William Arnott Editor - ABHR

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 5

NEWS

Port of Burnie to upgrade shiploader A NEW BULK MINERALS SHIPLOADER is set to be designed and built at the Port of Burnie, as part of an upgrade to provide confidence to the state’s resources sector.

The Federal Government unlocked a $40 million investment to enable the project to proceed to tender.

Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack says the Port of Burnie Shiploader is critical lastmile infrastructure for the West Coast resource industry, loading millions of tonnes of material onto ships out of the Port since 1969.

“The resources sector is critical to our economic recovery and is dependent upon fast, efficient and reliable supply chains transporting materials between mine, port and our export destinations,” McCormack says.

“The current Port of Burnie Shiploader is 50 years old and has reached the end of its economic life, which is why we are committing to the upgrade and ensuring a reliable shiploading service for the West Coast resource sector into the long-term.”

He says the project is part of the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation program. It is expected to enable the

The current Port of Burnie Shiploader is 50 years old and has reached the end of its economic life.

service of more types of ships, increased ability to load higher-capacity vessels and double the current bulk material loading capacity to around 2000 tonnes an hour.

TasRail CEO Steven Dietrich says the new shiploader would provide unique and critical export infrastructure for existing and future customer needs.

“It will be integrated into our Bulk Minerals Export Facility at the Burnie Port, which provides undercover storage for around 130,000 tonnes of ores and concentrates from West Coast mines. It will effectively double the tonnes able to be loaded per hour,” Dietrich says.

“This is a proven and reliable ship loading system and, as part of a seamless integrated supply chain, it will add significant productivity and reliability to

our operations and benefit the mining industry also.”

Tasmanian Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson says securing the federal funding was an important step in allowing the project to move ahead.

“I can’t emphasise enough how hard we worked and how fortunate we are to secure this federal funding to support our mining and transport industry. It gives Burnie an unassailable future as an export port and installing the new Shiploader itself will be a boost for our economy right when we need it,” Ferguson says.

The project is anticipated to take approximately two years with the goal of being in operation in mid-2022.

Australian Bulk Handling Equipment and Services Guide coming soon THE AUSTRALIAN BULK HANDLING REVIEW is proud to announce the latest edition of the Bulk Handling Guide will be released in December 2020.

The guide is the premier industry reference publication for who does what and where in the bulk materials handling industry.

Published since 2005, the Guide covers all facets of the sector, from designers, manufacturers and suppliers of the smallest parts to the longest overland conveyors, massive mining machinery and all the environmental and machinery controls in between.

A new, updated website has also launched alongside the guide with

6 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

improved search functionality. Here readers will be able to find everything they need, including contact details for suppliers of conveyor belts, buckets, screws, rollers, cleaners & scrapers, weighing and level measurement, magnetics, dust and explosion control, chutes, hoppers, bins, bagging and silo storage, and much, much more.

CONSTRUCTION

SHIPPING

NEWS

Final approvals granted for billiondollar Olive Downs coal mine CONSTRUCTION ON THE $1 BILLION Olive Downs coal mine can now begin, following the Central Queensland project being granted final approvals.

The project is expected to contribute an estimated $8 billion to the local economy and more than $10 billion to Queensland’s economy over its 79-year lifespan. It is also expected to create 1000 jobs in the region.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Pembroke Resources’ Olive Downs Coking Coal Project had been granted the necessary mining leases, the last of the major approvals required for the project to start building the mine.

“This means that construction activities can now start, and the company can start hiring the 500 people needed to build the mine,” Palaszczuk says.

“The resources industry has a long future in Queensland, whether it’s metallurgical coal from the Bowen Basin, bauxite from Weipa or rare earth minerals from the North West Minerals Province.

“This project takes resources investment in Queensland over the past five years to $21 billion, creating 8000 jobs.”

Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert says the granting of final approvals meant Pembroke could begin delivering more jobs for the Mackay region.

“Olive Downs can now proceed to deliver up to 500 construction jobs building the mine and its associated infrastructure including rail and transmission lines, water pipelines and access roads,” Gilbert says.

“When at its peak production, and over its 79-year life, the mine will go on to employ up to 1000 workers in the local region, including in and around Moranbah and Dysart.”

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick says traditional industries play a key role in the Queensland Government’s $8 billion plan to protect the jobs and

At its peak, Olive Downs should produce up to 15 million tonnes per year of metallurgical coal.

businesses of Queenslanders.

“Right through the pandemic we have seen that Queensland’s traditional industries like resources and agriculture have held up well,” he says.

“The resource industry is central to Queensland’s economic future, so right across the state it plays an important part in our plan for economic recovery.

“Our strong health response and our strong borders have positioned us well for economic recovery.”

Mines Minister Anthony Lynham says preparation work for construction at Olive Downs can begin immediately.

“It’s expected core construction activities at the mine site 40km southeast of Moranbah will begin in 2021 with mining starting as soon as construction is complete,” Lynham says.

“At its peak, Olive Downs should produce up to 15 million tonnes per annum of metallurgical coal, which will be transported by rail to the Dalrymple

Bay Coal Terminal for export to key international markets like Japan, China, India and South Korea.”

Pembroke Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Barry Tudor says the mining lease approvals were the final approval hurdle to commence the first stage of the project.

“In addition to our commitment to the environment, we have focused on creating local jobs and proactively engaged with all stakeholders, including establishing a strong relationship with Barada Barna, the traditional owners of the land, with whom we have an Indigenous Land Use Agreement and Cultural Heritage Management Plan in place,” Tudor says.

“Olive Downs has already assembled the key elements required to commence construction following the grant of the mining leases, including securing access to power, water, rail and port, even as finance and offtake partners are finalised.”

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 9

NEWS

Pulsarguard 2010 goes with the grain as flap switch replacement NWF AGRICULTURE, A MAJOR animal feed manufacturer that supplies feedstuffs across the UK, has installed a number of Pulsarguard 2010 acoustic monitoring units to provide non-invasive and wear-free flow detection on key items of production equipment The company produces material in excess of 5000 tonnes per week, meaning it can’t afford breakdowns.

One particular area with potentials for breakdowns are the continuous conditioning mixers. The company operates four of the machines, each taking a feed of dry meal and combining it with steam and molasses. If there is a problem with the dry feed, the liquid components are pumped into an empty mixer, the mixer then becomes clogged, and an expensive and time-consuming clean-up is needed.

Flap switches have been used to monitor the dry feed for many years,

but the abrasive nature of the product wears the flap away, necessitating regular replacement, taking time and requiring a line to be taken out of production.

The Pulsarguard 2010 is an acoustic monitoring device, which is non-invasive with no moving parts, so there are no wear issues.

At NWF, after consultation with the Pulsar technical team, the first unit was bolted directly on to a flange on the outside of a feed chute, directly underneath a screw conveyor.

The unit sits ‘listening’ to the flow of material in the chute. A feed mill is a noisy place with a lot of background vibration, but the 2010 unit proved itself by ignoring the competing noise in the plant.

Since that first unit was installed, it has consistently and accurately monitored the flow of materials in the plant.

“The non-invasive nature and ease of installation, have proved a cost-

The Pulsarguard 2010 is an acoustic monitoring device, which is non-invasive with no moving parts.

effective solution to a problem area of our production system,” Steve Ridout, the NWF technical engineer says.

Since the first unit was installed, NWF have installed a further four Pulsarguard 2010s in a variety of applications, including, on the raw material intakes which handle a wide variety of materials from pelleted product to whole grain to powders, and over the next few months they have plans to replace all of their remaining flap switches.

Boral and UTS launch sustainable concrete research project BORAL, THE UNIVERSITY OF Technology Sydney (UTS) and Southern Highlands Concrete Constructions have launched a new research project to develop advanced technology for manufacturing, placing and curing sustainable concrete.

The two-year project aims to overcome the current technological barriers of low-carbon concrete manufacturing and accelerate development of Boral’s lower carbon concrete.

It is co-funded by Boral and the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative

Research Centre (IMCRC), with both organisations investing $770,000 as part of an overall $6 million investment.

Low carbon concrete uses supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as ground granulated blastfurnace slag, fly ash and calcined clay as binders, instead of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). OPC is a major contributor to carbon emissions after fossil fuels.

The percentage of SCM in low-carbon concrete products has been limited to 50 per cent to ensure blended concrete meets set workability, durability and strength requirements without specialised high-

10 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

temperature curing schemes or the use of highly alkaline activators.

The project team will be led by UTS’ Vute Sirivivatnanon, with core research to be undertaken at the UTS Boral Centre for Sustainable Building at UTS Tech Lab. Researchers will develop and test new ultra-sustainable concrete and evaluate the effectiveness of proposed manufacturing approaches to tackle strength development and improve surface finishing techniques.

Following lab-testing, Southern Highlands Concrete Construction will trial the concrete on construction sites.

First section of Inland Rail complete THE FINAL GOLDEN CLIP HAS BEEN hammered into place to signify the completion of the first section of Inland Rail.

Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack says it was a significant and momentous day.

“Inland Rail is nation-building and today recognises a great milestone in this transformational infrastructure,” he says.

“Inland Rail is an investment in Australia – in our economy, in our regions and in the capacity of our future freight network.”

“This is real progress on a project which has been talked about since federation, already our government has

delivered more than 1800 jobs and $100 million in local stimulus through Inland Rail.”

McCormack says Peak Hill was an appropriate location for the achievement as it was here on 15 January 2018 that the first shipment of Australian-made steel was delivered to begin the project.

“The corridor of commerce we are building with Inland Rail stretches 1700 kilometres from Melbourne to Brisbane – we are turning steel into stimulus as we lay the tracks that will deliver jobs and opportunity,” he says.

“We have invested $25 million in ballast and capping (800,000 tonnes) from Parkes-based companies Calvani Crushing and Ausrock Quarries – a great example of how local procurement is at

the heart of Inland Rail.”

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann described Inland Rail as a once-in-ageneration project that delivers major benefits to the nation.

“Long-haul rail is cheaper, safer and more reliable than road, that’s why the Australian Government is enhancing the national freight rail network through our investment in Inland Rail,” Cormann says.

“The shift from road to rail builds resilience in our freight network – not only will Inland Rail deliver a long-term freight solution for Australia to meet the needs of our growing population – it is also a critical investment supporting an efficient Australian economy.”

LOCAL SERVICE CENTER

COVER STORY

Fenner Dunlop’s vision of Intelligent Conveying Fenner Dunlop has restructured and created a Conveyor Technology Team. ABHR speaks with the team to learn more about what’s in store for the future and how they will harness Industry 4.0 technology.

BRITISH MATHEMATICIAN CLIVE Humby was quoted in 2006 to have said “data is the new oil”. While that fragment may have caught on, Humby elaborated, saying that data, like oil, is valuable but if unrefined, cannot really be used.

According to software company Domo’s sixth edition of its Data Never Sleeps report, more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data were created every day in

2018. It also estimated that by 2020, 1.7 megabytes of data will be created every second for every person on earth.

To find new ways of turning this flood of information into something useful for its customers, Fenner Dunlop created a new team focused solely on the development of new conveyor technologies.

Following the mantra of “Intelligent Conveying,” the Conveyor Technology

Team attempts to develop new solutions and better ways to intelligently improve the performance of conveyor belt systems for their customers.

At the helm of this new division is Alan Clout, Fenner Dunlop’s National Technical Manager and Samuel Wiffen, the Conveyor Technology Manager.

The company’s national and global network of subject matter experts and manufacturing facilities are a support

Fenner Dunlop’s new Conveyor Technology Team aims to create new solutions to intelligently improve the performance of conveyors.

12 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

to Clout and Wiffen, along with local business partnerships to collaborate on niche work.

“It’s hard to develop new products when you’re focused on the day to day running of the business,” Clout says. “Creating a dedicated team is a fantastic change and has given us the infrastructure to develop and deploy new tools for new challenges.

“Samuel joining the team has opened up whole new vistas for myself, giving us new perspectives and further enhancing our team’s knowledge base and capabilities” The team’s first major project is to upgrade its Online Thickness Tester (OTT). Fenner Dunlop has used the technology to scan conveyor belts since 2013 but is now undergoing a rebuild from the ground up to incorporate the latest technology.

“Selecting a high-quality belt is just the start of the lifecycle. To ensure you get the most out of your investment, the belt must be monitored to detect performance issues optimising its return.”

Designed for both fixed and mobile options, this new OTT has been named BeltGauge and measures not only the belt thickness, but also the belt tracking and width. Most wear monitoring today relies on labour intensive manual thickness gauge monitoring, that requires belts to be stopped and hundreds of manual measurements to be done, collated and interpreted.

BeltGauge solves all the human intervention of data collection, as data is streamed into the DigitalHub, where insights are provided to our customers in real time.

Wiffen says previous units could measure the profile of the belt and determine wear, but that was only one part of determining’s a belt’s lifecycle performance.

“Selecting a high-quality belt is just the start of the lifecycle. To ensure you get the most out of your investment, the belt must be monitored to detect

iBelt – DigitalHub The DigitalHub is Fenner Dunlop’s digital intelligence hub that connects the conveyor technology tools and data sources to its front-end applications.

It allows customers to understand real-time predictions and performance of their asset, enabling effective planning for maintenance activities.

A portal has been developed for customers to interacts with and use real-time data, in interactive visuals, digital processes and other ways to help review wear trends, forecasts and manage the belts replacement.

Wiffen says that previous units would require a diagnostics technician to generate a PDF report that would be emailed to a customer, but this wasn’t always helpful.

“Our customers are looking to continually improve their valuable use of time with operations becoming leaner and rapid. Email is a good communication medium, but reports can quickly be lost or outdated as they sit in an overwhelming inbox of emails to be addressed. We make it easy for site personnel and ensure effective time management.” he says.

“DigitalHub automates that process and moves away from the traditional idea of PDF reports. Now, customers can log into DigitalHub and get the results from a central point with easy-to-understand visualisations. Furthermore, for those who don’t have the opportunity to regularly log in, can rely on the SMS notifications, being called to action only when something needs to be looked at” As other conveyor technology products are released or upgraded, they will also use the DigitalHub solution to consolidate the information into one place. This continues the journey towards Fenner Dunlop’s ultimate vision of Intelligent Conveying.

performance issues optimising its return,” he says.

“BeltGauge doesn’t just measure belt thickness, it intelligently takes into account a range of other potential factors that could lead to a damaged belt. This includes monitoring for belt misalignment and edge damage events.

“Autonomously monitoring the

Traditional methods of belt thickness measurement involve tests performed after a period of months – which can mean operators are in the dark if something occurs between tests. BeltGauge scans the belt every revolution and then sends the data to Fenner Dunlop’s DigitalHub cloud using a highly secure network.

conveyor belt in real time allows customers to quickly understand the issue and make decisions, optimising their belts life and offers the necessary insights for programmed maintenance and replacement.”

When an abnormal event is identified, depending on its severity, an SMS or email notification is sent to site staff, allowing operators to stop a problem from escalating.

Clout says the final product

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 13

COVER STORY

BeltGauge measures not only the belt thickness, but also the belt tracking and width.

is the result of several years of experimentation with a number of different sensors.

“I’ve always been keen to see the different ways sensors can be used to monitor this kind of outcome. We used some exotic sensors and through a process of elimination managed to find some that ticked more boxes than anything else,” he says.

“When we started work on version one – a trial device made up of a bunch of sensors and data loggers – we pointed it at a belt and saw it work. It was a small eureka moment.

Progression saw us increase the sensor counts and working in the logging side of things to develop what we have today.”

Industry feedback was also used in the design of the BeltGauge. The team went to the business and its customers to learn what they were looking for

“When we started work on version one – a trial device made up of a bunch of sensors and data loggers – we pointed it at a belt and saw it work. It was a small eureka moment.

Progression saw us increase the sensor counts and working in the logging side of things to develop what we have today.” and learned that the way this kind of technology was deployed, was changing.

Wiffen says customers were looking for something safe and easy to install.

Developing a design that didn’t require site welding eliminated the need for hot work. No structural modifications are required beyond mounting holes in the existing structure. The devices weight and assembly were also considered resulting in a more lightweight and adjustable design.

The device is set to be launched in the final quarter of 2020, following trials at sites around Australia.

Clout says 2021 will be an exciting

14 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

time for the Conveyor Technology Team, with multiple projects in development using concepts like data analytics, AI and machine learning.

“It’s clear that technology and data are the future for new products,” he says. “Already we’re taking and analysing real world data from actual belts in the mining industry in fairly torrid environments – and if it will work there, it’ll work anywhere.”

“It’s a real boon for our development team to be able to sink our teeth into that and use it to differentiate ourselves and add value to our products.”

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PROU DLY S PON SOR E D BY

GRAIN HANDLING

T-Ports grows grain exports for SA Following the success of T-Port’s Lucky Bay Grain terminal, the company has started to build another facility nearby. ABHR speaks to Mark Antushka, General Manager Construction for T-Ports to find out more.

LOCATED ON THE SHORES OF THE Spencer Gulf, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, is the Lucky Bay grain storage and export facility, operated by T-Ports.

The facility, which features 24,000 tonnes of grain storage in steel silos at the port, sits on the edge of a shallow water bay and provides an alternative export option for the local growers in the region. In addition, a nearby bunker storage site provides 360,000 tonnes of grain storage across 10 bunkers, and a strategically located bunker site at Lock, on central Eyre Peninsula, offers 140,000 tonnes of grain storage.

A transhipment vessel, named the Lucky Eyre, loads grain from the port to move it onto deep water vessels five nautical miles from the port. The 87-metre self-propelled and selfdischarging vessel has the capacity to load up to 13,800 tonnes per day.

Mark Antushka, General Manager Construction for T-Ports, says this method of transhipment has not previously been used for Australian

grain exports and eliminates the need for major jetty structures and other port infrastructure.

“Fully laden, the vessel only required 4.2 metres of water, meaning it can operate in relatively shallow conditions,” he says.

“Shallow water ports have a much lower environmental footprint, reducing the ecological disturbance in comparison to deep water facilities, and significantly lower capital expenditure.

“Due to the port being located close to the product, these facilities substantially reduce the road haulage distances, reducing the cost to government for road repairs and maintenance and reducing carbon dioxide emissions considerably.”

To build on the success of the Lucky Bay operation, T-Ports began planning to build a new facility across the gulf at Wallaroo, in a project funded by the ICAM ACIF Infrastructure Trust. The grain export facility will add another half a million tonnes of grain storage to A transhipment vessel loads grain from the port to move it onto deep water vessels.

T-Port CEO Kieran Carvill at Lucky Bay port.

the region.

Planning for the second port in the T-Ports operating network has been underway for several years, and included significant scoping studies of the coastal environment, shoreline, inland freight networks and economic feasibility to ensure the port’s long-term sustainability.

After the initial designs were finalised, four specialised companies were approached to help build the project, with the final contract awarded to Allied Grain Systems.

Antushka says Allied Grain Systems ticked all the boxes for T-Ports.

“Allied Grain Systems specialise in structural and mechanical engineering and have a strong track record of project management with a number of Tier One clients for similar agricultural facilities,” he says.

“The company has its own inhouse engineering team that considers the value engineering process very seriously, working in a partnership with the client to ensure the fit for purpose solution is provided to meet a fixed budget.”

Allied Grain Systems will work closely with T-Ports to provide the right equipment and infrastructure for the project. Two silos will provide 20,500 tonnes of storage at the port itself with around 240,000 tonnes of storage nearby at a bunker site, along with a 500 metre rock causeway with a conveyor to a shiploader to load the transhipment vessel.

The silos will be fully sealed to allow for fumigation and will be connected to two hoppers with an intake of 500 tonnes per hour each. The belt conveyor

16 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

across the top of the silos is an enclosed Hi Roller belt conveyor, with dust filters equipped at each transfer point to minimise dust emissions.

Another benefit Antushka outlines is the highly automated nature of the facility, which will be managed through one of Allied Grain Systems’ contractors, Bitwise.

Construction of the facility is expected to take between 12 and 18 months, with around 200 jobs expected to be created during this time.

Kieran Carvill, T-Ports Chief Executive Officer, says there are efficiencies and cost savings in building the Wallaroo port on the opposite side of the Spencer Gulf to Lucky Bay. “The port at Wallaroo is the logical next step in the T-Ports journey following the successful first harvest and export season at Lucky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to offering competition for growers in the Yorke

Peninsula and Mid North regions and delivering significant supply chain savings.

“The feedback we’ve received to date has been very positive with growers looking forward to competition in the market. Growers appreciate the need to increase competition in the state’s supply chains which will ultimately benefit them.”

T-Ports expects the Wallaroo port and bunker site to employ up to 60 people, with some of these being casuals during peak periods such as harvest and shipping outturn.

Early site works, including demolition and civil works, are set to begin at the site in November, following South Australian Infrastructure and Transport Minister Corey Wingard approving the project for Crown Development status. T-Ports expects the facility will be operational and ready to receive grain from the 2021/22 harvest.

Carvill says the use of disruptive state-of-the-art technology provided an

alternative for infrastructure projects in South Australia.

“South Australian grain growers are the first to benefit from our innovative transhipment technology positioning port infrastructure close to a product’s origin,” he says.

“Having a larger number of regional shallow-water ports, rather than transporting commodities to city ports on trucks or trains, makes sense.

“Anyone looking to market their product efficiently is strongly encouraged to get in touch with the T-Ports team to speak to us about how we can deliver an efficient, cost-effective export pathway.

“We can offer project financing, skills and knowledge in planning, designing, engineering, building and operating port and vessel infrastructure for customers.

“T-Ports is committed to building infrastructure enabling growth in South Australia and is proud to be part of the state’s economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

MOBILE CONVEYORS

The surprising versatility of mobile conveyors Mobile conveyors can often be thought of as too niche for most bulk handling applications, but Greg Keane from Mobile Conveying Services says the machinery is more flexible than many would expect.

FIXED CONVEYORS TEND TO GET most of the attention in mining and shipping applications, while mobile conveyors tend to be seen as primarily something for quarry applications.

While wheel loaders, excavators and dump trucks are generally seen as the primary mobile means of moving bulk materials, Telebelts were traditionally seen as a “last resort” means of placing concrete that was difficult to pump.

However, Mobile Conveying Services (MCS) has used these machines for applications such as placing filter materials for bio basins (avoiding the compaction of conventional machine movements), placing fill materials in otherwise inaccessible areas, backfilling tailings dams and backfilling over underground fuel tanks and steel arch culverts.

MCS’s focuses primarily on nontraditional applications for mobile conveyors and has grown rapidly from its inception in 2007. The business now has a significant fleet of Putzmeister Telebelt telescopic ruck-mounted conveyors.

Concrete placement is a growing area, particularly with the mixes combining fibre reinforced concrete with a single layer of conventional mesh for high capacity hard stands and warehouse slabs. As MCS has one of only three Telebelt TB 200 machines (61 metre reach) in the world, it is ideally placed to service dam projects, should current talk about dams come to fruition. The other two machines have been used on some of the largest dam projects in the world and set a number of records for this.

18 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Investing in reliability MCS bought some other types of mobile conveyor early in its history but found that these were not sufficiently robust for applications such as ship loading. As a result, it searched the world for something that met its requirements, taking on the agency for a US brand that was not sold in Australia at that time.

When it found that its partial reliance on outside businesses for maintenance of its equipment did not produce consistently acceptable standards of promptness and quality, it employed additional tradespeople and brought the work in house. This allowed MCS to have key people trained in the factory or by factory people who travelled to Australia.

This started a path of self-reliance not just for reliability and improved

Belt scales ensure accurate and full legal loading of trucks.

A grizzly provides a platform to activate the opening of a touch down grab for discharging.

customer service but also for having people with practical operational experience who could identify areas that could be improved, and make engineered modifications in house.

Graeme Cooney, MCS Director and Founder, says his father spent his working life as a toolmaker, which helped him develop an appreciation of what good tradespeople can bring to a business.

“Being a tightly knit business with operational and trades people working closely, with some crossover, has helped to develop a culture of ingenuity and responsiveness. We have found ways to not just respond quickly to maintenance and repair issues but also to see how equipment can be modified to operate more reliably and productively,” Cooney says.

“A great example of this is our truck unloaders, which were bought with a single bay and a need for a support machine to set up the ramps. We developed hydraulic folding ramps that were self-contained, and then developed a dual-bay truck unloader primarily for ship loading. The idea of a conveyor is that it operates continuously but, with truck unloading, there are disruptions

when an empty truck moves off and a full truck sets up in its place.

“With a dual bay unloader, the trucks tip out of sequence so that there is always flow to the ship loading conveyor, shortening the ship loading time.”

A tri-bay unloader was developed as part of a package of equipment used for receiving tunnel spoil from a major infrastructure project in Sydney at a peak rate of 2500 tonnes per hour and distributing it to backfill a disused quarry, facilitating its redevelopment.

A train unloader has also been designed and built to suit an application with constraints that did not allow an off-the-shelf solution.

The next step Recently, MCS responded to a challenge to develop an efficient solution for receiving and transferring bulk material unloaded by a ship’s grab crane. The resulting grab hopper was designed and built by MCS, is now protected by patent and is operating successfully, with further orders pending.

The hopper is trailer-mounted so that it is transportable between wharves. It has a belt weigher to ensure accurate and complete loading of trucks. Cooney says this is the start of the next era for MCS. “In Australia, we have an advantage in being close to the end user,” he says. “As a company, we have a culture of employing and developing skilled, resourceful people who can observe machines in the field and work together to develop ideas for doing things better.

“Instead of asking ‘why?’, we ask, ‘why not?’ and then go ahead and do something. The grab hopper is the start of developing a range of MCS-designed and built equipment for identified market niches.”

MCS plans to invest in more advanced manufacturing equipment to support these market niches and Australian manufacturing in general.

“We were already on this path before COVID-19, but see opportunities for Australian manufacturing in general now that there is a greater community awareness of the benefits of local manufacture,” Cooney says.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 19

POWDER HANDLING

Slipping on a low friction liner Kinder Australia’s K-Slip Low Friction Liner provides a uniform surface for almost any complicated shape to improve flow.

TO HELP SECURE AUSTRALIA’S ENERGY future, a Brisbane-based company builds and operates sustainable shale-to-liquid energy plants.

At one of its sites, it needed to install a mass flow cone for an internal feed bin in the retort. The best half angle for the bulk solid to promote mass flow was 70 degrees for mild steel.

The company knew that at 60° the flow was within the transition area of mass flow and funnel flow and due to constraints within the retort. As such, the maximum half angle that could be achieved was 64.3°.

Charles Pratt, Operations Manager

at Kinder Australia, says the K-Slip Low Friction Liner was implemented as it suited the company’s need for a liner that could be used on any complicated shaper, including bins, hoppers and chutes.

“The flow of very fine particles, although not a high wear problem, does present a new challenge in the way in which it flows, or importantly, not flows,” Pratt says.

“Lining with a conventional low friction material can be difficult to install in these complicated transition and confined points. Round corners and acute angles do not fix well with fasteners. In fact, they often provide another point on which the material can bridge.

“When handling mineral concentrates especially, these material types tend to hang up on any surface

“When handling mineral concentrates especially, these material types tend to hang up on any surface and at any angle. Kinder Australia’s K-Slip Low Friction Liner has been used successfully to overcome many of these flow problems.”

The K-Slip Low Friction Liner is made from a low coefficient of friction thin polyethylene lining material.

20 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

and at any angle. Kinder Australia’s K-Slip Low Friction Liner has been used successfully to overcome many of these flow problems.”

The K-Slip Low Friction Liner is a low co-efficient of friction thin polyethylene lining material, with a synthetic rubber backing. It uses an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene press with a coefficient of friction of 0.9.

This means the liner is very slippery and can allow for shallower angles of chute to be used, which is especially important for secondary scraper dribble chutes, where the carry back material scraped off the belt needs to be directed into the downstream transfer chute.

Material can be fine, dry, sticky, abrasive or wet, but particles must be less than five millimetres in size.

The addition of the K-Slip Low Friction Liners reduced the half angle requirement for mass flow below 64°, meaning the hopper was capable of

“The K-Slip has a range of thicknesses available, with the smallest being just two millimetres in total, meaning it can be cut using a Stanley type knife. For thicker or larger quantities of cutting, a CNC water jet machine is used to make life easy.” achieving targets to meet effective mass flow levels.

To fit the pieces of K-Slip in through the door, it was cut into three sections. The steel faces were cleaned, and the K-Slip glued into position with industrial adhesive.

Pratt says that having K-Slip on a rubber backing makes it easy to glue into position.

“Runner backing eliminates buckling or warping of the surface, leaving it flat to promote even wear and enhanced flow,” he says.

“It also means that fastener heads or caps aren’t in the material path, which can create hang up points.

“The K-Slip has a range of thicknesses available, with the smallest being just two millimetres in total, meaning it can be cut using a Stanley type knife. For thicker or larger quantities of cutting, a CNC water jet machine is used to make life easy.”

The customer’s Lead Mechanical Engineer had used K-Slip in the past on similar problems and found it had improved flow effectively. Kinder also offers supervision of installation by qualified engineers, and the option to supply installation services. This can often involve Kinder designing a complete lining package that may be pre-cut and ready for installation.

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INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING

Aurora advances Australian automation COVID-19 has caused major disruption in the processing industry, requiring businesses to rethink how they handle production lines. ABHR speaks to Braden Goddin from Aurora Process Solutions to learn how automation can create a safer and more resilient workplace.

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION saw the power of steam and mechanical production spread throughout factories around the world.

This wave of technological advancement has continued through the centuries to today and shows no signs of stopping. Implementing these advancements across the industry is often challenged by people’s apprehension to change and the unknown.

The concerns from Industry 1.0 can still be found today as sectors begin embracing Industry 4.0. However, Braden Goddin, Sales and Marketing Manager for Aurora Process Solutions says advances in communication and transport have provided a means to overcome these concerns, paving the way for small to medium businesses to take advantage of cutting-edge technology with confidence.

Aurora Process Solutions provides

end-to-end services for manufacturers of bulk products, including grain, seed, flour, cement, stockfeed and more. The company’s semi and fully automated machinery automates the packaging, conveying, conditioning and palletising of commodities.

Based in New Zealand with operations in Newcastle, New South Wales, and distribution centres in Melbourne and Sydney, the company provides on-site consultation, project management, installation and servicing across the Oceanic region.

Goddin says the development of automation has advanced at a rapid pace but many businesses in Australia and New Zealand are late adopters compared to Europe.

“We have a network of contacts across the processing world – it’s fascinating to hear from them about

automation of specific repetitive tasks being standard procedure in their countries. It highlights the fact we have some catching up to do down here in the antipodes if we want to stay relevant and competitive in today’s global marketplace. The good news is that we have the right temperament for it here, we’re are an open-minded people, practical and used to innovation.

“In a lot of areas, we see jobs that humans just shouldn’t be doing at all,” he adds. “Things like moving 25-kilogram packaging around a factory all day or presenting empty bags onto a filling head.

“These jobs aren’t taking advantage of the remarkable capacity of humans, they’re mundane tasks that can be physically gruelling and potentially dangerous. We are here to help businesses intelligently automate to get the most Robots are best placed in mundane and physically intense jobs.

22 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Automation can be cheaper than expected for small and mediumsized enterprises.

out of their valued team members and improve their working conditions” Braden works with a specialist team of industrial packaging engineers, advising on and providing small and medium- sized enterprises (SME) with the technology required to automate their operations. He explains there are often a few misconceptions when it comes to the technology.

One of the main barriers is the idea that industrial automation requires significant in-house technical resources to manage.

“That’s simply not the case,” Goddin says. “Product development has come a long way in regard to user experience and intuitive operation. Ease of use and simplicity has developed to the point where many of the machines can be considered plug and play. If you can operate a smart phone, then you have the capability.”

To help alleviate this concern, Aurora Process Solutions has developed an augmented reality (AR) service and operation support system. The technology is based on similar military technology designed to help soldiers repair equipment or assemble hardware on deployment in remote locations.

According to Braden, immediate remote

support is critical for the many regional and rural businesses that can’t wait the two days for someone from Melbourne or Sydney to arrive.

COVID-19 and the disruptions it caused forced the company to develop the AR program even faster and has allowed the company to provide close support to businesses during lockdown.

Goddin says the virus has also highlighted the importance of business continuity planning to business owners, adding that automation is a sure-fire way to de-risk operations.

“COVID-19 caused a lot of chaos for plenty of businesses. Some staff couldn’t come to work, and production lines needed to accommodate new social distancing guidelines. In a lot of cases, you can’t just move machines around to do that, which saw reduced production efficiency,” he says.

“Demand also grew during this time as people rushed out to the store to buy essentials like flour and salt, which was frustrating to many manufacturers as their production was constrained.”

Automation can provide a versatile and flexible process which can accommodate dramatic shifts in demand and operating conditions.

The other main misconception

about automation is its cost. According to Goddin, many smaller businesses believe only the multinationals can afford robotics and automation. This is why Aurora works closely with these companies on detailed return on investment (ROI) calculations.

Goddin says the ROI exercise is well worth the time, especially as there are some government initiatives that greatly help SME’s invest in capital equipment as COVID impacts the market, including the ability to write off the full value of assets immediately.

In many cases, the benefits of automating pallet stacking or bag filling and closing can be surprising.

Less is invested in manual labour and associated costs like recruitment, management, superannuation, leave, and the cost of rework.

However, Goddin says automation should not be about replacing humans, it’s about freeing them from mundane, repetitive and physically intense jobs and putting them in fulfilling positions that add more value.

“Ultimately, we want to automate the inhuman, and provide businesses the means to both de-risk their operations and increase their competitiveness in domestic & international markets.”

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 23

MISTRACKING

Mistracking is one of the most common reasons for time-wasting and costly conveyor stoppages.

Fixing belt mistracking problems DYNA Engineering’s General Manager, Thomas Greaves, explains how mistracking belts can be corrected and improve productivity by reducing unscheduled stoppages and maintenance costs.

BELT MISTRACKING OCCURS WHEN the conveyor belt is no longer aligned in its original or recommended position on the conveyor structure. This causes the edge of the conveyor belt to rub against surrounding components and structure and become damaged.

Mistracking can be caused by a broad range of factors. It is one of the most common reasons for time-

wasting and costly conveyor stoppages.

Some simple checks can be performed to assist in identifying the reason for conveyor belt mistracking: 1. Is the belt in poor or worn condition?

If the belt is badly worn or stretched, or shows signs of cracking or wear through the rubber cover, tracking can be problematic because the belt may no longer be straight.

2. Is the belt ripped, torn or damaged?

If the belt has rips, holes or any sort of structural damage to the belt carcass, the belt may no longer be straight. This can also cause the belt to catch on idlers or other parts of the conveyor causing the belt to run off centre.

3. Is the belt splice in poor condition?

Inspect the splice and make sure it is in good condition, has no flaps, loose items or abrupt edges that may become caught on idlers or other components.

4. Is the conveyor pulley lagging worn or material building-up on the pulleys?

If the pulley lagging is worn or material has built up around the lagging, this can alter the effective diameter across the pulley. This will likely lead to the belt wondering off centre, increased instability and may result in the belt running off the edge of the pulley.

One of the most common methods of assisting to correct belt tracking.

24 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

5. Has material built-up on the idlers?

Material build-up around the idlers may result in the belt being steered off

centre, running to one side and contacting other components along the conveyor.

6. Are all the idlers rotating smoothly?

If idlers cease running or become jammed, the stationary roller may act as a brake on that part of the belt. This can cause the belt to run off to one side.

The traditional pivot belt tracking frame A pivot belt is probably the most common method of assisting to correct belt tracking. A pivot belt tracking frame uses the standard conveyor rollers with the addition of a horizontal centre pivot and side guide rollers. When the belt wanders to one side, the edge of the belt will come into contact with one of the side guide rollers causing the frame to pivot. The pivoting motion steers the belt back towards the middle of the conveyor.

However, unfortunately, the gap between the belt and side guide rollers can create a delay in the response to the movement of the belt. This may result in an overcorrection and the conveyor belt will continue to wander from one guide roller to the other.

In extreme cases, when a severe mistracking event occurs, the pivoting frame can move to a point where the pivot reaches its limit and the conveyor belt can

be forced up and over the side guide roller.

This will cause damage to the conveyor belt and surrounding equipment.

Another common problem is the edges of the conveyor belt can be worn prematurely or damaged when coming into contact with the traditional tracking rollers. If the centre pivot becomes worn or seized, the conveyor belt will not track properly and consistently rub and wear against the side guide rollers.

Tracking rollers Tracking rollers (sometimes called trainers) are an alternative to the pivot belt tracking frame, designed to minimise belt mistracking. Usually fitted on the return run of the conveyor belt, tracking rollers assist in keeping the belt aligned and centred on the conveyor system. It is also possible for tracking rollers to be fitted on the carry side of the conveyor belt.

DYNA-TRAC tracking rollers are a relatively low cost and low maintenance solution to belt mistracking. Easily installed on most conveyor systems, they are self-aligning and self-adjusting. The self-adjusting mechanism uses natural belt forces provided by gravity, friction and balance to keep the belt aligned and centred while in motion.

The design effectively steers the belt towards the centre of the conveyor

Tracking rollers are designed to minimise belt mistracking.

DYNA-TRAC are supplied with diamond grooved rubber lagging to improve grip on the belt.

without the need for side rollers or pivot frames. By using conveyor belt forces to adjust the tracking, the tracking roller is constantly adjusting any small changes in the belt alignment. This eliminates any delay response, which is typical of the traditional tracking rollers.

The intuitive steering mechanism streamlines the correct steering response based on the force applied and helps prevent overcorrection.

All DYNA-TRAC tracking rollers are supplied with diamond grooved rubber lagging to improve grip on the belt. This improves the steering performance in a variety of conditions including dry, wet and muddy. Diamond grooved rubber lagging enables more positive and reliable tracking than the traditional plain steel rollers.

Another important feature is the belt edges no longer come in contact with side guide rollers. The side rollers are now redundant and have been removed.

This eliminates any potential damage and wear to the conveyor belt.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 25

ACTUATORS

The rise of electric linear actuators Electric linear actuators are becoming more and more common on industrial equipment, including for grain handling applications. ABHR speaks to Andrew Cooper from LINAK Australia to find out why.

GRAIN HANDLING HAS historically

Each actuator undergoes a test at the factory, not just a sample.

used manually operated, pneumatic or hydraulic gate valves and silo lids, but these can be inefficient or require high levels of maintenance and if manual, place the operator at risk due to heights or potentially explosive environments caused by dust in a confined space created by the movement of grain.

Actuators play a key role in this space, not only providing the force to operate heavy farm equipment efficiently but ensuring the safety of those around the facility. Andrew Cooper, Australia Industry Business Unit Manager for LINAK, says there are three main types of actuators used in the industry – hydraulic, pneumatic and electric.

“Hydraulic actuators and rams are good for applications requiring very high forces, while pneumatics are good for lower force, fast and repetitive motions,” he says.

“However, both hydraulic and pneumatic actuators require a complex system of many additional components which require regular maintenance and in hydraulic systems there is the added risk of hydraulic oil leaks which can contaminate materials. Even in the mining industry, applications are starting to move away from hydraulic actuators because the oil can risk contaminating the finished product.”

“Electric actuator systems are simpler, easy to install, maintenance free and suitable for a wide range of industrial applications requiring forces up to 15kN.” Electric actuators used on industrial applications typically need to be designed for the harsh environments they are installed in to ensure they are robust and reliable.

Specifically, in grain handling operations you will often see actuators outdoors under the hot Australian

26 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

sun, covered in dust and occasionally drenched in rain. Any devices within these facilities needed to withstand these harsh, outdoor conditions.

Cooper says that is why LINAK developed and have successfully supplied their TECHLINE range of actuators to industrial equipment manufacturers for many years. Its robust design, including heavy duty aluminium housing and high IP66 rating even when operating, along with an extensive testing programme including salt spray, chemical resistance, climatic and vibration tests, ensure TECHNLINE actuators continue to operate reliably for many years even in harsh environments.

“Each actuator undergoes a test at the factory, not just a sample, to be sure that it is robust and ready for the conditions they will face.”

He adds that some areas of grain handling facilities are defined as dust explosive atmospheres and any equipment installed and used in those areas must be tested and certified in accordance with IECEx safety requirements.

“Electrical equipment can create electrical sparks, or the surface temperature can reach potentially dangerous levels, and in a dust filled environment, that can become a disaster,” he says.

“That is why we designed an IECEx version of many of our TECHLINE actuators to ensure the housing contains any potential ignition source and keeps the surface temperature low, and why they have been tested and certified for operation in dust explosive atmospheres by a notified body.”

“Customers can confidently install these products in their operations, knowing it has gone through a rigorous safety test and is IECEx certified.”

Another key benefit of electric actuators is the ability to be incorporated into Industry 4.0 operations.

“Information like the current being drawn, the actual position, the number of starts, total running time, running status and if there is a fault can be easily extracted to a programmable logic controller and if the automation system is designed for it, accessed on a phone,” Cooper says.

“With these data points, our customers can find ways to improve the efficiency of their operations through methods like predictive maintenance.

Once an actuator is integrated into an automation system’s communication network real value can be gained from the data available.”

The actuators can be incorporated into Industry 4.0 operations.

Digitalisation has allowed operators to access analytical data to find out exactly what is happening on a site and where something has gone wrong.

LINAK actuators can be easily integrated into a site’s automation system’s communication network enabling simple control and monitoring of the actuator and providing access to a wealth of valuable data points that can provide actionable insight for operators.

Electric linear actuators provide the force to operate heavy farm equipment.

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BAGGING

Commissioning during COVID Just when Sharpes Stock Feeds needed to install a custom packaging plant, COVID-19 saw the country locked down.

ABHR speaks to Alastair and Sam to find out how the company commissioned the plant with remote help. would triple the throughput of the factory, significantly lower the risk of employee injury, reduce plastic on wrapped pallets by half and free up labour to be used in more effective areas.

But when the packaging plant was about to be shipped, COVID-19 sent both countries into lockdown.

Sharpes Stock Feeds wanted a tailor-made packaging line that was fully automatic.

Continuing through COVID-19

BULK HANDLING INVESTMENTS and upgrades tend to have long lead times, stretching months, if not years, as businesses try to find the right option.

This was true for Sharpes Stock Feeds, a family-owned New Zealand animal feed manufacturer that began looking to improve its bagging output.

Alastair Orsborn, whose father bought the company in 1937, says the whole bag market is changing, with paper bags becoming much more common.

“Recycled and recyclable bags are a big market, especially as more ‘lifestylers’ look for more sustainable options,” he says.

“There’s different horses for courses though. Farmers are a bit reluctant to use paper, as water on a farm can weaken the bag and make it less effective for them.”

Flexibility was a key concern for the Sharpes Stock Feeds. It needed to bag and handle a number of different products with a single line, with options for different bagging materials. In addition, the product needed to be delivered in top condition with no contamination.

Orsborn reached out to Italian bagging line manufacturer Concetti, which he had met many years ago during an exhibition in Europe. He and his son, Sam, wanted a tailor-made packaging line that was fully automatic and included a weighing machine, a filling

and closing machine, and palletising and wrapping machine. The goal was to have one automated process that would take the processed feed and turn them into bagged wrapped pallets.

Concetti’s project development department designed the system to the specifications and space available at the family’s factory. The bagging line is equipped with two separate weighing and filling systems, which work independently to reduce the risk of cross contamination between different products and raw materials. In addition, the machine is equipped with a highly efficient cleaning system.

Once full, the preformed bag can be sewn or heat sealed, depending on the needs of the manufacturer and then conveyed to a palletiser.

The final result was a system that Concetti’s bagging system was designed with flexibility in mind.

28 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Concetti had manufactured and tested the automated plant in its headquarters in Umbria, Italy, and had loaded it into multiple shipping containers to send overseas. The original plan was to send Concetti technicians to install and commission the plant, but when the borders closed, it became impossible.

Luckily for Sharpes, the company was still able to assist installation, providing instructions and advice daily over WhatsApp and Skype in the evenings.

Sam says the two companies formed a close relationship and were able to use the quiet periods in the evening to assemble the equipment.

“Every night they ran us through the commissioning process for about four to six weeks,” he says.

Alastair says the assembly was complex, but logical – like putting together a Meccano set. The main challenges came from the electrical side of things, though everything had been marked extensively and clearly for the commissioning process.

The new plant reduced the amount of plastic used for wrapped pallets by half.

Fast Fact

The plant was completely installed around a week before its deadline and has already seen Sharpes’ bagging efficiency dramatically improve.

“We used to need to wait for the bagging process to clear, but now it’s faster than the production side of things,” Alastair says.

“It took a bit of imagination to get set up, but New Zealanders and Australians are resourceful and Concetti has been great to deal with. We now have a machine

that will last for many, many years.”

“If we need to call on them in future, we can rely on the Concetti hotline.

They’ve provided us with essential spares and judging from what we’ve seen almost everything is available off the shelf locally.”

In the words of a NZ-based process technician who assisted Sharpes and Concetti with the install and commissioning, “This is a very smart bit of kit.”

To further support Australian customers, Concetti has also launched a partnership with Victorian-based company Automaint Solutions.

Automaint has almost 50 years of experience in automation and technical assistance of highly mechanised systems. The companies work together to provide remote assistance managed directly by specialised Concetti technicians in Italy, and field interventions within a few hours, by Automaint engineers.

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www.aspec.com.au Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 29

SCREEN CLASSIFYING CUTTERS

When screen classifying cutters outperform hammer mills and knife cutters Steve Knauth from Munson Machinery explains how screen classifying cutters work and where they work best in a bulk handling operation.

SCREEN CLASSIFYING CUTTERS combine the shear of a knife cutter with the impact of a hammer mill at high speeds, reducing friable, semi-friable, fibrous, semi-hard and hard materials into controlled particle sizes at high rates with minimal fines.

Like knife cutters, screen classifying cutters shear material against bed knives but can handle a greater diversity of materials and retain sharpness far longer. At medium to high speeds, they impact material similar to a hammer mill, but have greater flexibility from variable rotations per minute (RPM) for greater control of particles sizes.

As a result, screen classifying cutters are often more effective at reducing friable, hard and fibrous materials into uniform particle sizes from 15 centimetres down to 20 mesh (850 micron) or less, with fewer fines and/or less heat generation.

A horizontal rotor – comprised of tightly packed, staggered parallelograms or ‘stars’ – generates greater force per inch with each cut than a conventional knife-type cutter of equivalent horsepower. This is due to cutter tips on each star that shear materials against twin stationary bed knives at lower speeds, with higher impact at higher RPM. As material enters the infeed chute, it is subjected to successive mechanical shearing against the bed knives until small enough to pass through the screen apertures, the size of which determines residence time. The result is uniform, coarse grinding down to 20 mesh (850

Screen Classifying Cutter downsizes tungsten heavy alloy scrap into controlled particle sizes with few fines and no heat buildup.

micron) with minimal fines or heat generation, and reduced energy use.

Typical applications include reducing bulk foods, tobacco, plastics, batteries, chemicals, minerals, fiberglass insulation, ceramic honeycomb filter media, leather, glass bottles, trim stock, wood products and a broad range of scrap.

30 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

The rotor can range in length from 25 to 183 centimetres, and its geometry can be adapted to optimise the application.

It is available in food-grade, industrial and abrasion-resistant finishes, and in a range of sizes from mini laboratory units to ultra-large units 1.8 metres in length. Screen classifying

cutters can mince, crush or crumble materials that are soft, moist, sticky, medium-hard, fibrous, or friable offering great flexibility in size reduction.

There are a number of different examples and uses for screen classifying cutters across a diverse range of materials.

Jewel Date Company grows, processes, packages and ships dates and date products including whole and diced dates, date flours, granules and powders.

Increased yield and uniform grinding for date processor Jewel Date Company of California, US, switched from using a hammer mill to using a screen classifying cutter to reduce dates into granules and powders.

The company grows, processes and packages approximately 3.6 million kilograms of dates and date products a year. In addition to whole dates, a portion of the crop is processed into date granules and date powder.

A hammer mill previously processed millimetres, or at 1200 RPM for particles 907 kilograms of dates in an eightdown to 4.8 millimetres to achieve the hour shift. The screen classifying cutter output of powders or granules required processes the same amount of product in by its customers. just one hour with more uniform results.

“The screen classifying cutter has not Dates have a high moisture content required parts or maintenance in its first and range in size from 3.2 centimetres to four years of operation, and it has fewer nearly 7.6 centimetres long. To process moving parts than our Hammer Mill,” them, the dates are air-dried for two Jewel Date Company Sales Manager John days to reduce the moisture content Ortiz says. from 50 to 7 per cent. According to the “Stainless construction with a foodcompany, anything greater than 7 per grade finish allows us to clean it quickly.” cent moisture would cause the dates to clump during processing.

Producer of calcium chloride Unlike a hammer mill which uses a satisfies high demand series of hammers strike and break the Cal-Chlor in Louisiana, US, operates material apart, the screen classifying five 76-centimetre screen classifying cutter repeatedly shears it into uniformcutters to meet demand for calcium sized particles. chloride (CaCl2) powder used by the With the variable speed motor, petroleum industry. the plant can run the cutter at 1500 The plant reduces CaCl2 pellets into RPM to produce particles down to 1.6 a powder of uniformly sized particles DVMFAd_BulkHandling11_20.qxp 10/28/20 11:21 PM Page 1

that is used in drilling shale formations, flushing mud from oilfield holes, and filling casings when drilling ends.

“Each screen classifying cutter processes up to 11,793 kilograms of product per hour,” says Brett Davis, CalChlor Operations Director.

The cutters are so important to meeting oilfield demand that Cal-Chlor runs four of them and keeps the fifth for emergency use if one goes offline. The plant’s daily CaCl2 powder production ranges from 181 to 363 tonnes.

According to Davis, the cutters are “near bulletproof” when it comes to processing CaCl2, which is abrasive, generates heat when collected in large volumes, attracts moisture, and is extremely difficult to handle. He notes that as little as 84 to 112 grams of CaCl2 in a cup with water will become too hot to hold in minutes.

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SCREEN CLASSIFYING CUTTERS

Close up of Screen classifying cutter with helical array of staggered, carbide tipped holders that continuously shear material against twin, stationary bed knives.

cutting operation.

The quills are fed pneumatically into a high-speed model 38-centimetre screen classifying cutter. The blades rotate at 2200 RPM and continuously shear the quills against the bed knives, cutting them into five-centimetre lengths. Despite the high rotation speed, there is little to no heat generation and minimum fines.

The cutter contributes to quality by producing uniform pieces and a cleaner cut. Porter says that having a clean, uniform cut is not only important for meeting size specifications but makes for consistency in drying.

Ordnance fabricator saves money, recycles tungsten heavy alloys The cutters are made of stainless steel, which resists abrasion, corrosion and other problems that CaCl2 presents.

Cal-Chlor operates the machines at between 1200 to 1800 RPM to achieve the desired particle size.

Mini paper mill increases efficiency The University of Maine Process Development Centre (PDC) provides the paper industry with collaborative pulp and paper research. The process lab — originally part of the university’s forest and paper industry program — houses a virtual ‘mini’ paper mill with a broad range of processing equipment.

The PDC is equipped to work with a range of raw materials including wood, bark, herbaceous crops, and agricultural residuals. Available processes include extraction, pulping, bleaching, papermaking, coating, and finishing. To facilitate its process work, the lab requires efficient size reduction capabilities to downsize materials into uniform particles.

At the outset, the lab used a hammer mill, which proved to be inefficient and failed to produce consistently sized particles due to its crushing and pulverising action. The PDC replaced it with a screen classifying cutter.

“We specified that unit because it efficiently reduces materials into uniform particle size with a lower energy requirement than the hammer mill,”

says Mark Paradis, the PDC’s group leader of engineering. He added that it requires minimal maintenance.

The Screen classifying cutter played a key role in one initiative to reduce perennial grasses and hay into 3.2 mm particles which were then compressed into biofuel pellets.

In another project, a University of Maine chemical engineering professor developed a biodegradable golf ball partially composed of lobster shells.

Here, the screen classifying cutter reduced the shells to powder form for downstream processing.

High throughput with difficult-to-cut cinnamon ForesTrade produces and distributes tropical, organically grown spices, coffee and essential oils. In 2004, the company built a state-of-the-art cinnamon processing plant in Indonesia.

Mary Porter, Manager of Indonesian operations, says the company equipped the plant with a 38-centimetre screen classifying cutter, based on the recommendation of another local spice producer.

Harvested cinnamon arrives at the plant in bags as rolled sticks, known as quills, that range in length from 7.5 centimetres to one metre. The bags are then manually emptied onto a belt conveyor, where workers remove stones and other extraneous material, and arrange the quills inline for the

32 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Aerojet Ordnance of Tennessee, United States, fabricates parts from tungsten heavy alloys and other refractory metals for defence-related products like ammunition, warheads and electronic shielding.

Tungsten heavy alloys are one of the densest metals produced.

Reclaiming fabrication scrap was difficult and costly, prompting Aerojet to sell the scrap at significantly lower prices than it was worth as a recycled and reusable material.

Looking for a better solution, Aerojet experimented with techniques to reclaim tungsten heavy alloys scrap, including using a hammer mill and manually downsizing pieces. None of the methods was efficient or produced consistentlysized particles.

Tim Brent, Aerojet Ordnance Project Engineer, says a hammer mill’s crushing, pulverising action was not effective with material of this density. With manual reclaim, “labour costs were prohibitive and the results uneven.”

“If we can reuse the material, it is worth two- to three-times more to us than selling it as scrap,” Brent says. “But we couldn’t reuse the material without an effective means of size reduction.”

After testing several size-reduction machines, comparing particle sizes, consistency and economy, Aerojet decided on a screen classifying cutter.

Aerojet’s engineers were aware that the machine had a successful record in similar applications.

As bags of raw cinnamon quills arrive at the plant, they are emptied onto a belt conveyor for processing.

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“The design is simple and stands up to the tungsten heavy alloys,” Brent says.

Aerojet specified an abrasion-resistant interior and a special stand to accommodate containers used in moving scrap to the process machines.

“Downsizing different grades of tungsten heavy alloys raises the risk of batch contamination if the interior isn’t properly cleaned,” he says. “The cutter is easy to clean, compared to other machines.”

When to use a screen classifying cutter Hammer mills and knife cutters are often default choices for size reduction due to their long-term use, familiar names and broad capabilities. However, the range of applications they can satisfy efficiently is narrow.

Many hammer mill users sacrifice particle size control and excessive fines, while many knife cutter users are resigned to frequent shutdowns for re-sharpening of blades that quickly lose their edge.

In these and other situations, plant engineers would do well to test their material on a screen classifying cutter sideby-side with a hammer mill or knife cutter in manufacturers’ test labs. Only in this way can they quantify the difference in efficiency, output and product quality afforded by each machine, and reap performance benefits over the long service life of the ultimate purchase.

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SIMULATION

Calibrating and validating iron ore fines with DEM Onyx Projects has used Rocky DEM, a high-fidelity particle simulation program, to design and troubleshoot transfer chutes for key clients in the mining sector.

BULK HANDLERS THAT ROUTINELY handle ‘sticky’ iron-ore fines often find these materials build-up, requiring frequent hosing to avoid blocked chutes, non-central loading or spillage which leads to delays and lost production.

Perth-based Onyx Projects is a project management and engineering company that develops and delivers projects for the resources and infrastructure sectors. In an effort to definitively predict iron-ore fines’ flow behaviour the company turned to Rocky DEM discrete element modelling (DEM) software, supplied by local partners LEAP Australia.

In collaboration with the software’s developers, Onyx has created calibration/ validation methodology for sticky fines to conduct representative material flow simulations that produce accurate results for one of the most challenging, and important, parts of DEM modelling.

The team determined that the process would entail three steps: • The test should demonstrate the desired flow behaviour.

• The simulation procedure should match the test procedure.

• Calibration should entail simulating a real-life experiment and adjusting simulation input parameters to match the results of simulation to realworld test.

Quantifying sticky fines flow behaviour

Cohesive bulk solids (such as sticky iron-ore fines) can develop sufficient strength to form a stable arch, a phenomenon commonly associated with bins and hoppers, and less often with transfer chutes, that handle wet, sticky iron-ore fines. Fines flow properties are routinely tested in shear cells, measuring the stress at which the material yields (flows) over

Onyx engineers use Rocky DEM’s calibration/validation package to conduct representative material flow simulations that produce accurate results.

a range of consolidation pressures. To perform the final step of calibration/ validation, contact parameters (friction coefficient, rolling resistance, adhesion) are adjusted to achieve a match to bench-tested flow properties.

In general, shear cell testing produces measurements that describe handleability of different bulk materials.

The tests identify the interface between reliable flow and possible limiting or no-flow conditions. From this data, a wide variety of parameters can be obtained, including the yield locus representing the shear stress to normal stress relationship at incipient flow, angle of internal friction, unconfined yield strength, cohesion, and a variety of related parameters such as flow function.

For cohesive materials, the yield locus is dependent on the normal stress applied during pre-shear. Typically, three or more normal stresses are tested to produce a

34 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

family of instantaneous yield loci.

For transfer chute applications, the normal bulk material loads are typically much lower than for storage bins or stockpiles. When reviewing lab shear cell test results, low consolidation (below 10 kilopascals) flow properties are particularly relevant.

Typical flow properties test reports do not contain details of the preconsolidation stage, the normal load applied, and the number of twisting cycles performed.

For dry materials, the preconsolidation load is typically the same as the pre-shear normal load. However, for cohesive materials to achieve ‘critical consolidation’, it is often necessary to use a pre-consolidation load many times greater than the normal load used during pre-shear.

To achieve critical consolidation during the DEM simulation of cohesive materials, the shear cell is filled without

adhesion between particles, with adhesion then applied before the twisting consolidation stage.

Richard Elliott, Principal Mechanical Engineer at Onyx Projects says the company’s client work relies on the advanced capabilities of Rocky DEM software and the speed of its GPUpowered solver.

“Engineers calibrate material flow behaviour through simulating lab-based flow property tests. Material model behaviour is then carefully validated with full-scale chute simulations that we directly compare to site observations of flow and wear patterns.”

By using the accurate DEM simulations with Rocky to capture real flow behaviour and real flow problems, Onyx can thoroughly test and validate its own engineering solutions, providing its clients with optimised products.

Clients processing sticky iron-ore fines can expect fewer problems in

The material in the DEM simulations contacts the impact plate at the same height as the video at site.

There is slight boiling observed at the impact plate which has been replicated in simulations. DEM simulation shows material stuck to the impact plate in the same location.

transfer chutes, reducing material buildup, blocked chutes, belt run-off/drift delays, material boiling on impact plates, and spillage.

If you would like more information on this topic, please visit leapaust. com.au/dem-calibration/ to watch a

30 minute on-demand webinar that explores materials calibration within Rocky DEM with real-world examples presented by Peter Rizkalla, Rocky DEM Product Manager, LEAP Australia and Dr Richard Elliot, Principal Mechanical Engineer, Onyx Projects.

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SCHAEFFLER

GRAIN HANDLING KE relied on its supplier network to find contractors for the delivery and commissioning of the machines.

Delivering the goods Kilic Engineering has proven it is possible to maintain production and deal with interruptions to global supply chains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

IN LATE 2019, THE TERM COVID-19 was unheard of. Few could have foreseen the far-reaching consequences the virus would have while businesses continued trading as usual.

It was at this stage that Adelaidebased engineering company Kilic Engineering (KE) was contracted to deliver three pieces of proprietary equipment to CBH, one of Western Australia’s largest grain handlers.

KE has worked alongside CBH since 2017, fabricating a number of CBH designed machines and developing a relationship between the two organisations. The latest contract was to deliver three multi-load stackers, machines used to outload grain from bunkers or sheds to nearby trucks.

The machines were originally designed by CBH in 2015 and were found to be a success by the grain co-operative’s operations team. A new design that aimed to improve reliability and control had been created, which KE was required to deliver by June of 2020.

Managing Director Jason Kilic says it was welcome business and the culmination of a rigorous procurement process in which KE was pitted against strong Western Australian-based incumbent suppliers.

“While being pleased with the win, we quickly realised the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operation and on our supply chain,” he says.

“Although the vast majority of materials and components were sourced from a supply chain that KE has developed over its 45-year history, our detailed analysis revealed components coming from Italy’s paralysed economy and the much-restricted economies of Germany and China.

“As soon as we understood our exposure to delays, we engaged with our customer and worked proactively to quantify and manage our collective exposure.”

Soon after the company had received the order, it began a streamlined procurement process. Throughout early 2020, it became clear that COVID-19 was going to affect the component supply chain that KE relied on. The company moved to shore up its relationships with its local suppliers, such as Tristar Electrical BL Shipway and SEW-Eurodrive, for the benefit of all KE customers and to get a better insight into what stock was available and when to order.

Craig Dennis, KE General Manager, says the company also negotiated an agreement with Kinder Australia to

36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

hold stock of certain idlers and support equipment to ensure there would be little to no delays when it came time to order.

“Where possible, we have gone to our suppliers and encouraged them to hold enough stock so that we can react accordingly,” he says.

“This has helped us adapt to market and supply chain volatility and we will keep these in place going forward.”

Fabrication of the CBH machines themselves comprised of six major assemblies, including the wheels, main frame, chute work, hoppers and more.

KE organised the procurement process to ensure the longest lead times would be started first, so that everything would arrive at the workshop ready for final fabrication around the same time.

The building process was also set up to ensure it was quick and efficient. A production pause took place following the fabrication of first machine to make the building of the second and third smoother.

Dennis says communication was critical throughout the process to ensure the customer’s expectations would be met.

It was also important when navigating the Western Australian border, which had remained closed to South Australia at the time of the contract.

“Previously we’ve supported CBH with our own workers, which has worked well but wasn’t feasible,” Dennis says.

“In this case, we relied on our supplier network to find contractors that could potentially work for us. After a due diligence process, we entrusted Avon Valley Mechanical for the delivery and commissioning of the machines.

He adds that the experience has tested KE’s communications skills and helped improve some of the ways the company stays transparent.

“While it has been a challenge, we’ve also learned a lot from it,” Dennis says. “Integrity is one of our core values, and this has shown us just how important it is.

“Open, honest communication has helped us when working with subcontractors, suppliers and the client – and will remain a core part of how we run the business going forward.”

The machines are used to outload grain from bunkers or sheds to nearby trucks.

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Sensing the silos HE Silos has partnered with a Danish technology company to release a suite of sensors that can detect grain spoilage days before it happens.

FOR MANY FARMERS, THE GRAIN

Stevie Leigh Morrison with one of the company’s new sensors.

they harvest, and store is more than just a crop, it’s an investment. In some cases, their livelihoods depend on being able to sell the crop at the highest value possible, especially after years of drought and recent bushfires.

However, Stevie Leigh Morrison, Business Manager at HE Silos, says in many cases people are more reactive than proactive when it comes to efficient and effective grain storage.

“One of the key issues in grain storage is that people sometime wait until there is a problem, like mould or insect infestation, before doing something,” she says.

“They will fumigate their grain to save what is left, instead of acting beforehand and preventing any losses.

“It’s possible to lose a whole silo worth of grain, if not more, if spoilage isn’t effectively prevented, which is devastating to a family business.”

To help farmers prevent this, HE Silos has partnered with iGrain, a Denmark-based crop protection technology developer. iGrain’s main

38 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

focus is optimising spoilage prevention and improving the conditions within silos for long-term grain storage. The company has developed a number of temperatures, moisture and carbon dioxide monitoring devices that aim to address these issues.

Denmark’s climate and agricultural industry differs greatly from the Australia’s often harsh conditions, which is why HE Silos began testing the equipment locally. The products have undergone more than a year of testing and are now being rolled out as part of the company’s silo offering.

One of the key sensor devices is the ‘CO2 sniffer’, which can detect grain spoilage and insect infestations up to 48 hours before it occurs. It does so by monitoring the levels of carbon dioxide within a closed silo through a cable that runs through the centre of the structure.

It then detects unwanted biological activity as it releases the gas and notifies the owner about the problem before it gets out of control.

Morrison says systems like this are even more important for silo owners with

HE Silo’s core offering is custom designed silos.

“Our new range of devices helps improve the quality of a crop, increases the return on investment and can last within a silo for up to 10 years with regular maintenance.” high-value crops like macadamia nuts.

“Macadamia nuts are expensive by the tonne, but to ensure you can sell them at the right price, they need to be kept in the right conditions. Without condition monitoring tools, the only way you can find out if there is an issue is by manually opening up the silo,” she says.

“Our new range of devices helps improve the quality of a crop, increases the return on investment and can last within a silo for up to 10 years with regular maintenance.

“We have found that farmers understand the value these types of

monitoring tools provide and have studied the market to learn exactly what they’re looking for from these kinds of tools.”

The new range of condition monitoring devices is now part of the HE Silo’s offering to support the company’s core business – custom designed silos.

The company can manufacture a number of silos, whether it’s a massive industrial storage silo, or a smaller silo for onfarm storage.

HE Silos is now gearing up for busy season, following drought-breaking rainfall across the country.

Morrison says it is important to start preparing for the harvest early to ensure everything is in place.

“You don’t want to be caught in a situation where you don’t have enough storage for fertiliser or grain during the busiest part of the year,” she says.

“Get prepared early, especially if you have any special requirements, to ensure you will be ready for next years harvest”

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FOOD PROCESSING

Kotzur cracks into food storage Australian silo manufacturer Kotzur uses custom designs to ensure food manufacturers can keep their product clean, quality and continuously flowing.

FACILITIES PROCESSING FOOD products face a unique range of challenges, ranging from maintaining product quality and facility hygiene to flow behaviours and dosing characteristics.

The materials being conveyed also tend to exhibit a diverse range of properties and behaviours, often requiring an equally diverse range of specialist equipment to store and handle them.

Ben Kotzur, PhD Engineer at Kotzur, says this is why the family-owned business specialises in designing reliable solutions for its clients and has been doing so for more than 60 years.

One of the company’s recent projects required 400 cubic metres of storage and subsequent dosing for a processed grain ingredient used in food manufacturing.

Food-grade internal finishing was achieved through Kotzur’s smooth

Kotzur’s storage is just as focused on maintaining product quality as it is on hygiene.

40 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

wall silo design, using stainless-steel construction for all contact surfaces.

The silos incorporate pneumatic filling capability, and inventory management through mounting on load cells, with stairs independent of the silos and conforming to AS 1657 provide access to the roof platform.

Kotzur says the silos are discharged through a proprietary design plane flow hopper, permitting a silo outlet diameter greater than the arching dimension of the material.

“This also enables interfacing with a screw feeder, configured to promote an even drawdown of material – critical to minimising the probability of eccentric silo discharge,” Kotzur says.

“The feeder was designed to deliver a known volumetric flow rate of material, giving close control over the input of product into the process. At the request of the client, the silos were fitted with skirting – custom designed and professional in its presentation.

“All structural and mechanical equipment in this project was designed and will be manufactured locally, providing a responsive service to the client.”

He adds that the company’s storage is as much focused on maintaining product quality as it is on hygiene, which could be seen on a recent project involving nut drying silos.

Kotzur had been contracted to supply four, seven-tonne silos for the process, which required drying air to be evenly distributed through the entire product bed in the silo. This was achieved through a bespoke plenum design, constructed from 316 stainless steel and incorporated mountings for over-silo conveying.

The client’s engineering partner, Enerbi, worked closely with Kotzur to finalise the insulation and clean-inplace details to help deliver the project.

Kotzur says the business has a demonstrated track record of exceeding

Belt conveyors are used in the loading and unloading of the silos, specified to accommodate the natural oils present in the product.

this benchmark over the decades.

“It is an essential feature for any storage vessel that is to be used to treat product with fumigant or controlled atmospheres,” he says.

This was incorporated on a Kotzur designed, manufactured and constructed nut storage facility, totalling some 3100 cubic metres of storage in the first stage.

Belt conveyors were used in both the

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loading and unloading of the silos and specified to accommodate the natural oils present in the product.

Broken product was a major concern of the client’s, so a spiral chute was developed and installed in each of the silos to minimise impact loading during silo filling. The elevators were LAO configured to minimise product speed out of the head.

Kotzur says on top of the diverse material requirements of the bulk handling industry, food manufacturers need to trust suppliers to provide specific standards for hygiene.

“The benefits of having a dedicated supplier – working with you to achieve the desired outcome – become apparent,” he says.

“Kotzur have dedicated design, engineering, manufacturing and construction facilities, enabling you to take an initial concept through to implementation and ongoing support with a single point of contact.”

FOOD PROCESSING

Vortex Global provides coffee handling solutions Coffee roasters are relying on Vortex Global’s dry bulk material handling components to keep up with high consumer demand around the world.

TO KEEP UP WITH INCREASING demand, coffee producers and suppliers are looking for solutions to improve production processes.

Laurence Millington, Vortex Global Managing Director says the company has been providing dry bulk material handling components to the coffee industry since 1982.

“This was when boutique companies began experimenting with coffee and espresso drinks and the sale of specialty beans became available for sale to the

general public,” Millington says.

The three-way valves handle ground coffee and do not need to shift between the three outlets while in use.

“Through an extensive history of working with the A quote was provided for 39 Flex coffee industry, Vortex has identified key Tube Diverters. Modifications were made issues with slide gates and diverter valves to offset outlet ports one and three and and developed proprietary technologies also extend outlet port two, a total of 11 to handle everything from whole beans to inches (280 millimetres). Vortex knew the finest espresso grounds.” the valves would handle ground coffee Vortex slide gates, diverter valves and would not need to shift between the and loading spouts are constructed of three outlets while in use. The system government-approved materials and are would run at eight to 10 pounds per designed to be easy to maintain, making square inch and could potentially spike them ideal for the handling of coffee and to 15 pounds per square inch at times. other food and beverage applications.

The valves were ordered and shipped These features also help extend service in late 2000, but in January 2001, Vortex life while reducing lifecycle and was contacted regarding a problem housekeeping costs. the customer was encountering with The products are developed to the diverters. The system was seeing improve process efficiency, provide easy considerably more pressure than was in-line maintenance, ensure dustoriginally indicated when the valves were free environments, self-compensate quoted and the flexible tubing in the for wear, require minimal spare parts, diverters were vibrating loose from their and establish long-term reliability. mounting stubs.

The Vortex Quantum Series has “Engineers from Vortex made three been designed for food and beverage separate trips to the facility to access the industries in particular, and include problem and make modifications to all features to prevent cross-contamination 39 Flex Tube Diverters,” Millington says. and spoilage. Several Vortex components “There were apparent problems with are also designed to accommodate other parts of the system. The systems frequent wash-downs and other group and the customer appreciated sanitation processes.

Vortex’s quick response to identifying

Handling ground coffee with threeway flex tube diverters

Roller gates feature infinite variable positioners to allow material flow control capabilities on both the opening and closing strokes.

In mid-2000, a systems group that was working with a major coffee distributor contacted Vortex regarding the use of their three-way Flex Tube Diverter in a facility expansion. The company liked the cleanliness of the valve and the elimination of possible product cross-contamination and were intrigued about the added flexibility it could provide.

42 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

and resolving the issue.”

Roller gates and Seal Tite diverters for coffee beans Roller gates and three-way Seal Tite Diverters were implemented in a conveying system to support the movement of green and roasted coffee beans. The customer is currently only using the middle outlet of the Seal Tite Diverters. The two outside legs are blanked off for future expansion if necessary.

More than 35 coffee facilities us a Vortex slide gate or diverter valve in their daily operations.

The roller gates feature infinite variable positioners (IVPs) to allow material flow control capabilities on both the opening and closing strokes.

“IVPs are highly accurate,” Millington says. “When automated, the IVP can actuate in increments of +/- 2 per cent.

When manually controlled, the IVP can actuate in increments of +/- 4 per cent.

“Both products are serviceable while in-line allowing for ease of maintenance and minimal downtime.”

Fill pass diverter handling roasted beans System engineers working with the project initially compared a Vortex Fill Pass Diverter to a flapper style scale valve. Upon conclusion of the comparative tests between the two types of valves, the group discovered that the Vortex Fill Pass Diverter caused minimal damage to the roasted beans – much less than the flapper style diverter.

After further review, the engineers proposed an adaption to the Fill Pass that might further reduce damage to the beans. Instead of tangentially conveying the beans into the hopper stack, they suggested replacing the fill stack with a curved discharge tube to introduce beans directly into the bin.

Vortex manufactured four Fill Pass

Diverter Valves with flanged radius discharge elbows. The special design improved the overall bean condition.

Millington adds that coffee producers around the world rely on Vortex products to solve their bulk handling needs.

“More than 35 coffee facilities utilise a Vortex slide gate or diverter valve in their daily operations,” he says.

FOOD PROCESSING

Ingredients for success Specialist manufacturer Archimedes Engineering has embraced custom designs to solve complex processing problems for mood manufacturers.

A mobile screw conveyor used for batching and feeding weigh hoppers.

WHEN BAKING A CAKE, IT’S important to use the right ingredients for the recipe. Using too much flour can cause the finished product to be dry, not enough sugar could spell blandness and without bicarb, the cake may be denser than expected.

In a food manufacturing setting, handling these ingredients requires a certain amount of care, as each have different properties.

Jay Baker, Manager at Archimedes Engineering, says the diverse sector requires custom solutions to achieve the best outcomes.

“Food processing requires a broad array of equipment, including screw conveyors, bucket elevators, flat top conveyors, carton conveyors, overhead rail systems and more,” he says.

“You also need to take into account if its raw or a finished product, the material consistencies, if it’s sticky, temperature or any other inconsistency that may cause it to hang up in a system.”

Archimedes Engineering was formed in 1975 as a manufacturer of screw

conveyors and bucket elevators. In 2010, it was acquired by steel fabrication company the Wulguru Group, where the scope of its services significantly broadened.

The company now provides custom designed solutions for bulk handlers across a number of industries, including food processing, cement, mineral A mixing auger used for various products in flour mill.

44 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

sands and mining. This includes from initial design through to manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance.

To find the right solution for the project, Archimedes Engineering obtains as many details as possible from its clients to understand what they are looking for and why they want it. The company’s engineering team then reviews the information and provides a solution.

“We’ll start by looking at the application and the product – what they’re moving, the characteristics of the material such as densities, flowability and hygiene requirements before looking at what would work best,” Baker says.

“From there, we look at the plant as a whole. We see what is happening upstream to see how the product is formed, where it comes form, and what it travels through. Then we’ll look at the discharge point, whether it moves through a screen, onto load cells or something else.”

Baker says a common issue that food processors run into is capacity throughput – it’s not uncommon for customers looking to increase their current output.

However, a conveyor is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to plant design. A conveyor that can move 20 tonnes but relies on a feeding mechanism that can only handle 10 tonnes might not be the best use of resources.

Hygienic and easy-to-clean machinery are also important aspects of food processing equipment. Many components need to be fully sealed to avoid the risk of contamination, with quick release and easy access maintenance hatches proving to be popular within the sector.

Archimedes uses computer-aided design programs, 3D scanning and in-house modelling to ensure the systems it designs will achieve what the

customer is looking for.

Baker says this approach has led to well-engineered equipment that are heavy duty and long lasting.

These are 100 per cent designed and manufactured within the Archimedes Redbank facility.

“Archimedes has been in the industry for a long time, and our team has the industry experience to know what works and what doesn’t,” he says.

“We’ve found a lot of food processing plants are made up of flatpack systems imported from overseas. These may initially seem like a good deal, but after about five years of wear and tear they break down and can be extremely costly with plant downtime.

“In comparison, we’ve still got some screw conveyors in operation that are more than 20 years old. Our customers tell us that our products are low maintenance and easy to work with.”

Supporting its products in the field are a team of experienced tradespeople

A screw flighting fitted with tip edging for no casing residue.

Minimal clearance flighting for cleaning and minimal product residue.

located in Queensland. All of the company’s machinery is fabricated in Australia and undergoes rigorous

factory testing before being dispatched by road, rail, air or sea.

All equipment comes with manufacturer’s warranty, with contracts often including monthly servicing on equipment, spare parts supply and record keeping for future use. In the event where something goes wrong, Archimedes also offers on-site maintenance and breakdown support.

Baker says the company’s most recent growth has been powered by its turnkey offering.

“Food producers don’t want to spend their time focusing on the equipment, they usually want to focus on providing a higher quality product more efficiently, which is why they leave the upgrades to us,” he says.

“We’ve developed a lot over the past 45 years – we’re no longer just a manufacturer. Archimedes can provide a whole suite of solutions, from design, process review, assessment, and project management.”

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FOOD PROCESSING

Solids handling is an integral part of many food manfacturing processes.

Joining the effort for better food safety Corin Holmes, Operations Manager for Jenike & Johanson, explains what needs to be done to improve food safety across Australia.

FOOD SAFETY AUSTRALIA AND NEW Zealand (FSANZ) places obligations on food businesses to produce safe and edible food. The associated standards seek to lower incidents of food illnesses by ensuring that unsafe food is removed from distribution, sale, and consumption. Issuing food recalls is one means of doing so, often classified by contamination problems such as undeclared allergen, microbial, foreign matter, or chemical contamination.

So far, in 2020, Product Safety Australia has listed 74 food and drink recalls. Recently the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a document entitled New Era of Smarter Food Safety – FDA’s Blueprint for the Future. The 18-page document envisions a framework that will enable food to be traced to its source in seconds utilising analytical techniques to enable real time alerts of contamination prior to consumption.

Interestingly, the blueprint concludes:

“to be successful, it’s equally important for food companies and technology firms, as well as government agencies and consumers, to join in this effort.”

The problem Many food products are manufactured from dry ingredients or sold in dry granular or powdered form. The potential for flow related problems, ranging from mild irritations to serious consequences, can arise from how ingredients are stored, transferred, or fed into or out of the production process. Problems related to solids flow in food processing plants may include: • Segregation of blended materials (for those containing a range of particle sizes) • Damage of friable products • Interrupted product flow (eg. rate limitation) • Uncontrolled product flow (eg. flooding)

46 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

• Fluctuations in bulk density over time • Bin vibrations or structural damage • Spoilage, caking, or microbial growth.

Food storage bins are seldom filled and then fully discharged. Instead, they are often operated on an intermittent basis with variations in fill and discharge rates. Variables influencing this may include production rate and frequency, production schedules, surge capacity, replenishment of incoming feedstocks, consumption rate, surge/storage capacity, and the ability to empty storage vessel completely. The later directly relates to understanding material flow and the FDA’s call to action in context of food recalls.

Understanding flow There is a rational approach to designing processes and equipment to reliably handle bulk solids. Andrew Jenike’s research at the University of Utah forms the basis of modern solids flow engineering. There are

measurable physical properties of bulk solids that should be used for design of storage bins. These properties, referred to as flow properties, are measured in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Australian Standards.

When flow properties of food ingredients are defined and properly applied to design, a reliable handling system can be achieved. However, when a designer is unaware of this approach, ignores or even misapplies the flow properties data in the design process, the resulting flow problems could be deadly.

Understanding flow patterns As identified by Jenike, there are two primary flow patterns that can develop in a bin - funnel flow and mass flow as depicted in Figure 1. In funnel flow, an active flow channel forms above the outlet, with non-flowing material at the periphery. As the level of material in the vessel decreases, layers of the non-flowing material may or may not slide into the flowing channel, which can result in the formation of

stable ratholes. With many materials operating in funnel flow can create serious problems with product quality or process reliability. The first-in last-out flow sequence can even cause some materials to cake, segregate, or

or a mill. In other cases, it may not be possible to see the stagnant material because of the design of the equipment.

For example, screw conveyors and feeders frequently leave a stagnant layer of material between the flight tip and the

When flow properties of food ingredients are defined and properly applied to design, a reliable handling system can be achieved. However, when a designer is unaware of this approach, ignores or even misapplies the flow properties data in the design process, the resulting flow problems could be deadly. spoil which can have serious economic and safety or health consequences.

Ultimately it could even result, as in the case of food manufacturing, in a potential for recall - hopefully before someone consumes it.

Stagnant regions can occur at many points in a process, including conveyors, feeders, transfer chutes, and processing equipment such as product scrubbers, mills or dryers. The stagnant material may be visible, such as the build-up that might be seen in a transfer chute

trough. If not designed properly, hoppers can have stagnant material along the walls that may not be evident from the top surface.

In mass flow, by contrast, all of the material is in motion whenever any is withdrawn from the hopper. Material from the centre as well as the periphery moves toward the outlet. With mass flow, the material flow and bulk density are uniform and reliable; there are no stagnant regions, so material doesn’t cake or spoil. The first-in first-out flow

Figure 1: Funnel Flow(left) and Mass Flow (right).

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 47

FOOD PROCESSING

Figure 2: Cohesive arch (left) and rathole (right).

sequence minimises provides sufficient residence so fine powders such as flour can deaerate. Mass flow containers are suitable for fine powders, cohesive (non-free flowing) bulk materials, and materials that tend to degrade/spoil when stored for extended periods of time without movement.

Understanding flow problems Solids handling is an integral part of many food manufacturing processes.

Whether the end product is a solid or liquid, chances are that powdered or granular materials are handled at some point in the process. Handling problems can cause an undesirable change resulting in a significant impact on product quality and food safety.

Two of the most common flow (handling) problems experienced in an improperly designed bin are no-flow and erratic flow. No-flow from a bin can be due to either arching or ratholing, as depicted in Figure 2. Arching occurs when an obstruction in the shape of an arch forms above the outlet of a hopper and prevents any further discharge.

It can be an interlocking arch, where the particles mechanically lock to form

the obstruction. An interlocking arch occurs when the particles are large compared to the outlet size of the hopper. This is often seen with large particles, particularly those that are irregularly shaped such as breakfast cereals, corn chips or leafy vegetables that may form interlocking structures making discharge difficult.

Alternatively, an arch may form as a result of the materials cohesive characteristics. A cohesive arch occurs when particle-to-particle bonds form, allowing the material to pack together to form an obstruction. Some materials, such as brown sugar, cocoa powder or raisins are prone to bridging as a result of their cohesive strength.

Ratholing occurs in a silo when flow takes place in a channel located above the outlet. If the material being handled has sufficient cohesive strength, the stagnant material outside of this channel will be stagnant. Once the flow channel has emptied, all flow from the silo stops even though full material discharge has not occurred.

Other problems that can occur are related to fine powders, such as flour, powdered sugar and baking powder.

48 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

These and other fine powders may exhibit solids-air interactions that make them prone to flooding, fluidisation or a reduced rate. Blended soup mixes and breakfast cereals are often prone to de-mixing (segregation) during storage and transfer. These bulk solids follow fundamental behaviours that, when understood, can be used to design equipment that will function reliably, eliminate stagnant regions and minimise product degradation.

The affect to food safety Flow problems can lead to myriad safety problems such as spoilage, contamination and even dust explosions. If a material such as flour is placed in a hopper with stagnant regions, microbial growth could occur leading to the development of salmonella. If hoppers do not discharge completely and instead leave a layer of material in the bin, then cross-contamination can occur between batches or cause companies to expend resources cleaning out each hopper before switching batches. If fine powders, such as icing sugar, flood through a hopper then dust

explosions could occur. These safety problems can lead to product recalls or loss of life.

Adverse product changes might include moisture absorption, caking, breakage, and/or microbial growth in the food product. Microbial growth can include pathogenic microbes that are capable of causing disease or illness. E. Coli, salmonella, and listeria outbreaks can cause illness and, in some cases, loss of life. Many factors affect the growth of microorganisms in food processing environments including the source of contamination, moisture, nutrients, pH, temperature, presence or absence of inhibitors, interactions between microorganisms in a population, and time.

Understanding the material flow properties and applying them correctly to design in order to avoid and correct flow problems common to the handling of bulk solid food materials is aligned with the FDA’s call to action and is synergetic with FSANZ’s obligation.

Another factor that can be influenced by equipment and process design is

time. Time is an important factor in the growth of microorganisms since the growth rate of mature microorganisms, where conditions are not limiting, is typically exponential. Thus, where growth conditions may occur, it is important to limit the duration of exposure. In some processes, a product may pass through a temperature/ moisture condition that is well suited for microbial growth. If the product has the potential to enter the process with some level of contamination it is particularly important to limit the residence time at these conditions in order to avoid excessive populations of potentially harmful microorganisms.

Even in less-than-ideal growth conditions, populations can increase.

This is particularly true for in-process materials that may not be as shelfstable as finished products. Thus, it is essential to maintain positive control of movement of the product through the process. When handling powdered, or other dry materials in bulk form, maintaining this positive control through the process can be difficult.

In order to accomplish this, stagnant regions and build-up, where microbial growth can flourish, must be eliminated.

Solids handling problems are common when handling food products in bulk form, and these problems can have significant impacts on plant operating costs as well as product quality. With the constant concern for food safety, proper bin design for dry bulk materials should be undertaken.

Stagnant regions should be eliminated and a first-in, first-out flow sequence should be ensured. This can only be accomplished by measuring key flow properties of the materials and using the properties in a systematic design process to ensure that the storage bin will operate as intended to minimise any negative impact on product quality.

Well-known design methods which have been validated through more than 35 years of application in the food processing industry can be employed to ensure reliable flow, maximising plant performance and ensure product quality and safety, after all, we owe it to ourselves to “join in the effort”.

ENGINEERING

talk

Engineering inconsistency STEVE DAVIS In his regular BULKtalk column, Steve Davis considers the basics of bulk handling that sites often struggle with.

Steve has worked in bulk handling for 30 years, for both resource companies and professional engineering firms, in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada.

His experience encompasses such commodities as iron ore, coal, potash, phosphates, petcoke, sulphur, sands and grain.

Steve Davis, Senior Bulk Handling Expert at Advisian, explores the ins and outs of formatting engineering documents and why consistency is key.

IN RECENT MONTHS I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN creating and reviewing many documents relating to various projects from around the globe. They are all in the English language, and they highlight that many of us, myself included, should take a step back and consider what we are circulating in text. This has particular impact if anything written down becomes part of a legal or commercial document.

English is a diverse language and is not everyone’s first language, but most of us would be using a Microsoft program such as Outlook, PowerPoint, Word or Excel to communicate. All of these have a variety of spelling and grammar checks that can be irritating but do save from making blatant errors in language.

Consistency is key – I have no problem with

Documents represent the author and poor-quality documents may be interpreted as an indicator of quality.

50 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Australian or American English but not both forms in the same document. Center or centre, colour or color but not both. Do you put numerals in parentheses after numbers in words, and then randomly through a document at best? Don’t do this.

When referring to a specific person or term, be consistent. I have just read a document that refers to Principal, Company, Owner, Buyer, Purchaser and Operator, randomly capitalised and all meaning the same body. Also, Vendor, Seller, Contractor, Supplier.

For many years I have edited documents that become commercial when written into a contract.

They are always peppered with a wide variety of modal verbs like can, could, may, might, will, should, shall, has to be, and must when something is expected to be supplied as part of the contract.

Units of measurement SI Base Units Unit symbol m

Unit name metre

SI Units Unit symbol C

Unit name coulomb

Non-SI Units Unit symbol min

Unit name minute

Prefixes Name Yotta

Symbol Y

Value 1024

Name yocto

Symbol y

Value 10-24

kg

kilogram

°C

Celsius

h

hour

Zetta

Z

1021

zepto

z

10-21

s

second

F

farad

d

day

Exa

E

1018

atto

a

10-18

A

ampere

Gy

gray

ha

hectare

Peta

P

1015

femto

f

10-15

K

kelvin

H

henry

l

litre

Tera

T

1012

pico

p

10-12

mol

mole

Hz

hertz

t

tonne

Giga

G

109

nano

n

10-9

cd

candela

J

joule

a

annum

Mega

M

106

micro

μ

10-6

K

kelvin

bar

bar

Kilo

k

103

milli

m

10-3

Ω

ohm

Hector

h

102

centi

c

10-2

Deca

d

101

deci

d

10-1

N

newton

Pa

pascal

S

siemens

T

tesla

V

volt

W

watt

Until recently I believed ‘shall’ was the mandatory verb form, and all others implied various levels of ‘if you feel like it’. If you want to be correct legally and commercially today, I believe the only acceptable mandatory is ‘must’ – the shiploader must comply with AS4324.

Documents are the author’s and the company ‘face’, and poor-quality documents may be interpreted as an indicator of other quality and may even say something unintended. I often get documents with sections that are formatted in American, French or

Spanish from where they were pasted into an English formatted document.

Fonts change randomly in type and size, format changes from justified to left, centre and right, indents and bullets vary at every change, page and section numbering is incorrect, and headers that are different from page to page.

Do you check the abbreviations,

per cent, why are you telling me it is $3,267,452.19. Rounding to $3.27 million or even $3.3 million is good. Do you really mean the cost can be between $2.29 million and $4.25 million?

Does your project have many documents? Are they all formatted similarly? Is the information consistent throughout?

Documents are the author’s and the company ‘face’, and poor-quality documents may be interpreted as an indicator of other quality and may even say something unintended. glossary and references in your documents? I recently reviewed a mechanical specification that was obviously copied from another project ‘go-by’. All the references were to the other project, all the Standards were electrical, and at least 10 per cent were obsolete or incorrect. They were at least all for the correct region. To make it worse, the standard parts of the document, e.g. sections on corrosion protection, testing, packing and transport and others were not updated for the mechanical system.

Numbers and dates are another area that can be inconsistent in engineering documentation. Use 07/10/2020, 7-10-20, 10-07-20, or 7 October 2020 as you please, but use the same format throughout. Use 2,000,000.00 or 2.000.000,00 or other numbering system but only one in a document If your estimate is accurate to ± 30

Units of measurement Drawings and documents are how we communicate our requirements. It is no surprise then when we don’t get quite what we want.

I am not impressed by our use of measurement units in documents and drawings. In Australia we should be mostly using the (metric) SI measurement system, although we still have equipment that was built here in Imperial times and some that comes in from the US. I am bilingual Imperial and Metric, but I hate documents and drawings that combine both unless necessary. Worse still are conversions and combinations. If unavoidable to have different dimension systems, make an appropriate note on the drawing.

Another problem stems from the computer assisted design (CAD) era. Take a conveyor that must be a set length

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 | 51

ENGINEERING

Spelling errors can be detrimental in legal or commercial documents.

overall and is typical trestle and gallery designs. Many drawings use CAD to divide the length into equal dimensions resulting in multiple gallery lengths that are 15,418 millimetres each, for example.

On a drawing board we would have automatically set the galleries at 15,500 millimetres, which is much easier to measure and set out, and with a single gallery having a make-up dimension. There are other examples of equispacing that just make it more difficult to measure and build things.

I saw a drawing with a chute flange of 1000-millimetres-long annotated with “10 bolts, M16 equispaced”. At first glance that seems ok, 1000 / 10 = 100 mm spacing, but this doesn’t work. What spacing would you use?

Even when we get the dimensioning correct, I see many documents that define the units incorrectly, and often have two or more variations. First the table of SI units and non-SI units accepted for use with SI, and the prefixes.

The SI base units are now derived to an international standard. The

The SI base units are now derived to an international standard. The definitions are certainly interesting and not what might be expected. A metre is defined as length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.

definitions are certainly interesting and not what might be expected. A metre is defined as length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Originally it was one ten millionth of the distance from the Earth’s pole to the equator, which is apparently not a stable dimension.

Regardless of language, the symbol is the same. The symbol km represents kilometre, kilomètre, chilometro and kilómetro. SI symbols express both singular and multiple. As an example, kilowatt is abbreviated kW, not KW and not kw. It is 100 kW and not 100 kWs or 100 kW’s. There is a space between the number and the symbol – 100 kW not 100kW. 25 C is 25 Coulombs not 25 degrees Celsius. SI symbols are always associated with numerals, 5 kg not five kg.

We weigh in tonnes, abbreviation t, not Mt (for metric ton), which is million

52 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

tonnes. A million tonnes is not 1 mt, which would be 1 kg. We do not weigh in metric tons, there is no such unit. There are however short tons (2000 lb) and long tons (2240 lb) in the Imperial system.

Squares and cubes are m2 and m3, not m2 and m3. When combining units to get flow or similar the units are t/h, not tph or t/hr. Mt/a not Mtpy or Mtpa. kWh not kwhr or kWhrs. We should not measure anything in derived units, so pressure is measured in pascal.

There are many other rules, and some exceptions, but if you follow the above consistently your document will look significantly more professional.

PS; 500 ml is not a pint. A pint is 20 fluid ounces, except when you buy beer in the US, where it can be anything from 16 to 26 fl oz. Note that 20 fl oz is 568 ml, so we give away 15 per cent of most “pints” in an Australian bar.

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MAINTENANCE

Replacement vs refurbishment At many existing bulk material handling facilities, equipment such as stackers, reclaimers and ore car dumpers are nearing the end of their design lives. Richard Morgan, Frank Gatto and Mark Biggs from Aspec Engineering discuss some of the decision-making logic on when to carry out machine replacement or major refurbishment.

MATERIALS HANDLING FACILITIES require significant capital investment in physical assets as a necessary part of their operation. Many have pieces of equipment that are well advanced, yet there comes a point when owners must decide whether to refurbish existing or procure replacement machine equipment to improve occupational health and safety standards and to improve productivity and throughput.

Traditionally, owners would carry out a refurbishment to allow the life of their equipment to be extended.

However, due to the continuing strong demand for commodity exports and high equipment utilisation levels, downtime is critical. Thus, decisions between refurbishment and replacement equipment can have a big impact on plant availability, cost and revenue.

Equipment types Ore car dumpers Car dumpers, sometimes called tipplers, are used for unloading trains at the receival station to the terminal.

This equipment is subject to many

cycles at a repeatable load per cycle.

Metal fatigue and cracking needs to be managed carefully on this type of equipment once it gets older.

Shiploaders Shiploaders are the last link in the loading chain from mine to ship. High reliability is essential to maintain throughput to the port.

Issues for shiploaders include hatch coverage for the required range of ship types, deterioration, physical damage due to collisions and overloading and obsolescence of mechanical and electrical equipment on older machines. Where extensive trimming out of material into the ship’s holds is required, metal fatigue can also be an important consideration.

Stacking and reclaiming machines Stacking and reclaiming machines are highly loaded structures and are generally very sensitive to changes in balance. Issues affecting the condition of the machines include corrosion, equipment obsolescence, electrical and

54 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

control safety compliance, physical damage due to overloads and collisions and metal fatigue, particularly for reclaiming machines. As machine balance is a major issue, changes in weight and weight distribution need to be monitored carefully. These types of machines are usually highly automated, and a lot of effort goes in to maximising throughput by having the correct settings and sequences.

A survey of some typical machines in Australia found the average replacement age for each machine type was: • Reclaimers 29 years • Stacker-reclaimers 36 years • Shiploaders 42 years • Stackers 40 years Purchase specifications for machines of these types typically define a life of 25 years. However, age is a function of the material and utilisation. Iron ore machines tend to be replaced more often as they are more highly utilised than coal machines.

Historically, equipment has been installed in phases as operations were expanded during commodity booms.

Most materials handling machines operate in a corrosive environment, so corrosion control is important to maintaining the structural integrity.

Probability of Detection (%)

120

Groups of machines are now approaching end of life from the expansion projects that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. Organisations that own large numbers of machines need a strategy to replace their fleets at a sustainable rate over the next 20 years to be able to maintain equipment availability and plant capacity.

100 80 60 40 20 0

Machine failures

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Bulk materials handling machines are large moving structures with dynamic loads and have shown failure rates higher than standard static structures such as buildings. An investigation of the failures of more than 60 materials handling machines found that about 10 per cent of failures could be attributed to fatigue failure.

In most cases these failures were unexpected and lead to catastrophic consequences. About 10 per cent of all failures or about one quarter of the

Fatigue Study Inspections for Cracking and Corrosion Useful life assessment

Useful life assessment

N

Ongoing Inspections for Cracking and Corrosion

Y Interim Fatigue/Corrosion Management Strategy

Crack Depth (mm) Probability of detection

failures that occurred when the machine was greater than 10 years old can be attributed primarily to fatigue damage.

Structural fatigue occurs when cyclic stresses cause progressive failure of the material, in most cases on machines this is steel. Fatigue damage is typically greatest at welded joints or other discontinuities.

Most materials handling machines operate in a corrosive environment, so corrosion control is a very important element to maintaining the structural integrity. Obviously severe corrosion will drastically reduce the cross-sectional area and hence increase stresses.

However, another effect is that corrosion will also reduce the fatigue resistance of the cross-section.

Organisations such as the UK Health and Safety Executive Directorate have statistics on levels of risk for various industry types. For bulk ports and mines, the accepted approach is to control the risks to be as low as reasonably practicable within the tolerable region.

Should damage to the equipment from cracking, corrosion etc bring risks into the unacceptable region, additional controls are required. This may involve things such as: •A stringent inspection and repair regime •K eeping people off the machine while it is operating •R eplacement of major damaged

Replace

Flowchart for Life Extension Process

Repair/Refurbish

components • Total replacement of the equipment It is incumbent upon owners, operators and engineers to provide a safe place of work for the equipment operators and maintainers. Managing

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 55

MAINTENANCE

Bulk material handling machines have shown failure rates higher than static structures such as buildigs.

catastrophic risks such as machine collapses needs to be high priority and requires a lot of attention.

Apart from metal fatigue and corrosion, other reasons for refurbishing or replacing are: •O bsolescence of equipment – items of mechanical and electrical equipment can become outdated such that they are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Hence, it may be necessary to replace this equipment within the life of the machine.

•C onfiguration changes such as the need to accommodate larger ships may be required as the shipping mix and terminal throughput changes over time.

A detailed fatigue study should be carried out based on actual working loads for the machine in operation to evaluate if the structures need to be refurbished or replaced. The study will show the accumulated fatigue damage on elements of the machine. This can be compared to the design standard to show the remaining fatigue life.

Routine inspections for cracking and corrosion should be carried out throughout the life of the machine.

Fatigue damage will be different on different components of the machine as some parts are more heavily utilised than others. The useful life assessment will balance the repair cost for heavily utilised components with the overall state of the machine to determine for how long the machine can be used safely.

When it’s not feasible to keep repairing the machine, the useful life has expired. If the useful life hasn’t expired, there will be a need for ongoing inspections for cracking and corrosion.

However, if the useful life has expired, steps should be taken to replace the machine in its entirety or conduct repairs and refurbishment which may involve replacing major components on the machine.

During the interim period until replacement or major repair/ refurbishment carried out, a fatigue/ corrosion management strategy needs to be adopted to control the risk. The actual extent and interval required for the interim strategy needs to be determined on a case-to-case basis.

Protective coatings are the first line of defence against corrosion which, as discussed, reduces both strength and fatigue resistance. Inspection and repair of paint coating is the main defence against premature failure of this type. Once the paint coating is damaged, corrosion of the underlying steel will occur.

On an existing machine, some of the loads can be measured more accurately than the values assumed in the design standard particularly for operational load conditions. For example, digging forces can be found from the bucketwheel and slew drive power. Live load on the machine can also be recorded. These loads can be used to calculate the fatigue damage to date and predict fatigue usage of a machine.

56 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

Cyclical stresses cause fatigue damage in steel resulting in cracking.

Once cracking initiates, crack growth occurs exponentially. Structures must be inspected periodically to ensure that actual crack size is smaller than critical crack size, otherwise the structure is sure to fail.

There is a chance inspection may not detect cracks particularly in difficult to access locations. The Probability of Detection (PoD) shows how likely it is that a crack of a certain size will be detected during an inspection. The PoD depends on the inspection technique as well as on the crack size and increases with bigger crack sizes. Common inspection techniques for steel structures are: • Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) • Ultrasonic Testing (UT) •V isual inspection.

In general, the ability to repair structures with fatigue cracking is quite limited. Some of the issues are: •A weld repair on parent metal can reduce the fatigue life of the original component by a factor of 10.

•C orrosion repairs using cover plates typically reduce the fatigue life by a factor of 10.

•R epairs to existing welds can have a fatigue life of about one-quarter to one-half of the original component.

•R epairs at the same location will further degrade the fatigue life. It is only practical to repair a weld at the same location three or four times.

•W elds repaired under stress will have a reduced fatigue life – steel should be destressed to less than 20 megapascals prior to repairs being carried out.

Useful life simulation ASPEC has developed a program called FULS (Fatigue Useful Life Simulation).

The simulation estimates the number of cracks that should occur each year in the future and calculates the repair time and cost based on the quantity of cracks and difficulty of repairs.

Crack repair cost inputs are: 1. Fixed cost per crack 2. Variable cost per crack 3. Production loss; this is triggered when total repair time exceeds the available shutdown time.

This approach shows there will be a

time when the available shutdown time is exceeded which quickly causes high production losses that make machine replacement more economic. Essentially, the machine availability and therefore annual production capacity will decrease as the number of cracks increase relatively quickly. This type of situation has occurred with machines at several locations in Australia.

The simulation uses experience with how cracks are typically repaired when they are found during a shutdown.

Cracks usually need to be repaired in the same shutdown as the inspection (critical locations), or sometimes the next shutdown (overflow for noncritical cracks) to manage the risk of catastrophic failure.

Machine replacement The decision to replace a machine will usually be done on both economic and risk/safety issues.

On the positive side, a new machine

can be designed to current standards.

Fatigue and corrosion issues are minimised as fabrication and painting off site will generally get better quality.

Upgrades such as higher throughput or improved clearances can be incorporated in the new design for improved economic returns. The downtime for a changeover can be reduced due to less requirement for site work.

One of the negatives for machine replacement can be higher loads. A new machine to current standards will generally be heavier which will impose greater loads on existing structures.

There may be a need to upgrade infrastructure to cater for higher wheel loads and electrical requirements.

Another disadvantage can be the logistics required for transporting and erecting a new machine on an existing site which may have constrained access.

Machine refurbishment On the positive side, a refurbished

NEED MORE TPH?

machine will generally have less impact on existing infrastructure.

The learning curve for operators and maintainers will be minimised as they will be familiar with the existing equipment. Refurbishment can be appropriate where substantial parts of the machine are in good condition and only limited component replacement or repairs are required.

On the negative side, there can be a lot of unknowns with the condition of existing equipment and structures which can cause unanticipated scope and cost blowouts. Longer shutdown times are generally required for refurbishment.

Shutdowns can be several months with high uncertainty as the shutdown time can increase unexpectedly due to the unknown condition of the existing machine and the need for additional work outside of the original scope. Cost savings with refurbishment need to be balanced against a higher residual risk for this option rather than replacement.

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CHUTE DESIGN

TUNRA’s 10 Commandments for reliable transfer chute design Shaun Reid, Dr. Jens Plinke and Priscilla Freire offer their top 10 tips on how to design transfer chutes that improve plant effectiveness and reduce downtime.

world is the appropriate design of transfer chutes for effective plant operation and reduced downtime.

Transfer chute problems are by far the most common we deal with in our engineering projects, which involve the design or re-design of transfers and associated work, including material characterisation tests, calibration tests and computational modelling. Our engineers have put together a summary with considerations for transfer chute design which was presented at our last intensive course on Bulk Solids Storage and Handling, earlier this year.

to address the requirements of specific applications when performing material characterisation.

Figure 1 demonstrates wall friction test results for a below-water table ore at two moisture contents paired with a

Commandment #1: Thou shalt give adequate attention to the bulk solid flow properties in view of the transfer configuration According to Alan Roberts’ Chute design considerations for feeding and transfer, chute design has been the object of extensive research over the past decades, but attention to the properties of materials being handled and their flow dynamics is often overlooked.

Material properties of relevance for transfer chute design include bulk material specific parameters such as the internal friction angle, unconfined yield strength, cohesion and bulk density, as well as properties concerning the interaction of the bulk material with chute surfaces such as wall friction or wall adhesion.

Duaplate D60 Smooth Considerations such as boundary (or Stainless Steel 3Cr12-2D

wall) friction, cohesion and adhesion are of special concern with so-called wet and sticky materials, and may change 15 20 25factors such 30 as particle drastically with size distribution, consolidation pressure mal Stress (kPa) and moisture. It is therefore important Ceramic Tile

58 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

range of wall liners. As it becomes clear from the test results, liner performance from a friction point of view may be dependent on the moisture content of the material.

Another important point to note

60 50 Angle - degrees

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TOPICS in the bulk solids handling

40 30 20 Duaplate D60 Smooth Stainless Steel 3Cr12-2D

10

Ceramic Tile

0 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Normal Stress (kPa)

60 Duaplate D60 Smooth

50

Stainless Steel 3Cr12-2D Ceramic Tile

40 30 20 10 0 0

5

10

15

20

Normal Stress (kPa)

25

30

is that material characterisation tests are usually conducted across a range of consolidation (pressure) conditions.

Different pieces of equipment will be subject to different loads, but, generally in the case of transfer chutes, flow is characterised by lower stresses, usually in the order of 0-5 kPa.

Commandment #2: Chutes shalt be symmetric, located centrally to the outgoing belt and direct the bulk solid material onto the belt in the direction of travel.

stream direction or, in very long conveyor systems, to address terrain constraints.

Those situations present challenges related to both Commandment #2 and Commandment #3, but, as a general guide, the chute should be designed so that the velocity component of the bulk material in the direction of travel of the outgoing belt matches that belt’s velocity as closely as possible. This will ensure that there is little relative motion between the belt surface and the material stream, which will, in turn, reduce belt wear.

Although not always possible, transfer chutes should be designed with the simplest configuration possible, aiming at a symmetrical geometry. This is especially challenging for brownfield

Commandment #4: The normal component of the stream velocity at the discharge point shalt be as low as possible.

designs, where structural constraints are often in place. In all cases, however, material should be centralised to the receiving belt as early as possible in the transfer. Decentralised loading conditions often cause belt mistracking, one of the most common causes of plant down time, and a major contributor to excessive belt wear, idler failures and material spillage, as discussed by Scott and Choules in Mining Industry Belt Conveyor Transfer Station Design. Noncentral discharge often also contributes to lateral size segregation on the receiving belt, which may present challenges in product quality control.

the impact velocity at the loading point on the outgoing conveyor is necessary to prevent impact wear and damage to the belt and idlers. Doing so also reduces dust generation and spillage caused by material re-bounding. In the case of a typical bulk material that exhibits non-negligible (and often quite high) friction and adhesion characteristics, discharge with some normal vector to the receiving belt is generally required so that the demands of Commandment #5 and #6 are met. It is therefore important that this tradeoff be carefully considered and mitigated by appropriate impact support and interfacing design.

Commandment #3: The in-line component of the stream velocity at the discharge point shalt match, within ±10 per cent, the outgoing belt velocity.

Handling issues such as excessive abrasive wear and spillage often arise from large gradients in velocities between the incoming bulk material stream and the outgoing belt.

Therefore, aiming at matching these velocities as closely as possible helps to minimise these issues, and reduces power requirements to accelerate the material to the outgoing belt velocity.

In the case of transfers between a feeder and a conveyor for example, transfer chutes act as an acceleration device to transfer from a slow-moving feeder to a high-speed belt conveyor.

Transfers may also be used to change

Minimising the normal component of

Commandment #5: The slope and cross-section of the chute shalt be sufficient to achieve accelerated flow with appropriate volumetric clearance at the design throughput.

Commandment #6: Chute slopes shalt be at least equal to the wall friction angle plus 5o.

Meeting all design criteria simultaneously is often a challenge, but as a general guidance the chute slope should be calculated based on the wall friction angle with a safety margin of about 5 degrees for the chute to be self-cleaning. As stated previously, the wall friction angle is often measured at low consolidation pressures in the order of about 0-5 kPa, but this requires selection on a case by case basis. A well-designed transfer chute will generally involve a progressively changing wall angle to ensure accelerated flow and minimise wear throughout the system.

Commandment #7: Impact angles within the transfer chute shalt be minimised.

Although Commandment #4 addresses impact specifically onto the receiving belt, this is a consideration that can be translated into other sections of the transfer as well.

Maintaining low impact angles within the transfer (15-20o or lower) will reduce wear, minimise material dispersion and dust generation, as well as reduce any losses of momentum in the material stream which can lead to unfavourable flow patterns.

Commandment #8: Precautions must be taken in the discharge zone to minimise spillage.

Transfer chutes are volumetrically limited devices and thereby the maximum mass throughput that may be achieved is dependent on the bulk density of the material being transported. By application of a chute analysis technique, such as the continuum mechanics method or DEM modelling, the cross section of the

Material spillage is a serious issue not only from a production point of view but is also a safety hazard and an environmental issue.

Ensuring that the chute and receiving belt are interfaced correctly to satisfy Commandment #3 is key to avoiding a material deceleration zone with material ‘choking’ at the exit, while minimising impact according to

transfer may be designed to provide appropriate clearance for a given stream velocity. As a guideline, the ratio between chute width (B) and material stream thickness (H) shall be smaller than unity, as shown in Figure 3.

Commandment #4 is also imperative.

Lastly, the appropriate use of skirt plates (including selection of skirt material and configuration) can go a long way in preventing material spillage issues.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020 І 59

CHUTE DESIGN

B

Commandment #9: Free-fall zones, or zones of high acceleration, in the chute configuration shalt be kept to a minimum.

Controlling free-fall heights leads to lower impact pressures, which assists in minimising impact wear, degradation and dust. Additionally, higher normal stresses caused by impact affect material behaviour and may lead to operating conditions for which the chute is not appropriately designed.

Another point to note is that impact pressure may also lead to consolidation of the stream, potentially causing material build-up and a reduction in effective cross-sectional area. In cases that free-fall cannot be avoided, care must be taken in design to properly consider impact angles to efficiently redirect a high-speed stream.

Commandment #10: The slope of the fines (scraper/dribble) chutes shalt be of adequate inclination to prevent any material hang-up occurring i.e. dribble chutes must be self-clearing.

The material that is captured by the

B

H

H H B

< 1

Figure 2 – Relationship between stream thickness (H) and chute width (B) for accelerated flow.

belt scraper is very different from the mainstream being conveyed. This is mostly due to the different particle size: it is a much finer and wetter material, which often exhibits significant cohesion. Therefore, in line with Commandment #1, the inclination of

the dribble chute shall be determined based on the flow properties of that finer material. The dribble chute may be lined with materials with the lowest friction coefficients at lower pressures, especially considering that wear is not generally a concern in this region.

ARE YOU A DESIGNER / MANUFACTURER / RESEARCHER / OPERATOR OF BULK SOLIDS HANDLING SYSTEMS / EQUIPMENT / STORAGE?

... If so, you can now expand your capabilities by joining the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling.

The Society has a mission to enhance the discipline of bulk solids handling through research, education and sound engineering practice.

Further information on the Society’s activities, its Constitution and registration procedures are available from the: Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling The University of Newcastle University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308 Phone: (02) 4033 9039 | Fax: (02) 4033 9044 Email: Danielle.Harris@newcastle.edu.au

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MEMBER PROFILE

MEMBER PROFILE:

Jayne O’Shea In each issue, ABHR profiles a member of the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling (ASBSH).

We speak to Jayne O’Shea, a Consulting Engineer for TUNRA Bulk Solids (TBS).

I have been a member of ASBSH since…

July 2020

I am a member of ASBSH because… we don’t always get to see the whole picture, so platforms like this that publish information and innovations from all aspects of materials handling are useful. It’s a good form of communication between suppliers, engineers and the end user of bulk handling systems.

I got into bulk handling because...

I received a University of Newcastle Industry Scholarship Scheme (UNISS) scholarship with TUNRA Bulk Solids during my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. I was introduced to bulk handling working in the TBS lab in the first year of my degree back in 2005 and have been in the industry ever since as I enjoy the work and the people.

I am currently researching … improvements that can be made to various materials testing practices, equipment and analysis methods to help characterise bulk materials and learn more about how a material behaves in different circumstances.

Continuous improvements in technology means there are always new, different or more efficient ways we can analyse a material so we can better predict behaviour.

I love my current work because...

There is large variety in what I get to do as a Consulting Engineer with TUNRA Bulk solids working on real world problems. We work with various types of bulk handling systems and materials from different industries and

62 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2020

countries. I get to use many different analytical tools such as fundamental analysis, simulation techniques and scale modelling. I also get to carry out research, design and participate in courses ran by TBS. I am surrounded by people that have been in the industry for a long time that are still passionate about it.

In my role it’s important to... collaborate. It’s exciting what skills and technology can be translated from unexpected sources, not only in the engineering sector. It is also important to always be learning.

The project I am most proud of is... probably finishing my PhD among everything else that was going on in my life at the time.

My career highlight is... being awarded the AW Roberts Award in 2019, especially considering I have the opportunity to actually work with Prof Alan Roberts.

I am inspired by ... passionate people. Being around passionate people who love what they do is infectious in the best possible way.

The most valuable lesson I have learned is … to listen to everyone and then make up your own mind.

My plans for the future are … to keep learning as much as possible.

When I am not working you will probably find me... parenting. I have three kids aged six and under, so when I’m not working, I am being mum.

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