Dust-Free Container Loading of Bulk Materials

The volume of powdery dry bulk material being imported and exported is increasing rapidly. Dusty conditions created during loading and unloading make handling difficult, and cost-effective, dry storage of large amounts of the bulk material poses yet another challenge. A large, U.S. dry bulk producer implemented the siloadmaxX container loading system, a new option for fast, dust-free filling of containers with powdery bulk materials and more.

Low Cost Storage of Dry Bulk Materials
The first question was how could the company store huge amounts of dry bulk material for two years or more without incurring the cost of a plant expansion? The cost of traditional storage space within the plant would have reclaimed most of the benefit of keeping large amounts of material on hand. After researching a number of options, ISO dry box containers stored outside turned out to be the answer. Readily available in large quantities from container leasing companies, closed to the elements, and cost-effective, ISO dry box containers provided an efficient, stackable option, and the basis for the company’s solution.
    Next, how could the company load and unload the containers with maximum efficiency. The siloadmaxX system, developed by Germany-based WWTec GmbH & Co. KG, provided the efficient material handling solution for transfer of dry bulk materials directly from existing intermediate storage silos into ISO dry box containers at the manufacturer’s site.

How the siloadmaxX System Works
A protective bulk liner is fitted and installed inside each dry box container. The container is then positioned behind the siloadmaxX mobile system and the loading begins.
    Loading is based on the concept of Strandphase pneumatic conveying. A telescopic pipe is extended inside the lined container and a distributor head ensures optimum filling to nearly 100% of capacity by evenly spreading the material over the available width and height. As the dry bulk material is loaded, the conveying air and free dust particles are drawn into an integrated filter receiver through the gap between the outer telescoping pipe and the inner conveying pipe. A rotary valve under the filter receiver discharges the dust back into the conveying cycle. The entire transfer process is a completely enclosed conveying system to prevent the release of dust into the environment. This system is capable of loading up to 25 metric tons in about 25 minutes, depending on the characteristics of the material, providing the potential to load 500 metric tons of material daily. It provides an efficient, cost-effective solution with the added benefit of dust-free operation.



siloadmaxX         Pelletron Pellbow        Pelletron PBH blow through valve

1. Telescoping loading pipe
2. Filter system with exhaust fan
3. Blower room for on-board air supply
4. Equipment for changing loading pipe positions for horizontal and vertical operations
5. On-top module designed to fit flexible loading spouts of silos for silo unloading
6. Connector for loading using air from truck compressor
7. Pellbow for Strandphase conveying
8. Rotary valve for Strandphase conveying

New Logistics Concept
Transportation of dry powdery bulk materials from the manufacturer’s plant to the end-user facility is traditionally done using bags, big bags, and silo trucks. Handling dry bulk material during the transfer to-and-from storage, as well as to-and-from the carrier, is time consuming and labor intensive. Preparation for transport often requires many steps: (1) loading material from interim storage silos into bulk trucks for transportation over-the-road to a packaging company with the sole purpose of repackaging the material into containers suitable for long-distance shipping. The material is (2) temporarily blown from the trucks into silos, and then (3) dispensed from silos into “big bags”. These “big bags” are (4) loaded for transportation over-the-road to a bulk container loading hub, for example, where the bags are (5) handled again for unloading and (6) transfer into shipping containers for (7) transportation to a final destination. In this traditional scenario, lead time to delivery is increased dramatically and the extra time and handling adds significant cost for both the producers and their customers. The siloadmaxX solution also provides the option to ship loaded containers directly to end users in substantially less time when compared with conventional methods.

The conventional dry bulk material loading and transportation process is illustrated below:

The siloadmaxX material loading process significantly reduces the number of steps.

ContainerQuickFlow (CQF) container unloading system

       
       Finally, with the need for efficient storage and transportation solved, the ContainerQuickFlow (CQF) container unloading system completed the process for eventual unloading of the containers. The CQF unit is connected to the full container that has been mounted on a tilt chassis with the aid of a fork lift. The container is tilted to allow the material to flow through the opening in the rear bottom of the liner and through the CQF discharge hopper. The material is then pneumatically conveyed, with the aid of an integrated blow through rotary valve, into the destination silo dust-free.
    The siloadmaxX mobile loading system, the lined ISO dry box containers, and the CQF container unloading system together provide a complete, cost-effective solution for this company’s immediate storage and logistics requirements. And, should the process require transfer of filled containers to another location, this company is positioned to take advantage of significant additional cost savings.

The siloadmaxX system can be used to transfer most difficult-flowing or dusty, dry bulk materials including:


* Catalyst powder
* PVC
* Lignite
* Various carbon powders
* activated, hydrated, calcinated, pulverized, sulfate, or silicate alumina
* bone meal
* borax
* activated coal
* carbon black
* limestone powder
* various magnesium and phosphates
* sodium
* soybeans, wheat, oats
* fertilizers
* various other agriculture products that are dusty and/or dust explosive, etc.
* and many more

   This new technology is now available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through Pelletron Corp. For more information, contact Pelletron Corp. at 717-293-4008, [email protected], or www.pelletroncorp.com.

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