Most new plants or line expansion projects are seeking new techniques to reduce production costs, while minimizing adverse environmental impact. Also, whereas in the past it may have been acceptable to dispose of the last 5% or so of a blended cement, or have a process shut down because of arching or ratholing problems in storage silos, today the processes or plants are required to operate more efficiently. The efficiency of a solids handling process is directly related to the process designer/supplier having a thorough understanding of how solids flow.

Mineral products are complex materials to understand. They can range from relatively coarse, free-flowing rocks to fine, cohesive clay. Thus, quantifying a bulk solid with respect to the process requirements is essential, e.g., analyzing whether or not two-phase solids/gas flow characteristics are important. In some cases, a fine material cannot be handled in a contact bed state, but must be fluidized to achieve a desired flow rate. How to achieve a high flow rate and a high bulk density could be another issue if one is attempting to maximize the packaging density in a bagging operation.

If your plant is currently experiencing flow problems, Jenike & Johanson can help you. If you are planning for a new plant or production line, we can apply our industry-leading technology and years of experience to avoid process upsets due to mishandling of materials that are prone to arching, ratholing,flooding, or segregation .

KEY ENGINEERING SERVICES

• Raw material and product silos and feeders
• Final product unloading and packaging systems
• Pneumatic conveying processes
• Stockpile stacker/reclaimer operation/specification
• Maximizing the reclaim capacity of stockpiles
• Barge or train unloading hopper and feeder systems
• Blending operations
• Systems for feeding materials into pressurized vessels
• Design of transfer chutes

In order to formulate an approach to solving or preventing a problem, we need to learn as much as possible about your application to ensure that handling problems do not occur with the new equipment.

TYPICAL PROJECT APPROACH

• Plant visit for troubleshooting, understanding plant requirements, and process auditing
• Flow properties testing of bulk solids
• Root cause analysis of handling/feeding/conveying problems
• Functional design of solids handling equipment
• Detailed engineering design of equipment
• Supply of custom designed equipment
  

For over forty years, our team of experienced engineers has been providing proven technology solutions that are cost-effective and safe. Contact Jenike & Johanson to help you solve and prevent bulk solids handling problems for your client.