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Powder and Bulk Engineering, April 1989

73

Case history

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ing

andvik Rock Tools, Bristol, Va., a

manufacturer of rock-cutting tools,
also produces a bolt resin used to adhereroofboltsinundergroundmines. One
of the primary ingredients of the resin is
dry, powdered limestone, which flows
fieelY with Slight aeration and has a Particle size of 60 percent below 200 mesh.
Bagged limestone causes
numerous problems

The toolmaker had been purchasing the

limestonein bags, which presented several

co
m

problems, the biggest ofwhich was cost bagged limestone was expensive. In addition, space in the plant was at a premium,
and storing the bags on pallets took up
1,500 square feet of floor space.
Delivering the bagged limestone to the
850-gallon Cleveland mixer also took
time. First, a worker with a forklift hauled
the palletized bags to the mixing station.
Then other workers opened the bags and
dumped the limestone into the mixer, this
generated large amounts of dust, which
created housekeeping problems and

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The automatic weighing and
conveying of limestone
improves batching accuiracy
and reduces the cost of
producing bolt resin.

Two storage silos discharge powdered limestone into this pneumatic transport vessel, which is located below the larger silo. From here, the limestone
is conveyed directly to a mixer at rates up to 10.6 t/h.

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Powder and Bulk Engineering, April 1989

threatened worker health. Finally, workers
had to bale and dispose of the empty bags.
Another problem with the bagged limestone was poor batch accuracy. Sometimes workers miscounted the bags and
added the wrong amount of limestone to
the mixer; other times the bags werent
completely emptied. These problems
resulted in a batch accuracy of only
7
percent.
_+

Circumstances make choice of

supplier difficult

The toolmaker realized it could save

money by purchasing limestone in bulk

31

and switching to a pneumatic handling

system. It also knew that a bulk system
would reduce storage space requirements,
reduce labor requirements, provide a
cleaner work environment, and offer better batch accuracy.

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However, the budget for the switch was
tight. To reduce costs, the toolmaker decided to convert and reuse two storage
silos - with capacities of 138,000 and
85,000 pounds -obtained h m a subsidiary company. In addition to budget constraints, the space available for installing a
dust collector above the mixer was very
small.

Pneumatic bulk trucks fill these storage silos with powdered limestone. The
larger silo (right) discharges limestone into the transport vessel by gravity;
the smaller silo discharges through a J 2-inch, two-speed screw conveyor
(dark cylinder connecting silos). Total storage capacity is 223,000 pounds.

When the limestone was handled in

bags, the batch accuracy for the bolt
r a i n was f 7 percent. With the bulk
handling system, accuracy has
improved to

f0.6 percent.

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Powder and Bulk Engineering, April 1989

Once Sandvik found an equipment s u p
plier that could work with these restrictions, it purchased the necessary equip
ment: a pneumatic transport vessel, a
screw conveyor, a dust collector, and a
process controller. The supplier designed
the system and Sandvik personnel and a
local contractor installed it.

Opening limestone-filled bags and

dumping the contents into the mixer
generated dust, which created
housekeeping and potential health
problems. The bulk handling system is
equipped with a dust collector that
keeps the mixing area dust-free.

The first step in switching to the bulk system was converting the existing silos. The
larger silos pneumatic bin discharger was
left intact, while the hopper of the smaller
silo was fitted with air pads to fluidizethe
limestone. A pneumatic transport vessel
was installed on load cells below the larger
silo, so limestone could discharge into the
transport vessel by gravity. The smaller
silo was equipped with a lZinch, twospeed screw conveyor, thiswas placed between the silos so the smaller silo could
discharge into the transport vessel. A baghouse dust collector was installed above
the mixer. Four-inch conveying lines and
the necessary air and electrical hookups
completed the system.

With automated weighing and

conveying, fewer workers are needed
to handle the limestone. Purchasing
limestone in bulk also costs less. As a
result, the company estimates that the
system will pay for itself in 6 months.

Bulk system operates more

efficiently

In operation, pneumatic bulk trucks fill

the silos with limestone. To deliver limestone to the mixer, a worker uses a batch
counter to select from twelve different
batch formulas. The process controller
then directs one of the silos to discharge
the required weight of limestone (up to
1,900 pounds per batch) into the transport
vessel; load cells monitor the weight.
When the transport vessel is full, compressed air is introduced and the limestone is conveyed in dense-phase through
a 4-inch conveying line directly to the
mixer. The baghouse collects any dust generated at the mixer. A separate system
batch-weighs the resins and other liquid
ingredients and pumps them to the mixer.

The bulk systems dust collector is

mounted above the mixer and prevents limestone dust from escaping
into the plant atmosphere.

Bulk handling system saves

money, frees floor space, and
increases efficiency

By purchasing limestone in bulk rather

than in bags, Sandvik saves money on raw
materials. By storing the bulk limestonein
outdoor silos, Sandvik now makes better
use of the 1,500 square feet of precious
floor space inside the plant.
The system dramatically reduces labor requirements - workers are no longer
needed to operate the forklift or open the
bags and dump the limestone. The automatic conveying system also reduces the
amount of limestone dust at the mixer.
The dusty work environment created by
handling limestone manually has disap
peared, lowering housekeeping costs and
improving worker safety. In addition, the
bulk system eliminates the need to bale
and dispose of empty bags.
Another major benefit is improved batch
accuracy ( k 0.6 percent). The automatic
feed control delivers the correct amount
oflimestone to the mixer every time, eliminating worker error. This helps create a
better blend with a more uniform mesh
size; the result is a more consistent and reliable bolt resin. The automatic feed also
reduces the batching time, allowing the
toolmaker to mix 15percent more batches
a day.

As a result of these savings, Sandvik estimates the bulk handling system will pay
for itself in less than 6 months.
PBE
Whirl-Air-Flow, Minneapolis,MN.
#352