You are going to have product degradation with either system of product loading.

Is the sea salt in question ment for human consumption, chemical use or deicing highways?

The end use of the sea salt is the biggest concern and how much product degradation is willing to be tolerated.

You are dealing with a naturally crystaline product and you have to realise that.

Using a vacuum system will be easier to manage as far as loading the bulk carrier as the drop pipe can be extened to the bottom of the vessels hold.

Using a "donkey dick" which is a vertical loading tube that automatically retracts as pile height increases in the hold with or with out a spinner to throw salt will reduce product degradation.

Since you have not told us the size of the vessels in question this also relates to loading speed and production of salt fines simply because of impact of product agains itself and the hold and if the fines are able to be used or not at the recieving port. ■

Mr. Studsgaard,

For the rate that you require it seems that belt conveying will be the best solution.

Is there something about your salt that precludes conveying on a troughed belt?

Our DSI Snake Sandwich High Angle Conveyors use all conventional conveyor equipment and components and sandwich the conveyed material between two (2) smooth surfaced rubber belts to convey the material at any high angle up to 90 degrees (vertical). The system hugs the material gently and does not degrade the product in transit.

We are presently engineering a DSI Snake Ship Loader (with telescoping chute and trimmer) for Australia. It will be operating in November 2006. This is designed to handle a variety of products including Ilmenite (titanium ore).

For more information on DSI Snakes please visit our web site.

If you need a proposal for your requirements please provide the requirements to the writer and I will provide a proposal.

Joseph A. Dos Santos ■

If your client is producing 8000tpd I suspect you are talking about desalination tailings. I mean to say; its a lot of new salt outside of Siberia.

Try asking Koch if a pipe conveyor would help. You need to keep that stuff away from the ironwork as much as possible. Grabs & open belts will throw it everywhere & if it rains, Shamal style, you can expect all sorts of fun & games gulping brine up a tube. ■

In Chile, South America, we have two projects done were our client load salt in a n average rate of 2000 ton per hour.

If you contactme in a private I can give you some more details.

Many thanks. ■