Manchester based M & I Materials are manufacturers of a sophisticated range of products for worldwide industrial applications that include vacuum greases, vacuum oils and tungsten and among the product portfolio resides a synthetic compound known as MIDEL 7131. This unique, formulated esther has ultra efficient cooling qualities, excellent electrical conductivity, is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Such characteristics combine to produce the highest quality coolant used in the manufacture of transformers. Its use is widespread. Wherever a transformer is applied in the distribution of electrical power MIDEL 7131 is probably the coolant used to minimise or totally eliminate the risk of fire through overheating. Critical when one understands that virtually every public building and most industrial applications, from a theatre to wind farm, the channel tunnel to a hospital, a leisure centre to a shopping mall, employ transformers. Safety considerations are paramount!.
In the process of manufacturing MIDEL 7131 early methods of transferring the raw material – monopenterythritol (penter) – required an operative to collect individual, 25 kg bags from a store on a mezzanine level, carry each 5 metres to a point where the bags would be split and the contents gravity fed into one of two, 1-tonne capacity reactors via an easily accessible hatch.
Each batch comprised 9 x 25 kg bags and prescribed quantities of various acids that had been previously pumped into the reactor from an outside source and raised to a required temperature before adding the ‘penter’ – a time consuming and energy wasting procedure. This mixing process would take nine hours, during which time the entire mix was agitated to assist in the blend while being “warmed” and excess acids were stripped from the blend within the reactor by a process of estherfication. The mix was then transferred under nitrogen pressure for further downstream processing, to be refined to meet European specifications before being finally polished.
By 1997 average output was between 16-20 tonnes/wk but the demand for increased production was growing. In addition, M&I were keen to address the issues of safety and economy such as:
• Dust inhalation, even though full personal protection had always been provided and a vacuum applied to the blender to retain dust in flight.
• Storage, manual handling and disposal of bags.
• Product loss in bag residues.
• Productivity.
• Economies of scale in raw material purchase.
To address these points M&I approached bulk solids handling specialists Flexicon (Europe) Ltd. who designed, installed and commissioned a Bulk Bag Discharger and Conveyor System to address the above and double output. It was also important to prevent moisture ingress during handling as solidification was aggressive and would prevent discharge and risk damage to equipment.
The system comprised a:
1. bulk bag frame mounted on load cells.
2. heavy duty, 1450 round, screw conveyor mounted in a UHMW polyethylene tube.
3. ‘D’ type hopper.
4. 2.2 kw geared drive assembly.
5. 70º discharge transition.
6. agitator and flexifinger
7. control panel.
The system enables a 1 tonne Flexible Intermediate Bulk Bag (FIBC) (raw material was now being sourced in 20 x 1 tonne loads), to be positioned ahead of the discharger by fork lift truck and attached to a cruciform by four corner loops, from where the remote control operated crane hoists the FIBC into position above the base hopper. Before loading, bag inlet ties were opened to allow for inspection and removal of solids that may have been caused through moisture in-take.
When lowered and positioned correctly, the FIBC outlet remains tied. With access via a door in the front of the ‘hopper chute’ the outlet is ‘tugged’ through and engaged into an Iris valve that is then closed prior to untying the discharge ties of the bag. This enables instant control over the speed with which the material is allowed to flow from the bag into the base hopper although generally, the valve is fully opened to allow free flow into the 200 litre capacity, receiving hopper. The exceptional free-flowing characteristics of penter eliminated the need for flow assistors in the system. Product was then gravity fed into the throat of the conveyor and transferred upwards through 45º along the 4.0 m long flexible screw conveyor. It was then gravity fed via a discharge transition into a newly installed “Premix Batch Tank” where the penter and acids were mixed and warmed in batches of 4 x 225 kgs previous to being transferred to the two reactors alternately, while a separate acid stripping tank removed excess acids. The ‘shared heat exchange’ relationship between the premix batch tank and acid-stripping tank cut the process time down from 9 hours to 5 hours.
When product within the hopper falls below a pre-determined level it exposes a level sensor that stops the process, making the operator aware of the status. Under loss-in-weight transfer, product flows quickly until it slows to trickle speed as the target weight set on the control panel is achieved. Material in transit through the tube is accounted for in the loss-in-weight calculation.
Such was the success of the new procedures safety and economy issues were addressed, heat energy levels were minimised and turnover, as required, doubled to an average 32 tonnes/wk.
Much of the improved productivity has been directly related to the benefits of the bulk materials handling system but still further gains were on the horizon. After moving from the Old Trafford site to their present facility the Company opted for a single, 5 tonne reactor, replacing the previous 2 x 1 tonne reactors, eliminating the premix batch tank and enabling single process batches of 900kgs directly into the reactor. This increased present average output levels in a 12 hr cycle (4.5tonne/cycle) to an incredible 47 tonnes/wk – a 200% improvement over the original process method. This change in procedure was preferred because the required size of the premix batch tank, heat exchangers and cooling towers would be too large on this vastly increased level of production.
In order to facilitate the new, larger reactor, both the 4 m high bulk bag discharger frame and 4 m long conveyor were increased to 6 m on re-location.
Safety, economy and increased productivity were always the target and with the prospect of a parallel line in the offing it seems that Flexicon’s bulk materials handling system will have much to contribute to future growth.
Bulk Bag Discharger and Conveyor System
March 22, 2005
M&I Materials take the heat out of fire risk.
Manchester based M & I Materials are manufacturers of a sophisticated range of products for worldwide industrial applications that include vacuum greases, vacuum oils and tungsten and among the product portfolio resides a synthetic compound known as MIDEL 7131. This unique, formulated esther has ultra efficient cooling qualities, excellent electrical conductivity, is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Such characteristics combine to produce the highest quality coolant used in the manufacture of transformers. Its use is widespread. Wherever a transformer is applied in the distribution of electrical power MIDEL 7131 is probably the coolant used to minimise or totally eliminate the risk of fire through overheating. Critical when one understands that virtually every public building and most industrial applications, from a theatre to wind farm, the channel tunnel to a hospital, a leisure centre to a shopping mall, employ transformers. Safety considerations are paramount!.
In the process of manufacturing MIDEL 7131 early methods of transferring the raw material – monopenterythritol (penter) – required an operative to collect individual, 25 kg bags from a store on a mezzanine level, carry each 5 metres to a point where the bags would be split and the contents gravity fed into one of two, 1-tonne capacity reactors via an easily accessible hatch.
Each batch comprised 9 x 25 kg bags and prescribed quantities of various acids that had been previously pumped into the reactor from an outside source and raised to a required temperature before adding the ‘penter’ – a time consuming and energy wasting procedure. This mixing process would take nine hours, during which time the entire mix was agitated to assist in the blend while being “warmed” and excess acids were stripped from the blend within the reactor by a process of estherfication. The mix was then transferred under nitrogen pressure for further downstream processing, to be refined to meet European specifications before being finally polished.
By 1997 average output was between 16-20 tonnes/wk but the demand for increased production was growing. In addition, M&I were keen to address the issues of safety and economy such as:
• Dust inhalation, even though full personal protection had always been provided and a vacuum applied to the blender to retain dust in flight.
• Storage, manual handling and disposal of bags.
• Product loss in bag residues.
• Productivity.
• Economies of scale in raw material purchase.
To address these points M&I approached bulk solids handling specialists Flexicon (Europe) Ltd. who designed, installed and commissioned a Bulk Bag Discharger and Conveyor System to address the above and double output. It was also important to prevent moisture ingress during handling as solidification was aggressive and would prevent discharge and risk damage to equipment.
The system comprised a:
1. bulk bag frame mounted on load cells.
2. heavy duty, 1450 round, screw conveyor mounted in a UHMW polyethylene tube.
3. ‘D’ type hopper.
4. 2.2 kw geared drive assembly.
5. 70º discharge transition.
6. agitator and flexifinger
7. control panel.
The system enables a 1 tonne Flexible Intermediate Bulk Bag (FIBC) (raw material was now being sourced in 20 x 1 tonne loads), to be positioned ahead of the discharger by fork lift truck and attached to a cruciform by four corner loops, from where the remote control operated crane hoists the FIBC into position above the base hopper. Before loading, bag inlet ties were opened to allow for inspection and removal of solids that may have been caused through moisture in-take.
When lowered and positioned correctly, the FIBC outlet remains tied. With access via a door in the front of the ‘hopper chute’ the outlet is ‘tugged’ through and engaged into an Iris valve that is then closed prior to untying the discharge ties of the bag. This enables instant control over the speed with which the material is allowed to flow from the bag into the base hopper although generally, the valve is fully opened to allow free flow into the 200 litre capacity, receiving hopper. The exceptional free-flowing characteristics of penter eliminated the need for flow assistors in the system. Product was then gravity fed into the throat of the conveyor and transferred upwards through 45º along the 4.0 m long flexible screw conveyor. It was then gravity fed via a discharge transition into a newly installed “Premix Batch Tank” where the penter and acids were mixed and warmed in batches of 4 x 225 kgs previous to being transferred to the two reactors alternately, while a separate acid stripping tank removed excess acids. The ‘shared heat exchange’ relationship between the premix batch tank and acid-stripping tank cut the process time down from 9 hours to 5 hours.
When product within the hopper falls below a pre-determined level it exposes a level sensor that stops the process, making the operator aware of the status. Under loss-in-weight transfer, product flows quickly until it slows to trickle speed as the target weight set on the control panel is achieved. Material in transit through the tube is accounted for in the loss-in-weight calculation.
Such was the success of the new procedures safety and economy issues were addressed, heat energy levels were minimised and turnover, as required, doubled to an average 32 tonnes/wk.
Much of the improved productivity has been directly related to the benefits of the bulk materials handling system but still further gains were on the horizon. After moving from the Old Trafford site to their present facility the Company opted for a single, 5 tonne reactor, replacing the previous 2 x 1 tonne reactors, eliminating the premix batch tank and enabling single process batches of 900kgs directly into the reactor. This increased present average output levels in a 12 hr cycle (4.5tonne/cycle) to an incredible 47 tonnes/wk – a 200% improvement over the original process method. This change in procedure was preferred because the required size of the premix batch tank, heat exchangers and cooling towers would be too large on this vastly increased level of production.
In order to facilitate the new, larger reactor, both the 4 m high bulk bag discharger frame and 4 m long conveyor were increased to 6 m on re-location.
Safety, economy and increased productivity were always the target and with the prospect of a parallel line in the offing it seems that Flexicon’s bulk materials handling system will have much to contribute to future growth.
For more information, please visit:
href="https://edir.bulk-online.com/profile/1891-flexicon-europe-.htm" target="blank">https://edir.bulk-online.com/profile...on-europe-.htm
Photo:
The 200 litre receiving hopper showing access door to bag ties and for location of bag spout through the iris valve.
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