Originally Posted by AuthorInternational Starch Insituteimgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.starch.dk%2Fisi%2Fmarket%2Fpack%2Fship.h1.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.starch.dk%2Fisi%2Fmarket%2Fpack%2Fship.htm&h=197&w=288&tbnid=6mmgNtc1FR6JdM%3A&zoom=1&docid=qfmOoZKnZJjQZM&ei=G9aJVMOnBIa9UaDgLAD&tbm=isch&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=2009&page=1&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=0CCgQrQMwAg

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The only realistic way you are going to be able to do this is by using a pneumatic tanker(lorry trailer)small cement trailer)

with a self contained trailer mounted power unit that will be able to suction the lime out of the container

and then blow the lime stored in the pneumatic tanker trailer into the silo by simply shutting and opening

valves in the piping. ■

The picture from the Starch Institute is very plausible. But....a trailer cannot stand around for 10 days so you will have to dismount the box on arrival.

When the time comes the box will need to be mounted on a tipping frame, incorporating screw down twistlocks, before tipping. Be sure to secure the doors better than shown in the photograph! On no account open the doors until discharge time. Lime is fiercely hygroscopic and can gum up the lines. Also be sure that the container and liner can withstand the pressure which they will encounter as the remnant contents will blow back into the bag. Between the collecting bin and the silo use the smallest bore pipe that you can get away with to facilitate final cleaning: the Starch Institute's liner outlet tube is very large so take care when connecting a similar liner to the system and avoid lime spillage because washdown is out of the frame.

Be sure about your payloads. Twenty eight tonnes net is pushing your box load beyond any allowable EU or US regulations. Agreed that Arabian regulations are a free for all (The only rule you need to know is that there are no rules!). ■

1. What if the container for transportation to Israel is a 40’ container? I am not familiar with Israeli regulations. But a 40' box would be more overloaded since the empty box weights more.The container mass must meet the transportation regulations of all countries en route.

2. If we want to make a stationary device at the discharge area – what do we need? Who can supply? How much will it cost?I would construct a traveling gantry, with spreader, to move the containers to and from a tipping platform which raises the box through 65 or 70 degrees. The blower unit is adjacent to the box outlet and both are close to the silo to minimise the conveying distance. The gantry crane must have enough headroom to clear a container, say 6m floor to underside of spreader.

3. Is there something transportable for a 40’ container? Forty foot skeletal semitrailers are common enough but the only tipping version I know of comes from Australia. A raised container of that size is unstable in high winds and is very rarely used. ■

It sounds as if you are only investigating this as a "potential for profit enterprise

and are simply looking for free advice at no cost to you, and you have absolutely

no idea as to what is required". ■

Originally Posted by lzaharis

It sounds as if you are only investigating this as a "potential for profit enterprise

and are simply looking for free advice at no cost to you, and you have absolutely

no idea as to what is required".

I'm sort of with Leon on this one now. Changing an already unsuitable container for an even less suitable one does raise the question "Which weighs more: a tonne of feathers or a tonne of lead?" I would just replace 'absolutely' with 'not much'. You need to look for 40' liners for starters! If your exporter needs a machine to fill the containers I can supply with only 1 moving part but the cards are very close to my chest. ■

I learned so much from this thread! I'm studying unloading solutions (mostly railcar unloading) right now, so I don't have much to contribute, but I'm learning for sure and hopefully in the future I can put in my two cents. ■

Originally Posted by densedilute

I learned so much from this thread! I'm studying unloading solutions (mostly railcar unloading) right now, so I don't have much to contribute, but I'm learning for sure and hopefully in the future I can put in my two cents.

If you want to learn then you are already contributing. Actually that is why we are (all?) here. There is a lot to learn. Loading into containers is straightforward enough. There will soon be a drive through loader on the market. The slideshow is ready but it really needs a video and my animation skills are not great.

An unloader version is well on the cards but the machine is more complex and incorporates slack rope conditions which contradicts crane operating standards. Then again the slack rope only happens inside the box where nobody would see it. For unloading it is convenient that most railroad operators mount the 20 footer amidships which just leaves enough room to fit a proper unloading device. However the railcar positioning cannot be accurate enough for simple unloading and so a traveling gantry with 4m long travel is required. This does not involve extra expense since the civil work in rail-yards is already largely in place.

It is possible to stuff and unstuff 8 boxes per hour using 1tm[SUP]-3 [SUP] material. With increased density the loading time decreases, down to a point, but no so much for unloading because the process involves a fixed clean up period. One thing to remember is that when making claims for drive through operations, like I do, just be sure that all doors point to Rome.

There are videos on the subject on YouTube, as you've probably seen. Tipping frames are not the answer: just ask anyone who has had to reverse onto one; uncouple the tractor unit; wait for the tip; recouple and then drag the empty combination away. Its an easy job; boring to the extreme (I've done it aplenty) and not very healthy for those drivers who always have plenty of time for yet another burger while the thing unloads painfully slowly. If you use tipping then you are admitting defeat before you start, especially for rail trackwork clearances. Look at the Aussie YouTube film for just loading and you will notice that the cost of two 20tonne sideloaders, with drivers, is not emphasised in the proceedings. Neither is anybody saying how far the boxes go to get loaded and the same must be true when they are unloaded. Still, its a start.

Intermdoal expenditure is the term. If somebody took the trouble to stuff that container then it is only polite to leave it there, demurrage permitting, until it is needed. That's one reason boxes were sealed: rampant pilferage in UK rail yards was the primary reason for the inception of containers. Don't throw boxes about if you can handle them while they are on the cart. It makes everyone's' life easier.

That's my 2 cents because I can't say more lest I be reprimanded for advertising outside the News From Industry forum.

What products are you loading? ■