Brian Warmkessel, Fuller Technologies, explains how upgrading an ageing self-discharging barge with a high-performance pneumatic pump brought new flexibility, capacity, and simplicity to cement logistics in Boston.
As cement demand rises across the northeastern US, efficient logistics have become critical to keeping terminals stocked and operations running smoothly. Dragon Cement’s terminal in Boston is equipped with four 10 000 t silos, ready to deliver cement across the northeast region. But Dragon Cement was limited in its ability to easily fill those silos by the capacity of their 5000 t self-discharging barge. Multiple trips to and from the Dragon Cement plant in Maine were required to keep up with demand, as there was no other ship unloader at the terminal and no way to unload from larger vessels. Dragon Cement approached Fuller Technologies to provide a solution for this bottleneck in their logistics. Mike Greto, Vice President of Supply Chain, Dragon Cement, said “the barge is great and has been working well for approximately 30 years – but we wanted to increase the capacity and efficiency of our operation." He added, “When Fuller told us they could convert the self-discharging Docksider to a Docksider® ship unloader utilising the new FK N Pump – offering a solution to both the capacity problem and improving the simplicity of the operation – we were immediately interested.”
Why the old system had to change
While the Dragon Lady – the self-discharging barge – could discharge from the barge to the silos, it was unable to unload other vessels, so the only option was to keep reloading and unloading the 5000 t capacity barge.
A smarter way to convey
The FK Pump has been a reliable part of materials handling operations for over 100 years, but historically has been limited to short-to-medium distances, making it unsuitable for ship unloading operations. However, with the introduction of the FK N Pump in 2020, new possibilities arose. “The FK N Pump is based on the same design principles as the older M Pump, delivering the cleanliness and simplicity of pneumatic conveying to dry bulk materials handling operations,” explains Brian Warmkessel, Market Manager and Pneumatic Conveying Specialist, Fuller. “But there are some key differences in this design that improve throughput, flexibility, and efficiency, and make it possible to run over longer distances at higher pressures – exactly what was needed to make this pneumatic conveying solution suitable for ship unloading.”
Changes to the length of the barrel and screw, as well as the flights on the screw and the seal, have increased volumetric efficiency by more than 15% and enable higher-pressure capabilities. The improved seal also results in greater energy savings on the higher-pressure applications (20 – 25 psi and higher) and power savings of up to 15% in like-for-like applications. With improved throughput, higher volumetric efficiency, and higher convey line pressures, as well as power savings and a dual discharge housing as standard, conveying capacities up to 600 mtph are possible, depending on bulk density, over distances greater than 1525 m.
By incorporating a Docksider vacuum arm and an FK N Pump, the terminal could now unload bulk carriers and still maintain the mobility of the self-discharging barge. “Having run through the proposal, it became clear that the FK N Pump could solve our capacity problems without compromising the flexibility we get with the barge,” says Mike Greto, Dragon Cement. “We can operate as we did before, loading and unloading the barge, taking it around to other terminals, etc. But we can also accept deliveries from much larger vessels – up to 35 000 dwt – and unload direct to the silos using the Dragon Lady as a barge-mounted ship unloader. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Built for simplicity and easy maintenance
With every iteration of the FK Pump, effort has gone into reducing maintenance and downtime. The results of these efforts include the 3-piece screw and hot swap bearing assemblies.
The 3-piece screw makes maintenance both quicker and easier, cutting screw change-out time by up to a third. By splitting the pump screw into three sections – the centre section being the replaceable wear part – there is no need to disconnect the coupling to perform maintenance, so as well as being quicker, there is also a benefit that the bearings and seals will not be exposed to a dusty environment.
Each Hot Swap is a fully-assembled unit complete with seals, bushings, bearings, and drive or stub shaft. The cost of each assembly is significantly less than buying the individual parts. Hot Swap bearing assemblies can be kept on the shelf, ready to go, reducing downtime to just ~3 hours for a bearing assembly replacement.
While these changes create savings in reduced downtime and inventory, they also simplify the maintenance process, so there is no longer the need for high experience levels. This simplicity will pay off in both the short and long-term as the terminal gets the benefit of greater uptime and reliability.
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