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North America 2019
to close through a standing column of material, if
necessary.
The round-to-square transition above the
maintenance gate contains a ANSI #150 pattern
to connect to the silo and was extended to take
up some of the extra space that existed within the
overall stack up.
Below the maintenance gate is a
Vortex Titan Slide Gate. The gate is pneumatically
actuated by an air cylinder that is equipped with
a threaded rod stop. The rod can be manually
adjusted to limit the opening stroke of the blade.
This feature is used to control the flow of material
to the rotary feeder below.
The Titan Slide Gate is equipped with bonnet
seals that allow the external replacement of the
seals, without having to remove the gate from
place. Modifications were made to address
the fineness of the material handled. The gate
contains a smoother 304 stainless steel blade
and secondary silicone rubber bonnet seal.
Additionally, the bonnet area is air purged to
discourage the accumulation of fine material.
Inlet and outlet transitions with flanges make up
for the remaining space between the maintenance
gate and the plug valve.
Because the telescoping spout was mounted to
the flooring, it is easily accessible for inspection or
maintenance. The company’s spouts are equipped
with a four cable hoist system. This means that,
if a cable should wear or break, the spout will
still be operational until maintenance finds time
to replace it. Vortex’s CNC-machined pulleys,
with radius edges and precision cable grooves,
significantly reduce cable wear. The lifting cables
offer a 10 year cable warranty. A material handling
fan effectively removes dust, created during the
loading process, to where dust collectors are
located at the top of the silo.
Conclusion
Ball Sales was involved with this project
from inception to completion. Because of an
opportunity the customer envisioned, area power
plants now have a broader market for selling
the flyash byproduct, local concrete producers
are able to access a much needed ingredient at
a more reasonable price, and a new business
unit was established. As a result of Ball Sales’
knowledge and expertise, the proper equipment
was selected and installed in this particular
application. The result is a win win for flyash and
the cement industry.
About the author
Kevin Peterson is the Business Development Director
for Vortex’s Titan Products Division. He has created
and shared many articles that address material
handling issues for various industries that deal with
the handling of dry bulk materials.
Telescoping portion of the loading spout, as
seen from truck loading.
Loading flyash in a non-dusty environment.