Airslide Replacement

This facility includes several large storage silos holding various grades of cement, slag, and flyash. The abrasive nature of the stored materials began to take a toll on the conveying equipment. The client asked Frazier Bulk to take a look what it would take to replace discharge airslides from two of the silos with new equipment. Access to the old equipment was challenging, as most of it was 30'-40' above grade and under a silo hopper enclosure. Access was further limited by a maze of silo support columns, x-braces, air pipes, and electrical conduits. An industrial consultant with Frazier Bulk thoroughly studied the site and prepared a detailed plan for removal and replacement of the worn out equipment. Custom airslide conveyors were designed, using the latest needle-felt fabric media to allow the stored material to flow by gravity on a cushion of air at low angles. The conveyors were designed to tie into two existing silos and into a telescoping truckloading spout. Tie-ins required tight tolerances in both equipment fabrication and installation. Due to the hard-flowing nature of the stored material, the client was also experiencing silo bridging problems. Frazier Bulk provided several fabric air pads installed in the silo cone to alleviate this problem. A heavy cast rotary withdrawal valve was also supplied as the final silo shutoff valve. Source air for the silo aeration and airslide conveyors was provided via two new blowers - one a low pressure centrifugal blower and one a medium pressure PD blower. Access platforms were provided to service new equipment. Frazier Bulk's industrial consultant worked closely with management to plan the installation for minimal terminal interruptions.

Slag Barge Receiving System

Frazier Bulk provided a turnkey project to Lafarge North America for the design, procurement, and installation of a system to unload barges at their Sugar Creek terminal. The bulk material being conveyed was slag cement, a finely ground powder that is a by-product of iron-ore production. For this project, we worked with the client to determine that the most cost -effective option was to re-use an existing 18' x 18' square hopper to receive bucket loads of slag. Re-using the hopper for a different product require a complete re-design and rebuild of the hopper. We shortened the legs and installed a weather-tight cover on top of the hopper. To elimate any environmental impact, we installed a 20,000cfm dust collector on one half of the hopper top. This dust collector provides a constant negative pressure on the hopper and "sucks" the dust back into the hopper as it is being loaded. To provide an easy drop target for the operator, we designed a hopper inlet, fabricated from 1/2" plate. This allows the bucket to be guided into the hopper. Hopper aeration pads were installed to ensure flow. The client had an existing Fuller FK pump, which they rebuilt, and provided to us for installation. For the installation of this equipment, we custom -made mounting skids and concrete footings. The blower was installed inside a 40' shipping container. We installed approximately 400' of 8" conveying pipe (120' of which was underground), and installed a diverter valve to tie the pipe into an existing pipeline. A new 25HP air compressor system was supplied to operate all of the valves and dust collector jets. The client provided a Fuchs Terex material handler to grab buckets of material from the barge. We engineered and supplied (2) heavy concrete tie -down pads and cables with turnbuckles to secure the machine during operation. All electrical controls were supplied, including a wireless device used to "talk" with the PLC, located approximately 600' away. Frazier Bulk also provided full startup and testing su Plastics

Powder Storage Expansion

pport for all equipment

Frazier Bulk has earned the confidence of its customers and has been rewarded with several repeat business projects. Quality service, expertise, communication, and attention to detail are the benchmarks that have made Frazier Bulk a safe choice. As their bulk storage needs increased, Ritchie Industries contacted Frazier Bulk to help expand storage capacity. Frazier Bulk provided a new silo to interface with their existing silo. The main goal of this system was increased storage capacity. Material from the existing silo was already being conveyed into the plant to feed their plant process. The new silo's "job" was to keep the existing silo charged with material. A Pnuecon vacuum conveying system was used to accomplish this. A vacuum loader sits on top of the existing silo and vacuums material out of the new silo. The reciever has an automated flapper valve that stops the loading process when it senses that the existing silo is full. This 12'x32' silo was brought in on a double-drop trailer and hydraulically tilted into vertical position. A crane stood by to set it in place. The entire installation took less than 2 days.
Slag Railcar Unloading / Truck Loading System

Frazier Bulk provided a turnkey project to Lafarge North America for the design, procurement, and installation of a railcar unloading and truck loading system. The bulk material being conveyed was slag cement, a finely ground powder that is a by-product of iron-ore production. The mandate for this project was to convert an existing bulk materials facility, that was previously used for granulated fertilizer, into a facility that would work well for the demanding conveying & storage requirements of slag. This project involved several months of onsite planning and research. Frazier Bulk first removed a wood & steel overhead bin structure that was directly over the scale. It also removed several underground and aboveground drag conveyors in preparation for the installation of new equipment. Frazier Bulk then installed a railcar transfer system to convey material out of railcars and into either the 140' flat-storage dome or directly into an overhead truck -loading silo. A Cyclonaire semi-dense phase system was used to vacuum material out of both railcar compartments without moving the car. Material was conveyed through a 10" convey line, using heavy-duty Hi-chrome cast elbows and diverter valves, designed specifically for cement conveying. Inside the dome floor, Frazier Bulk installed an infloor pit hopper to extract material from the dome. The pit hopper conveys material out of the dome, through a bucket elevator and into an overhead truck -loading silo. Using a simple touch-screen PanelView, Operators now easily load trucks in a matter of a few minutes. The loading system was automated to provide the optimum balance between dust collection, silo aeration, spout location, etc. In addition to the storage and handling equipment, Frazier Bulk supplied a 14,0 00 CFM dust collection system, a 30HP air compressor, all blowers, electrical installation, a concrete pit and railway modification under the rail unloading area, a climate -controlled operator office, alarms, intercom, traffic lights, and fall protection e quipment.

Plastics Powder Storage System

Frazier Bulk worked with Ritchie Industries to provide a 30 -Ton Storage Silo for the storage of their plastic raw materials. A welded, sealed silo was designed with a simple screw conveyor to convey material into their building. The silo is equipped with an Inventory Management System that allows Ritchie Industries the ability to closely monitor product usage and inventory levels in the silo. Precautions were taken by designing the silo with a pressure/vacuum relief valve and an overfill protection package to prevent accidental overfill. For security purposes, Frazier Bulk supplied a lock on the pneumatic fill pipe, as well as a lockout gate for the roof access ladder. In addition to the silo, Frazier Bulk supplied a load cell scale system for the mixer into which the screw conveyor discharges. This allows the operator to "key in" the desired weight of material; the scale sytem shuts the conveyor OFF when the weight is reached. Find out how we can help you with your plastics-handling requirements.

Cement Truck Loading System

Frazier Bulk worked with Lafarge North America to provide and install a two compartment silo that is used to load trucks at a cement distribution terminal. This was a turnkey system, with Frazier Bulk supplying complete engineering services, installing the foundation, providing equipment, and providing electrical installation. The new silo was tied into the existing system by utilizing a new 100 Ton -per-hour screw conveyor to fill the silo. A diverter valve allows the operator to choose which compartment to fill. Each compartment was also outfitted with a heavy -duty 4 pneumatic fill pipe allowing the silo to be filled from a bulk tanker. The silo discharge utilized separate dust-tight rotary valves that drop into a common air pad conveyor. The air pad conveyor was tied into an existing telescopic loading spout. Internal aeration pads were provided to ensure consistent product flow out of the silo. This system provided loading efficiencies that allow this terminal to load trucks faster and have a wider variety of products on hand to satisfy their customers requirements.

Silgan Containers - Rochelle, IL

Paint Storage System
Frazier Bulk developed and installed an epoxy paint storage system for Silgan Containers Manufacturing. The epoxy is shipped to Silgan in square stainless-steel tote boxes. The traditional method of getting material out of the boxes was to hook a hose directly from the tote box to the plumbing system. However, Silgan wanted to ensure that its new post-coating machines had a steady supply of epoxy, and they were concerned that they may have some challenges if the totes ran dry. The solution was to design a system that included permanently-plumbed tanks to store a ready supply of epoxy paint. This system includes a storage rack over the tanks, upon which the operator can stack the tote boxes. Frazier Bulk provided Teflon hoses and stainless steel quick couplers to gravity feed material from the totes into the tanks. Frazier Bulk also supplied a Tank Level Monitoring system that includes hi and lo alarms to alert the operator when the tank needs to be refilled or if the tank is overfilled. Air-operated mixers were also installed in each tank to provide gentle agitation and to prevent paint solids from settling out. All equipment was specified in accordance with the corrosive and explosive nature of the paints and solvents being handled. Silgan is satisfied with Frazier Bulk, and this system has been duplicated at another location.

Bulk Flour Silos

The silo at left is one of two new 40 -Ton Flour Silos installed at Hodgson Mill in Effingham, IL. These silos, manufactured by Friesen USA, were set onto an existing 16'-tall support structure inline with another Friesen silo. The existing equipment was designed by Russ Frazier in 1998, while he was in the employ of Friesen. The support structure houses a complete "inside" room underneath the support beams. The top of the structure includes a heavy, welded diamond -deck surface with an integral waterproof lip design that prevents water from leaking into the building. To fill the silos, Frazier Bulk removed the fill pipe elbow on the existing silo and installed a 3-way air-operated diverter valve. This allows the operator to choose which tank to fill. 60" Vibrating bin activators were provided for the bottom of each silo to assist

with flow of material out of the silos. Below the bin activators, commercial screw conveyors draw the material into a central Continuous Bulk Weigher scale system, custom designed by Frazier Bulk. Finally, a pneumatic conveying system, including airlock & piping, was installed below the scale system to convey the material into two separate mixers. Ultrasonic level controls give a constant readout of material levels within each silo, along with high and low alarms, which provide re -ordering and stopfill information. Silos were manufactured to FDA food -grade specification with all interior seams & crevices welded and ground smooth.

Resin-Coated Foundry Sand System

Alpha Foundry had a problem not unique to others in the industry. Due to increasing demand for their products, the amount of sand required continued to grow. Prior to installing bulk storage silos, sand was stored in 2,000 lb. bulk bags inside their facility. The problem of floor space became an issue, and they realized that by storing some of their sand outside, in a silo, they could free up valuable floor space for production. Frazier Bulk visited their facility in the spring of 2006 and consulted with Alpha owners, Emerson Barron and Ryan Barron to determine exactly what they needed. After a thorough evaluation of their operating requirements and facility layout, Frazier Bulk proposed a system that included (2) 30-ton silos, along with a 30 ton per hour bucket elevator to fill each silo. Equipment was delivered during the summer and installed by Alpha personnel. The silos were designed specifically for bulk sand storage. Each silo includes OSHA ladder access to the top, an inspection hatch, and HI and LO level indicators to alert the operator when the silo is ready to receive another load of sand and also when the silo is full. The discharge outlet was positioned 4.5 off the ground to allow the operator to fill tote boxes and other containers that feed core machines. A convenient butterfly valve controls flow from the silo outlet. Additionally, Frazier Bulk provided an anti-segregation baffle above the silo outlet to prevent fines from accumulating and to allow first in, first out flow from the silo. Frazier Bulk also provided a skid base that spreads the loaded silo weight over a greater area, so Alpha was able to use an existing concrete pad without having to pour new footings. Frazier Bulk designed the bucket elevators, using a standard product design, but with simple sand handling modifications. Usespecific features include high-wear buckets, commercial bearings, urethane-lined boot and head sections, self-cleaning boot pulley, and abrasion-resistant rubber spouting. Emerson states that, it used to take two guys working 2-1/2 hours to unload a truck. Now, one guy can unload a truck in about an hour. The system has opened up floor space to allow for more production room. In addition to the labor and facility savings, the need for bag disposal has also reduced, which helps the environment. Of Frazier Bulk, Emerson says, they really worked with us to provide a system that performs well at a cost we could justify. More details...