New Hot Asphalt Storage Extension for Lafarge Ashbury Depot.
BG Europa of Wickhambrook has recently installed an FMA Ullrich Hot Asphalt storage extension to existing Sherwin silos at the Lafarge Ashbury Depot in Manchester.
A two compartment SE120/2 with a total storage capacity of 120 tons split equally between the two bins has been installed to the end of the three existing silos. A 37Kw frequency controlled winch along with a complete track replacement completed the installation.
The speed of the skip is controlled through an invertor to ensure rapid transit along the track and gentle arrival at the charging and discharge points with rope stretch accounted for by the continual reset of the skip reference point on each journey. A tacho -generator ensures that skip positioning during operation is accurate to 10mm; as this system does not require limit switches at the skip charging and discharging points, maintenance issues are therefore reduced.
The new bottom discharge skip has a capacity of 2000kg and is lined with stainless steel to promote clean operation. The skip system can operate at 140 tph with a 52 second cycle time to the furthest bin which represents a significant improvement in skip performance.
The FMA Ullrich UCC5 skip controls feature an energy saving mode which matches skip performance to batch plant output. The speed of the skip is automatically controlled to ensure that it returns to the mixer at the time required for batch discharge, eliminating excessive power usage by unnecessarily accelerating the skip.
As the low level Parker Batch Tower at Ashbury does not allow vehicles to be loaded directly it was imperative that the project was completed during the programmed shutdown period. BG Europa successfully ensured full plant production was achieved on the programmed date with minimal disruption to the established Lafarge customer base.
Joan Hughes, Manager of the Ashbury depot, commented, "We were very pleased at how safe the work was completed onsite. During and after commissioning we had very few teething problems. The new skip system has improved our production rate, and reduced down time. The Hot Storage has given us more flexibility so that we meet our customer needs better."
The Ashbury project represents the first BG Europa - Ullrich hot storage installation for Lafarge in 2008. A second installation is planned for the Lafarge Ackworth depot where an S200/4 II will provide 200 tons of storage in a total of four bins; two at 53 tons and two at 47 tons. The S200/4 II parallel storage silo offers a versatile compact storage solution where space and site layout can prelude alternative arrangements. The Ackworth S200/4 will be the third such system operated by Lafarge with the others at Mountsorrel and Hafod Quarries.
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