Portasilo technical expertise delivers safe, efficient ferrous sulphate storage and precision-dosing system for Quinn Cement – right, first time

• 
• 27th November 2009
• Materials Handling
 

Customer: Quinn Cement

Location: Ballyconnell, Ireland

Requirement:

To comply with EU legislation, Quinn Cement needed to upgrade its plant at Ballyconnell to allow ferrous sulphate to be added safely and efficiently.

For some time, wet cement had been linked with skin allergies such as dermatitis. An offending element within the cement was identified as Chrome V1, which can be reduced to a more acceptable level by the addition of chemicals such as ferrous sulphate. The acid content of this chemical means that it needs to be handled with extreme caution. Quinn Cement approached trusted global silo specialist Portasilo for a solution.

Solution:

Calling on more than 50 years of powder-handling knowledge and technical expertise, Portasilo has developed proven systems for handling ferrous sulphate, taking into consideration the material's flowability, moisture content and heat requirements.

Paul Carron, Engineering Manager at Quinn Cement, says: "We chose Portasilo to supply our ferrous sulphate storage and feeding system because of their successful record of providing systems for this product. We met Portasilo and gave them our requirements based on the tonnage of material we expected to hold in stock and they went away to develop a solution."

After assessing Quinn Cement's requirements and carrying out a full site survey, Portasilo devised a ferrous sulphate storage and dosing system for the plant. It includes a silo with a working capacity of 84m³ to store 100 tonnes of ferrous sulphate. The silo roof is fitted with a pressure-relief valve for ATEX-compliant explosion protection, a high-level probe, access hatch and a filter unit with pressure switch and humidity transmitter to monitor essential humidity levels in the silo.

The silo itself is constructed from mild steel, with a stainless steel lower cone. The shell and upper cone of the silo are insulated and clad to prevent large temperature fluctuations, minimising moisture formation within the vessel.

The silo is filled directly from bulk road tankers via an inlet pipe. A dehumidifier is connected to the inlet pipe to ensure that the humidity within the silo is constantly maintained at the optimum level for this sensitive material.

The silo is built on an independent support structure close to the cement mill. Ferrous sulphate is transported from the silo into the milling process via two stainless steel screw conveyors configured in tandem. These conveyors are used to top up a gravimetric feeder, which discharges ferrous sulphate into the cement mix. Quinn Cement is able to carefully control the rate at which ferrous sulphate is added, ensuring that the correct proportions are maintained within the cement.

Portasilo has vast experience of analysing products such as ferrous sulphate in its laboratory. It was able to use this expertise to assess the properties of the potentially hazardous chemical, ensuring it was handled safely at all times without any flow, heat or moisture problems.

Paul adds: "The Portasilo solution has certainly fulfilled all our requirements. When it came to setting up the system on our site, the installation crew were excellent. Portasilo proved to be a very good company to deal with. They discussed every aspect of the project with us and the after-sales service has been excellent."

www.portasilo.co.uk

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• Hub-4 Profile of Portasilo Ltd
• Portasilo Ltd Company Website