New Linatex Sand Plant for Brett Aggregates

Linatex have recently installed a fine sand recovery system for Shepperton Aggregates at their Shepperton Quarry in Middlesex.

Shepperton Aggregates is a Brett Tarmac joint venture with Brett being the operating company. Brett Aggregates is one of the largest independents in the UK and is a successful, established construction building materials group with numerous sites including four quarries within its Western division.

The Shepperton Quarry operation involves the winning and processing of a high quality Thames Valley gravel deposit with the greater percentage of material being used for the production of ready mixed concrete.  Although a comparatively clean raw material the waste discharged as silt was found to contain a small but worthwhile percentage of very fine sand.

The project involved the treatment of material at -300 micron and to then extract all useful material that was currently being discharged from the overflow to waste. Linatex proposed an arrangement that included a collecting sump, pump and long body separator which would enable the capture of the vast majority of material above 53 micron, plus a proportion of material below 53 micron.

The new system is designed to treat up to a maximum of 200m3/hr of dirty water with the flow to the two existing sumps overflows redirected to discharge into a single feed regulating sump, with any overflow discharging to ground. From the base of the new sump a Linatex centrifugal MK 111 bore pump draws the slurry and feed via pipework to an extended Linatex 630 Sand Separator which ensures maximum capture of useful material.

Mounted in a tower the separator discharges via a single chute which stockpiles the captured dewatered material. A tee piece with valves is positioned in the tower pipework, enabling one branch to return quality water back to the sump for make-up whilst the second is flanged for disposal to waste. The centers between the collecting sump and tower were set at 20 metres with interconnecting pipework supported on trestles. Linatex completed the installation with maintenance platform, flooring, handrails, tower ladders, water transfer system and a single set of Linatex lined sand discharge chutes and an overflow collecting tank.

This new system has enabled Brett to recover up to 5tph of useful solids above 53 micron; Dave Steward - Operations Manager, commented, "The plant was put in to do a particular job and has performed exactly as required."

Linatex Ltd,
Wilkinson House,
Galway Road,
Blackbushe Business Park,
Yateley,
Hampshire GU46 6GE 
Tel: 01252 743016 
Fax: 01252 743030
Web: http://www.linatex.com/