SHAPA
Arctic conditions
Special beltweighers for harsh conditions
Bulk material conveying is well established technology, but the ability to continuously weigh the material being transported, on the move, with good levels of accuracy has been refined to a point where consistency of measurement is assured, even in the harsh conditions encountered north of the Arctic Circle. SHAPA member Procon Engineering reports long term reliability and accuracy for its special Resometric Beltweighers and instrumentation supplied to Swedish high- tech mineral group LKAB for its concentrator and pelletising plants at Kiruna, in the far north of Sweden.
The equipment, in a contract worth £500k, is used to weigh a variety of customised iron ore materials ranging from mined magnetite ore through to finished iron ore pellets for use principally in blast furnaces for the steel industry. The new plant, with a combined annual capacity of 5 million tonnes of pellets was commissioned during 2008 and complements LKAB’s existing concentrator and pelletising plants. Crucial data from the beltweighers is transmitted from the Procon EP50 weighing terminals via the plants’ Profibus network.
At the heart of the scale is the Digital
Resometric force transducer or resonator, which provides consistent levels of measurement performance that are repeatable for extended periods. Lateral chains are fitted between the weigh carriage and the rigid conveyor to prevent any unwanted side forces being introduced through factors such as poor belt tracking or material asymmetry. As a result, once the weigh carriage is installed and aligned, it only sees the vertical forces produced by the material being weighed. Periodic calibration checks can be carried out simply and expediently by utilising the built-in roll-over calibration weights. Procon’s product specialist Joe Naylor is justifiably proud of his company’s achievement in gaining the contract and as he concludes: “Environmental conditions are very tough at Kiruna, which is 145 km inside the Arctic Circle. LKAB already operate a number of our beltweighers and their ongoing confidence in our products stands testimony to the reliability of these units.” After several months’ in service including two arctic winters, the reliability of these units has been well proven.
Contact SHAPA by email:
info@shapa.co.uk or visit:
www.shapa.co.uk
14 Solids & Bulk Handling • May 2010
www.solidsandbulk.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72