Health & Safety including Environmental Issues
Sandvik’s eagle-eyed Oetelshofen Kalk reduces noise emissions by half, triples machine service
life, while protecting eagle owls, with dual hardness rubber liners by Sandvik
Minimising environmental impact is a key concern of the management and staff of the Oetelshofen quarry company in Wuppertal, Germany. Formed in 1900, the company now employs 95 staff, produces two million tonnes of limestone products, and annually turns over 35 million Euros. But although they have experienced impressive growth over the last few years, they are keen to ensure that operations continue in an environmentally friendly manner as is possible.
In order to maximise its productivity, but minimise environmental impact, Oetelshofen has invested in brand new firing technology, as well as recently switching to the very latest in Sandvik wear protection. Moritz Iseke, joint managing director, explains: “Our recent investments in equipment at the plant means that for the next 50 years the quarrying of high quality limestone at this site is safeguarded. When we have exhausted those resources the engineers will have to deal with quarrying below groundwater levels.” Operational efficiency is not the only concern for the company as being proud Wuppertal natives the integrity and sustainability of the operation is of primary concern. In Moritz Iseke’s own words: “Besides caring for our employees, we also feel committed to the natural environment, and consider it our duty to protect our neighbours from any emissions from the plant. This of course includes the reduction of any noise emissions.” Following this train of thought it was no surprise that they contacted Sandvik when it came to up grading their wear parts.
feed hopper of a kiln. This was accomplished with Sandvik WT7000 dual hardness rubber wear plates. The modular system was easy to install, and reduced the noise emissions by 50% as experienced by the human ear. Six months later the
The company initially sought Sandvik’s assistance when lining the 6m2
company management decided to equip the new 120m2
hopper,
again with Sandvik WT7000 rubber linings. The dual hardness structure of the linings made a great impression with the company management who were keen to enjoy the same benefits they had experienced with the kiln hopper. A major challenge however was to choose the right material for the hopper, which has been designed to deal with an annual production capacity of 500,000 tonnes of limestone. The hopper requires a heavy duty lining as it will be loaded by a 60 tonne capacity truck, with a product size of up to 140mm. After discussions between management and Sandvik technical staff, it was decided to use 1,500 pieces of 50mm thick rubber liners mounted with welding studs. This has proved to be a
www.solidsandbulk.co.uk
August 2010 • Solids & Bulk Handling 47
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