Cement & Concrete
Loading in all weather Sandra Landwehr looks at overcoming the challenges associated with
loading cement in the heaviest rainfall region of the world Ship loading systems must be able to deliver the optimum
performance even under unfavourable and difficult climatic and geological conditions. Bangladesh is located in the area of influence of the south-west monsoon, and therefore has an annual rainfall averaging 1,500 to 2,250 mm. The difference between the high and low water level of the River Surma is around 8 m.
Due to the demand for cement, there is a great need in this region for efficient unloading and loading systems for the cement industry. As a leading supplier of such systems, coupled with the necessary foreign experience, SMB International from Quickborn has been awarded the order to construct two ship loading systems for cement on the River Surma in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Geographical location
The major part of Bangladesh is made up of the delta areas of the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Meghna rivers; a low-lying region interspersed by many water courses, which is frequently threatened by floods, because the major rivers carry increasingly large volumes of water as a result of the continuing deforestation of the slopes of the Himalayas. In the delta area of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, large parts of the coast are covered by the mangrove swamps of the Sundarban. The climate of Bangladesh is tropical, with the rainfall increasing from west to east. In the east, at the feet of the Tripura-Lushai range, the annual rainfall is 3,000 to 4,000 mm. Here lies the Mowdok Mual, the highest point of elevation of Bangladesh at 1,003 m. More than half of the annual rainfall arrives during the period from June to August. In March, April and October, tropical whirlwinds often sweep over the Bay of Bengal, leaving catastrophe in their wake, since the resulting floods inundate large areas of the country. The native jungle vegetation has been largely destroyed by clearance, while the high population density of 1,023 people per square kilometre (the highest of all low-lying countries) has led to extensive
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www.swift-shop.com/bulkhandling 10 Solids & Bulk Handling • March 2011
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Ship loading systems
The experts of SMB had to take these climatic conditions into account with two sturdy and robust systems which would withstand the weather conditions for years. Supply interruptions and stoppages would incur substantial additional costs. Various factors play a decisive role in the choice of equipment for ship loading systems, such as the location of the system, the means of product supply and the loading throughput. The system used was a sack loading system, which loads the sacks into the ships by means of a spiral chute. In order to be able to cope with the different water levels and maintain the maximum possible flexibility in ship loading, SMB installed a loading system with a telescopic loading chute. This consists of two parts. A hydraulic cylinder is screwed on like a thread. The cargo comprises cement in sacks. The bulk density of this abrasive, corrosive and hygroscopic product is 1.2 to 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre at a maximum temperature of 50°C.
“The cement is like sandpaper in consistency. The flow capability on the spiral chute is severely impaired particularly when the cement has hardened. We counteract the material properties of this abrasive product by the use of high-quality components such as a special plastic coating, which protects the system components against wear and enables them to be cleaned easily. The result is high-performance conveyor solutions, which are designed for smooth long-term operation and work with minimal energy consumption”, explains Andreas Wolf, mechanical engineer of SMB International. A conveyor belt of 20 kilometres in length transports the materials for the cement to a local factory. The product is then transported in sacks on a conveyor belt to the loader, and initially arrives at the ship loader on a central rotating plate, which feeds the sacks on to another conveyor belt on the boom. From here
change of land usage into arable land, where the main subsistence crop is rice.
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