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Spiroflow’s fluid solution! M
A ‘Spiroflow’ Bulk Bag Discharger and a Flexible Screw Conveyor are in action at Multisol in Irlam, Manchester. Read on to find out more...
ultisol, part of Brenntag UK & Ireland, is a market leader in the formulation and distribu- tion of high value speciality chemicals on behalf of global technol- ogy leaders, focusing on aftermarket transportation and general industrials markets.
From their Irlam site in Manchester, Multisol supplies highly specialised performance fluids and functional additives to the major lubricant blenders, as well as to industries such as coatings, pharmaceutical, personal care and specialised cleaning. Multisol’s products are used in every- thing from premium motor oil pack- ages to face creams.
The company is divided into three areas: Performance Fluids, Oil Products, and Toll Manufacturing & Contract Packing; with similar busi- ness units active across international operations in France, the Ibericas and South Africa.
A partnership approach As a result of their partnership approaches into development projects, back in 2008 Multisol invested in a new Aqueous Solutions Facility specifically to manufacture a Urea solution, commonly referred to as ‘Adblue’. This is required by Euro 4 & 5 trucks fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) equipment, where it is used to reduce the NOx levels coming from the exhaust gases into the atmosphere.
‘Adblue’ is manufactured by the dis- solution of Urea Prills into a pre-
heated, high purity water source. The urea prills are delivered to Multisol in bulk bags, hence the need for an effec- tive discharger system. Once Multisol had won the contract to produce ‘Adblue’, they had to be in production within a couple of months. This required some imaginative plant design by Multisol’s project team so as to only incorporate equipment that could be sourced within the timescale. Their Operations Manager at the time, Richard Hands, had a working knowledge of solids handling and the
The bulk bag being hoisted into the Discharger (above)
Multisol’s logo (left)
legislative requirements of such a work station. He identified three potential bulk bag discharge manufac- turers and, after discussions which included technical evaluations, lead time agreements and quotations, Spiroflow was identified as the pre- ferred supplier.
Successful witness testing at Spiroflow’s Test Centre in Clitheroe, Lancashire confirmed the decision that the combination of a ‘Spiroflow’ Bulk
Bag Discharger and Flexible Screw Conveyor was the correct choice. “There were some teething prob- lems associated with the inlet to the Flexible Screw Conveyor largely attributable to the variance in the flow characteristics of the Urea Prills,” Richard Hands reflects. “Those we tested were extremely free flowing but occasionally they arrive in an agglom- erated condition. Working with Spiroflow, we resolved this challenge by installing a heavier gauge spiral and having an adjustable inlet to the con- veyor with predetermined settings for each type of Prill that we use.”
Integral lifting hoist
The Flexible Screw Conveyor feeding into the mixing tank
14
The ‘Spiroflow’ Bulk Bag Discharger supplied to Multisol is a Type 6 model with integral lifting hoist. Fourteen bags of Urea Prills are used per batch taking approximately ten minutes per bag to discharge into the chute. The Prills are then conveyed to the top of the process vessel by way of a 17m long ‘Spiroflow’ Flexible Screw Conveyor inclined at 45 degrees. The outlet of the conveyor is furnished with an integral slide valve and fan arrangement that prevents the ingress of moisture into the conveyor from the warm water in the process vessel. Every batch of ‘Adblue’ is rigor- ously analysed by qualified laboratory technicians to ensure that it conforms to the stringent ISO 22241 specifica- tions. Even the smallest traces of metal in the solution can ‘poison’ a catalytic
JULY 2012 Process & Control
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