Cargotec is meeting the rising demands for coal handling with its unique Siwertell systems; these can handle the abrasive commodity at continuously high rates, and this year Cargotec will introduce 3,000tph (tonnes per hour) unloaders, explains Anders Paulsson, sales manager for Cargotec Bulk Handling.
The present planning and construction of a large number of new coal-fired power plants worldwide means a substantially increased future demand for coal. “This is a great challenge and means there is an enormous potential for new coal unloaders to be put into operation,” says Paulsson. “Cargotec, with its unique Siwertell ship unloader programme is well prepared to meet this expected increase in demand and has developed efficient and environment-friendly, high capacity ship unloaders for coal.”
Cargotec Bulk Handling operates under the well-known Siwertell brand name, which is recognized as one of the world’s
major dry bulk handling companies. The Siwertell product range for coal consists of screw-type and screw/belt-type ship unloaders and belt-type ship loaders. Based on the latest technology and design, Cargotec can now offer Siwertell continuous coal unloaders, with capacities up to 2,400tph, and coal loaders, with capacities of up to 4,500tph; both are capable of unloading/loading vessels up to 200,000dwt.
For coal, Cargotec Bulk Handling offers well-proven, high- capacity, efficient and environment-friendly Siwertell systems. In addition, it can deliver conveying systems and stacking/reclaiming and storage systems to provide complete bulk terminals for import, export, or transshipment.
“Quality after-sales service, combined with long-term support, is as essential as a quality product from the first contact through the entire lifetime of an installation, which is why Cargotec Bulk Handling also focuses on this aspect of its business and provides the services and products needed to ensure long-term cost- effective and efficient operations,” he notes.
R&D BREAKTHROUGH“Coal is an abrasive commodity and the high wear and rather short life-time of screw flights, was initially a big concern, but through intensive R&D Cargotec can now offer screw flights with a guaranteed life time of 10,000 hours, equal to unloading of 15mt (mt) million tonnes at an average rate of 1,500tph.
“In addition to the improvement of reduced maintenance costs, ship unloaders with a rated capacity up to 3,000tph will be offered by next year. These will meet the requirements for the bigger power stations and consequently their increasing demands for coal.
CLEAN COAL-HANDLINGStricter rules and regulation for pollution levels have been implemented worldwide. “This means that dust free operation has become an increasingly important factor for all bulk operators today. Since the very beginning we have given the environmental aspect of ship unloading/loading a very high priority. Consequently, Siwertell ship unloaders and loaders are designed with totally enclosed conveyors and are well fit to meet the most stringent environmental rules and regulations. Subsequently Siwertell ship unloaders have permits to operate in places like for example California (USA), Germany and Singapore.”
AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD“In only the last ten years, more than 30 coal unloaders have been sold, of which, 24 are designed for capacities of 2,000tph or above. This is an impressive record and most likely makes the Siwertell coal unloader the world market leader,” highlights Paulsson.
In 1982 the first two Siwertell continuous coal ship unloaders were delivered to Hsinta Power Station in Taiwan. Since then, more than 60 coal unloaders have been delivered and more than 600mt of coal have been unloaded by Siwertell ship unloaders worldwide. “By these references, it’s clear that Cargotec Bulk Handling is one of the most experienced suppliers in coal handling.”
In mid-2011, Cargotec conducted a performance test for the Taiwan Power Company at its Talin Power Plant, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The test was for two Siwertell type-ST940-DOB coal unloaders, each with a rated capacity of 2,200tph. According to the contract, the average through-ship capacity was guaranteed to be a minimum of 70% of the rated capacity.
Therefore, the two units with a combined rated capacity of 4,400tph, should, on average, be able to unload at a minimum through-ship rate of 3,080tph to fulfil this contractual obligation.
“The actual test result was well above expectations,” notes Paulsson.“The average through-the-ship capacity achieved for the two Siwertell ship unloaders was 3,339tph, equal to 76% of the rated capacity. One Siwertell unit had an average capacity of 1,592tph and the other unit an average of 1,747tph, meaning that the latter unit had an unloading efficiency of no less than 79%. This is a record performance for a Siwertell coal unloader and probably the highest through-ship capacity figure ever achieved for any type or brand of coal ship unloader.”
COST SAVINGS IN JETTY CONSTRUCTIONDue to its unique light-weight design the total weight of a Siwertell unloader is much less than the weight of a corresponding bucket chain type unloader. Weight comparisons for unloaders with a rated capacity of about 2,000tph and designed for unloading vessels up to 200,000dwt, have shown a weight saving of more than 50%. “This means that huge potential cost savings can be achieved in the jetty’s civil construction work, and some clients have claimed that this has resulted in cost savings of about $5 million in the jetty construction.”
Decades of experience boost VIGAN’s presence in the CSU market
Going back in its history, major manufacturer VIGAN started manufacturing portable grain pumps which, today, are commonly known as its T100 or T120 ‘Mobiles’.
As the years went on, customer demand led VIGAN engineers to design a higher-capacity model, the ‘Type 200’ (see picture on p81). This unit can unload at a rate of up to 250tph (tonnes per hour) in suck-only mode, and handle commodities by gravity using an integrated belt conveyor.
The range of working modes has led to a high level of success. Over the past 40 years, there have been over 1,200 references throughout more than 80 countries. On quay or on vessel, with the appropriate accessories, these portable machines can handle cargo from vessels to trucks, from silos to trains,
transfer from big vessels to barges... Years have gone by since that model was developed, and
VIGAN has significantly developed its range of equipment. Based on experience that it has gained in vacuum technology,VIGAN designed and manufactured its first gantry-mounted high-capacity pneumatic continuous ship unloader (CSU) in the late 1970s, which:
- is stationary or self-propelled on rails or tyres;
- discharges into trucks, rail cars or to quay conveyors;
- has an electrical or diesel engine, adapted boom length and many optional devices (such as operator’s control cabin, radio remote control, special fire and explosion protection panels,
- winch for bulldozer, etc.);
VIGAN’s engineering department has been continuouslyimproving its own expertise with state-of-the-art design of major components such as:
- VIGAN’s multi-stage centrifugal TURBO BLOWER sucks the products by generating a depressurized air flow. Its operational principles are the same as those employed in turbo jet enginesor turbines for power plants.
- VIGAN’s CYCLONE: separates the mixture air-product by centrifugal action so that only air is sucked into the turbine. The products are then extracted by the airlock. Some air is sucked at the bottom of the cyclone to ease the downstream of the products into the airlock.
- VIGAN’s AIRLOCK is one of the main parts of the machine. Its main goal is to evacuate the product while keeping the vacuum in the filter. Since any leak of pressure in the system would result in losses of efficiency, its design and characteristics are crucial. Thanks to its adequate dimensions, it can handle high quantities of products with a relatively low rotational speed.
- VIGAN’s telescopic piping system, moving horizontally under the boom, and vertically from the boom into the ship holds. VIGAN has always focused on innovating about the wear- resistance of its piping, particularly on the Ni-Hard (nickel- chrome alloy) elbow which does not require any maintenance until 5mt (million tonnes) have been handled.
Originally, all VIGAN equipment was designed to convey dry agribulk cargo such as: all types of cereals, beans, seeds, and most of the raw materials for animal feeding. They also proved to be suitable for handling fragile products (malt, cocoa beans, etc.), certain chemicals (dense soda ash, alumina, urea, etc.), as well as many pelletized products (such as wood pellets for instance, which is a rising market). VIGAN has already gained significant experience in the handling of wood pellets, having sold one NIV 600 to the Electrabel co-firing power plant in Nijmegen in The Netherlands (see illustration above) and two NIV600 to the RWE co-firing plant in Tilbury/United Kingdom to replace two existing ship unloaders of bucket type for coal (see illustration below).
VIGAN’s ‘SIMPORTER’ mechanical CSU has been designed to offer a very high capacity, with a discharging rate of up to 1,500tph (metric). It is particularly suitable for large bulk carriers up to post-Panamax. The twin-belt SIMPORTER technology offers major benefits: efficiency, cost-effectiveness (minimum energy consumption, reduced operational and maintenance costs) and environment-friendly qualities (minimum noise, dust control, etc.).
With its integrated Engineering Company,VIGAN is able to react rapidly to any customer’s specific request. It always stays one step ahead in terms of improving its current technologies, or developing new ones.
VIGAN’s offices and factory are located at the heart of Europe, 30km south of Brussels and one hour’s drive from the Port of Antwerp, allowing fast logistical connections to any region of the world. All the company’s activities take place on the same 10,000m
2 site, which enables easy and very quick exchange of information among all departments including sales, engineering, manufacturing, quality control and after- sales technical assistance.
Equipment that has recently been commissioned by the company includes:
- one NIV 400tph1 in South Korea;
- the two above- mentioned NIV 600s for RWE in Tilbury;
- one rail-mounted NIV 400tph for Taiwan.
- Recently awarded contracts, which are at various stages of development, include:
- one ship unloader and one loader for the south of France;
- six machines delivered to Egypt over December 2011 and January 2012;
- one further unloader for Bangladesh, strengthening VIGAN’s presence in the country;
- one grain loader for a customer in the Balkans.
In November 2011, the maritime bulk industry recognized VIGAN’s contribution to the market when the company won the prestigious 2011 IBJ Award for the ‘Best ship loading/unloading system’. This acknowledgement of VIGAN’s professionalism is very motivating in such a competitive world, proving that continuous efforts and experience are the pillars on which each company must continue building its growth.
Indian order for enclosed unloader includes Siwertell Sulphur Safety System
Cargotec has received an order for a Siwertell ship unloader type ST790-D from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Paradeep Unit. The enclosed screw-type unloader will be used to discharge rock phosphate and sulphur at a rated capacity of 1,800tph (tonnes per hour).
“IFFCO wanted a totally enclosed system for both environmental and safety reasons,” said Anders Paulsson, sales manager, bulk handling. “The company specified a screw-type unloader for high efficiency and chose a Siwertell system from Cargotec because we have by far the most knowledge and experience of this technology — the first Siwertell system designated for sulphur was delivered in 1980. Of the four main types of continuous unloaders — screw, pneumatic, chain and bucket chain — only the Siwertell screw-type has been demonstrated to solve the three main problems caused by unloading sulphur: a high explosion risk, extreme corrosion, and stringent regulations for environmental protection.”
Cargotec’s Siwertell Sulphur Safety System (‘4S’) was developed to minimize the risk of explosions and detect fires. The 4S is designed to prevent sulphur dust explosions in the conveying line and to evacuate explosion pressure in case a dust explosion does occur, without causing damage to equipment and endangering the safety of operators, personnel and other facilities. To prevent explosions and fires, the Siwertell unit is equipped with nozzles that spray water at the inlet feeder and in the conveyor transfer points. An automatic lubrication system lubricates and cools down end bearings and intermediate bearings.
“Even with preventative technology in place, there are rare occasions on which an explosion occurs or a fire starts, so Cargotec has designed a system that reacts immediately upon detection and extinguishes any fire,” Paulsson said. “Fire detectors along the conveying line automatically stop the conveyors and start spraying water from the fire extinguishing system. To manage an explosion, the conveyor’s steel casings are reinforced with extra-thick steel, and explosion-venting valves fitted along the conveyors and dust collectors relieve pressure.”
A specially-designed conveying line with stainless steel components ensures that a Siwertell unit is protected from corrosion and it is also practically maintenance-free.
This is the third reference for Siwertell fertilizer unloaders in India: in 2003 a 400tph Siwertell 490-F was delivered to Coromandel Fertilizers for unloading fertilizers and sulphur from 40,000dwt ships, and this was followed in 2005 by an order from Paradeep Phosphates for a 1,600tph Siwertell 640-D handling sulphur, phosphate and fertilizers.
Components for IFFCO’s system will be manufactured in Sweden and China for erection on site in Paradeep Port, Orissa, India. With a delivery time of 12 months, the unloader is expected to be in operation by early 2013.
Cargotec wins a large contract for Siwertell ship unloaders from Morocco
Cargotec has recently won a significant order for two Siwertell ship unloaders to handle coal at Jorf Lasfar, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. The contract comes from the Jorf Lasfar Energy Company (JLEC) and includes repositioning two existing unloaders as well as installing the two new Siwertell units when they are delivered in 2013.
The unloaders will suit a new jetty belt conveyor system with an increased travelling length at the Jorf Lasfar coal-fired power plant, which is undergoing major expansion. Each Siwertell type ST 940-DOB unit will have a coal-unloading capacity of 2,400tph (tonnes per hour).
“Cargotec’s Siwertell system is technically superior to the other systems offered: it is more efficient and environmental friendly,” says Bertil Andersson, sales manager, Bulk Terminals. “Cargotec is the only provider of this kind of system with its performance proven by many references. In addition to technological advantages, Siwertell systems have a unique lightweight design offering weight-savings of more than 50 per cent in comparison with a corresponding bucket and chain type unloader.” Cargotec has also just announced that its Siwertell Sulphur Safety System (see above), known as the 4S has won the International Bulk Journal’s Safety in Bulk Handling award. The system is designed to minimize the risk of explosions and detect fires when handling sulphur.
The values of the Indian and the Moroccan contracts total approximately €40 million.