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From the Editor

Transfer Rates Up To 1200 TPH

Uzwil, Switzerland -- One of the world’s biggest grain terminals is under construction in China. The country is thereby ensuring sufficient food supplies to feed its population. Two additional high-capacity Portalink ship unloaders contribute to this effort.

China has about 1.3 billion inhabitants, a number that increases by 18 million each year. Supplying all these people with food is a logistical challenge that China is meeting with the aid of modern equipment. Buhler is also part of this effort. For the third time in six years, China has opted for Buhler systems. About 6000 metric tons of grain are moved by Buhler unloaders in Shanghai, Ningbo, and since recently Dalian. This translates into a train of 96 hopper cars, hour after hour.

The Xizui Grain Terminal in Dalian (Liaoning province in the northeast of the country) will be one of the largest terminal elevators in the world when it is completed, holding almost one million metric tons of grain. It will thereby make an important contribution to ensuring the supply of staple foods to the continuously growing Chinese population.

The two Buhler Portalink 1000 unloaders in Dalian have a peak unloading capacity of up to 1200 metric tons per hour, enabling them to discharge vessels up to 80,000 DWT in about four days. On the fast track The large-scale Xizui Grain Terminal project, financed by the World Bank, took three years from the initial project drafts and creation of the final concept to groundbreaking.

For over a year, the international bids received for the materials handling equipment and the mechanical and electrical systems of the storage terminal were reviewed. Finally, Buhler was awarded the contract for supplying the two Portalink 1000 unloaders. Exactly 14 months after signing of the contract, these units were already unloading the first ship, loaded with 57,000 tons of soybeans. This put Buhler on the fast track: The Group was the first supplier in this overall project to receive the acceptance certificate from the customer following successful completion of the performance tests.

The on-schedule delivery of two unloaders of this capacity class and their installation during the winter months – the port was partially frozen – was a major challenge. Success depended entirely on a tight project organization and professional project management across all levels. To operate and maintain this equipment economically from the start, Buhler trained a large delegation of employees from the owner of the facility – Dalian Beiliang Co. Ltd – in Europe on how to handle the systems. In a second step, the same people received further theoretical and practical training on the unloaders in Dalian. Both units were operated for almost 60 hours by the customer’s personnel under Buhler supervision during the performance proving procedures.

All contractually guaranteed capacity and parameter values were achieved the very first time, not least thanks to the thorough training of the operators. China has benefited from Portalink unloader technology for years. Its unbeatable advantages are high availability, gentle materials handling, low energy and maintenance costs, and shortberthing times.

Buhler is a global Technology Group and System Partner for plant and equipment and for process expertise in the fields of Food Processing, Chemical Engineering, and Die Casting, with a worldwide payroll of about 6,500.

For more information contact:
Mr. Detlef Janssen
Bühler AG
CH- 9240 Uzwil
Switzerland
Tel. +41 71 955 33 99
Fax +41 71 955 38 51
Web site:  http://www.buhlergroup.com/

10,000 Expected to Attend

Over 340 packaging and processing machinery companies are now expected to exhibit at the UK's annual PPMA Machinery Only show, which takes place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 24-26 September, 2002.

Barbara Jackson, exhibition director, says that bookings accelerated in the first three weeks of April, to bring the show within sight of being sold out.

"Just over 270 companies have now reserved stands, which means that only about 20 per cent of the space remains available, and there are more than four months still to go," she explains. "We also believe that attendance will be around 10,000 people, similar to 1999 which was also an Interpack year. This level of attendance," she adds, "clearly underlines the need for an annual event within the UK".

The PPMA Show is the only packaging exhibition in Europe to focus entirely on machinery and, points out Barbara Jackson, has in the last few years broadened its appeal with a rising proportion of processing machinery and solids handling equipment on display.

"This means that the PPMA Show, once considered mostly a packaging machinery show, has evolved into the complete production line event. It recognizes also that over 50 per cent of the visitors have dual responsibility for both packaging and processing operations," she says.

The PPMA also reports that its show in 2003, again at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, is filling up rapidly. "Around 40 per cent of the floor space is already allocated for 2003, which means that we advise companies who want special positions to make reservations now, to avoid disappointment," explains Barbara Jackson.

For further information contact:
Ms. Barbara Jackson
PPMA Show
Oriel House
26 The Quadrant
Richmond Surrey
TW9 1DL
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8910 7979
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8910 7877
Web site:  http://www.ppmashow.co.uk/

The Reading Room

Ask Joe! Column

High Temperature Pneumatic Conveying
Guest article by Marco Flores and Paul Solt of Pneumatic Conveying Consultants
You can read Marco's and Paul's article at:
http://www.powderandbulk.com/pb_services/askjoe.htm

Past Ask Joe! Archived Articles
http://www.powderandbulk.com/pb_services/ask_joe_archive/toc.htm

We Need Your Guest Articles!
Do you have an area of expertise in bulk materials, have you solved a difficult materials problem? Share your knowledge with others and promote yourself by contributing an article to the Ask Joe! Column.  For more information, please contact Joe Marinelli at:  Joe@SolidsHandlingTech.com

Stores 250 tons of PVC powder

Portasilo Bulk Handling Systems recently completed the second stage of a major final product storage system for Hydro Polymers, a major UK producer of vinyl resins and compounds, at Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham. The Portasilo contract comprised the supply and installation of two aluminum silos, each to store 250 tonnes of PVC powder, together with all structural steelwork and associated ancillaries.

The silos were manufactured in one piece, off site, each measuring 7 meters in diameter and over 22 meters high. Transport required travel by sea and road to Newton Aycliffe. Co-ordination of this logistical solution was achieved by Portasilo’s engineers in conjunction with the local authorities and police. The silos were mounted on a single entablature based structure, enclosed to form a building at ground level. This building measures 39 meters x 15.6 meters x 10 meters to the portal type roof.

Portasilo acted as Main Contractor for the whole of the installation including silos, steelwork, building, ancillaries and access platforms. Additionally, steel work and support frames were installed ready for the addition of two further silos at a future date. This latest project followed an earlier supply contract for two 4m diameter silos.

Portasilo is an innovative engineering company with almost 50 years of experience in the design, development and manufacture of bespoke storage and handling solutions. It further offers a range of standard discharge products for applications throughout process industry and has developed a comprehensive customer support service covering fast response for fault rectification, planned maintenance and plant upgrading.

For more information contact:
Mr. Ian Birkinshaw
Portasilo Ltd.
Telephone: 01904 624872
Fax: 01904 611760
E-mail: Ian.Birkinshaw@portasilo.co.uk
Web Site: http://www.portasilo.co.uk/

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Chat Live

Jacksonville Beach, FL - RealTime Aide is pleased to announce the release of version 1.11 of its popular "live" customer service software, Personal Edition.

Personal Edition "live" chat software doesn't require any additional software, expensive programming, or hardware. And our seamless technology lets you establish one-on-one conversations in real time with anyone who visits your company's site using a standard web browser. This open dialogue makes it easy to immediately answer questions, provide information, and close sales.

The software package is priced at $199 USD and professional installation is available for only $75. Personal Edition software works on all Unix, Linux, NT, Win2000 and the upcoming XP web servers and virtual hosting services.

For more information contact:
RealTime Aide Dot Com, Inc.
3948 South Third Street, No. 111
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250
Telephone: 904-273-9650
Fax: 904-273-1399
Web Site: http://www.realtimeaide.com/
Email: jtaylor@realtimeaide.com

Help Forum

People post their requests for help and offer their suggestions to others in our open forum.

Mr. Sathe needs information on cranes:

Goan Iron Ore exporters are using transshippers for loading iron ore into gearless PANAMAX and Cape Size vessels from 1969. The transshippers are handy-size ships equipped with grab cranes for transferring ore from river barges onto hoppers feeding conveyor belt system mounted on the transshipper vessel for loading the Panamax / Cape size ship.

Transshippers have typically 2 cranes and achieve a loading rate of 25,000 TPD. There are 5 transshippers in operation. About 20 million tonnes of iron ore was exported from Goa in season of 2001-2002 (October 2001 to May 2002).

The transshippers are aging and will need replacement by 2004/05. Our clients are interested in looking at Floating Cranes to replace transshippers. Such cranes are in operation in Indonesia for loading coal from Kalimantan Island.

Is there any literature or articles published giving performance of such cranes.
(Click here to post a reply)

Regards,
Vinayak V. Sathe,
Seagull Consultants Private Ltd.,
15 Rangavi Estate,  
Dabolim Airport - 403801, Goa,  
India
Tel: +91 832 555294
email: scpl@goatelecom.com

Mr. Lee wants high pressure diverter valves:

We are looking for a high pressure diverter valve for conveying LLDPE powder (lumpy to 1 meter long sometime) application.

Operation pressure is up to 1.3Mpa(G).  It is required very smooth round tunnel from the inlet to each of two outlets, without any dead corner.
(Click here to post a reply)

Thanks.
George Lee
george@compassbulkhandling.com

Share your expertise with others in the Help Forum.

Photos Wanted

This week's homepage photo is a tribute to my good friend Dr. Adam Stadtmuller, who passed away July 22, 2002.

Adam is a PhD physicist who's career includes co-authoring a book, "Experimental Techniques in High Pressure Research", development for U.S. Arsenal and helping De Beers manufacture synthetic diamonds.  He is the creator and inventor of unique, high-gradient super-conducting magnetic separators (HGMS) first at Carpco SMS in London and most recently for Eriez Magnetics in Wales.  Adam holds patents and has written many papers in the field of magnetic separation.  (click photo to read more...)

We would love to have your photo of a bulk materials process, packaging, conveying or handling "action shot" for our home page.  Send your photograph and description to:  news@powderandbulk.com

Jobs

PhD Vacancy in Materials Handling

Research Assistant MPhil/PhD Studentship Available In ‘Direct on-line measurement of wall friction of coal as an indicator of handleability’

The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, University of Greenwich ( www.bulksolids.com ) is an internationally recognized center of excellence in the field of materials handling for the process industries.  It has been pre-eminent within its specialist area of research since 1973.  The Centre pursues a policy of facilitating the development of its researchers’ abilities.

Applications are invited for a 3 year position as a Research Assistant to investigate the development of a novel electrical/mechanical instrument associated with solid fuel quality.  This post is sponsored by a major steel company and has significant focus towards industrial application.

Candidates should have a good First or 2:1 degree in either an Engineering or Physics discipline preferably with content in Chemical, Mechanical or Instrumentation Engineering.  Experience and/or education in Solids Handling Technology would be advantageous, but not essential.

A bursary for the 3 years research is available and is commensurate with the EPSRC scale.

Closing date for this position is 8th August 2002

Please send your full written CV with together with the name and contact details of two referees to:

Mail:
The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology
University of Greenwich
Wellington Street
Woolwich
London    SE18 6PF

Email: L.P.Whaley@gre.ac.uk

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© 1999-2002 Powder and Bulk Dot Com
Home page:  http://www.powderandbulk.com/

Joseph Taylor, Editor
Powder and Bulk Dot Com Newsletter
3948 South Third Street, No. 121
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Phone: 904-280-4656
Fax: 904-273-1399

Email:  jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

Powder and Bulk Dot Com's Newsletter is a 100% opt-in e-mail list of information for the materials handling professional.  Do you have company news, a new product, new service or other information you would like to share with our subscribers?  Please submit articles via e-mail, only to: news@powderandbulk.com