THE WOLFSON CENTRE

for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Reduced Energy Particulate Manufacturing, and

its Effect on a Solids Handling Logistics Chain
– a Case Study with Kaolin Clay

Mike Bradley, Tong Deng & Rob Berry,

The Wolfson Centre, University of Greenwich
Jacek Kostuch & Alan Coles, Imerys Minerals

Imerys Minerals
- The world’s largest producer of white minerals

Clay substitution project

To this
• Granulated
• 18% - 20% water
• 2 – 8mm

From this
• Spray dried
• 2% - 4% water
• Under 1mm
 Driver for change
‹ Claymanufactured in slurry
‹ Spray dried clay is low in water – under 6%
z Almost all of water in slurry has to be boiled off!
z High energy consumption
‹ Granulated clay made by mixing some spray
dried clay with some slurry – result between
16% and 20% water
z Much less water is to be boiled off
z Lower gas consumption for drying
z Reduced CO2 emission

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No room for a mistake!

‹ 1.5 Million tonnes per annum

‹ From Brazil by ship to various European ports
‹ Then all over Europe to paper mills
‹ “overnight” change – not possible to change
progressively
‹ What are the technical risks?
‹ How can we measure and mitigate them?

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 Reliable flow

‹ Avoiding arching
or rat-holing!

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 Existing
distribution hubs

Also storage in covered

stockpiles
Capacity
considerations?

Will it go through . . .

Pneumatic conveying systems?

Bulk storage silos? Gravity intake hoppers?
 Will it handle in……

Screw conveyors?

Chain conveyors?

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0000

Will it freeze in winter?

‹Storage and
transport at
-30C ?

Example of a time dependant product that has

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for Bulk Solids Handling Technology
 Identified risk areas

‹ Change in bulk density

‹ Change in dry clay per unit volume
‹ Change in flow and conveying properties
‹ Change in moisture content
‹ May be more susceptible to freezing
‹ May be more susceptible to breakdown in
handling

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Determining and mitigating risk

Pneumatic conveying
‹ Critical material characteristics
characterisations, eg.

Flow properties relevant

to hoppers and silos

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 Also……

‹ Particle
attrition
testing
‹ Effect of
Before
handling on
After size
distribution
and flow
properties

Temperature
gradient tests for
EP insulation
moisture transfer

Outer box

Plastic tube

Temperature
controlled
platen
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 Unconfined failure test – with freezing

σ1 σ1=σc Diagonal
failure plane

σ3=0

3. Broken sample

1. Consolidation 2. Failure stage

stage – then freeze

Strength under combined freezing and

stress
‹ As in ship or vehicle transport or
stockpiling
Kaolin clays under freezing - failure functions
140
PE 804 as supplied
A
120
Unconfined failure

ND3090
B lump as supplied
100
stress kPa

80 C
Capim DG as supplied

60 D 804 from cold wall

PE

40 Linear (PE 804 from cold

wall)
20 Linear (PE 804 as
supplied)
0 Linear (Capim DG as
The0 Wolfson Centre 50 100 supplied)
Applied
for Bulk Solids Handling Technology stress kPa
 Freezing effects
‹All these promote greater frozen
strength:-
‹Lower temperature (more “degrees
of frost”)
‹Higher stress
‹Higher moisture content
‹Longer time frozen

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Mitigating freezing effects

‹Minimise time in transit
z Reduces depth and severity of chilling
z Reduces time in frozen conditions
‹Keep material in large stockpiles
(large thermal mass – minimal
freezing)
‹Minimise stress during storage
‹Insulate with e.g. 50mm pine boards

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 Overall
‹ Many risks were small
‹ Larger ones were isolated
z Some plant changes required e.g.
‹ Screwspeeds
‹ Operating conditions in pneumatic conveyors

z Changes to ship and truck scheduling

z Freezing a potential issue, but ways available
to mitigate against this
‹ “Big leap” did not produce disaster
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for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Acknowledgements

‹To Imerys Minerals for funding the

project, and for allowing the use of
information in this presentation

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for Bulk Solids Handling Technology
 THE WOLFSON CENTRE
for Bulk Solids Handling Technology
University of Greenwich
Medway School of Engineering
Tel 020-8331-8646: Fax 020-8331-8647
www.bulksolids.com