Essential Solutions for the Biomass Industry

Today’s competing in bulk material handling industries requires you to outperform other services, speed, and efficiency facilities. In addition, optimal production depends on your ability to supply products without delays or complications.

During production, chipping operations, biomass sizing operations, conveyor systems, bins, storage silos, and dust collectors handling biomass and biomass dust need to work reliably while minimizing spillage and fugitive dust. In particular, dust generation from shredding operations, chipping operations, sizing and pelletizing operations, and dealing with dry feedstock must meet ever more stringent safety and environmental standards.

Benetech solutions for bulk material handling at pellet plants, central heat plants, bagasse cogeneration operations, and biomass waste incineration plants help prevent risks such as fires and explosions to increase output, reduce maintenance, and support a safer, cleaner process.

Material Handling Issues That Matter to You

Pellet plants, central heat plants, and industrial operations handling dry biomass often face a high risk of dust fires. To operate at acceptable levels, they need prudent management and controls.

Typical sizing and conveyor operations produce fugitive dust through spillage and carryback or from windblown dust during conveyance. The relatively low bulk density of the dust and its accumulation in the facility increase hazards that can halt operations.

As a biomass plant operator, you are primarily on alert for this fugitive dust throughout the plant. However, you also watch for worn components such as chutes, cleaners, belts, idlers, trackers, and ploughs that can likewise threaten production.

Specialists in Conveyor Systems at Biomass Plants: Case in Point

Benetech understands what it takes to produce a total capacity. Therefore, we provide your plant with the assessments and solutions for efficient material conveying systems and fugitive dust control.

Material pile before dust suppression treatment

Material pile after dust suppression treatment

Benetech was recently contacted about a California 44-megawatt biomass power plant confronting excessive fugitive dust during off-loading of biomass trucks to the stackout conveyor. To control the dust, the plant was unsuccessfully using water sprays (10–12% moisture addition by weight of biomass) across five conveying locations.

Because the plant is committed to safety and environmental compliance, they sought a solution from Benetech to correct the unacceptable condition. We introduced an engineered dust suppression system that improved and simplified application to one location at grade, providing ease of maintenance while lowering moisture and less than 2% by weight. Other benefits included:

  • Reducing dust levels by more than 90%
  • Eliminating the need for the plant’s problematic spray system
  • Improving the heat rate because of the reduced moisture addition
  • Decreasing maintenance issues caused by a build-up

In another situation, a southeast United States biomass plant was battling severe spillage and dusting with its two primary bark and two primary chip conveyors. The conveyors were located side by side with pant-leg chutes loading material from the truck dump onto one belt and the residual material onto the other. The four chutes’ systems were not tied together, causing spillage and dusting between them.

In addition, the skirtboards – which were uneven – did not have internal wearliners. Excessive maintenance and housekeeping were significantly compromising efficiency.

Transfer system before dust management system

Transfer system with dust management system

Benetech provided the turnkey service required, starting with the demolition of the existing conveyor systems. Of foremost importance, all installation was completed within the project’s one-week outage maximum. New primary bark and chip conveyor belts were engineered and installed with Benetech’s MaxZone® modular skirtboard and belt support system featuring:

  • MaxZone XN Externally Adjusted Internal Wearliner®
  • High-performance dual-seal B+ apron seals with polyurethane insert
  • Quick-release clamp-sealing system
  • Peaked-hood stilling chambers to slow material and passively handle dust
  • Simple slide-out idlers for exceptional belt support and simplified maintenance
  • Dust-tight inspection doors for inspecting the internal skirtboard

Benetech’s solution resulted in many advantages, including:

  • Greater workplace safety
  • Less plant-mitigation labor
  • Reduced fugitive dust
  • Fewer plant maintenance costs
  • Increased belt life

More-Productive and -Profitable Biomass Storage and Conveying Systems

You succeed with Benetech because our engineers know your challenges and create solutions specifically for them. So whether getting the most from your conveyor belt or enhancing your biomass dust control, you better manage your material flow.

In addition to our ADVANTEDGE™ belt cleaner for biomass plants, find out more about other Benetech solutions for biomass storage and conveying:

We also work closely with your plant’s personnel to assist with new technologies and proper system maintenance.

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Upgrade Your Efficiency and Safety Starting Today

Secure your biomass conveying systems and fugitive dust control with even greater efficiency. Contact us at (630) 844-1300 to speak with a Benetech specialist and see how our integrated services and technologies can help improve your operation by reducing dust, preventing spillage, improving material flow, and ensuring compliance.

 

Integrating the Right Tools for Successful Solutions