On many occasions we find bulk material handlers seeking the alternative “cheaper” option when it comes to implementing maintenance programmes for process plant and equipment. Having exhibited at Hillhead last year, Kingfisher were visited by a number of end-users producing a combination of abrasive bulky aggregate materials fit for construction and building industries. After speaking to many plant engineers and maintenance managers; it was evident that due to budget restraints and reduction in spending, they are having to implement cheaper cost effective solutions offered to protect key process equipment such as cyclones, pipework, transfer chutes, cyclones and other equipment used to transport material from one point to another.
Manufacturing Bitumen can have adverse effects on process plant and equipment, primarily due to the coarse characteristics and hardness of the material therefore it is ideal for end users to invest in a suitable internal surface protection liner to assist in enhancing the longevity of existing or new process plant and equipment. Likewise this particular manufacturer processes bitumen with a particle size ranging from 3mm-10mm. The plant handles approximately 70 tonnes every 10 hours.
The company we are referring to invest in developing products and systems to solve today’s highway maintenance, public scheme, commercial flooring, internal finishing and installation problems and aim to ensure these solutions are proven, trusted and durable, their unique selling point is to offer a quick fix to industry and put products through rigorous testing to ensure they give the best performance in real life and real time situations.
Initially the installation was carried out by an alternative supplier of wear resistant liners within the UK. However the project began to show negative results in less that 2 months. Kingfisher visited the client to carry out a full site visit, which showed pipework had been installed incorrectly and were lasting 2 months before the pipes began to deteriorate and wear away. The new equipment installed had failed drastically due to pipework being misaligned when installed onsite, resulting in material leakage and manufacturing had come to a standstill.
Kingfisher were asked to carry out a full inspection of the problem, as the material was leaking along the process and was evident the system had been installed incorrectly, due to the misalignment of the flange arrangement on each pipe as well as parts of the pipes work system were only lasting 2 months before showing signs of deterioration therefore outlining that the lining system advised on for these pipes were completely incorrect.
Kingfisher’s technical engineers recommended the client adopted a combination of ceramic lined systems, not all ceramic lining systems carry the same characteristics, each one has their own benefits and are fit different processes. Most providers of wear resistant liners will opt for a “one system is fit for all” and this is because they are unaware of the full effects of the process, materials being handled and on what basis they are recommending that suitable wear protection system.
The project was re-awarded to Kingfisher, to re-manufacture and add a combination of wear resistant lining systems within the pipework depending on what the location of these pipes will be within their manufacturing process.