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BATEMAN wins Portnet contracts
Portnet has placed contracts with Bateman Materials Handling Limited
for a multi-product load out station and train mover at the port of
Richards Bay and for a conveyor and a luffing stacker at the port of
Saldanha Bay. Work on these contracts has commenced and is due to be
concluded during the first quarter of 1998.
Richards Bay load out station
The station will handle seven different products, viz. coking coal,
three types of fertilisers, sulphur, potash and urea. BATEMAN’s
materials flow technology will be used during design to ensure blockage
free operation of the system. The surge bin capacity of the station
will be 500m³.
A unique feature of the station is that all parts of the system in contact
with the products will have to be cleaned thoroughly when changing from
one product to another.
Trains passing through the station will contain up to 30 wagons of different
sizes from 30 tonne to 58 tonne randomly placed along the train. The
loading accuracy will be within 0,1% for the whole train and 1,0% for
individual wagons.
The train mover
Rail wagons moving through a standard load out station can only be loaded
accurately if the train is moved through the station at an exact and
constant speed. At Richards Bay BATEMAN will be supplying an Elbram
- a mobile train pusher - which can move trains at constant speeds as
low as 800 m/hr.
The Elbram combines in a single unit the advantages of the positive
pushing force of a wall mounted hydraulic ram pusher with the mobility
of a shunting locomotive. The Elbram is a four-wheel two-axle rail-mounted
vehicle with its pushing force provided by two hydraulic rams. This
force can be boosted to cope with jammed wagon brakes or to move static
trains around loop curves.
Iron ore handling at Saldanha Bay
Aluffing boom and conveyor at the port will handle up to 9 000 t/hr
of iron ore destined for the Saldanha Steel plant.
The 1 650 mm wide conveyor belt will travel at either 4 m/s or 2,6 m/s,
depending upon whether iron ore or pelletized iron ore are being conveyed
to the stacker. The luffing stacker will deposit the ore on a 9 000
tonne stockpile. The design of the system will be unique in that a single
continuous belt will be used for the conveyor and stacker. This simple
design reduces cost and spillage of ore and simplifies starting and
stopping the system.
BATEMAN is also supplying a 2,7 km overland conveyor at the site which
will move the stockpiled iron ore at a rate of 500 t/hr to the Saldanha
Steel plant.
Further information on the Portnet contract may be obtained from Ludwig
du Toit, BMH General Manager, Sales and Marketing:
Tel: +27-11-201-2300
e-mail: bulk@batemanengineering.com
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