New : Powder and Bulk Online Training Center Opens

Jacksonville Beach, FL -- We are pleased to announce the opening of a new Online Training Center for the bulk materials handling professional.

Training Center homepage:  http://www.powderandbulk.com/online_training/

"Travel less - Learn more"

Our first online lecture in the Solids Flow Series by Joe Marinelli is now available online. Entitled "Flow Problems - Their effects and flow patterns", the class covers basic solids flow problems and the effects of those flow problems in your process or system.

Flow problems in your handling system can have serious consequences, where reliable solids flow is essential, especially with regard to operational costs and downtime.

Some of the topics discussed include arching, ratholing, flooding and segregation issues. Joe Marinelli also discusses the effects of limited live storage, spoilage or caking and even structural concerns. The advantages and disadvantages of flow patterns such as funnel flow and mass flow are also demonstrated.

Lecture includes downloadable class notes and a self administered quiz with answer sheet. The three-day subscription allows you to watch and review this video class on the Internet as many times as you need.

Two new lectures from the Solids Flow Series will be available online May 1st.

Sponsored Lectures

Does your company or consultancy offer lectures for the bulk materials handling and processing professional? Contact us about including your lecture series or classes in our new Online Training Center.

For more information contact:
Mr. Joe Taylor
Powder and Bulk Dot Com
3948 South Third Street, No. 121
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Telephone: 904-280-4656
Email: jtaylor@powderandbulk.com
Web site: http://www.powdwerandbulk.com/

ContiTech purchases Serbian Belt Manufacture

Hanover, Germany -- The ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group, Northeim, has purchased the Serbian conveyor belt company Univerzal Kolubara d.o.o. The acquisition was concluded on April 6, 2009.

“This is an important building block in our strategy of establishing a firmer foothold on the Eastern European market. At the same time it guarantees us a stable base for expanding business outside the automotive industry,” noted Heinz-Gerhard Wente, member of the ContiTech AG Executive Board, after the agreement was signed.

Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Veliki Crljeni, to the south of Belgrade, the company, which makes conveyor belts for the local market, currently employs 250. The purchase price was in the one-digit million euro range.

ContiTech intends to invest in production at the location to meet the demand for conveyor belts.

“This plant gives us an excellent base in a region rich in lignite coal. Following the purchase of Matador in Slovakia, the merger with Kolubara provides us the wherewithal to be successful in Eastern Europe,” says Hans-Jurgen Duensing, head of the ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group business unit.

Serbia is renowned for its enormous lignite deposits, found in seams measuring up to 50 m. Much of the country’s power generation relies on plants fired by domestic coal. This explains why a large number of leading energy companies is interested in beefing up their involvement in the country.

The Conveyor Belt Group reported consolidated sales of €469 million in 2008. It currently has a workforce of around 3,000 worldwide.

Source: http://www.contitech.de/

Siwertell coal unloader sold to NH Power Station

Helsinki, Finland -- Having operated a Siwertell coal unloader for over 25 years, a US power company knew that it wanted another one when the time came to replace the original unit.

Through a competitive bidding process, Cargotec’s MacGregor has secured a Siwertell ST-790 D coal unloader order from American power company Public Service of New Hampshire’s Schiller Stations located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

MacGregor has unrivalled experience in developing marine cargo handling and offshore load-handling solutions, and is part of Cargotec Corporation, the world's leading provider of cargo handling solutions used in local transportation, terminals, ports, distribution centers, and ships.

Jonas Fack, sales director for Bulk Terminals says that: “More than 25 years’ experience with its first Siwertell unloader, along with MacGregor’s environmentally-friendly unloading systems, were major reasons for this client contacting us. This new unloader is replacing the utility’s partnership’s first Siwertell coal unloader which was delivered in 1983 and was designed for smaller vessels.

“MacGregor has considerable experience in coal unloading with continuous screw technology. The advantages of using this type of Siwertell coal unloader are its reliability, and capability of achieving high capacities with no dust emissions and no spillage in its surroundings.”

The order was received in December 2008, and work is now well underway for the manufacture of the new 1,200t/h-capacity unit. It is designed to discharge 45,000 dwt bulk carriers and is planned for final delivery in mid-2010.

Source: http://www.macgregor-group.com/

OptiWave 6300 : New FMCW Radar Measuring Device

Duisburg, Germany -- While in the past, solid silos and stock have generally been monitored using simple limit switches, continuous measuring systems are now increasingly in demand. In many industries this has made a more conscious management of raw materials possible, which ultimately leads to lower storage costs.

For applications in the bulk goods industry, Krohne has thus developed a reliable solution for measuring supplies of powders and bulk goods. The new FMCW radar measuring device, OptiWave 6300 C, is based on more than 20 years of experience and boasts a special antenna which can even detect the typically uneven surfaces in silos.

Thanks to the huge dynamics of the device, the outstanding efficiency of the antennas and the FMCW process, no special equipment is necessary to align the antennas. Installation is thus quite simple.

Dust and deposits do not affect the measurements as the new drop antennas do not allow anything to adhere to them. They also feature an outstanding directional receiving pattern (2° angle of reflected beam). And since measurement is non-contact, maintenance expenditures are extremely low.

The user can choose from several materials, antenna sizes and antenna materials. The drop antenna with its ellipsoidal shape is available in sizes DN 80 (material: PP or PTFE) and DN 150 (material: PP).

The stainless steel variant is available in sizes DN 40 to DN 150). Depending on the material, application temperatures of up to 200 °C and pressures of up to 40 bar are possible. Even in silos with heights up to 80 meters, the OptiWave 6300 C still measures reliably.

The new OptiWave 6300 C level measuring device can be used anywhere that users require maintenance-free and reliable level determination. For example, silos, hoppers, storage containers or conveyor belts in the cement industry, in mining, in the iron and steel industry, the chemical industry or in the paper industry and in power plants.

Source: http://www.krohne.com/

I

Bunting announces new Partnership for Michigan Bunting Magnetics and Steele Plastic Equipment are pleased to announce that Todd Steele will be their exclusive rep in Michigan.

Spencer awarded Biomass Materials Handling Contract
C Spencer Ltd. will provide equipment to unload, handle and store biomass fuels for the Drax Power Station.

Improved access door without Material Accumulation The new, low profile, access door from Martin Engineering provides safe and easy access to belt cleaners and other components.

More headline news...

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Alba Technologies
petertorrance@shaw.ca

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© 1998-2009 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

I hope everyone had a great holiday.

We are very pleased to announce our new Training Center.  Everyone has worked hard in developing this new tool for you.  Now you can take a lecture or class about important topics in the bulk materials handling world, in the comfort of your home or office.

You could even have a "brown bag" lunch with the other engineers at your company.  Sitting together with a computer and projector to "bone up" on technical topics.  Please take a moment to visit this new facility and let us know what you think!

With over 7,000+ subscribers, our goal is to provide information to improve your business by using the resources available on the Internet.

Very Truly Yours,
Joe Taylor, Editor
jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

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Assessing Loads on Silos and other Bulk Storage Structures:  Research Applied to Practice
by Geoffrey E. Blight
Hardcover, 264 pages, 2006

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Advanced Drying Technologies
Second Edition
by T. Kudra and A. Mujumdar
Hardcover, 520 pages, 2009

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Bulk Material Handling
by Conveyor Belt 7
by Mark Alspaugh, editor
Paperback: 108 pages, 2008

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Find more books for the materials handling professional online, visit our Reading Room.

"Spider Diagrams" :
A novel way of predicting Powder Flow
Guest article by E. McGee, Ajax Equipment and D. McGlinchey, Glasgow Caledonian University

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.

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Past Ask Joe! Archived Articles

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This weeks photo is of a three dimensional physical model of colored granular beads flowing through a hopper with lower conical insert. Model shows the relative velocity between particles. Creating physical models like the one above is a highly effective method of understanding particle flow behavior.

Photo courtesy Jenike & Johanson, Inc.

Send us your photos:  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