A second line, squeezed in beside one that never stops

The problem

One line carried all the ash, with no window for maintenance

The plant produces about 200 t of fly ash a day, all of it through one existing stabilization line. The mixer was already working at capacity every day. Stopping it for maintenance meant the ash had nowhere to go.

How we approached it

Not a new building: a second set under the ash silo, sharing the same feed

The new system sits under the concrete fly ash silo. A rotary valve and a three-way diverter split the ash two ways: one route into a new weigh hopper and on to the mixer with the chelating agent, the other by screw conveyor to the original line. Switching valves lets the two lines run crosswise, so one can be serviced while the other keeps going.

Results

• 2 lines on one ash feed, switched by valves.
• No new building: the new line fits under the existing ash silo.
• No shutdowns for maintenance: one line keeps treating ash while the other is serviced.

The hard part

Little room, dense pipework

Space was tight and crowded with pipes. The layout was reworked to fit both systems side by side, which also shortened the conveying runs and cut the risk of ash settling and blocking in the lines.

What carries over

• Adding capacity doesn’t always need a new building. Look first at the space under the existing silo.
• Two lines on one feed, each backing up the other, so maintenance no longer stops production.
• The shorter the conveying run, the less ash settles in the lines.

All photos are from this project.