Custom Drag Conveyor for Wood Fiber Recycling Plant

General Description

Sustainable products provide environmental, social, and economic benefits while protecting public health and environment over their whole life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials until final disposal. As a rapidly growing industry sector in the United States, every pound of material that can be diverted from a landfill and reused helps to sustain our environment.

One area of focus is recycling wood and paper products to create wood fiber materials used in soil erosion management. The finished product typically takes the form of a blanket that protects topsoil while allowing water and nutrients to reach plant life.

Prior to becoming a blanket, the wood fibers must be conveyed between various processes within the plant. At this point, the bulk material exhibits an ultra-low density and is stringy, tending to form clumps within itself. As a result, conveying equipment selection is critical to contain the product and prevent costly downtime resulting from plugged machinery. In this application, a large volumetric capacity must be conveyed at a steep 45-degree incline to reach the next processing stage. As the leader in the bulk material handling industry, KWS provided a cost-effective, long-term solution.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type: Wood Fiber
2. Material Density: 1.5 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Capacity: 24,000 Lbs. per Hour
4. Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

Understanding the nature of bulk materials is essential to proper design. In this case, the volumetric capacity is relatively high due to the low density of the wood fibers at 1.5-lbs. per cubic foot, necessitating an oversized drag conveyor to maintain product flow. Safety and longevity of the equipment is always a primary concern for KWS and the end user, so KWS designed the drag conveyor to be completely enclosed with no access to moving components.

KWS Special Features

KWS provided a flat bottom drag conveyor with matched dual strands of welded steel mill chain with custom oversized 1-1/2” thick UHMW paddles to convey wood fibers en-masse up an extreme incline. The design eliminated the need for intermediate idler sprockets which could have caused blockage to material flow.

Custom fabricated equipment can be difficult for an installer to assemble in the field, which is why the entire unit was assembled, match marked, and test run at KWS prior to shipment, thereby saving the Customer precious installation time. Dual strands of chain were adjusted using KWS screw-type take ups on the tail end of the drag conveyor. A backstop was utilized on the drive unit, preventing the drag conveyor from running free in reverse if it is ever stopped mid-process. Lastly, the unit is completely modular, allowing worn sections to quickly and easily be replaced in the future.