Sand Extraction Plant Seeks Pieper Automation's Expertise to Improve Production
Sand extraction is a process of obtaining sand from a pit for construction purposes. The sand plays a critical role in the production of mortar and concrete, giving them the required structure, stability, and cohesiveness to harden and maintain their shape. The extracted sand is blended with water to create slurry, which is transported from the pit to a processing plant for cleaning and grading for construction use.
When a leading provider of minerals and material solutions for the industrial and energy markets was experiencing challenges at their sand processing plant, they turned to Pieper Automation to identify and resolve the issues and increase production efficiencies. Proper slurry management is crucial in sand extraction production as improper monitoring and balancing can result in clogging and damage to equipment, leading to poor quality mortar.
During a meeting with the production team, Pieper Automation determined that the lack of proper monitoring and balancing, as well as issues controlling the flow rate and pressure of the slurry, were causing problems at the plant. It was also determined that the plant operators were unable to remotely control or monitor two key booster pumps that supplied the slurry mix.
At Pieper Automation, we pride ourselves in our unique ability to provide complete industrial automation and controls solutions & services for our customers. Our team recognized the importance of quickly resolving these issues in order to improve their production effectiveness & product quality. Our team promptly developed a plan to resolve these issues, by adding in key pressure transducers to the booster pump units and rotary screen to monitor pressures in the line. The team also updated the start/stop controls of the booster pumps and all programming for control of the line and corrected and updated the programming of the existing wireless network for remote control functionality.
The project was completed on time and within budget, leading to a more accurate monitoring and control system, which tracks the pressure and flow rate of the slurry and helps identify the type of blockage and resolve quicker. Effective slurry management also reduces dust and debris during transportation. The completion of the project resulted in a more efficient and environmentally friendly process, and allowed plant operators and maintenance to identify and correct blockages, leading to a 50% improvement in production efficiency
Solution
Add Pressure Transducer to key points throughout the line to monitor and manage process.
Add HMI to provide operator control and monitoring of booster pumps
Repair communication network errors • Update wireless network
Results
Accurate monitoring of pressure in slurry system
Minimized production downtime
Provided quicker/easier identification of blockage and type of blockage in product delivery to plant.
Decreased maintenance cycle of equipment by providing higher quality material to plant
Increased operating equipment effectiveness by 50%