Design and realization of a new section for granulating pork blood powder, with a capacity of 7500 pounds/hour.

The blood processing plant uses a spray dryer which has a granulation unit to improve texture and the product flowability.

The process is completely automated and includes the following:

• a granulator
• a bucket elevator
• a vibratory screener
• screw conveyors
• pneumatic conveyors and cyclones
• dust collecting system

Sotecma has taken part in every phase of the project: preliminary study, budget cost estimate, design and job supervision.

Design and job supervision for the new construction of a grain drying plant and a transfer system of by-products in the agro industry and more specifically in the animal feed milling.

The project includes a 30,000 metric tons per year of grain drying plant using a state-of-the-art dryer having a capacity of 50 tons per hour with a new on-line "dry-aeration" system.

The project consists more specifically of the following:

Grain drying plant

• capacity of 30,000 metric tons per year;
• capacity of 750 tons of humid grains;
• capacity of 600 tons of semi-humid grains;
• capacity of 4000 tons of dry grains; and
• system of calibration and cleaning of the grain.

Bulk terminal

• capacity of receiving rail cars and/or trucks having a capacity of 220 metric tons per hour of meal product;
• continuous weigh scaling system of incoming products;
• rail car receiving system;
• new 2500 metric tons capacity silo of soybean meal and canola meal including a mechanical self-unloading device; and
• fast bulk load out truck having silos above and a weigh scale.

Design and job supervision of a complete bulk handling and storage system for chemical fertilizers and grains.

The system includes the following:

• handling system having a capacity of 1200 tons/hour;
• 5 wooden domes of 5000 tons capacity;
• supporting structures between domes, conveyors and walkways; and
• electricity and control.

The project consisted in the following:

• design and construction of a 20,000mt capacity clinker silo 70' in diameter by 140' high
• bulk handling system for clinker which includes:
  • bucket elevator;
  • belt conveyor;
  • chain conveyor;
  • apron conveyor;
  • dust collecting system

The project consists in the design and construction of a truck loading station from two 1400 mt concrete storage silo having 24' diameter and 124' height. The truck load out includes:

• 120' long truck scale with access ramps
• Automated filling truck devices
• Specially designed hopper to extract cement from the silo.

Technical research, technological transfer, design, management and achievement of construction work for the new plant.

Achievement of the first flax scutching plant in North America. The plant was originally conceived with a long fibers scutching machine with the possibility of adding a second one. The infrastructure was built to receive four long fibers scutching machines.

The plant includes the following:

• warehouse to store raw materials and finish products;
• flax plant which contains:
  • long fiber scutching plant; and
  • toe scutching plant.
• rotating drum seed cleaning system;
• system for cleaning shives;
• pneumatic air handling system; and
• dust collection systems.

Sotecma was in charge of the design and job supervision of a protection system for the existing bulk shipping bins.

More specifically, the project involved the following work:

• surface preparation and painting of the structural steel;
• surface preparation and painting of the bins;
• job supervision during the work; and
• field measurement of the residual steel thickness on the bins.

The project involves two storage domes having a capacity of 5000 metric tons each with a bulk handling system of 220 tons per hour capacity.

The project consists more specifically of the following items:

• construction of 130' diameter concrete domes, having a 10' high concrete wall at the base;
• handling system having a capacity of 220 tons per hour of soya bean meals and/or canola meals;
• reclaiming system by front wheel unloader;
• transfer system to bulk load out station over truck for fast truck filling (250 tons per hour);
• electrical, control and automated system; and
• civil works including tunnel and receiving system from trucks and rail cars.

Design and preliminary budget estimate on a complete trans shipment of petroleum coke system from ship receiving to storage area. The bulk terminal includes the following:

• One hopper and one receiving system from the ship at a capacity of 2500 tons/hr
• One storage area containing 200,000 tons of petroleum coke and coal
• One sophisticated computerised water spraying system to minimise dust emission
• One integrated automatic car loading system
• One sophisticated stacking system using portable conveyor and stackers

The system was complete and includes ship receiving system, bulk handling equipment and 55,000mt storage shed.

The system has a handling capacity of 1,200t/hr which includes the following:

• one portable on rail receiving hopper 300mt capacity with special foundation;
• one complete conveyor system between the ship and the flat storage;
• one rectangular shed at a capacity of 55,000mt;
• one complete automated loading system for railcar.

• Design, construction and supervision of project

Design of a new alfalfa drying plant.

New complete alfalfa drying plant which includes the following:

• blending system of incoming wet alfalfa;
• two new rotary drum dryers using recirculation of hot air;
• two pelleting systems;
• handling systems and storage bins of finished product;
• bulk shipping bins; and
• high speed bagging systems.

The unit is complete and includes the following:

• seed storage warehouse of 10,000sq.ft.
• finish product storage of 9,500sq.ft.
• the complete feed mill which in terms includes the following:
• railcar and truck receiving system;
• grain and by-product storage silos;
• dosing and mixing silos
• complete batching system;
• complete molasses addition system;
• storage and process silos;
• micro-ingredient system

Design and job supervision.

New handling and storage of 3500 tons of soya bean meals and 3500 tons of canola meals.

The project includes the following:

• Receiving and handling transfer system at 220 tons per hour.
• Two concrete silos 80' dia. with galvanized roof.
• Reclaim system by front end (orders having a capacity of 110 tons per hour).
• Use of existing overhead bins for load out to truck shipping (capacity 1 truck in 5 minutes).

Design, drawing and job supervision of a complete new receiving and stacking of raw material for the Quebec Cartier Mining Plant for the iron ore industry.

The system is unique of its kind and is used to receive self-unloading ships, to handle the by-products and stack the by-products into various stock piles.

The project includes the following characteristics:

• one receiving hopper of raw material, having a capacity of 350 metric tons which receive self-unloading ships. The hopper offers the following characteristics:
  • continuous weighing system using strain gauges;
  • a set of lights and communication system that indicates to the ship captain the volume and the weight of the product inside the hopper; and
  • walk-way system and skirt to minimize dust emission.
• one feeder belt conveyor having a capacity of 2850 metric tons per hour, 60" wide belt with deflector chute that subdivides the flow between two radial stackers;
• addition of a new radial stacker having a span of 285', 36" wide belt, having a capacity of 1500 metric tons per hour. The stacker can store raw material into various stock piles in a circle;
• one series of portable belt conveyors, 110' long, feeding in cascade one radial stacker mentioned above; and
• one existing radial stacker from QCM which has been modified and adapted to give another circle of stock pile. This stacker has a capacity of 1350 metric tons per hour.

Design, drawing, job and installation. Supervision in the field for the new mobile reclaim hopper for iron ore pellet. The hopper is mobile and is meant to receive iron ore pellet from front wheel loaders and transfer the pellet into a series of portable conveyors and cascades.

The project consists more specifically of the following:

• one new portable hopper having a capacity of 100 metric tons, and having the dimensions of 18' long x 10' wide x 16' high. The hopper includes a skirt protection all around, one grizzly and one interior baffle to protect the inside;
• one new conveyor feeder 72" wide, having a capacity of 1500 tons per hour; and
• one series of belt conveyors in cascades 36" wide x 110' long to convey product from the mobile hopper into an existing stacker.

Design, drawing and follow-up of the manufacturing and of the installation work in the field for the major modification to the existing ship loader that was built by Dominion Bridge in the 1950's.

The ship loader has a throughput of 9000 metric tons per hour on iron ore pellet and has a belt width of 7' wide with a belt speed of 1100 ft/minute.

The work involved on the modification of the ship loader was done in two distinct phases without interrupting activities of the Quebec Cartier Mining operations.

Phase 1 consisted of changing the ship loader that was damaged and offers the following characteristics:

• increase water draught to be able to load bigger ships;
• eliminate one transfer point between the shuttle and the boom;
• add a sturdier new boom;
• add a deflector chute at the end of the boom to be able to load the ship in a better way; and
• widen the belt from 6' to 7'.

Phase 2 consisted of changing the shuttle of the ship loader and to bring the following modifications:

• change the shuttle itself;
• change the design of the shuttle in order to accomodate for a new continuous belt without any transfer point;
• change the drive from a 500 HP to a 600 HP;
• change the programmable computer; and
• provide electrical and control work.

Detailed design and follow-up of the construction of 5 belt conveyors, 36" wide which are used to convey various mixes from the batching plant to the furnaces.

The conveyors are of belt type with idlers which include the following:

• chute and supports;
• two-way and three-way valves and gates; and
• necessary spouting.

Design and job supervision. Modifications to the bulk handling conveyor at the wharf to increase the receiving rate of sugar and to permit bigger ships to berth and to unload.

The project includes:

• modifications to the existing 48" wide belt conveyor;
• concrete tunnel extension;
• shorten the existing shed to lengthen the wharf;
• redo electrical and control system; and
• new handling systems of 1000 tons per hour of sugar.

Sotecma was involved in the design and job supervision for a complete transhipment system from truck to railcar and from railcar to truck.

The system includes the following:

• design of a new railroad siding to accommodate railcar receiving;
• storage of silos for bulk product;
• design of a bulk handling system of 150 tons /hr from railcar to truck and from truck to railcar.

Collaboration to the technical design and follow-up of the works on site.

The project consists in a station of transhipment of grains coming from railcars or trucks up to container loading station.  The capacity of the system is 4 containers of 20’ per hour, with the possibility of increasing up to 8 containers per hour.

The system is especially designed not to degrade the grains, to eliminate the contamination, to ensure bio-secure exportation by the addition of a bag inside the container.