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Biomass handling and loading with PEBCO®

Client
Spencer Group at the Port of Hull
Date
12/12/2013
p
Info
PEBCO® worked in conjunction with the Spencer Group LTD to design and manufacture the railcar loading gate and loading chute.

PEBCO® was invited by the Spencer Group in the UK to be part of a “project that employs multi-disciplinary engineering expertise to [its] best effect; rail, civil, structural, electrical, and mechanical engineers were all involved”.

The impressive facility at the Port of Hull, showcasing the multi-disciplinary engineering expertise, is a biomass handling, storage, and railcar loading facility. A silo is part of the system and will handle a million tonnes per year of biomass imported from the United States and Canada by sea to the Port of Hull in the form of wood pellets created from forestry residues.

After unloading at the port, biomass is stored in warehouses until it is transported by truck to the new facility. The silo is 50 meters (164 feet) tall with a storage capacity of 3000 cubic meters (105,944 cubic feet) of wood pellets.

The biomass is unloaded from trucks into feeders to the 250- meter (820 ft.) long conveyor. This conveyer moves the biomass to the railcar loading facility where it is discharged into railcars as they pass through the base of the structure. The railcars do not stop during the loading process. This ensures an accurate and even load, without spillage. The loading system will load up to 30 railcars with 1,950 tonnes (2,149 tons) of material in just 45 minutes. 1 2. According to the customer, “The [loading] facility will accommodate up to four trains per day, loading through a state-of-the-art system that complies with all environmental and safety standards;” for the safe, reliable and efficient handling and loading of bulk biomass.”

PEBCO® worked in conjunction with the Spencer Group LTD to design and manufacture the railcar loading gate and loading chute.

During the Humber Renewables Awards, a prestigious green energy awards event held on March 6, 2014, Spencer Group was granted the award of Best Renewable Energy Project for the design and construction of this biomass handling and loading facility at the Port of Hull.

According to the judges, this project:

  • “provides safe, reliable and efficient handling of fuel for one of the UK’s leading power supplier
  • “was a ‘milestone’ for the renewables industry”.
  • “was a ‘showcase for the technical and engineering skills available in our region’.”

 

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