Stockpile Systems for Material Handlings - Report Example

TECHNICAL REPORT Stockpile Systems for Material Handlings Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Insert Date Here (Day, Month, Year) Transmittal Letter To Dear Mr. This project report is about Stockpile Systems for Material Handlings. Purpose of the report is the critical analysis of the process and techniques involved in the stockpile systems for material handlings. The topic will also be covering on the specific features that would be involved and any new technical developments that are likely to take place in the future in the process of the stockpiling of the bulk materials. Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….4 Executive Summary Introduction…………………………………………………………………….…5 Process involved in Stockpiling………………………………………………….6 Effect of Stockpiling………………………………………………………………7 Dangers and Risk involved in the Stockpiling System and Safety measures…….8 Case Study with Table………………………………………………………………… 9 References……………………………………………………………………………….11 ABSTRACT Stockpiling is an area or location where bulk materials are stored and constitutes an important function of the bulk materials handling process. Stockpiling is used in several areas like in port, refinery or in manufacturing process and is usually created with the help of a stacker. It is a large machine used in the process of handling of the bulk materials. Main purpose of stacker is to load the bulk material in a form of ores and cereals into a stockpile and a reclaimer is used for the purpose of recovering the materials whenever they are required for the purpose of product loading. Stockpiles are used in many of the functionary areas like in refineries, port, manufacturing, construction, and even in gathering of the food materials like grains etc in bulk. They are normally created in the stockyards at ports, refineries or at mine sites. A simple stockpile is formed with the help of machines. Bulk materials are dumped into a pile either from trucks, bulldozers or conveyor booms. Stockpiles solve three main purposes: Buffering, Blending and Targeting. Buffering means stockpile provides protective cover to the materials, which are used in the processing process independently of other processes. Secondly stockpiles help in the process of blending the materials put on them and thirdly with stockpiling, grading of the materials could be done at ease for which information is easily available and information is also readily available for the next batch of materials, which are ready to be stockpiled. Now with the scientific advancements, more and more technical developments are taking place in the process of the stockpiling and how they are more useful and advantageous than the previous ones. Executive Summary: Introduction The most important aspects of the stockpiling of the bulk materials are the storage and transformation system. Stockpiling in bulk helps in handling of stocks required for several functions like in transportation of materials, construction work, in mining purposes, or even for medicines and food items and cereals. Companies involve its own processes of stockpiling using technologies and equipments most conducive to their requirements. Companies look for the inexpensive and adequate solutions, which are automatic and simple to use. The cost pressures on the companies responsible for the bulk handling and storage are forcing them to find out and make use of the equipments, which have potentialities and are rational. The use of the unmanned operation of stackers, reclaimers and combined machines can reduce the cost of the equipments. Current industries are facing with the short innovation cycles, increase in the rationalization process, and very complex equipments being used for the stockpiling. To make their communication and automation systems clear, simple and safe industries require the technology that can be conducive to their above requirements. It is also maintained that the increasing requirement for storage of the materials and the systems of handling could only be met with the help of the logistics concepts which can assure all the handling functions including information exchange and flow of the materials in the later operations. Process involved in Stockpiling There are different ways of the stockpiling and different methods are employed for different purposes. The most popularly used machine is a balanced boom stacker-reclaimer device having bifurcated support tower straddling portion deeply connected to the tower. It is a unitary conical gantry structure which can provide uniformity to the slew bearings that rotate the boom. With a special stacker-reclaimer unit is attached a gantry structure to which we can move in between the stockpiles. This boom structure is stretched over the piles and swings from side to side allowing complete stockpile area to be covered. A bucket wheel is attached at the boom end which is used for collecting materials. This whole process causes gantry and boom structure stress. To considerably reduce this stress level, superstructure supports and luffling systems are commonly used to raise and to lower this boom structure. This form of structure causes shift to the center of gravity of the stacker-reclaimer unit as the boom is made to raise or lower. In the older designs of stackers, careless placing of the boom on the bulk materials could result in imbalance and cause damage to the various supporting devices of the boom and could even cause toppling of the unit. The stacking and reclaiming mechanism is the most efficient way for handling coal, ore or other raw materials and comes in variuos designs. During the process of operation, it is very important that support is adequately provided for slew bearings and provisions for safely loading the materials in a uniform manner on the support trucks which lies at the base of the stacker-reclaimer. Uniformity to the whole process is provided with the help of prior art box, plate grider or trussed gantry structures. But with the scientific developments, new innovative methods are also being applied for creating stockpiles of coal and iron ore which requires very little investment in the form of capital. There are now radical stackers available that could create huge volume of stockpiles without any requirement for fixed equipment. Now handling of the materials could be undertaken with only one machine. There are certain flexible systems that are designed in the way which can easily help in joining fixed and mobile equipment most suitable for discharging materials in both the vertical and steep angle way. This system has all the benefits that one can get from the Samson surface feeder. With this system, one can easily receive materials from the trucks and loading shovels without requiring large ramps or underground pits. Using this system, the prevalent warehouses can be easily changed into Bulk stores. This system is comparatively cheap because instead of machines only requirement is lightweight standard portal frame structures and for stockpiles that are outside the buildings, only flat surface is needed for its efficient operation. Effect of Stockpiling The main purpose of the stockpiling is the reduction of the costs. Stockpiling of the materials helps in the potential use of them in future and proper marking facilitates the proper functioning. For e.g. stockpiling was conducted for hey or pasteurized fields and the main purpose was the reduction of the feed and labour costs. Dangers and Risks involved in the Stockpiling System and Safety measures There is also danger and risk involved in the process of stockpiling like dangerous and risky materials that can cause physical injury or illnesses therefore number of safety measures should be taken care of in the work place. There are certain onsite and offsite potential risks associated with the stockpiling of the material. Certain factors have to be considered while stockpiling of the material such as site-location and specific conditions of the site including climatic conditions; hydrological and hydrogeological conditions such as site’s proximity to water in order to prevent the water pollution; nature of the stockpiled materials; stability of the base on which the material is stockpiled as well as the stability of the material stockpiled and its risk of collapsing; duration of the storage of materials; closeness to sensitive areas of operation; fire control and mitigation factors. The factors on which off site risks depends include closeness and sensitivity of the nearby areas; appropriate implementation of the control standards of pollution boards such as dust or odour control; impacts of transportation to and from the site. Stockpiling should be conducted keeping in mind the materials flow and the site’s capacity. Balanced and systematic approach is required to be adopted for materials input, processing, output, storage, sale and removal to offsite. During the planning and operational stages of stockpiling, surrounding communities should be consulted and should be informed about the risks, impacts, duration, and mitigation measures. Communities should be provided with the complete contact details in case of queries and complaints to be addressed. Case Study with Table Case of Scorpio Mining Corporation Company would provide an update on stockpile material waiting for the mill to start. In their stockpile is the mixture of lower grade development material, which is most suited for the commissioning of the mill and fine-tuning for the metal recovery. On 30th Nov 2007, “Stockpile No. 1 contained 52,148 tonnes at an average grade of 69 g/t silver, 0.08 g/t gold, 0.25% copper, 1.42% lead and 2.55% zinc based on 438 samples taken (Table 1). A capping grade of 552 g/t silver, 0.5 g/t gold, 2.83% copper, 6.77% lead and 11.80% zinc was used based on the 95th percentile of all core assay results in 2007.” (Hawley 2007: Online) Rest details can be viewed from the table: Table 1. Development Stockpile No. 1 - Metal Grades ------------------------------------------------------- Sampling Ag Au Cu Pb Zn (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (%) ------------------------------------------------------- Pre-September 2007 61 0.08 0.21 1.41 2.39 ------------------------------------------------------- September 2007 129 0.13 0.63 1.58 3.66 ------------------------------------------------------- October 2007 67 0.07 0.13 1.42 3.12 ------------------------------------------------------- November 2007 68 0.08 0.21 1.33 2.11 ------------------------------------------------------- Average 69 0.08 0.25 1.42 2.55 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Source: Hawley 2007: Online) Since 31st January 2008, the materials required for the development purposes were stockpiled in different area called Stockpile No. 2 constituting additional 11,893 tonnes. References EngNet. Material Handling. [Online] Available: http://www.engnetglobal.com/c/c.aspx/GLV001/productdetail/material_handling [12 December 2008] Ferret. 2006. Radial stacker provides efficient stockpile handling. [Online] Available: [12 December 2008] Ford, C. 2006. Material Handling. [Online] Available: http://www2.sea.siemens.com/Industry+Solutions/Mining/mining-solutions/Materials-Handling.htm [12 December 2008] Guideline for Stockpile Management: Waste and waste related products. 2008. [Online] Available: http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/pdfs/waste_stockpile.pdf [12 December 2008] Hawley, P.J. 2007. Scorpio Reports on Mineralized Stockpile for Initial Mill Throughput at Nuestra Senora. [Online] Available: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2008/26/c5701.html [12 December 2008] Kulwiec, R.A. 1985. Materials Handling Handbook. John Wiley & Sons. Mining Weekly. 2008. Materials handling company introduces new coal-mining concept. [Online] Available: http://www.miningweekly.com/article.php?a_id=141206 [12 December 2008] Ministry of Agriculture Foods and Rural Affairs. 2002. Stockpiled Pasture: Effect of Management System and Nitrogen Application. [Online] Available: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/yieldsp1.htm [12 December 2008] Reese, C.D. 2000. Material Handling Systems: Designing for Safety and Health. New York: Taylor & Francis . Read More