Product category:
Mixers, Blenders, Grinders and Mills
News Release from: John R Boone | Subject: EPR Thetford
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 January 2008
Mixer refurbishment for EPR Thetford
After 8 years of 24-7 production, John R Boone is refurbishing their 120 tonne per day ash blender at the Energy Power Resources 'chicken litter' powered 38MW Thetford Power Station
The Energy Power Resources (EPR) Thetford Power Station, completed in 1999, is a 38MW station delivering 912 MW of power to the national grid every day This power station does not burn coal or gas: the EPR power plant consumes 60 tonnes per hour of chicken litter, 420,000 tonnes per year
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 24 Dec 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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This makes it the biggest chicken litter powered station in the world, and the largest biomass powered station in Europe.
As a by-product, the station produces 120 tonnes per day of ash, which is blended and sold as high-quality fertiliser.
John R Boone supplied a 16m3 working capacity ash-blending drum mixer to the station when it opened, and all the ash produced through the station goes through this blending drum before going to the fertiliser production factory off-site.
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Ash comes from the generation plant by screw conveyor, bucket elevator and weigh hopper to the drum blender.
In addition, 12,000 Litres per hour of water is sprayed onto the ash through a high pressure spray lance as a dust suppressant, before it is transported away.
The unique mixing action of this large drum allows the water to quickly and thoroughly dampen the ash before discharge.
EPR has instigated a policy of giving suppliers of major pieces of on-site equipment the responsibility of controlling and undertaking planned maintenance and refurbishment themselves.
As Dave Brewer, Maintenance team leader at the site, put it: "J R Boone are the experts, they are the best placed to do the work".
After 8 years of 24-7 production, John R Boone consulted the original drawings and proposed a refurbishment project, to take place during a planned summer shutdown, that both refurbished and developed the blender installation.
It was concluded that new inlet and outlet chutes were required, along with the complete replacement of the spray lance and valve gear.
Also a new drive ring and chain were fitted to the blender body together with another access door in the side of the drum to ease cleaning.
John R Boone also worked with the staff on site to streamline the mixing process itself, changing the sequencing of the mix materials to avoid the problem caking of material on the inside of the drum.
This improved the mixer efficiency between planned maintenance and reduced maintenance time.
Dave Brewer again: "it is important for our key installations that we can be confident that we can rely on our suppliers.
They are the best people to help us to develop, refine and improve our processes for the future, and we trust John R Boone to support us.
We are very happy with the way they have performed on this major refurbishment project".
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