Brazil success for Martin Engineering
Company to supply 110 Hurricane Supreme Air Cannons to Votorantim Cimentos
VOTORANTIM Cimentos, one of South America’s leading construction materials suppliers, have specified a total of 110 advanced air cannons from Martin Engineering for improved material flow in two new plants nearing completion in Brazil.
The plant operators have kept an intense focus on efficient material flow, with engineers carefully researching the latest technologies to maximize efficiency and reduce maintenance expenses. Votorantim Cimentos anticipate that the cannons, equipped with high-efficiency valves, will prevent blockages that could slow production while minimizing air consumption.
The two new plants – Cuiaba and Rio Branco do Sul – are part of a significant investment to increase production throughout Brazil, and are expected to produce approximately 8,500 tonnes of clinker per day when they come on stream later this year.
In designing the processes, Votorantim engineers wanted to take all reasonable measures to prevent accumulations in vessels and storage systems. They contacted Martin Engineering to conduct an audit of the two processes and a joint effort was made to determine the optimum solution, including air cannon design, nozzle selection and specific locations to maintain high throughput.
After studying the plant designs and potential accumulation spots, engineers from both companies identified the optimum locations for the air cannons and have decided to install 110 Martin Hurricane Supreme Air Cannons in the plants, covering preheater towers, additive silos and cyclones. The units will fire a powerful discharge of compressed air in a prescribed pattern to remove material that sticks to vessel walls and ductwork. In the Cuiabá plant, 56 cannons are being installed, with 54 being placed at Rio Branco.
The new family of positive-action valves from Martin Engineering produces about twice the blast force output of the valve generation introduced a decade ago, while using about half the compressed air volume. If the two designs delivered the same discharge force, the current valve would operate at about half the pressure of the preceding design. Firing only in response to a positive surge of air, the specially designed valve allows the control solenoid to be positioned as far as 200ft from the tank, keeping critical components away from harsh service environments.
The benefits of specifying the new technology for air cannon networks include reduced energy costs, improved system performance and increased uptime, with greater availability of compressed air for other processes within the plant.
