Finedoor Complete Upgrade For Scord Quarry

Leeds-based firm tackles two-phase replant on Shetland

Situated over 200 miles north of Aberdeen, Shetland comprises more than 100 islands, 16 of which are inhabited. Scord Quarry, one of 11 quarries on Shetland, is situated 9km west of Lerwick and produces over 90,000 tonnes a year of a schist-type stone. Owned and operated by the Shetland Islands Council, which is responsible for the management and maintenance of around 650 miles of public roads on the islands, the quarry supplies asphalt and roadstone for road-building and maintenance work, as well armour-stone and concrete aggregates for local builders.

Morley-based Finedoor Ltd first became involved with Scord Quarry via an enquiry from the Sheltand Islands Council in 2000. Owing to an increase in demand, the council had decided to replace, upgrade and extend the existing processing plant in two phases, which led to an initial order for new screens and conveyors to facilitate an increase in production of 14mm and 20mm material up 80–90 tonnes/h. With a short delivery window, the contract required Finedoor to design, manufacture and transport the equipment within two months.

Utilizing the site’s existing crushers, a 29m long x 650mm wide transfer conveyor was supplied and linked to a new 5m x 1.5m twin-deck inclined screen equipped with flake decks and powered by a direct-drive cardan shaft. This new screen was housed within a purpose-made fabricated portal-framed building. To complete this initial phase, two 15m long x 650mm wide stockpile conveyors and a 29m long x 650mm wide recycling conveyor were also supplied.

All foundations for the new equipment were constructed by Shetland Islands Council quarry engineers using drawings provided by Finedoor, while all fabrications were manufactured by the company and transported direct to the site. Installation was carried out by the quarry’s engineers in approximately four weeks, and Finedoor tested, checked and commissioned the new plant within eight weeks of the initial installation.

In the second phase of the project Finedoor replaced an existing 16ft x 5ft triple-deck screen, which was coming to the end of its life, with a 2.4m x 1.2m heavy-duty twin-deck grizzly screen powered by a direct-drive cardan shaft. This separates +150mm oversize and –45mm sub-base and delivers them, via conveyors, to ground stockpiles, while the –150mm +45mm is delivered to the site’s secondary crusher. All chutes were fitted with impact- and wear-resistant liners, and Finedoor also supplied the steel support structure, access platforms and steel-frame building that houses the screen.

In addition, Finedoor supplied two stockpile conveyors, one 15m long x 900mm wide and one 15m long x 650mm wide, as well as a 47m long x 650mm wide primary stockpile conveyor; all three were fitted with access walkways and complete enclosures.

All foundation plans and layouts, including design work and site measurement, were completed by Finedoor, with installation and commissioning carried out by Shetland Islands Council engineers.

Quarry manager Billy Butler commented: ‘We were pleased with the way Finedoor worked with us and helped us modernize our crushing plant. All the plant works well and was delivered on time.’