Seasonal Operations
Changes in weather produce material handling issues unique to each season. The most common problem with handling material in the wintertime is carry back – material frozen to itself or to the sidewalls of a rail car, so it will not unload. This makes handling frozen materials difficult, slows down unloading times, and ultimately leads to loss in yield, . During the summertime, wet coal tends to agglomerate to side walls of chutes and silos, causing pluggage and halting the flow of material. MinTech has formulated freeze conditioning agents, side-release agents, deicers, and flow aids to keep material handling operational, inhibiting freezing, sticking, and pluggage. These solutions, including UP, BNSF, NS, and CSX-approved freeze conditioning agents and side-release, have improved cold-weather operation for many MinTech customers.
Benefits:
- Prevents snow and ice from building up on conveyor belts, idlers, and pulleys
- Melts existing snow, ice, and freezing frost
- Eliminates handling problems caused by icing or sticking
- Stops backslides resulting from belt hardening
- Minimizes fines, carry back, and buildup on belts, idlers, pulleys, and railcars
Wet material flow promoters, freeze-conditioning agents, side-release agents, and anti-icing and deicing solutions keep material moving even in the worst weather conditions.
Solutions
Wet Material Flow Aids
Coal and other materials often contain significant amounts of surface moisture that, when exposed to extreme temperatures during handling and transport, can cause the material to freeze to itself and to sides of railcars, silos, and bunkers. Among various other challenges, the material can freeze on the sides of railcars, creating frozen chunks of coal that will not unload (also called carry back). Carry back represents yield loss and significantly slows unloading times. MinTech’s body-feed FreezeNot solutions lower the freezing temperature of materials, weakening ice formation, and making material handling during winter more manageable.
Freeze Conditioning
Coal and other materials often contain significant amounts of surface moisture that, when exposed to extreme temperatures during handling and transport, can cause the material to freeze to itself and to sides of rail cars, silos, and bunkers. Among various other challenges, the material can freeze on the sides of railcars, creating frozen chunks of coal that will not unload (also called carry back). Carry back represents yield loss and significantly slows unloading times. MinTech’s body-feed FreezeNot solutions lower the freezing temperature of materials, weakening ice formation, and making material handling during winter more manageable.
Side-Release Agents
Moving coal and other wet materials during the winter can be difficult. Material that has frozen to the side wall of a rail car and will not unload is called carry back. Carry back represents loss in yield, slows unloading times, and can cause uneven weight distribution. MinTech’s ultra-concentrated freeze protection technologies can solve problems associated with freezing and sticking. Application techniques and products are designed to cling to vertical surfaces, providing a more effective freeze barrier to fightcarry back formation.
Anti-Icing & Deicing
Whether moving material by belts and conveyors, hauling on trucks, or transporting by rail, preventing ice formation on roads, material and equipment can keep customers operating. MinTech’s turn-key solutions to prevent the formation of ice include our BelTrol and FreezeNot technologies to penetrate and melt frozen ice which improves haul road conditions, makes material easier to handle, and prevents equipment from ceasing.
