In the coming series, we will take an in-depth look at the upgrade, discussing what it entailed, and how it will benefit FEECO’s customers, focusing on the safety features, the control system, the data collection capabilities, and the efficiency for flexibility of set-up.

FEECO’s lab is a state of the art testing and tolling facility. From one piece to a continuous process loop, FEECO’s lab is flexible in set-up, and allows for testing of various process combinations. With over 60 years of experience, we’ve built a large database on a variety of materials and test procedures.

As part of the continued support for FEECO’s Australia facility, FEECO will be sending Chris Kozicki from their headquarters in Green Bay, WI, to Australia next week.

The Australia facility, located in Pakenham, Victoria, is soon to celebrate its one year anniversary, and has seen much opportunity since its opening on St. Patrick’s Day of 2011. The facility is run by Operations Manager, Barry Wilson, an agricultural veteran with over 30 years of experience. FEECO has done business in the Australasia region for many years, and opened their Australia office in order to better serve the region. The facility works closely with its Green Bay headquarters, and as part of this close relationship, Chris Kozicki, FEECO Process Sales Engineer and President of the Institute for Briquetting and Agglomeration, will be heading down under next week.

The facility is currently working on several projects, and Kozicki will be assisting Wilson with various lab tests, customer visits, and process evaluations throughout his week long stay.

The Australia facility serves numerous industries, of which include agriculture, waste transformation, mining, and coal processing.

For more information on our Australia facility, check out FEECO.com.au.

For over 60 years, FEECO has been a leader in the agglomeration industry, converting dusts, bulk powders, and sludges into free-flowing, easy to handle pellets. From agglomeration feasibility tests, to equipment design, to a full-scale production plant, FEECO’s unique ability to test materials and provide one piece of equipment, or an entire process solution, has put them at the top of the industry in terms of tumble-growth agglomeration.

What many don’t realize, however, is that FEECO’s unique partnership with Sahut-Conreur, of France, allows FEECO to expand their agglomeration knowledge and capabilities to those looking for agglomeration solutions in terms of compaction granulation.

Sahut-Conruer, with over 150 years of experience, is a worldwide authority on the engineering and construction of briquetting and compaction granulation plants. FEECO and Sahut-Conreur have been working together for over a decade, bringing together the best of both the tumble growth agglomeration and the compaction granulation worlds for people looking for agglomeration solutions.

“FEECO’s expertise in tumble-growth agglomeration combined with Sahut-Conreur’s experience and know-how in briquetting and compaction is a powerful partnership. We work very well together, and we’ve been able to bring about successful agglomeration solutions because of it,” stated Chris Kozicki, Process Sales Engineer for FEECO.

For more information on Sahut Conreur, see their website.

FEECO is well known for their state-of-the-art testing and tolling facility, helping companies around the world with material solutions, process design, and optimization, but did you know that FEECO offers their customers the unique opportunity to watch their material running through FEECO’s lab from the comfort of their own home?

FEECO’s “virtual lab” is accessed through an easy to use, secure website, to which customers are given a unique password. Once authorized for viewing, customers can log in while their lab is running, and watch their testing or tolling in action. The virtual lab consists of several cameras, all of which can be seen from a single view, allowing key parts of the process to be shown in unison.

Customers are able to skype real-time with a lab technician, or exchange files during a lab. “The virtual lab really gives our customers the ability to visualize and be involved with the process, without having to be here,” said Erik Olson, head of IT and Marketing at FEECO. “Our customers are thrilled with the ability to get a sort of, ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse at how their material runs through our lab, without the hassles of traveling.”

FEECO’s virtual lab has been in operation for two years. To learn more about FEECO’s lab, see our lab page, or view our lab brochure!

As a technology-driven company, FEECO is known for their high-tech engineering and lab testing facility, but one unexpected area catching attention lately is their conference room, or as FEECO deems it, the “virtual” conference room.

Equipped with various high-tech gadgets, FEECO’s virtual conference room takes video conferencing to a whole new level. One unique device is the conference room’s camera. This camera gives a 360º panoramic view of the room, automatically changing views to show the active speaker, allowing participants to identify speakers immediately and easily follow the conversation. FEECO’s virtual conference room also offers a state-of-the-art smart board.

A smart board, much like an electronic white board, allows participants to collaborate on one screen, no matter their location. This means participants can take notes, mark up documents and drawings, all in collaboration on one screen, and then save the electronic files for distribution or later use. The combination of the smart board with the 360º camera is particularly valuable from an engineering perspective, because engineers can video conference with clients, going over drawings and making notes on them that the customer can see in real-time. Erik Olson, IT and Marketing Manager, states, “We take every step possible to ensure our customer’s specifications are met and their expectations are exceeded. Being a technology driven company does not just mean in the process lifecycle; it means we try to use technology and innovation anywhere it will help our customers.”

FEECO’s virtual conference room has proven to be a valuable asset, ensuring convenient, straight-forward, interactive communication without the hassles of travel, or the confusion of traditional video conferencing.

FEECO’s durable equipment has found its place in many industries, but the latest, is the frac sand industry. Frac sand is the latest craze in the Midwest, and as companies look to mine this valued silica sand, FEECO is ready to supply the equipment needs for this hot commodity.

Part of the reason the Midwest’s frac sand is so sought after, is for it’s roundness and strength. This silica sand’s shape and strength make it ideal for fracturing rock, and holding it open, allowing natural gas to flow out. In addition, the ability of flow of the sand granules is also supreme for use as a proppant. These characteristics all make the Midwest’s frac sand the choice for those in need of proppant sand. However, all of these characteristics – shape, strength, flow – in addition to bulk density and abrasiveness, make handling and drying frac sand nothing short of an engineered task.

Though bucket elevator systems are a dime a dozen, not just any bucket elevator system will withstand the job of frac sand handling. The very qualities that make our Midwest frac sand so great, can also be a bucket elevator’s worst nightmare. Care must be taken in choosing a bucket elevator system that will not quickly wear down under this constant abrasion.

FEECO custom engineers our material handling equipment according to the needs of the material. Our centrifugal belt type bucket elevators can be supplied with nylon buckets that resist abrasion. We also custom engineer rotary dryers of the highest quality. To learn more about our frac sand handling and frac sand drying capabilities, contact us today!

You might also like…
WhatIsFracSand.com
FEECO Rotary Dryers for Frac Sand

While orders for railcars more than doubled in the third quarter last year, it looks like 2012 could continue at pace, due much in part, to the frac sand industry.

According to an article on FuelFix.com, Brian Uhlmer, an analyst at Global Hunter Securities LLC, estimated that “industry will boost its consumption of sand and other proppants 20% this year to as much as 100 billion pounds (FuelFix.com).” But getting the railcars to move all this sand is not so simple.

Lee Klaskow, senior analyst at Bloomberg Industries in Princeton, N.J., said that being able to get a railcar is dependant on companies being able to get an already limited spot on the manufacturing line. FTS (Frac Tech Services LLC) said they would like to increase their number of railcars by 28% in order to efficiently move the frac sand they are mining. “We actually have the orders in. It’s just a matter of how quickly they can make them and deliver them,” said Kevin McGlinch, senior VP of FTS (FuelFix.com).

As the frac sand industry continues to boom, demand for other types of equipment, such as rotary dryers, rotary coolers, and conveyors, will also be on the rise. FEECO custom engineers rotary dryers, rotary coolers, bucket elevators, and conveyor systems for durability, to withstand the abrasive qualities of the proppant sand. While other equipment may fail quickly due to the weight and abrasiveness of the silica sand, FEECO’s equipment is rugged and built to last. For more information on FEECO’s frac sand capabilities, Contact Us today!

As a pioneer in rotary drying technology, Feeco International was founded in 1951 to supply the fertilizer industry and a variety of companies in the chemical processing, mining, energy and paper sectors with a range of handling and processing equipment that add value to the raw materials and basic products. Feeco’s roots in fertilizers are reflected by the acronym of its name: Feeco stands for Fertilizer Engineering and Equipment Company. During the past 60 years, the company has helped solve fertilizer manufacturing problems in more than 700 fertilizer plants around the world. Feeco’s business today embraces the following core areas:

• Equipment
• Processes
• Testing facilities
• Service.

The Feeco core values apply to each business sector. The company’s team of engineers can design tailor-made solutions for each customer from start to finish, running laboratory tests, developing and enhancing processes, designing, building and installing equipment, as well as providing ongoing customer back-up services. The skills-sets of Feeco’s engineers embrace mechanical, electrical, structural and chemical engineering. The chain of process design, research and optimisation involves laboratory material testing and 3D design software that allows the visualisation of the equipment to be employed. Feeco can undertake the provision of turnkey plants or single items of equipment, ensuring productivity improvements in the equipment and processes, seeing the project through from installation to start-up, and assuring emergency assistance, field support, training, maintenance and the provision of spare parts. Dan Madigan, President of Feeco International said: “We are more than an equipment company…we’re a complete solutions provider.” One of the company’s particular strengths is the commitment of the Feeco staff. “Feeco has been successful because of the employees that work here,“ Dan Madigan added. “Our average employee has worked for over 20 years at Feeco. This provides us with a lot of knowledge that we pass on to our customers… Whether it is a new or existing process, we can design, lay out, supply and commission your new plant or optimise your existing plant.” The Feeco Equipment line includes:
• Thermal processing
• Agglomeration
• Granular fertilizers
• Process systems
• Material handling

Within the Thermal Processing sector, Feeco enjoys particular expertise in designing and installing rotary driers. The rotary dryer is an integral part of many fertilizer plants, notably in the production of DAP, MAP, TSP, ammonium sulphate and NPK fertilizers, providing a key element in the quality of the final product. The rotary dryer is a type of industrial dryer that is employed to reduce or minimise the moisture content of the material by bringing it into direct contact with heated gas. The dryer is made up of a large, rotating cylindrical tube, usually supported by concrete columns or steel beams. The dryer slopes slightly so that the discharge end is lower than the material feed end in order to convey the material through the dryer under gravity. (Fig. 1)

FIGURE 1

State-of-the-art FEECO Rotary Dryer

Material to be dried enters the higher end of the dryer, and as the dryer rotates, the material is lifted up by a series of internal fins lining the inner wall of the dryer. When the material gets high enough to roll back off the fins, it falls back down to the bottom of the dryer, passing through the hot air stream as it falls. This air stream can be either forward moving towards the discharge end from the feed end (known as a co-current rotary dryer), or towards the feed end from the discharge end (known as a counter-current dryer). (Fig. 2)

FIGURE 2

In co-current rotary dryers, the heated drying air flows in the same direction as the product, and in the counter-current rotary models, the drying airflow travels against the flow of the product. The rotary dryers directly expose the product to hot air produced by the heat source. As the drum rotates, lifting flights mounted on the inside of the drum tumble, slide, lift and shower the material into the air stream. Lifting flights are carefully designed to accommodate the material being dried and ensure that the product is uniformly exposed. The agitation ultimately leads to higher efficiencies and reduces processing times compared with stationary units. A process that takes an hour in a stationary furnace takes just a few minutes in rotary dryer.

Rotary dryers may be either direct-fired or indirectly fired. Depending on the circumstances, indirect-fired dryers can have several advantages over direct-fired rotary dryers. An indirect-fired rotary dryer can have an internal environment that is relatively free of oxygen through well-designed sealing mechanisms. Such systems can process combustible solids at elevated temperatures with a reduced risk of combustion or explosion.

Feeco is one of the leading suppliers of drying equipment to the international fertilizer industry. What are the criteria in the selection of a rotary drying installation? The first variable in the equation is the percentage of moisture that the material holds in its basic or “raw” state, or the state at which it will go into the dryer. Similarly, it is necessary to know the percentage of moisture desired in the end product, also called the “outlet moisture”. The difference between actual and desired percentage moisture in part determines the design of the dryer.

These factors specifically determine whether a low or high inlet temperature is required, short or long residence times, and counter-current or co-current flow. Before the customer reaches any decision on the most suitable equipment to meet their drying needs, Feeco offers several complimentary services up front:

• Process design program: Feeco’s computerised design program can determine the best rotary dryer for the application.

• Automated drawing program: Based on the above data, Feeco engineers can create a general arrangement drawing of the customer’s rotary dryer installation in Auto CAD. This provides very useful information at the initial stage of the overall plant design, helping to determine whether the drying unit will fit into an existing space or how much space a new plant will require.

• Computer costing program: Feeco’s sales team can then calculate the approximate cost of the system. Feeco has pioneered many innovations in drying/cooling technology. One recent development has been a combination rotary dryer/cooler. This highly versatile product combines the drying and cooling functions in a single installation, using injected air in the fluidised cooling hood (discharge breeching) to produce a fluidising action on the material. This proven design can help solve problems encountered with installing a drying/cooling system in an existing space or building. The cooling hood section can be retrofitted to Feeco and other makes of rotary dryers.

• Inorganic
• Organic
• Waste-to-fertilizer.
Inorganic fertilizers represent the classic approach to manufacturing fertilizers, using inorganic raw materials such as sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, ammonia, potash and phosphate rock. Feeco’s organic production technology utilises biowaste to create a granular fertilizer product. Other inorganic raw materials can be added to increase the plant nutrition value. Waste-to-fertilizer is an increasingly important sector, whereby many industry processes create raw materials with nutritional value that can be converted to a granular fertilizer.

Feeco’s inorganic fertilizer granulation process has been progressively refined over the years and the company today offers two basic types of granulation systems:
• Tumble-growth granulation
• Pressure granulation.

The choice of optimum process will depend on the raw materials and product requirements. The tumble-growth granulation system is the classical system, using a rotary drum or pelletising disc to form the granules, followed by a drying, screening and recycle circuit. This system is very flexible and allows the use of liquid raw materials, including sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, ammonia, etc., and reactions of materials to form granules. Pressure granulation systems consist of a double roll compactor to make sheets of the material, followed by a crusher and granulator to break the sheet up into fertilizer size pieces, screening and recycle. The process does not typically require the addition of liquids or the need to dry. Feeco International installed its first NPK granulation unit in 1953. Since then, it has been able to stay in the forefront of granular fertilizer technology by working very closely with both equipment suppliers and customers throughout the world. Feeco has also played in leading role in the development of pipe reactor technology, which has significantly reduced energy consumption and cut unit production costs in the manufacture of DAP, MAP and AS. Feeco can retrofit pipe reactor technology into an existing granular fertilizer plant, starting with a review of all existing equipment, servicing pumps, meters and fluid lines. The Feeco pipe reactor utilises the heat from reactions to remove moisture from the product. The revamped energyefficient plant could save up to 30% in DAP production costs and 90% in MAP production costs. Other benefits include a lower recycle rate, better product, more uniformly sized granules, less dust and a better chemical analysis.

Feeco International’s sister company, Feeco BioSystems Inc., is the industry leader in the design of plants and production machinery for converting biowaste and other organic products into a value-added fertilizer product. Chicken manure, slurry and municipal sewage are among the raw materials that can be transformed into a fortified granular fertilizer. The enriched fertilizers produced by the Feeco BioSystems process do not produce offensive odours during production or application. During production, odour-forming compounds such as sulphur and ammonia are locked out as a result of the chemical reactions inside the enclosed reactor unit. Before discharge into the atmosphere, airborne particles and dust are removed and recycled into the product. The temperatures generated in the chemical reaction and dryer ensure that organic fertilizers produced by the Feeco BioSystems process are entirely free of the micro-organisms and pathogens found in industrial and municipal sludges. The end-product quality far exceeds US Federal Class A disposal stipulations.

FEECO has supplied equipment and processes to the fertilizer industry since 1951

Feeco’s waste-to-fertilizer granulation technology has found numerous applications, and the company has provided systems and equipment to convert waste products to a marketable, granular fertilizer. For dust, liquid or filter cake that contains fertilizer chemicals, Feeco offers the proper testing and/or tolling to help define a custom system. One common application is ammonium sulphate, which is generated in nickel refineries, flue gas desulphurisation in coal-fired power stations, and caprolactam production used to make nylon. In some cases, Feeco has applied the compaction method to create granular fertilizer, while other examples have used pelletising disc or rotary drum technology. Dan Madigan is proud of Feeco’s leading role in this field. “What the world today calls waste, to Feeco International, they are just raw materials for products that haven’t been invented yet,” he says. Finding solutions is steeped in the Feeco International corporate DNA. Dan Madigan had earlier paid tribute to the commitment of all Feeco’s staff. The staff themselves confirm this. Thus, Nick Reckinger, Sales Engineer, said: “It’s been very exciting to work on a number of different projects that I can get very passionate about…and know that my contribution to the projects will really be making a difference.” Erik Olson, IT & Marketing Manager, is also inspired by the Feeco business philosophy. “Our solutions are all based around an eco-centrist philosophy, providing a balance between what is needed in the marketplace and what is best for the environment.”
————
For more information on FEECO’s fertilizer granulation capabilities, Contact us today!

—OR—

See our fertilizer granulation page!

FEECO International’s home page is getting an exciting new addition: a waste counter. The counter is a running count of the number of tons of waste that FEECO has helped divert from landfills to date. “It’s one thing to say you’ve diverted a lot of waste from landfills, but it’s pretty staggering to see the actual numbers,” said Nick Reckinger, Process and Bioresource Sales Engineer at FEECO.

Over the years, FEECO has worked with companies from all around the world, whether start-ups, or Fortune-100’s, to turn waste materials into value-added products. From paper sludge into fertilizer pellets, to corn cobs into cat litter, the transformation of wastes into usable products has crossed various industries. Other waste transformations include: compost into fertilizer, clay into proppants, and gypsum wallboard waste into cat litter. See more waste transformations.

Aside from general waste materials, FEECO also frequently deals with process by-products. “A lot of our waste to value customers have by-products that they had been throwing away, and eventually, the question arises, ‘can we do something of value with this?’” stated Ron Eichorn, Lab Engineer. “Things like sulphur stack emissions, fly ash, and steel sludge, can all be processed and either utilized accordingly, or recovered for valuable material that they may contain.”

The waste counter can be seen on FEECO’s home page, and is a reflection of the 60 years of diverting wastes from landfills that FEECO has been able to help accomplish.

Do you have a waste material or by-product you’re interested in running through our lab for feasibility? Send us a sample today for a free lab test! Our lab is flexible, and has the ability to be set up for a variety of processes, utilizing different equipment and set-ups.

Both compaction granules and briquettes are made with what is called a roll press. Compaction granules are made from loose material that has been compacted together, and then broken apart. Granules produced in this fashion are produced in a roll compactor. This device feeds the powder between two counter-rotating rolls. The rolls use a controlled force to press the powder material into a thick “sheet.” This sheet is then fed from the roll press into a granulator. The granulator is a device that breaks the material down into granules by fracturing it. Compaction granules can most commonly be seen as potash, ammonium sulphates, and other NPK fertilizers.

Briquettes are a loose material that has been compacted into a dense mass. Some of the most commonly used briquettes include salt briquettes used in water softeners, and charcoal briquettes used for grilling. Briquettes are formed on what is called a briquetting machine. A briquetting machine is a roll press with specially designed rolls that form the briquettes by forcing the material into pockets on the rolls. Each roll has one half of the briquette pocket, and as the rolls rotate toward each other, the halves come together, material is forced into both sides, and a whole briquette is produced. Briquettes are not typically made when the end product must be small. Because small briquettes are difficult to make and have a low volume, the smaller the briquette, the higher the price of equipment. Typically, briquettes are produced no smaller than roughly a ½” square by ¼” thickness.

Though they may require more upfront cost, roll compacting and briquetting machines are often a cost-effective solution for agglomerating fines, because they are, in the majority of cases, a relatively dry process. The extreme force used to meld the material to itself is often enough to hold the material together, meaning no binder (or minimal binder) is necessary. Not only does this reduce the cost of a binder, but additionally, production costs are reduced because no equipment or energy is needed to drive off remaining moisture from the granules or briquettes. However, not all materials have the characteristics that allow them to be agglomerated by pressure, and in this case, pelletizing by tumble growth is often a valuable solution.

Pellets are created by tumble growth agglomeration. Round pellets are typically less dusty than those generated in a roll compaction process. Round pellets can be made in a rotary drum agglomerator, disc pelletizer, or pan pelletizer. Similar to making a snowball, as the disc rotates, material rolls against itself, and with the help of a liquid and/or binder, eventually snowballs into the desired size pellet. The processes of tumble-growth agglomeration is a more operator dependent process than that of pressure agglomeration. The right binder must be found, and because a binder (moisture) is used, the material must be dried before it is ready for packaging or transportation.

This image shows a clay based material in the form of raw material, pellets, compaction granules, and briquettes (left to right).

Though the choice between round pellets, briquettes, or roll compaction granules can be dependent on the type of material and its end use, typically the choice is one of practicality and cost.

FEECO has been a leader in tumble growth agglomeration for over 60 years, offering agglomeration feasibility tests, equipment design and service, and full-scale production plants. FEECO specializes in tumble-growth agglomeration and complete process design, but often works with Sahut-Conruer of France, leaders in compaction and briquetting, for roll compaction and briquette needs.

Not sure where to start?

Aside from our partnership with Sahut-Conreur, and over 60 years of experience, FEECO offers agglomeration feasibility testing to determine the most suitable solution. Contact us today with your material fines problem!

You might also enjoy…
Pros and Cons of Non-Pressure Agglomeration Pellets and Extruded Pellets
Material Size Control Through Agglomeration