Shaftless Screw Conveyor for Conveying Wood Products Georgia Pacific in Fordyce, AR

General Description

Georgia Pacific is one of the leading producers of Oriented Strand Board for use in the residential and commercial construction industries. Oriented strand board (OSB), also known as flakeboard, is a type of engineered wood product similar to particle board, formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of wood strands (flakes) in specific orientations. Georgia Pacific acquired the Fordyce plant in the 1960’s and it has been in continuous operation.

During the manufacturing process dust, fuel fines and a small percentage of wood flakes must be conveyed to a fire dump for disposal. Excess humidity caused agglomeration of the bulk materials. These agglomerations or large clumps were unable to bypass the existing intermediate hanger bearing assemblies in the shafted screw conveyors at the plant. The existing intermediate hanger bearing assemblies restricted flow creating a significant bottleneck and shutdown of the system.

KWS replaced the existing shafted screw conveyors with shaftless screw conveyors. The KWS shaftless screw conveyors were the perfect solution. KWS shaftless screw conveyors operate without the need of intermediate hanger bearings, eliminating the bottleneck and the potential for shutdown.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type – Wood dust, fuel fines, and flakes
2. Material Density – 10-30 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Conveyor System Capacity – 200 Cubic Feet per Hour
4. Duty – 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

An engineer from Georgia Pacific contacted KWS in search of a solution to his problematic screw conveyors at the Fordyce plant. Engineers from KWS initially visited the plant to review the application and discuss the issues with Georgia Pacific maintenance and reliability personnel. KWS engineers took detailed measurements of the existing shafted screw conveyors and created 3D models and approval drawings. KWS engineers then returned to the plant during the approval process in cooperation with the Georgia Pacific plant personnel to verify all the dimensions were accurate to ensure installation would be flawless.

Because the plant had existing screw conveyors across five disposal lines, it was critical that the new KWS shaftless screw conveyors were integrated seamlessly with the existing upstream and downstream equipment. Each new KWS shaftless screw conveyor was fed by a large screener with a 20-foot long discharge opening. KWS engineers designed the screw conveyors with sufficient horsepower and torque to start-up and power through a 10-foot tall head load of material across the 20-foot long inlet opening.

Special Features

The KWS shaftless screw conveyors utilized our exclusive 340 Brinell hardness (BHN) spirals. KWS-340 spirals are the strongest and toughest on the market and are designed to outlast all other spirals available to provide many years without replacement. The KWS-340 shaftless spirals were critical for long-term, low maintenance operation in a harsh environment. The conveyors were located in a difficult to access location. Therefore, quality and reliability were vital to the Georgia Pacific maintenance and reliability personnel. The new KWS shaftless screw conveyors will save Georgia Pacific time and money over the life of the equipment.