Stainless Screw Conveyor for Transferring Sugar Wyoming Sugar in Worland, WY
General Description
At the Wyoming Sugar facility in Worland, WY, sugar beets are processed and refined into sugar. Two byproducts are produced during this process, molasses and beet pulp. The beet pulp is then processed and sold as either dried flakes or pellets as an additive for animal feeds to provide extra energy, protein and fiber. Wyoming Sugar works 19,000 acres and sells 59,000 tons of refined sugar annually.
Screw conveyors are used throughout the sugar beet refining process. Downtime is not an option, so screw conveyors must be designed for specific operations and typically constructed from stainless steel. An existing screw conveyor system at the Wyoming Sugar facility was plugging and interrupting production. The plugging was occurring at the transition chute between two screw conveyors. The transition chute was not steep enough for the bulk materials to properly discharge from one screw conveyor to another, causing the chute to become plugged and shutting down the system.
Operations personnel at Wyoming Sugar had to transfer the bulk material by hand using buckets to keep up with production. The interruption to the process was causing production delays and missed production goals. KWS recommended eliminating the troublesome transition chute and replace it with a short screw conveyor that could make a horizontal transfer and meet the capacity requirements of the process. KWS was able to add the new screw conveyor and fit it into a very confined space between the existing equipment. KWS provided a long term solution and eliminated the need for Wyoming Sugar to transfer the product by hand.
Design Parameters
- Product Type: Sugar Beets
- Material Density: 20-45 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
- Conveyor Capacity: 625 Cubic Feet per Hour
- Moisture Content: 70%
- Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week
KWS Advantages
Engineers from KWS worked with the existing space constraints to position a screw conveyor capable of handling the desired capacity and not interfere with any other equipment in the area. Using 3D CAD modeling and plant information provided by Wyoming Sugar, KWS was able to model the system to verify fit before production. By creating the model, KWS was able to reduce the stress of trying to guess what size conveyor would fit, meet capacity requirements and help with planning for easy installation.
Special Features
The compact design allowed Wyoming Sugar maintenance personnel easy means of installation without interfering with existing equipment. The new screw conveyor eliminated the slow process of transferring product by hand, increasing their productivity to meet production goals. The KWS screw conveyor was lined with a UHMW protective liner to help with product flow and reduce equipment wear. The success of the KWS screw conveyor has led Wyoming Sugar to duplicate the design at other transfer points in the sugar beet refining process.
Testimonial
"Thanks for the 3D CAD model! It was undoubtedly, extremely helpful as we progressed with the installation and construction of our project. We look forward to working with KWS on future projects and have every confidence that it will be an easy process."
Bryan Overcast, Production Manager – Wyoming Sugar Company
Note: Drive units are not typically designed for upset conditions because the units are very closely monitored. The overall design of the conveyor has a basic setup with standard seals and bearings.
