Custom Thermal Processing Solutions for Climax Molybdenum

General Description

Climax Molybdenum, a Freeport McMoran Company, is located in Fort Madison, Iowa, and is one of the world’s leading producers of molybdenum and molybdenum-based products. Their processing operations require handling materials at extreme temperatures while maintaining precise control over material flow and distribution. The facility needed specialized conveying equipment capable of withstanding high-temperature environments while providing reliable performance for its critical production processes.

As a well-known industry leader, Coperion Process Solutions was selected by Climax Molybdenum to provide a rotary calciner and associated cooling equipment for a new production process. As part of the cooling equipment, the following requirements were deemed critical: The processor is to cool the material from the outlet of the calciner to the inlet of a bucket elevator. The processor must be designed to cool the material from 1,300 to 140-degrees F for the protection of downstream equipment. Coperion Process Solutions turned to KWS as an expert in high temperature conveying and cooling solutions to design and supply a hollow flight thermal screw processor to achieve these process parameters.

KWS Thermal Processor Cools Molybdenum Trioxide from 1,300 to 140-degrees F

Design Parameters

Product Type: Molybdenum Trioxide
Material Density: 100 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
Conveyor System Capacity: 65 Cubic feet per Hour
Design Temperature: 1,300-Degrees F
Duty: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

KWS Advantages

KWS designed and manufactured custom thermal screw processors specifically engineered to meet Climax Molybdenum’s exacting requirements. Our engineering team worked closely with engineers at Coperion Process Solutions and Climax Molybdenum to understand their process parameters and develop equipment solutions that would deliver consistent, reliable performance. Our team of experienced engineers applied decades of thermal processing expertise to design equipment specifically tailored to the unique challenges of molybdenum processing.

Throughout the project, KWS demonstrated commitment to customer satisfaction with responsive communication and technical support. Our dedicated project manager conducted weekly progress meetings and provided detailed documentation at every project stage. Post-installation, KWS engineers traveled on-site for a full week to ensure optimal system performance.

KWS Special Features

The hollow flight design provides exceptional heat transfer capabilities through indirect contact with the process material, maintaining temperature uniformity throughout the process. The combined heating surface area of the hollow flights and jacketed trough has increased thermal transfer efficiency by approximately 35-percent, allowing Climax Molybdenum to process higher volumes while reducing energy consumption by nearly 25-percent. The KWS hollow flight thermal processor provides up to 40-percent greater heat transfer surface area compared to conventional thermal processors.

The design incorporates the KWS slider base pedestal trough end. It features a heavy-duty pillow block bearing that supports smooth operation even under high thermal loads. The slider base trough ends reduce maintenance downtime from an industry average of 12 hours to less than 3 hours per service interval, a critical advantage in the continuous operation environment that translates to thousands of additional production hours annually. The integrated alignment system ensures perfect shaft alignment upon reassembly.

The supply of a high-quality Kadant Johnson RX rotary union eliminates thermal fluid leakage issues that can cause unplanned shutdowns. These rotary unions have a self-supported design that reduces stress on screw shaft bearings. The carbon graphite seal faces with proprietary heat-resistant elastomers ensure zero leakage at temperatures up to 650°F, and the dual-flow design allows simultaneous supply and return of thermal transfer fluid on the same end of the processor.

Customer Testimonial

“The KWS cooling screw works phenomenally! It is exceeding our cooling requirements, which will improve the longevity of all our downstream equipment, saving us potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs.”

Alex Bruns, Project Manager – Climax Molybdenum