Mass Flow Screw Feeders and Bucket Elevator for Fertilizer Manufacturer

General Description

Foremark Performance Chemicals produces urea-formaldehyde concentrate, which is a building block for several fertilizer products that increase agricultural crop yields. Products made with urea-formaldehyde are controlled release fertilizers and in turn growers can reduce fertilizer usage and achieve higher quality crops with a lower environmental impact.

KWS designed and manufactured a screw feeder to transfer urea from a storage silo to a KWS bucket elevator. An additional screw feeder was designed and manufactured by KWS to transfer urea from another storage silo. This equipment was part of an expansion project at the Foremark Performance Chemicals plant in La Porte, Texas.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type: Urea
2. Material Density: 48 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Capacity: 2,500 Cubic Feet per Hour
4. Duty: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

KWS Advantages

The mass flow screw feeder design was pioneered by Jenike & Johanson many years ago and has been used in thousands of bulk material handling applications. The partnership between Jenike & Johanson and KWS goes back at least 25 years. KWS is the leading manufacturer of mass flow screw feeders in the world. Special knowledge and machinery are required to properly design and manufacture mass flow screw feeders. Screw outside diameter and pitch tolerances are critical to proper flow of bulk materials. KWS has the ability to provide mass flow screw feeders with the required tolerances. Thousands of successful installations are the result of our abilities to meet the requirements of the application.

KWS Special Features

Both mass flow screw feeders were designed with a large rectangular inlet and cone screw to allow for even draw of urea from the storage silos. The cone screw consists of a tapered cone on the center pipe with a combination of stepped pitches to evenly draw down material along the entire length of the silo opening.

Along with the screw feeders, KWS designed a centrifugal bucket elevator to elevate material quickly and efficiently. With urea not being an extremely abrasive bulk material, KWS provided a belt style elevator with nylon buckets. Ductile iron digger buckets were used every seven buckets to dig material out of the boot section. Urea can be corrosive, so KWS manufactured all equipment from 304 stainless steel to resist corrosion.

The bucket elevator boot section included a screw-type take up for easy adjustment of the belt and KWS standard split gland seals for the boot shaft to prevent leakage of the urea. The head section also utilizes KWS standard split gland seals for the head shaft. The hood section is easily removable for access and maintenance.