Screw Conveyors for Conveying Wood Products at Georgia Pacific in Diboll, Texas

General Description

Georgia Pacific is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of wood and paper products, including tissue, toilet paper, paper towels, packaging, building materials and related chemicals.

The Georgia Pacific plant in Diboll, Texas produces dimensional lumber, fiber board and particle board. Screw conveyors are used throughout the process for conveying wood chips, saw dust and fines. The particle board plant in Diboll had existing shaftless screw conveyors in place that required replacement. The shaftless conveyors had become a serious maintenance problem, costing GP downtime and profit.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type: Wood Chips, Saw Dust, and Fines
2. Material Density: 40 to 45 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Capacity: 20,000 Lbs. Per Hour
4. Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

KWS and Georgia Pacific met on site to discuss the application and determine solutions and upgrades. Installation of the new screw conveyors would be a challenge as downstream as well as upstream equipment could not be moved. Considerations for longevity as well as any special design requirements were reviewed as well. KWS upgraded the screw conveyors with heavy-duty construction to eliminate any problems and provided a robust design that increased service life dramatically.

KWS Special Features

The new KWS screw conveyors utilized a special split tubular housing design with abrasion resistant liners. The design allowed for ease of access to the screws for maintenance and inspection. Tamper proof hardware was utilized that require special tools for such access by maintenance personnel only. Abrasion resistant liners provided wear resistance and extended conveyor life. If a liner wears out, it can be easily replaced in the field without removing troughs.

Screws were close coupled and clocked to form a continuous helix. KWS increased the diameter and wall thickness of the center pipe of the screws to handle the loading conditions and increased torque from the drive unit. This design eliminated any hangers or bearings which hinder and impede material flow. KWS increased the system capacity greatly with the new design and allowed for future growth by sizing the conveyors appropriately.