Screw Feeders for Metering Glass Cullet
Owens Corning Fiberglass
Multiple Locations
Consulting Engineer
Allied Welding Systems
Dallas, Texas
General Description
A major fiberglass insulation manufacturer needed to meter glass cullet from storage silos to the process furnaces. Glass cullet is crushed waste glass that is recycled and used in many industries, including the making of fiberglass insulation. Glass cullet is extremely abrasive and will reduce the life of equipment significantly if proper precautions are not taken.
Design Parameters
- Product Type: Glass Cullet
- Material Density: 70 to 90 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
- Solids by Weight: 90 % Total Solids
- Conveyor System Capacity: 250 Cubic feet per Hour
- Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week
KWS Advantages
KWS worked closely with Allied Welding to design the screw feeders and choose the correct weld-on hardsurfacing materials for the application. Allied Welding is an industrial leader in providing abrasion resistant materials for very difficult applications. Special consideration was given to screw design to ensure the abrasive product was not being compressed as it was metered from the silos. High torque drive units with variable frequency drives (VFD) were utilized to control the product feedrate.
Special Features
Several screw feeders were designed and supplied to meter the glass cullet. Each screw feeder utilized the Allied Welding 300XL plate for the screw flights, trough and shroud. The full back side of the screw flights, outer flight edges and full surface of the screw pipe were hardsurfaced with Allied Welding 2035XL wire. The Allied Welding plate and wire are proprietary alloys with chromium carbide , making them extremely abrasion resistant. All internal product contact surfaces were hardsurfaced. Bearings and the drive unit were located away from the trough ends to prevent contamination and possible failure.
Testimonial
"The people at KWS are always a pleasure to work with. Their design capabilities and equipment quality are by far the best in the industry. I have worked with KWS for over 20 years with hundreds of successful projects completed."
Doug Hamblin, Owner – Allied Welding Systems (2013)