Dear ekonstantinov,

First have a look at the thread : Pneumatic Unloader vs. Mechanical Unloader of the 30st of September 2006 in the section Pneumatic conveying.

You state the max deadweight as 40 tons (2 containers will do). I assume that you mean 40.000 DWT ships.

Unloading alumina from seagoing ships is normally done by pneumatic unloaders with a subsequent pressure system to a silo.

Pneumatic unloaders for alumina are manufactured by companies like VIGAN and others.

Grab unloaders are easy to locate in a port, due to the white environment around the unloader.

Cost wise, the annual throughput is of big influence.

Designing an import terminal is a delicate issue that can cost a lot of money if it is done wrongly. Technical knowledge and operational experience is crucial.

Have a nice day

Teus ■

Gentleman, We can help you out to prepare the complete report which shall consits of--

1.Unloading of Alumina by various means including tech.specifications and costing of the equipment.

2. Conveying for the same.

3.Storage with extraction arrangement.

4.Packing with complete despatch arrangement.

Regards, Anil

Libran Engineering&Services.

www.libranengineering.com

Originally Posted by ekonstantinov

Hello, everyone.

1. I'm preparing a report on the ways alumina is unloaded in sea ports around the world and have come across the difficulty of finding the methods used (pneumatic, grab etc.) in ports. Could anyone please provide a link or some advise?

2. What are the pros and cons for choosing pneumatic vs grab unloader? Conditions: port in Far East of Russia, max. deadweight is 40 tons. Which might be more effecient and costwise?

Thank you!!!

■

The only acceptable way to unload alumina is by vacuum. Dust is a big problem, almost as important as rain ingress. It doesn't look too good for grabs does it?

Alusuisse made a machine which maintained the vacuum with a standpipe. It was alleged to eliminate the wear problem encountered with vane type discharge valves. It had to rely on a valve to develop the standpipe, but the idea seemed all right in principle.

There are plenty of little "wind-up" machines in the marketplace which are quite effective. It all depends on how much you want to shift in how long a time-frame.■