Telestack System: 20,000 hours stockpiling bio energy despite industry challenges.

The energy sector has undergone major transformation in the last number of years with increasingly restrictive legislative measures and associated fluctuations in the demand for certain fuels. The industry has been forced to pursue alternative fuel sources and as the subsequent increase in demand for biomass products as an alternative energy source came, so too did a new set of challenges and a greater emphasis on the material quality and environmental regulations.

Biomass includes any organic matter that is available on a renewable basis including feedstock derived from animals or plants such as wood and agricultural crops and organic waste from municipal and industrial sources.

Bioenergy accounts for roughly 9% of the world’s total primary energy supply today with the sector growing annually.

The major issues when handling biomass products of different properties are dust generation, stockpile capacity and reduction in the cost of stacking the material.

Philip Waddell (International Sales Manager) commented, “One of the key issues in handling the range of biomass applications is the location of the material source relative to the power plant and the need to transport the biomass material by a range of transport including ship/barge, truck and rail. Each demands specialist equipment for the environmentally acceptable transfer between each mode of transport.”  Telestack can provide this equipment as an integrated solution considering all the key delivery and storage points and the effective mode of conveying between them.

Telestack offer a range of equipment that can handle biomass, designed for individual applications that will determine what equipment will be supplied based on what the client wishes to achieve. The Telestack range encompasses Radial Telescopic Stacker, Hopper Feeders, Track Conveyors as well as other products.

5 years ago, Telestack supplied a TS150 that is working at Tilbury Docks for our client Hadfield now known as ENVA. This unit is being used to stockpile non-hazardous mixed woodchips at rates of 50 TPH which is then handled by a material handler to load material the vessel. Tilbury Docks is the largest multi-modal port in the South East and has an annual throughput of 16million tonnes per annum, valued at £8.7 billion.

Biomass can present challenges in terms of material flow at transfer points, hopper and chutes which must be taken into consideration when designing equipment for this sector. Telestack were approved to supply a stacking system for the below application parameters.

• The stacking area for the final product is approximately 35mX60m and has a 3m perimeter wall. Telestack design engineers designed a radial telescopic stacker that produced a maximum stockpile capacity within the restricted footprint of the jetty. The TS150 has a boom length of 52metres fully extended at (an elevation of 12-21⁰) and when fully raised, has a discharge height of 19.5m. The boom can also be lowered to 10⁰ and fully retracted to begin a new stockpile. This range of discharge heights enables the client to minimise dust emissions and maximises stockpile capacity.
• Telestack understand that capital investment is a serious issue for any company and making the right equipment selection is critical. Performance, innovative features, low maintenance and running costs, as well as high residual value, are all important factors. The Telestack Radial Telescopic Stacker enables Hadfield to minimise the stacking cost per tonne for the product compared to more commonly used methods. Production rates are not compromised when using mobile equipment and mobile equipment also typically lowers, CAPEX/OPEX, and fewer planning requirements.
• Due to Tilbury Docks being under control of tight dust emission regulations it was vital that dust emissions were minimised where possible. Telestack designed the unit with a dust containment and suppression system including; galvanised dust covers the entire length of the outer conveyor, canvas retractable telescopic dust covers and side wind plates along the inner conveyor and a fully enclosed hood at the transfer points from outer to inner. The unit was also spec’d with an enclosed discharge hood at the inner conveyor and an adjustable deflector plate in the head chute.

The Telestack TS150 incorporated several design features; a large target area hexagonal feedboot to enable two screens to feed the Radial Telescopic at once. The unit is also fully lined with Ultra Low Friction Polyethylene transfer points. The unit is spec’d with foam filling tyres to prevent punctures from debris and nails on the site. Hadfield requested an interlock access gate system to be installed to avoid unauthorised access to the conveyor system when the Telestack equipment is in operation.

Telestack understand the importance of branding and presentation which is why we offer paint customisation; as requested by Hadfield we finished the TS150 main structure grey and the guards, components, rams and panelling in dark green, both P3-250 micron (marine) paint finish.

Since commissioning in 2014, the impressive yet easy to use Radial Telescopic TS150 has worked approximately 20,000 hrs. The benefits that this unit has brought to Hadfield’s stockpiling application are evidence as to why Telestack are the supplier of choice for dry bulk material handling equipment.

Steve Greenwood (Hadfield Site Manager) mentioned how implementing the Radial Telescopic TS150 unit has made significant improvements to the applications throughput. “The TS150 has removed the need to drive wheeled loading shovels on the finished wood products when stacking, minimising compaction, hot spots occurring and the potential risk of fire while the finished product is awaiting shipment. The last five years have seen a massive reduction in dust production due to the dust containment system Telestack designed which has supported us massively as a company in achieving environmental regulations.” Telestack are proud to have provided such a successful and integral piece of equipment to Hadfield and to be the supplier of choice.