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Automatic sampling proves popular

An Eriez Magnetics Europe product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 22, 2004

Eriez Magnetics Europe has witnessed a year on year growth in enquiries and order levels for automatic sampling in the coal and power generation industries.

Eriez Magnetics Europe has witnessed a year on year growth in enquiries and order levels for automatic sampling in the coal and power generation industries.

The driving forces behind this growth are the implementation of updated ISO standards for coal sampling and the increased use by power stations of renewable energy sources, such as biomass materials.

With the embrace of internationally accepted standards emerges a growing awareness across the industry from coal producers and processors to cargo handlers and consumers of the need for a system that complies with the latest standards and one that reduces the risk of variance typically associated with manual sampling methods.

For example, where coal is transhipped by barge to ship the coal may be loaded many days before the ship arrives.

In that time the sample content may vary considerably.

Alternatively coal may be delivered by truck or train and differences in moisture content following drainage or rain may occur in the time interval between loading and discharge.

Associated with manual sampling there is the cost of human error, which could be quite significant.

In terms of automated systems the sample is divided, crushed and further divided to produce both moisture and chemical subsamples under fully automatic control.

An automatic sampling plant can treat sample masses that no individual could handle or move and all that is needed is to select the frequency of increment required to meet the required accuracy of the final sample in accordance with the sampling standards.

All manual errors are removed and final samples are of repeatable quality which is not achievable by manual sampling.

A sampling system that can be operated with a minimum of staff, is mechanically reliable and produces consistently low bias within the acceptable limits as well as provides automatic identification of samples would be the aim of the majority of bulk material handling companies.

As for the producer, automatic samplers provide information about the running of the plant to determine whether the highest grade of concentrate is being produced and whether valued minerals are being discharged with the waste.

And in terms of the consumer, such as a power station, the ability to accurately monitor the quality of coal received is critical to the operation of the plant in terms of boiler management and commercial negotiations with the supplier.

The economics of automated sampling therefore more than outweigh the initial investment costs.

A sampling plant can pay for itself in a very short period and thereafter produces only profit.

There is now a degree of momentum to use biomass products in power stations which is basically commercially driven following upward pressure on coal and associated fuel prices.

The obvious environmental kudos of using renewable materials is seen as an added benefit.

Power generators who are looking to exploit biomass as a power stock either as an alternative to coal or in combination with coal are now interested in establishing whether coal sampling methods can be applied to biomass.

In principle, coal sampling systems can be adapted to sample such materials, however, in practice it would depend on the existing setup.

Some may need only the slightest change, whilst others will require greater modification or enhancements.

Also, a sampling system could, in general terms, handle a variety of biomass materials, such as woodchip, oil pulp, rice hulls and straw.

Currently only the power stations are making provision for receipt of biomass products.

Terminals, on the other hand, will only provide a sampling facility if they are asked to do so.

Most importers will use their own, in some cases very large, facilities, which could be quite expensive to run and such costs will be passed on to the customer.

In summary, sampling system design and equipment selection are best left to companies which specialise in such systems.

Their expertise ensures the final user obtains a workable and reliable system that meets the required standard, which is capable of improving quality control procedures and providing product data via laboratory analysis of truly representative samples, to improve process control.

Find out more about this article. Request a brochure, download technical specifications and request samples here.
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