Bark and wood waste are used as fuel to produce heat and steam for this container board plant. A series of belt conveyors — 36 to 48 inches (914 to 1219 mm) wide — carry bark to the powerhouse. The Pine Hill Mill began a program to improve its material handling operations and eliminate fugitive materials. The bark conveying system was the first system to be upgraded.
Martin Engineering provided a detailed report that listed a number of recommendations, including: moving the head pulley of one conveyor and the tail pulley of a second conveyor, lowering the overall height of a third conveyor, changing three conveyors to a picking-idler style to improve cargo capacity, installing training devices to improve belt tracking, and upgrading the belt cleaners on all conveyors to improve cleaning performance.
Each conveyor had Martin® ApronSeal™ Single Skirting installed on both sides to keep material on the belt. To prevent material roll back from the back of the loading zone, a Martin® Tail Sealing Box was field-fabricated for each conveyor. To make sure the belt is properly centered as it enters the loading zone on each conveyor; a lower unit of the Martin® Tracker was installed.
The plant is very pleased with the performance of the Martin® products installed in its bark-handling system and the work of the Martin® Installation Services crew. The plant is now reviewing Martin Engineering proposals to upgrade additional conveyors, including the plant’s coal-handling system.