LOAD CELLS PROTECT LOADING BOOMS

Thames Side Sensors has supplied load cells for two new bulk material ship loading chutes in Italy, manufactured by Cleveland Cascades.   The load cells enable the weight of the chute, suspended from a ship loading boom, to be monitored, keeping it under the maximum operating weight.   In the case of overload the transfer of material to the chute will be automatically stopped, protecting the boom.

The loading chutes are an ingenious, simple design, consisting of a series of truncated, oppositely-inclined cones.   They enable materials to be loaded in mass flow but at low velocity, minimising dust emissions and reducing product segregation.   One chute will be used to load alumina, one of the world's most difficult materials to handle in bulk, at rates of up to 1,400t/hr.   The other chute is 28 metres long and will be used to load cement and cement clinker at rates of up to 350t/hr.

The first chute, installed at the port of Portoscuso, uses a T90 folded shear beam load cell.   This is used in tension to measure the weight of the speed reducer at the bottom of the chute, as any overload will become apparent there first.   On the second chute, installed at the port of Taranto, the T62 single ended shear beam load cell has been used to monitor the weight of the whole chute.   Its 10 tonne capacity and compact size made it ideal for an installation short of space at the boom.

Thames Side Sensors's load cells are installed on many of Cleveland Cascades' chutes around the world.   The T90, for example, is used for cereal loading in Spain and zinc concentrate loading in Ireland, while the T62 is used for grain loading in China.   In addition to supplying standard load cells Thames Side Sensors has also supplied Cleveland Cascades customised solutions for specific applications, including a rugged measurement solution for apatite loading at Murmansk Commercial Seaport.