movement. The internal part of the chute is equipped with dedicated lined guide cones. An outlet loader spout is also installed at the final part of chute and is made of a heavy duty metal specifically designed to permit the loading of a vessel with closed hatch covers. The environmentally friendly design of the machine is emphasised in the close screw-conveyor frames which reduce excess noise emissions. Shiploading is carried out by a combination of slewing, luffing-lowering and telescoping movements. All movements are controlled from the same control cabin by means of automation. The boom screwconveyor outreach is 25.4m – that is suitable to fill the full hold of a Panamax vessel.
Telescopic chute advantages
The telescopic chute is an ideal solution in preventing the common problem of breaking particles, as well as minimising dust generation when loading bulk material. In the Titan case this was totally avoided thanks to the loading operation which consisted of the vessel hatch covers being completely closed, similar to a loading operation effectuated on a closed silo. The design of a telescopic chute ensures that material particles are kept in mass flow form and at low velocity. In fact, the internal lining of the chute’s module cones minimise the liberation of dust particles without affecting loading rates. The extraction system, represented by the top boom bag filter, guarantees a perfect vacuum atmosphere is going into the vessel hold, preventing any further dust emissions. Due to the minimal free-fall and the low velocity that the material experiences, greatly reduced material degradation is evident when loading sizeable products.
Case study 2: Puerto Brisa – Colombia
Bedeschi America, part of the Italian Bedeschi Group, has recently completed the turnkey supply of a complete coal export terminal in La Guajira on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The main equipment in place at the completed terminal is a 3.5km overland conveyor from the coal storage warehouse to the dock, as well as a shiploader. The entire system can work at a rate of 6,000 tonnes per hour when loading 120,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) vessels. The travelling, slewing and luffing shiploader has a curved chute which is designed to enable complete distribution of cargo inside the hold of a vessel, as well as to avoid uneven distribution. Puerto Brisa is strategically located on Colombia’s coast with easy access to Central America, South America, the US East Coast, Europe and the Panama Canal. Vessels up to 180,000 DWT can now dock and be loaded-up at the port.
