The Situation
A sand and gravel quarry in the South East of England was experiencing a recurring problem that was causing ten hours of downtime to fix on a frequency of four times per year. The problem was that spray bars used on site were becoming blocked with sand, requiring maintenance to remove the blockage and new nozzles to be fitted.
The Solution
The team from the HAYLEY DEXIS branch in Bury St. Edmunds were contacted for assistance. Their brief was to help stop what was becoming an expensive period of downtime for the customer. After visiting site to speak with engineers and inspect the spray bars and pumping systems, a solution was identified which involved installing two knife gate valves to the system. The dedicated fluid power division of HAYLEY DEXIS assisted with identifying and supplying units that would automatically close and reopen when the pump stops and starts. This would prevent the sand reaching the spray bars and blocking them.
"SINCE THE SOLUTION HAS BEEN IN PLACE, THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED."
The Result
Since the two knife gate valves have been installed, the problem of the spray bars becoming blocked with sand has not recurred. Taking into account the forty hours of annual downtime required to fix the problem, the HAYLEY DEXIS solution has prevented lost yearly production at a value of £120,000. One hundred nozzles were previously being replaced on a yearly basis, at a cost of £15,000. The service life of these components has now been extended to closer to their four-year anticipated lifespan. Engineers’ time has since been reallocated to other tasks, with no spray bar blockages to deal with since the knife gate valves were installed.