The Future ‘LIFE’ For Batch Heating Is Revolutionary
A new concept in batch heaters
During the 13 years that Mixlance have been building batch heaters, managing director Jed Smyth has consulted with customers to find out exactly what it is they really want. His analysis of this consultation process has led the company in a new direction, one that is already reaping rewards.
As a consequence of a three-year product-development programme, Mixlance have just announced a major two-plant deal with RMC Materials Northern Region, a contract which sees the launch of a new concept in batch heating. In the process Mixlance have become the first company in the industry to secure grant funding from the European Commission’s LIFE Environment Programme.
Mr Smyth became convinced that there was a need in the UK for a fresh new approach to environmentally friendly batch heating, with the capability to produce small quantities of between 0.5–3 tonnes per batch. This would reduce the wastage that occurs with conventional plant incapable of such small batches.
The result is the launch of a new Mixlance mobile, low-level, modular batch/ coating/recycling plant to produce ‘all’ coated products in meaningful quantities.
‘I was constantly being told that the ‘call and collect’ urban batch-heater market needed plants that could produce a wide range of coated products in low volumes to suit the general urban and local authority needs, in particular reinstatement work such as telecommunications and utilities work. I concluded that there had to be a viable alternative to conventional asphalt plants.
‘In recognizing that this niche market needed something new from a batch heater, the challenge was on not only to do this effectively and efficiently, but also to bring other benefits and ensure that output capacity was not compromised,’ explained Mr Smyth.
The new, fully clad, four-module Mixlance batch heater claims to have many advantages over its conventional predecessors. Among them is the fact that it is smaller; the site requirement is for a much-reduced footprint and a meagre 12m structure height. It is also quicker to install, using a ‘plug and go’ system. With other advantages (described below) Mr Smyth has coined a strap line for the new modular plant product, which sums it up as ‘smaller, shorter, cheaper, faster, quieter and cleaner.’
RMC Materials Northern’s regional managing director, Paul Trow, saw the potential and has ordered two Mixlance modular plants, the first for the company’s Stourton rail-connected facility near Leeds, which is due for completion in spring 2005, and the second at Accrington, Lancashire, due for completion in the second half of 2005.
With two existing Mixlance batch-heater plants in operation, Mr Trow was able to assess the benefits of working with the Derbyshire-based company. ‘We are getting excellent results from our Mixlance batch-heater plants in Stoke-on-Trent and Ellesmere Port but I could see real potential for us with the new modular design.
‘In particular I was impressed by the speed of build of the new plant and the concentration on environmental impact. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and the new-generation Mixlance batch heater further enhances our licence to operate. We operate in a competitive market where efficiency and low cost is vital and both are delivered by this new plant,’ explained Mr Trow.
Pivotal in the decision to award Mixlance the contracts were the claims that the new batch heater would: be of low-level modular construction; reduce fossil fuel usage and electricity consumption; and offer consistently low emissions into the atmosphere.
Module 1 (switch-room module) of the new Mixlance plant houses the LV/MCC and PLC panels, Module 2 (mixer module) houses the 0.5–3-tonne direct-drive paddle mixer, Module 3 (heater module) houses the dual-fuel burner and heater, and Module 4 (skimmer module) houses the conveyor head, skimmer and weigh hoppers. This modular design allows for off-site manufacture, assembly, wiring, cladding and testing prior to dispatch to the permanent site.
Mixlance, through a newly developed laminate pulse-jet filter, have been able to reduce emissions to below 10mg/m3 for a consistent and sustained period. This follows the UK Government’s latest legislation on emissions to the atmosphere, and the Mixlance plant reduces the present allowable standards from 100mg/m3 to less than 50mg/m3.
The filter’s design has also doubled the expected lifespan of the filter sleeves. A conventional 75kW motor drive is replaced by an inverter-controlled 45kW motor that yields significant energy savings.
Mixlance’s low-level modular batch heater incorporates a new modulating burner which, when combined with the pulse-jet filter, makes the plant much more suited than previous batch heaters to the production of products with a high moisture content. The modulating burner removes moisture in a controlled environment from pilot through to high fire and in doing so allows fuel savings of up to 30%.
Enhancing the environmental benefits claimed by Mixlance, it is believed that the new and innovative systems and processes employed will have a positive affect on the level of input of recycled materials. This factor will benefit local authorities that require specialist combinations of end products and high levels of recycled material in small quantities and at a commercial value.
Fuel consumption (gas oil/natural gas) is reduced by up to 30% and electricity usage by up to 50%, and there is an increase in the level of mixed recycled materials that can be used to produce coated products from an existing 10% to up to 50%. Plant noise levels are also reduced to suit urban locations.
An innovative moisture analyser over the input line measures the moisture content of the feedstock and assists in determining the length of time required by the burner to achieve target temperature. The measurement and related adjustment is linked to a new IT programme that reads all information and translates and transfers it to the primary systems.
The modular nature of the new batch heater minimizes the visual impact on site. It is also a truly mobile plant design whereby the required modules can be transported on four trailers, thereby reducing transportation costs. The modular design also decreases the installation/commissioning time normally associated with conventional plants.
Jed Smyth has assembled a consortium of 10 partners from three European countries to ensure the smooth development and ongoing operation of the new Mixlance batch heaters.
‘I’m convinced these new developments will change the way we think about batch heaters, not only in the UK but also throughout Europe,’ he said.
Mixlance Technical Services Ltd, The Bank, 66–68 High Street, Measham, Derbys DE12 7HR; tel: (01530) 271333; fax: (01530) 271444; email: jed@mixlance.com
