Conveying solutions for alternative energy sources

Rulmeca contributed to the realization of many projects in energy industry, testing itself in handling of both traditional fuels and alternative sources. This is the case of petcoke, an oil by-product which has been one of the most used energy sources for years. It’s an intrinsically complex material which sees in Rulmeca solutions the necessary requirements to be completely safely transported.

Strengths and threats of petcoke

Now petcoke is a highly competitive energy source in economic and performance terms. Its copious availability on the market is associated to a low cost compared to traditional fuels. Moreover, its high calorific power allows achieving excellent performance with less use of material, favoring operating costs further. Threats of petcoke lie in its abrasive and corrosive nature due to high levels of sulfur and heavy metals and creation of inflammable dusts at risk of explosion. Of course, this is dangerous for operators’ health, surrounding environment and plants which can run into premature wear or failures. To mitigate such threats, it’s crucial to provide for adequate and compatible petcoke handling and storage systems, together with modern and efficient containment systems for polluting emissions.

Rulmeca products

An important project commissioned by an Italian manufacturer of handling systems is representative of Rulmeca ability to offer high-performance and compliant components with petcoke criticalities. Rulmeca presented its wide range of bulk material handling components and helped the customer to select the most suitable products for the construction of a network of conveyor belts for a storage and loading plant for large quantities of petcoke.

Heavy-duty conveyor rollers series PSV

PSV rollers perfectly fit for the realization of conveyors to be used in extremely difficult conditions with high workloads and risky application circumstances. The robust steel tube is extremely resistant to corrosive petcoke, as well as to heavy and large quantities that are generally transported in power plants. However, the main component of PSV rollers is their hermetic sealing system which guarantees long and effective protection against the ingress of dust generated during petcoke handling and storage. Finally, thanks to their ATEX antistatic properties, PSV rollers completely eliminate the explosive risks associated with the handling of flammable fuels such as petcoke, ensuring maximum reliability and safety of operations.

Upper carrying troughing sets

Although the structure of PSV rollers is resistant to the impact of high loads, the handling of large lump size of bulk materials always requires the integration of additional components for belt support. For the specific case in question, Rulmeca supplied upper carrying troughing sets with two rollers having the function to support loaded sections of the belt preventing bending, misalignment or material spillage. However, Rulmeca bulk handling products include many other solutions and configurations which can be selected according to technical specifications of each single plant.