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Depleted natural sand reserves, environmental constraints, and decade-long permitting processes are just a few of the drivers behind a fast-growing demand for manufactured sand and a significant need for efficient crusher fines management.
At issue is the amount of water required for conventional washing methods. According to Superior’s director of washing and classifying, John Bennington, a sand screw needs 12m3 per hour of water for every ton of minus-200-mesh in the feed. That’s a lot of water for most crushing operations.
To combat this problem, Bennington and his colleagues at Superior Industries designed and built the new Alliance® Low Water Washer. The unit combines a specially-designed agitator and a dewatering screen within one machine. It allows operations to wash dust within the crushing circuit, eliminating the cost of handling and hauling the fines to a separate washing circuit.
Today, many operations stockpile material to be washed and sometimes those stockpiles simply collect over time. When necessary, that material is hauled to a separate screen/screw wash plant. This method typically incurs three “touches” of the material, at a cost of an additional $1.50 per ton to wash the sand.
The Alliance Low Water Washer is a far more economical and efficient method. Its agitator section is positioned at the front end of the screen where water is added to the dry feed and mixed, producing a thick slurry. The agitator is equipped with a spray bar along the length of the blade mill for thorough cleaning. The slurry is fed to a robust dewatering screen that is outfitted with a series of spray bars that help to push the material down through the screen.
Using a sand screw requires lifting the silt over the weirs of the screw with much water usage. Alternatively, when the new washer pushes the material down through the screen, much less water is needed. Some owners and operators are experiencing 80% less water usage with their new Alliance Low Water Washer.
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