The soda ash production process

Objectives:

• Cake Moisture content (typical values between 15 – 16%)
• Chloride removal (typical values lower <0,15% in soda ash)

Challenges / Solutions:

• Corrosion (Wide range of resistant materials : FRP; 316L; 904L; U45N; …)
• High Tonnages (belts, pipes designed for high dewatering capacity)
• Dryer energy consumption : cake moisture reduction (up to 12% with cake pressure rollers, surfactants, …)

Objectives:

• High flow rate injection of powdered product
• Precisely metered injection to maximise soda ash yield
• Avoidance of dust emission

Challenges / Solutions:

• Resting chamber filled & maintained at a constant level by double control loop with vertical shaft rotor for perfect flow management of product from storage to reactor
• Weigh-regulated feeder achieves high accuracy of +/- 0.5% of setpoint flow rate
• Multiple dust outlets along the resting chamber
• Special dustproof seal

Objectives:

• Injection of granular product at varying flow rates (medium to high) with a wide range of grain size and moisture content
• Accurate feed injection to maximise soda ash yield
• Avoidance of dust emission

Challenges / Solutions:

• Modular design in length and width for workshop adaptation and process performance achievement
• Weigh-regulated feeder that achieves high accuracy of +/- 0.5% of setpoint flow rate
• Various options available against analysis of product characteristics

Objectives:

• Production rate recording (instant flow measurement)
• Accurate and rugged flowmeter solution

Challenges / Solutions:

• Parallel mounting of load cells
• High resolution digital loadcell (1M pts) when very high accuracy is required
• DUAL & TWIN version of the LET scale for
• large and/or fast conveyor belts
• TWIN: 2 loadcells in parallel across the belt
• (for large conveyors)
• DUAL: 2 stations weighed in series (for fast conveyors)

Objectives:

• Reduce mill power consumption
• Protect grinding media from wear
• Measure the reject rate in the mill’s recirculation loop

Challenges / Solutions:

• Automatic calibration and adaptation to the quality of the material to be crushed
• Remote control
• Crosstalk compensation when several mills are used in parallel
• Real-time adjustment of the fresh phosphate injection flow rate to the mill