New pneumatic unloader Port of Sète

CENTRE GRAINS (AXEREAL group) recently extended one of their quay and has equipped its terminal with a pneumatic unloader for barges of 5,000 tons and a shiploader for 25,000 tons vessels, both designed, manufactured and installed by VIGAN Engineering S.A.

The barge and coaster unloader
Designed for vessels of 5,000 tons of capacity, the pneumatic unloader supplied by VIGAN has a round suction nozzle which sucks the product into the hold, allowing to reach the maximum capacity in full heap of grain with a guaranteed minimum breakage. Depending on the products discharged, the rate reaches 400 tons / hour for wheat, corn or barley. The rail-mounted gantry is moving along the quay, and supports all unloading equipment: an electric transformer group, the cabin with turbo-blowers, the unloading tower, the cable reels for power and control and a manual rail clamps (for securing the device in a parking position). The unloading tower is mounted on a slewing ring with hydraulic motor. It supports automatic cleaning filter by compressed air injection equipped with a vent explosion, the 400-liter airlock and the 15-meter boom supporting the piping system, which can lift from 15° to 54° is by a hydraulic cylinder.

The shiploader
The second equipment delivered by VIGAN to CENTRE GRAINS is a mechanical shiploader for vessels of 25,000 tons maximum. The rail-mounted gantry moves along the quay and supports a bucket elevator (which receives the goods from a conveyor belt equipped with a platform tripper) and the ship loading system itself. The unloader can reach a capacity of 800 tons / hour on grain with a density of 0.75. Its total height is 19.7 meters. A slewing ring allows the orientation of the loading arm to a maximum angle. A beam supports a chain conveyor and the telescopic loading chute at the end. This beam can be hydraulically raised by two jacks to enable the positioning of the telescopic arm in the ship's hold.