Turning old into new
An extensive retrofit program instead of a new system proved to be the ideal solution for completely
The Jordan Silos & Supply General Company (JSSGC) operates a total of four large bulk storage facilities in Jordan, with a total holding capacity of approximately 450,000 metric tons. One of the four facilities of JSSGC is located in the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. Aqaba is the only sea port of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Retrofit or new system?
The silo facility of the Jordan Silos & Supply General Company in Aqaba has a storage capacity of 150,000 metric tons. The cargo vessels supplying the grain are unloaded by three Bühler ship unloaders. Two of these units date back to the year 1978. For the JSSGC management, the question was to whether this aging unloader was to be replaced by a new one or renewed in order to assure the required long-term unloading capacity in the port of Aqaba. In November 2009, JSSGC, therefore entrusted one of their unloaders to Bühler. The substructure of the unloader was still in sound condition even after 30 years of service. It could easily be reused as a base without requiring any modifications to the gantry structure and the pier installations. The only item that Bühler recommended the customer to replace by state-of-the-art equipment was the pneumatic suction line and the control system. In view of the result of this investigation, JSSGC decided to entrust Bühler with the proposed retrofit of the operating section of the unloader.
Result for the customer
The retrofit solution chosen for the sip unloader pays off in a number of respects. Overall, it is a cost-efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly solution. In comparison with an entirely new unloader it allows all system components that are still intact to be reused. Moreover the retrofit solution proposed and then implemented by Bühler reduced the system downtime to a minimum. JSSGC now boasts a pneumatic unloader based on cutting-edge pneumatic conveying technology. It proved possible to boost the efficiency of the system at very reasonable cost. Furthermore, the new/old PORTANOVA TM ship unloader consists of fewer individual parts, thus simplifying spare parts management and minimizing maintenance costs.
