Reaping What Was Sowed: From Design to First Grain in Just 20 Weeks

What does it take to deliver a high-capacity grain handling system in just 20 weeks? We sat down with BBCP Project Manager Grant Potter, who recently returned from commissioning a project in Narrabri, to find out.

“The conveyors at the site move grain from four storage silos straight through to the grain train at up to 1,500 tonnes an hour (TPH)” Potter said. BBCP’s scope included the complete design, engineering, manufacture and delivery of both conveyor systems.

 

No Silo Mentality Here

While the project itself was a new installation, one of the key engineering challenges was ensuring the conveyor infeed chutes aligned precisely with all four existing grain silos.

“A short lead time and tight delivery schedule meant we had no room for error, delivering from engagement to onsite delivery in just 20 weeks” reflects Grant.

The project also required the conveyor design to integrate with pre-installed structural steel. BBCP’s engineering team used the company’s 3D scanning technology to accurately capture the site and achieve millimetre-perfect alignment.

 

The Conveyor Solution

“The client needed to move 1,500 tonnes an hour. A traditional drag chain conveyor can’t do that, so we designed a belt conveyor system instead,” Potter says.

The completed solution comprises two belt conveyors measuring 55 metres and 25 metres, operating at a belt speed of 4.5 metres per second and delivering a throughput of 1,500 (TPH). The system also incorporates custom long-life ceramic-lined infeed and discharge chutes to maximise wear life, together with lightweight HDPE rollers that reduce operating noise for nearby residential areas.

 

Half an Hour Later…

Commissioning involved checking the skirting, spoon chutes, belt scrapers, belt tension and gearbox couplings before introducing grain to the system.

No adjustments were required after commissioning, allowing the client to move straight into operation.

“It ran and tracked beautifully,” Potter recalls. “From the first time it was switched on, we were running grain within 30 minutes. Seeing grain flowing straight after start-up was proof that months of planning, engineering and manufacturing had paid off”.

 

Congratulations to Grant and the team involved in this project. It marks another milestone for BBCP.