The first installation of Terex Washing Systems’ AggreSand 165 wash plant was at Dowling Quarries’ Grannafallow quarry near Abbeyleix, in County Laois, Ireland in August 2013.
Three years on the model is still vital to the production of the quarry’s in-demand product range, reports Guy Woodford for Aggregates Business Europe.
Garry Stewart, Terex Washing Systems’ regional sales manager says Humphrey’s provided a great testing ground for the new plant. "We needed the AggreSand 165 to be worked hard and he’s done that here,” he say.
“The beauty of the AggreSand 165 is that it can take material directly from the quarry face and you can get a product from it straight away. The material is very clean coming off it.” Stewart says.
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The AggreSand 165 plant being loaded by a Cat 966M wheeled loader[/caption]
The AggreSand 165, which works on a modular chassis, has sold well over the past three years. Stewart say that the sixtieth 165 plant is in the process of being built at TWS’s HQ in Dungannon, Northern Ireland.
Designed for containerised transport, part of the AggreSand 165’s success is in its range of suitable product applications. These include virgin aggregate, manufactured sand, sand and gravel, crushed rock, crusher dust, scalpings, iron ore, other mineral ores, and construction and demolition waste.
At Granafallow quarry, the AggreSand 165 wash plant is being run mainly as a three-deck 120tonnes/hour plant ten-hours-a-day Monday to Saturday, with aggregate material loaded onto it by Caterpillar 966M and Volvo L180E wheeled loaders.
“It’s done a super job since the day I got it,” Humphrey Dowling, owner of Dowling Quarries, says. He bought the AggreSand 165 despite Ireland being in an economic recession at the time. “We took a chance and it’s really worked out. I’m still using the same machine configuration set-up as day one.
“The back-up we’ve received from Terex and the Powerscreen Ireland team in Mountmellic, County Laois has been great. They are on the end of the phone all the time and have helped me plan how to best use the plant.”
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Garry Stewart (left) and Humphrey Dowling at Granafallow quarry[/caption]
Granafallow quarry produces three aggregate products - +40mm, 10-20mm and 5-10mm – and two sands – 0-5mm and 0-2mm. The concrete and mortar sand products, especially, are proving very popular among Dublin business and residential property developers.
“One of Ireland’s leading and most successful independent concrete producers is a large customer of Dowling Quarries,” says Dowling. “We’ve processed around 1 million tonnes of material with the AggreSand 165 and have around 10.5million tonnes of reserves. We’ve been quarrying at Granafallow for six to seven years.”
Dowling has also been using the AggreSand 165’s high capacity, two-deck 200 tonne/hour single sand production option to meet customer demand. “I’m looking into running a second wash plant on site, possibly an AggreSand 206. I’m also interested in Terex Washing Systems’ FM UltraFines plant. I think the FM UltraFines plant could reduce our pond maintenance requirements and capture even more material. It would also be easy to incorporate with the AggreSand 165.”
Dowling, whose business also operates two other hard rock and sand and gravel quarries, says: “The quality of our concrete and other material has improved so much through using it. I think its cyclones are a big part of that.
"The AggreSand 165 can also shut itself down if water levels are running low. That’s really important in maintaining final product quality.”
A fully automated and radio controlled wash plant, the AggreSand 165’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) is part of its plug and play operation.
“It can diagnose any problems if and when they occur, reducing downtime. HMI also reduces model set up time and the need for expensive contractors,” Stewart says.
“You can also use it to monitor the amp readings on the plant’s electric motors, the water pressure coming into the plant, and the inlet pressure on the cyclones. All this helps with day-to-day plant operation and makes it easier to schedule routine maintenance.”
The AggreSand 165’s dewatering screen includes a fixed 18° working angle, enclosed rubber lined wash box with independently controlled spray bar, polyurethane modular decks as standard, and inspection flaps to view screen media.
