The Customer's Challenge
Apalav, a food company located in Chiva (Valencia), needed to automate and optimize the transport of calcium carbonate from the external silo to a biconical mixer. The existing installation required a system capable of handling large volumes with weighing accuracy, regulatory compliance, and energy efficiency, without compromising operational safety or product quality.
Calcium carbonate is a powdered product with an apparent density of 1.1 kg/l, making it difficult to transport. The installation had to be integrated with existing equipment without interrupting production, and the building's geometry—silo outside, scale on the upper floor, blower in the back yard—demanded a pneumatic circuit design adapted to the site's actual conditions. In addition, the system had to be sized to accommodate future expansion to incorporate flour and big-bag unloaders.
Technical Solution Proposed by Sagafluid
Sagafluid designed and integrated a complete turnkey installation, encompassing everything from raw material storage to controlled discharge into the mixer. The scope included engineering, manufacturing, supply, mechanical assembly, electrical installation, and commissioning.
Storage — 50 m³ Silo:
- 50 m³ calcium carbonate silo in AISI 304, Ø 3,000 mm and total height of 12,200 mm, with fluidized bottom to facilitate the discharge of powdered product.
- AISI 304 suction filter with compressed air cleaning system (Venturi effect) and integrated electronic control panel.
- Triple IRD level probe system (minimum, maximum and safety) for autonomous load management from tanker truck.
- Roto dosing valve in AISI 316L with SEW FA37 geared motor (0.55 kW), prepared for frequency converter, capacity up to 6 t/h.
- DN100 AISI 304 charging pipe with Guillemin fitting, safety valve and expansion box. Roof access with cat ladder, protective cage and stainless steel lifeline.
Weighing — 2.2 m³ Scale:
- 2.2 m³ weighing scale in AISI 316 with 3 stainless steel load cells, anti-tip supports and panel-mounted display in control panel.
- Own suction filter with fan, fluidization system with stainless steel cone and automatic butterfly valve at the outlet.
- Retractable connection system in AISI 304 for coupling and uncoupling with the existing biconical mixer, with integrated solenoid valves and position detectors.
- Temperature probe for continuous measurement of solid product on scale.
Pneumatic circuit — Silo-weighbridge transport:
- Stainless steel pipe network from the external silo to the weighbridge, with flexible joints at the discharge point to avoid disturbing the weighing system.
- Rotary piston blower (Roots system), 30 kW / 400-690 V IE3 motor, flow rate 915 m³/ha, differential pressure 0.45–0.6 bar. Also sized for future transport of flour at 3 t/h.
- Integrated soundproof booth: 76 dB with booth versus 93 dB without it.
- Complete instrumentation: negative pressure probe, air velocity meters in suction and blower.
Automation — Electrical installation:
- Main panel in RAL 7035 sheet metal (2,100 × 2,400 × 600 mm) with 40% of space reserved for future expansions.
- Siemens PLC with 12″ color touchscreen: silo loading synoptic, weighing dosage, mixer discharge, configuration, alarms and history.
- Two Siemens frequency inverters (blower and rotary valve). Pre-programming in the workshop and final adjustment on site.
- Ewon router for remote access to the PLC included at no extra cost.
Results Obtained
- Transport capacity of 6,000 kg/h (600 kg in 10 minutes), covering the production demand with operating margin.
- Complete automation of the cycle: silo loading from tanker, transport to scale and unloading to mixer without manual intervention in the process.
- Continuous batch traceability thanks to the integrated weighing system with PLC and alarm and historical record.
- Integration with the existing biconical mixer without the need to modify the pre-existing equipment.
- Installation sized for future expansion without needing to replace the main infrastructure.
- 17 dB reduction in ambient noise level in the blower area thanks to the soundproofing booth.
Customer Testimonial
“Thanks to the system implemented by Sagafluid, we have tripled our production. The service from their staff has been wonderful, and we would recommend them without hesitation.”
— Esteban, Production Manager, Apalav
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