FERTILIZER & CHEMICAL PROCESSING PLANTS – CHAIN EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS

Raw Material Intake

• Apron Weigh Feeders
  Dust-tight systems for limestone, phosphate rock, granular materials.
• Drag & Pan Conveyors
  To move raw feed through crushers to reactors.

Raw Material Intake & Handling

Apron Feeders (for Phosphate Rock, Urea, Potash, Limestone)

• Purpose: Transfers mined or transported bulk material (e.g., phosphate rock, sulphur, ammonia nitrate) from hoppers/trucks to primary crushers or blending units.
• Chain Type: Drop-forged, or cast link chains; pitch ≥ 250 mm.
• Features:
  • Impact-resistant pans with alloy liners.
  • Throughput capacity: 200–1200 TPH.
  • Forged steel links with wear-resistant pins and bushings.

Reclaimers (Portal or Side Scraper)

• Purpose: Extracts bulk material from stockpiles and feeds into process stream.
• Chain Type: Round link or forged scraper chain.
• Features:
  • Equipped with variable-speed chain drive.
  • Built-in overload protection and synchronized travel drives.

Chain Bucket Elevators

• Purpose: Vertical lifting of ground raw mix, ammonia-based compounds, or intermediate products.
• Chain Type: Central chain or round link DIN-type chain.
• Elevator Features:
  • Height: up to 60–80 m.
  • Capacity: 150–1000 TPH depending on material bulk density.
  • Heat resistance up to 250°C for exothermic products.

Drag Chain Conveyors (Blending Zone)

• Purpose: Horizontal or inclined conveying between blenders, bins, granulators.
• Chain Type: Drop-forged scraper or enclosed twin-strand drag chain.
• Design Highlights:
  • Wear-resistant flights with anti-corrosion coatings.
  • Dust-tight casings with multiple outlet provisions.

Granulation & Drying

• Bucket Elevators
  Central-chain elevators for hot, damp granules into dryers or coolers.
• Pan & Belt Conveyors
  Beyond the dryer, for cooling and storage transfer.

Deep Pan Conveyors (for Granulated Products)

• Purpose: Gentle, non-segregating transfer of granules to drying or cooling drums.
• Chain Type: Central chain with deep-drawn pans.
• Capacity: 300–600 TPH.
• Temperature Resistance: Up to 300°C.
• Notes: Controlled discharge prevents product degradation.

Cooling Zone Conveyors

• Often use enclosed drag chain or multi-discharge chain conveyors to feed cooled product into silos or packing units.

Dust Handling & Gas Cleaning Units

Flow Conveyors

• Purpose: Ash, scrubber residue or filter dust conveying from ESP, baghouse or cyclones.
• Chain Type: Forged scraper chain.
• Features:
  • Compact low-profile design.
  • Explosion-venting available as option.

Finished Product Handling & Bagging

• Silo Discharge Systems
  Weigh feeders, screw feeders, and apron feeders for precise dosing to bagging lines.
• Belt Bucket Elevators
  For final packaging feed at capacities ~300–800 m³/h.

Storage Silos & Batching

Bucket Elevators (Packing Feeders)

• Purpose: Elevate urea, DAP/NPK, or blended products into overhead silos.
• Chain/Belt Type: Round link (for dusty or abrasive material) or belt-based for granular, low-abrasion use.
• Special Notes:
  • Optional belt/chain hybrids for reduced maintenance.
  • Self-cleaning return leg design.

Silo Discharge Equipment

• Equipment: Live bottom flow conveyors or steep-slope discharge conveyors.
• Chain Type: Twin-strand chain with paddle-type scrapers.

Packing Elevators

• Purpose: Feed material from silo to weighing/packing system.
• Chain Type: Belt or compact central chain elevator.
• Design Flexibility:
  • Modular heights and compact headroom design.
  • Anti-bridging attachments for sticky urea or ammonium sulphate.

Truck/Wagon Loading Systems

• Integrated with flow conveyors and telescopic spouts.
• Optional chain-based discharge feeder to regulate flow into loader.

COMMON CHAIN TYPES & TECHNICAL NOTES

CONSTROMECH ADVANTAGES FOR FERTILIZER PLANTS

• Chains forged with chemistry optimized for corrosion, abrasion, and high temperature.
• Bucket elevator kits designed for urea/NPK/DAP/SSP handling—lightweight buckets, anti-caking coatings.
• Sealed flow conveyors with explosion-proof options for ammonium nitrate and volatile solids.
• Modular drag chain conveyors suited for compact fertilizer layouts.
• Field-replaceable chain segments and retrofit kits available for Indian and global OEMs.