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Design, engineering, supply, transportation, installation, commissioning and performance testing of two high-capacity bucket elevator systems replacing the existing mill feed airlift systems at PPC Zimbabwe Limited, Bulawayo.
RULA delivered a complete turnkey material handling solution for PPC Zimbabwe's Bulawayo mill feed system — two 110 t/h bucket elevators with aeroslide transfer, ventilation integration, VSD control and full structural access — engineered to interface with the existing plant while minimising disruption to operations.
The bucket elevators were designed for installation externally on the northern (Village) side of the existing building, minimising modifications and avoiding the unnecessary relocation of existing plant and equipment.
The material handling system interfaces with the existing flow measurement equipment located beneath the feed bins. From these interface points, RULA’s scope included the required transfer chutes, aeroslides and access walkways to convey material to the new bucket elevators.
Ventilation piping was incorporated into the design to connect the aeroslides and bucket elevators to the existing dust filtration and ventilation systems.
At the discharge level, aeroslides were installed on top of the building to transfer material from the bucket elevators into the existing airlift discharge pipe infrastructure.
Standalone VSD panels were provided for each bucket elevator for integration into the plant’s electrical infrastructure.
The project also included the structural and maintenance infrastructure required to safely operate and maintain the new equipment.
A dedicated aeroslide arrangement was incorporated into each material handling system to provide controlled transfer of material into and out of the bucket elevators. Each system included its own aeration fan, together with the necessary ventilation connections to interface with the existing plant filtration system.
RULA delivers bucket elevator and material handling systems from design through commissioning.