In 2017, Vortex completed a large project with an industrial sand manufacturer to construct a new sand processing facility. As part of this project, the client sought solutions for:
- Diverting sand into screeners, where the sand is sized and then transferred into a series of holding bins.
- Loading sand from each holding bin into enclosed trucks below.
Due to the abrasive properties of industrial sand, this client sought reliable components designed for durability and longevity. Having enjoyed the quality of Vortex components when using them in previous projects, this client opted to source 17 Pivoting Chute Diverters, 9 Titan Lined Diverters (TLDs), 5 Titan Slide Gates (TSGs), 5 Vortex Loading Spouts, and 14 Maintenance Gates.
Controlling Flow of Materials Through a Loading Spout
Various grades of industrial sand are being loaded into enclosed trucks below. The client sourced Titan Slide Gates (TSGs) to control material flow rates as sand is discharged through Loading Spouts. Titan Slide Gates were primarily sourced for their abrasion-resistance, in-line maintainability, and reliability in high-actuation environments.
Specifications:
- Quantity: 5 Vortex Titan Slide Gates (TSGs)
- Size: 20 in | 510 mm (square)
- Gate body & material contact areas constructed from carbon steel.
- Blade & inlet liners constructed from 400 Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) abrasion-resistant (AR) steel.
- Each gate features a round outlet transition, also constructed from 400 BHN AR steel.
- Modified to handle fine materials. The TSG’s standard displacement end pocket has been replaced with a true end seal. This hinders fine materials from migrating past the blade and leaking down through the spout between loading cycles.
The Titan Slide Gate features live-loaded, wear-compensating bonnet seals constructed from hard polymer and compressed rubber backing. As the gate experiences many actuations over time, the blade will create frictional wear to the polymer seals. Compressed rubber backing ensures the hard polymer seals are continuously forced against the sliding blade, despite the degree of frictional wear. The purpose of this design is to maintain the gate’s seal of materials for an extended period of time.
If materials begin to migrate into the gate’s bonnet area, the Titan Slide Gate features milled slots that allow access to replaceable bonnet seals. Using simple tools, the milled access slot covers can be removed from both sides of the gate. Then, a new bonnet seal can be driven into one seal port as the worn bonnet seal is simultaneously ejected out the other side of the gate. This design allows for quick and easy seal maintenance while the gate remains in-line.
