Case Study – Ravensdown Fertiliser New Zealand

Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-op in Napier New Zealand had a dust problem while bulk loading fertilizers into their general store. Trucks, front end loaders and staff were all working in a dirty, low visibility situation and the potential for an accident was high. DSH Systems Ltd. provided them with an innovative solution.

The solution for Ravensdown Fertiliser

Ravensdown, one of New Zealand’s leading fertilizer companies has multiple DSH hoppers installed in 40 stores throughout New Zealand.

Ravensdown lower North Island Project Manager Hugh Eaglesome is thrilled with the hopper, which has limited dust fallout, improved visibility and provides the perfect pour.

“We use the Dust Suppression Hopper on our load-out points; truck and rail and also the dress belt into store, a drop of 14.5 meters (45 feet).”

“The hoppers have been a great success in cutting down the dust problem and make visibility a lot easier and provide a perfect pour when loading.”

“Not only are we happy, but truck drivers and transport companies are thrilled as there’s less debris over their trucks,” Mr. Eaglesome says.

Mr. Eaglesome endorses the hopper and says it could be adapted for other bulk loading purposes.

“The computer controlled model pours perfectly every time and is great for loading spreaders with small bins.”

Loading can be continuous without plant interruption. The DSH System concentrates the fertilizer as a tight solid column through free air into any target repository including trucks, rail cars, storage containers, bags or stockpiles.

As the loading plant does not require dust extraction, the entire product is sold; therefore the manufacturer does not have to install dust bag-houses or pay for dust disposal.

Example for saving in raw materials

A 26-tonne-truck load could contained 50 kg of fugitive fines:

10 trucks/day = 500 kg/day
500 kg @ $190/T = $95/day
5 days/week = $475/week
48 weeks = $22,800/year