RESERVE – A new bulk-cement ship unloader recently arrived at the Port of South Louisiana’s Globalplex Intermodal Terminal in Reserve.

The $2,700,000 Carlson screw-type unloader was delivered to the bulk dock of the terminal which is operated by Kinder-Morgan. The custom built ship unloader was designed to operate using the existing rails and belt conveyor to unload cement and the handling system will be completely enclosed to minimize dust emissions.

It was also built to unload Panamax size ships with a rated capacity for cement of 800 tons per hour and can safely operate 24 hours a day.

The structure is specifically tailored to withstand high forces created when digging into the cement during the unloading process.

The horizontal and vertical support structures were constructed to absorb the forces generated during unloading maneuvers so that the conveying screws and bearings remain constant and true, resulting in a long operating life. In addition, the integral speed regulation on the vertical conveyor was designed to optimize the unloading efficiency for different types of cement.

An advanced control system will minimize peaks in capacity when the cement becomes fluidized to keep the associated belt conveyors from overloading. The conveyors are used to transfer the cement into two 50,000 ton capacity storage domes capable of storing two separate grades of cement simultaneously.

The ship unloader was erected in seven months and shipped from Spain to replace an earlier version.

Kinder-Morgan is expected to begin testing procedures soon.

Port of South Louisiana Executive Director Joseph Accardo Jr. said, “the state-of -the-art bulk cement unloader will allow the port to significantly increase the efficiency and volume of cargo handled across the port’s bulk dock at Globalplex.”

In 2001, the port handled almost 1.5 million short tons of cement/stone at the intermodal terminal.