Case History:
Fertilizer Shipping

Problem:
Hand Sampling and Overtime Labor

CF Industries, Inc. operates a fertilizer storage and loading facility at Tampa Port in Florida which uses a large capacity conveyor system to load ocean bargesand ships. The conveyor system has a series of 60 inch wide belts which load the ships directly from the port warehouse. During loading operations, composite samples were collected by a person using a cup fastened to a broom stick. Since the sample was collected for measurement and payment,a sampling person was required to remain on the loading tower throughout the duration of the 18 to 20 hour loading period. Most of this labor was overtime.

Solution:
A Sprenger Continuous Solids Sampler coupled with a conveyor head pulley swing-chute cutter sampler was designed for installation in the existing conveyor system. Since the product flow rate was so large, the initial sample was collected by a chute that pivoted periodically on a hollow arm. The sample pulled from the falling product was then routed to the Sprenger Sampler in order to make a statistically reduced cut for final sample composite. The low profile of the Sprenger Sampler allowed the entire system to be installed at a conveyor transfer point without any major structural changes or additional return conveyors. The material rejected (passed through the Sprenger Sampler) was returned to the conveyor system by gravity. The manual sampling procedure was eliminated, saving enough labor cost to pay for the new sampling system in six months. This Sampler has been in operation since 1982 and continues to function well.