RETROFIT TO AGRIUM’S SPECIAL STANDARD SURGE BIN IMPROVES:
RELIABILITY, SAFETY, & LIFE CYCLE COST
T Holmes1, S Davison2
1. Jenike & Johanson Ltd.
Toronto, ON, Canada
tracyh@jenike.com
2. Agrium Inc.
Vanscoy, SK, Canada
Shawn.Davison@agrium.com
ABSTRACT
The Special Standard Surge bin at Agrium’s Vanscoy Potash Operations has been plagued with flow, wear,
and corrosion issues for it’s entire working life. Investigation showed that the carbon steel construction, bin
geometry, and resultant funnel-flow pattern were directly responsible for production losses and
disproportionate maintenance and capital costs. Potash enters this bin at 160°C, but the stagnant potash
outside the active flow channel was much cooler and moisture migrated toward the outer regions, which
caused corrosion of the walls and reduced live capacity as the potash in this area hardened and built up on
the walls over time.
A 2013 inspection revealed holes and paper-thin wall sections in the cone. The only thing preventing major
leaks and potentially even a catastrophic failure was the buildup of stagnant hardened product on the cone
walls. Conclusion: “The cone had reached the end of its life and required replacement”. Agrium’s original
plan was to replace the cone in kind; however, a failure-mode and bin performance investigation combined
with a life-cycle-cost analysis indicated it would be better to redesign the hopper.
For success in retrofit projects, it is essential at the design stage to consider the bulk solid flow properties
and the operating environment involved.. Because education in this area is not offered at a university level,
engineers often do not fully appreciate the effects of the flow properties of bulk solids on bulk material
handling equipment.
After the modifications, Agrium’s Surge bin provides safer, more reliable operation with a much longer
predicted working life. Using this retrofit as an example, we aim to provide a general understanding of
bulk solids flow theory and highlight the importance of customizing the design to the appropriate flow
properties in the cost effectiveness, reliability, and safety of a bulk material handling system.
KEYWORDS
bulk material handling, retrofit, cost effective, safety, reliable flow, solids flow theory, flow properties,
failure