Elution columns made of composites
Brazilian company Tecniplas supplied two elution columns for the mining company Leagold. With a bulging bottom and top, thirty nozzles each and entirely made of composites, the equipment work under very severe conditions in the plant that Leagold maintains in Santa Cruz, Bahia (Brazil).
“It’s a complex supply, to say the least. In operation, each of the four feet of the equipment has to support ten tons. Internally, there are 3 kg of pressure and an average temperature of 65ºC. Not to mention that the columns must meet the requirements of the standard NR-13, referring to pressure vessels,” commented Luís Gustavo Rossi, director of Tecniplas.
Another complicating factor is the fact that the bottom and top are bulged, which makes it difficult to laminate the cylinders with the top and bottom of the equipment. With 3 m diameter, 5.75 m high and 35 m³ capacity, the columns have a high thickness, a characteristic necessary to withstand high pressure, and this also directly influenced the composition of the nozzles.
“It took a lot of calculation study to determine the proper lamination of the stage known as ‘recomposition of the laminate’, since the cuts for the installation of each nozzle imply discontinuity of the glass fiber filament, which should be recomposed by manual lamination.”
Founded in 1976, Tecniplas is a Brazilian leader in the production of tanks and special equipment made of FRP composites. Its products are consumed by the following industries: ethanol and sugar, pulp and paper, chlor-alkali, chemicals and petrochemicals, fertilizers, food and beverage and basic sanitation.
