Total technology solutions provider Tenova Mining & Minerals’ client support services division secured the supply and installation contract in November last year for the refurbishment of a Redler chain elevator for a brewery in Johannesburg.

The contract was awarded to the company on the back of the successful supply and installation of a Redler chain elevator at the same brewery in December 2013.

Tenova Mining & Minerals client support services GM Paul Davies explains that the Redler chain elevators used by the brewery, which were installed in 1991 by bulk handling equipment supplier Tenova Takraf Africa – then known as Bateman Engineered Technologies prior to the merger with Tenova Mining & Minerals in 2012 – are used to convey coal at a rate of 41.5 t/h. The coal is conveyed from the brewery’s intake hoppers to the top of its boiler house, from where it is transferred to the over boiler Redler conveyors and into the day hoppers, providing steam for the brewing and distilling process.

Tenova Mining & Minerals field service technician Gerhard Vermaak says an inspection by Tenova Mining & Minerals client support services and the brewery determined that the casings of the No 1 elevator had to be replaced. “The increases in spillages from the worn casings were a main concern, owing to the downtime required to clean and carry out repairs.”

He notes that the contract covered the removal of the worn parts and the supply and installation of the new casings and chain. Site installation did not interrupt production, owing to the twin operating system that is in place.

He tells Engineering News that the elevator’s casings were upgraded from mild steel to stainless steel to help combat against corrosion, as coal can be a corrosive material, particularly when wet.

“The replacement has significantly extended the life of the machine at a significantly lower cost than that of installing a new system,” he notes, adding that the contract was completed in three months – from signing to completion – with installation taking two weeks.

Tenova Takraf Africa has supplied several Redler chain elevators and conveyors to breweries in South Africa and Botswana, where they are used to convey coal to boiler houses for steam production, as well as barley and malt for brewing.