McLanahan Supplies Staker Parson with Wash System for a Drier Product

Staker Parson Companies is a construction materials supplier owned by CRH. Staker Parson has numerous operations, including Jack B. Parson Ready Mix Concrete, Idaho Materials & Construction, and Western Rock Products.

With over 70 locations in the western United States, Staker Parson Companies supplies a range of material, including sand, rock, landscape products, asphalt and ready-mix concrete to the region.

For over 20 years, Staker Parson’s Point of Mountain location in Draper, Utah, has provided a selection of ready-mix aggregates to their local market.

Challenge

The Point of Mountain site originally used a Classifying Tank to produce multiple sands with different specifications for ready-mix concrete. Sam Miles, Superintendent of Staker Parson Point of Mountain, explained that the site previously produced concrete sand, mason sand and reject sand from the plant.

The sand coming off the plant had too much moisture, making the product difficult to stockpile and extending drying time before it was able to be sold. The plant was also extremely difficult to run depending on the season.

“We could hardly get the sand to stack,” said Miles. “It was a nightmare to run in the wintertime.”

Along with producing sand with the Classifying Tank, Staker Parson processed another type of sand using 15-inch cyclones. After years of use, the cyclones needed to be replaced. Staker Parson decided it was time for a change.

“It just got to where it wasn’t cost effective to try to make those three sands,” Miles said. “We wanted to just make one sand.”

Staker Parson knew it wanted to replace its Classifying Tank and worn cyclones but was unsure of what to replace the equipment with.

“That’s where we brought Kimball Equipment and McLanahan in to help us with our problem,” Miller said.

Solution

Having worked with Kimball Equipment for years, Staker Parson was confident in trusting the McLanahan dealer to help provide a new solution.

McLanahan installed two Hydrocyclones, two Fine Material Screw Washers and two Dewatering Screens to replace Staker Parson’s Classifying Tank. Instead of producing three different sands, the site produces one product.

After crushing and screening, the aggregate is mixed with water, and the slurry is pumped into the McLanahan Hydrocyclones for desliming and sizing.

The Hydrocyclones discharge the slurry into the Fine Material Screw Washers for a second-stage washing and initial dewatering. The Fine Material Screw Washers convey the washed product to Dewatering Screens for further dewatering, allowing for a stackable product with a low moisture content.

To replace the weathered cyclones, Kimball suggested installing a McLanahan Ultra Fines Recovery Plant (UFR). This specific configuration is designed to run up to 400 tons an hour. The site uses the UFR to process fines recovered from crushing the initial product as well as overflow from the Hydrocyclones and Fine Material Screw Washer to create a sellable bedding sand for dairy cows.

Results

The updated plant has helped improve Staker Parson’s efficiency at the Point of Mountain location, as well as saving on costs.

The combination of McLanahan Hydrocyclones, Fine Material Screw Washers and Dewatering Screens has solved the problem of sand that is too wet for stacking.

“It’s doing a lot of good because the pile of sand will actually stack up now,” Miles said. “Before, it would be hard to get it to stack – it was going all over the yard.”

The Dewatering Screens have helped Staker Parson achieve a drip-free sand for stockpiling. The UFR has also allowed the site to recover a drip-free, sellable sand product from the crusher fines and overflow from the wet plant.

Miles says the UFR “makes a stackable product right off the bat, where before it went into a bunker and had to be dewatered before we could move it.”

The UFR has also saved Staker Parson costs on chemicals and belt wear by pulling material out of the waste stream before sending it through to its belt press.

Miles explained, “We don’t have to send the sand to our tank and add chemicals to settle it – it’s pulled out by the cyclones, and it saves wear on our belts.”

Both systems not only remove moisture for a drier product but help with recycling water for processing.

“It gets water back a little quicker because it goes right back to the system rather than having to run through our yard to the ponds and then back to our main pond,” Miles said.

Both McLanahan and Kimball Equipment offered support for Staker Parson, helping the site with any questions along the way. Miles said maintenance on the equipment, specifically the UFR, has been minimal. This helps the site save money and minimize downtime.

“The McLanahan UFR plant is pretty much maintenance free,” said Miles. “We just turn it on; it runs all day long.”

The tailored design of the system has met all the site’s needs.

“It’s able to handle everything we’re trying to do with it,” Miles said. “McLanahan has been an asset to what we’re doing.”