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Testing a new screening system amid intense market pressures
Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a story that began in last month’s issue of Pit & Quarry about sand-and-gravel producer Nels Ostero Ltd. in Taylor, British Columbia, Canada. The first installment discussed Nels Ostero’s need to beef up screening efficiency and the first stages of working with W.S. Tyler to implement its Pro-Deck approach to screen media optimization. Nels Ostero, an aggregate operation near Taylor, British Columbia, Canada, had a problem. Development of the oil and natural gas fields of the Peace River Region in northeastern British Columbia was moving quickly, and demand for aggregates was skyrocketing. While that sounds like an opportunity – and it was – Nels Ostero was unable to capitalize because it was burning through screens too quickly. The company’s crews had to change out screen media – on the feed end of the washing screens in particular – up to four or five times per year per machine. It was taking too much time, and time was money. Add in lost revenue… Keep Reading
New screening system enhances efficiency, lowers costs
In part one of a two-part feature, a Canadian sand-and-gravel producer tests a new screening system amid intense market pressure. Downtime is lost opportunity and profit in the fast-moving oil and natural gas fields of the Peace River region, located in northeastern British Columbia. The boom there is pushing companies like sand-and-gravel producer Nels Ostero Ltd. to produce more – and faster. To keep up, Nels Ostero needed to beef up its screening. “Over the last three years, the demand for aggregates has really taken off,” says Nilson Ostero, the company’s manager. “The area’s infrastructure is rapidly growing, so there’s tremendous pressure to keep up with local aggregate demands.” Nels Ostero, a third-generation company, has used W.S. Tyler screens since its first years in business. Although Ostero was pleased with the screens’ wear life, the company occasionally experimented with lower-cost screen media. He discovered some significant differences. According to Ostero, some screens lasted just 30 percent as long as the wire cloth to which he was accustomed. The quick wear… Keep Reading
