Ship Loader Research Articles

The Condition Monitoring of Large Slewing Bearing Based on Oil Analysis Method

Large slewing bearing is a special kind of rolling bearing with heavy load and very low rotation speed. It is important to carry out faults monitoring on this kind of rolling bearing. However, it is difficult to carry out vibration monitoring on such large slewing bearing. The running conditions of slewing bearings of ship loader and stacking crane in Qinghuangdao Port were analyzed using ferrography and spectrometric analysis technology. Monitoring results showed that the slewing bearing of SL-Q1 ship loader was under abnormal wear condition. Further inspection indicated that the rolling elements of this bearing underwent severe wear and broke down. This suggested that it was feasible to evaluating the wear conditions of this type of large low-speed heavy-load rolling bearing using ferrography and spectrometric analysis.

Model and heuristic for berth allocation in tidal bulk ports with stock level constraints

We consider the problem of allocating berth positions for vessels in tidal bulk port terminals. A berth is defined as a specific location alongside a quay where a ship loader is available for loading or unloading vessels, accommodating only one vessel at a time. In tidal ports, draft conditions depend on high tide conditions, since available depth at low tide is not adequate for the movement of ships. Some port terminals are associated with important transnational enterprises which maintain strong control over the stock level of their goods. Since the stock level sometimes depends on a continuous process of consumption or production of minerals, the decision to load or unload vessels must consider the amount of the bulk cargo stored in the port yards. Therefore, a basic criterion for decision making is to give priority to the vessels related to the most critical mineral stock level. A second basic criterion is to decide what sequence of vessels reduces the overall demurrage within a given planning horizon. This paper presents an integer linear programming model based on the transportation problem to represent the Berth Allocation Problem in Tidal Bulk ports with Stock level conditions (BAPTBS). Problem instances are solved by a commercial solver and by a Simulated Annealing-based algorithm (SA). The SA employs a problem-specific heuristic, becoming a valid alternative for finding out good solutions for difficult instances.

Design of ship loading chutes to reduce dust emissions

AbstractThis article presents an industrial case study to reduce dust emissions from a grain handling ship loader. The primary objective of the study was to reduce dust emissions to within acceptable environmental levels during ship loading. Several constraints were imposed on the solution as the result of time and budgetary restrictions, and the inability to add a dust suppression agent to the grain for quality reasons. Although this article specifically deals with grain, application of this technology is also equally suitable for reducing dust emissions while handling other particulate commodities.A number of alternative loading chute configurations and delivery spoon (a discharge device) profiles were examined in a pilot‐scale test facility. This article discusses a number of alternative solutions that were investigated during the course of the study and the critical parameters of the final design. Tests showed that it was not beneficial to decelerate the product stream to keep the relative velocity of the air stream over the grain below the minimum pickup velocity. Instead, it was found that concentrating the product stream and keeping the product velocity high proved to be more beneficial in reducing dust emissions. A reduction of 50% in dust emission was achieved through the use of specifically designed constant‐radius and parabolic‐profile loading spoons. The product stream exiting the curved spoons was found to be concentrated and streamlined, resulting in the dust being contained within the product stream. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 26: 229–234, 2007