What Is A Stationary Plant?
Stationary plants are tailored to the specific application to meet any processing requirement or throughput. They feature a structure that is designed to be fixed, not moved.
These plants are typically used in high-volume applications or for high-value products.
The higher the value of the product, the more justification for a tailored, long-term, stationary plant. The higher the production rate, the harder it is to make a module that will hit the high volume specifically required for that application to meet its goals and needs.
Pros Of Stationary Plants
Some of the benefits of stationary plants include:
- Bigger production - No limit on plant size/configurations other than the laws of physics and your budget
- Higher potential stockpile capacity
- More use of gravity (less pumping/conveying from module to module)
- “Unlimited” flexibility to the process design
- More flexibility to incorporate existing equipment
- Structure can be fabricated locally
- Design can work around existing structure/plant layout
What Is A Modular Plant?
Modular Plants are skid-mounted plants that resemble building blocks you can arrange together in various configurations to meet changing feeds or requirements. These plants can range from standard configurable modules to fully tailored modules. The modules allow for easier setup and relocation.
Modular plants are more for common applications or urgent need, as shorter lead times allow these plants to arrive within weeks versus months required for a stationary plant. A modular plant is ideal for for a short-term site, a site with a lifespan of less than five years or a site in need of a plant that is easier to tear down and move around.
These plants are also great for sites requiring lower throughputs under 500 tph.
Pros Of Modular Plants
Some of the benefits of Modular Plants include:
- Faster design time with a standard pre-engineered range featuring configurable options
- Faster manufacturing time
- Faster loading/packaging and unloading times, as modular plants are designed to fit in containers or standard truck loads
- Faster unloading on site, as the modules come in larger easy-to-assemble pieces
- Less operators and time needed for assembly
- Interconnecting pipework is typically pre-designed and included
- Closer proximity to the pit
- Easy integration with other standard modules
- Easier and faster to relocate to a new site as demand changes
- Well-thought-out options and access points to key components
- Much easier to finance/lease
- Reduced permitting requirements
- Freeing up access to usable reserves
- Containerization and easy assembly for competitive global supply
- Automation packages for each module allowing for robust monitoring and automation
Common Applications For Modular Plants
Modular plants can be used to wash many different products in a variety of applications, including:
- Sand & Gravel
- Manufactured Sand
- Silica Sand (Glass, Frac, Foundry)
- C&D Waste
- Crushing & Screening
- Fines Recovery (recovery of +36 µm/+400 mesh material)
- Tailings Management
Types Of Aggregate Equipment Commonly Used In Modular Plants
Modular plants consist of a various pieces of equipment used in typical dry processing and wet processing applications.
For dry processing, modular crushers and modular screens can include:
Washing, classifying and scrubbing modules can include the following equipment:
- Attrition Cells/Scrubbers
- Dewatering Screens
- Hydrosizers
- Hydrocyclones
- Slurry Pumps
- Log Washers
- Sand Classifying Tanks
- Screw Washers
Modular water and tailings management equipment can include:
How To Choose The Right Processing Plant
There are many factors to consider when deciding between a modular or stationary wash plant, but it is key to know the basics before purchasing. A customer must know what they are starting with, do they have some equipment that will need incorporated? The customer must also know specifics of what kind of feed they will be using, this includes the size of feed, contaminates of feed, and what they want their final product to look like.
A few more key factors include preferences such as; how much space is available? How soon do they want this up and running? Will this need to be moved within 3 to 5 years? How many weeks of the year will the plant be operating? How much power is available to use?
After carefully weighing these options and preferences, a customer can make an educated decision whether a modular or stationary wash plant is right for their desired operation. For additional considerations, read, “Wash Plant for Sale: Key Questions to Ask Before Buying.”
In conclusion, modular plants are easier to set up, more readily available and easier to finance. With enough configurable modules, almost any flow sheet can be created.
Limitations of modular plants include the amount of customization possible, but they can fit a wide range of needs. These standard configurable modules can have very well-thought-out access points for maintenance and ease of setup.
Stationary plants typically run at higher levels of efficiency and are designed specifically for the needs of that site.
This extra efficiency typically comes at a premium and should be weighed against the payback and life of the site. The higher the capacity, the more the costs converge to the point that stationary plants become the more common choice on the largest aggregate plants.
