Collier Materials

Problem One 

Collier’s off-the-shelf plant on the Georgetown site was not achieving the required quality and consistency to meet C-33 spec approval and the management and maintenance of its settling ponds were proving inefficient and costly. The system was not removing enough #200 from the sand feed which varied from 35-38% of the raw sand feed. It was also losing a significant amount of valuable concrete sand to the settling ponds. CDE was therefore appointed to provide a custom-made washing solution that would guarantee to remove the high amount of #200 and reduce the need for pond maintenance on site.   

Kevin Collier noted, “We needed advice and support with replacing a wet processing line that wasn’t working out for us – it was a similar system, but not quite of the same caliber and hadn’t been custom designed to cope with our raw feed. The main problems were that the product spec wasn’t consistent, and it wasn’t producing the grade we needed.”

Problem Two 

As a result of the limited capacity of cut points, the company found that valuable fractions were being lost to ponds along with the overflow, which in turn meant a significant increase in pond footprint and maintenance.

This maintenance was becoming increasingly difficult, with the settling ponds needing to be cleaned seven days a week – their productivity depended on how quickly this cleaning could be done and much of the site’s real-estate was locked up in these ponds.

Collaboration and Preparation 

Thomas Wick explains, “Prior to starting work on the design of the plant, CDE adopted a fully consultative approach. We had an initial visit to the Georgetown site to establish the causes of inefficiencies, followed by an analysis of the site’s raw feed at CDE’s laboratories to ensure the mass balance would be developed for maximum plant performance.” 

The design and engineering teams were then able to work from a comprehensive brief to develop the most efficient solution for the Georgetown site. This ‘engineered to order’ approach is how CDE prefers to partner with their customers. 

Leading Wet Processing Innovation

Wick says that after a thorough process, “A customized cyclone-based CDE EvoWash™ Dual Pass wet processing plant was identified as the most efficient system to deal with the Georgetown site’s clay bound limestone material.” 

The plant has a production capacity of up to 250tph and is calibrated to produce in spec and consistent ASTM C-33 grade sand, as well as by-product ‘grit’ sand simultaneously.  

Darren Eastwood, Business Development Director for CDE North America, explained: “The CDE cyclone technology allows for a much more accurate cut point at #200, which means that every fraction of sellable sand remains in the final product as opposed to being lost to ponds.” 

Optimal Water Management Technology 

The efficiency of the plant is optimized using a wastewater treatment unit, a CDE AquaCycle thickener, which allows recycling of 90% of the water used via a system that settles the solids from the dirty water in a controlled environment and enables the thickened sludge, exceeding 45% solids, to be pumped into the nearby  ponds. This is ideal for businesses that don’t have readily available water supplies. The process water, after passing into the deaeration chamber and having the flocculant added, passes gently to the center of the thickener so that the flocculant can work and act on the sedimentation of the fine material. 

Aftercare With CDE CustomCare

Kevin Collier said, “In making the change, it was important that we worked directly with the manufacturer. We knew they were the team we wanted to engage and the process of working together has exceeded both our expectations and their promise, extending right through to after-sales care.”

Kevin Collier believes that CDE’s process provides a much-needed sense of assurance than if they had purchased via a dealer, commenting, “We have had a comprehensive and full-circle service with CDE, and they continue to regularly liaise with us post-installation. We’d been hurt before working with middlemen, but now we have ongoing direct contact with engineering excellence. It’s comforting to know the team is readily available should we need assistance.”

“We knew CDE could deliver our outputs while championing a more sustainable way of achieving that - they’re the wet processing and washing experts promoting a New World of Resource. Sustainability is also important to us; sustainability of our resources and of our business. We use smart washing solutions to optimize our natural resources in a more efficient way. We realize that, amongst other business priorities, there’s a need to go in a more environmentally friendly direction.”

CDE opened a new North American Center of Excellence in Cleburne, Texas in 2018 to be best placed to serve its customers at the heart of the market. This enabled a swift process from order to completion with the plant designed, manufactured, pre-wired and pre-tested at CDE’s assembly facilities. After delivery, installation and commissioning by the CDE engineers, the team then trained the Collier Materials staff on site. Once the plant was operational, the CDE CustomCare service took over to offer a world-class customer-for-life service. CustomCare provides a dedicated point of contact for every customer and they coupled with CDE’s readily available stock of common parts in Cleburne, Texas, and complete order history ensures shorter downtime, low shipping costs and boosts in productivity. 

Sean O’Leary, Regional Operations Manager at CDE’s Cleburne office, keeps in touch with the team at Collier almost daily. He explains, “Whether it is questions about parts, tech advice, checking stock levels or preventative maintenance inspections, we’ve ongoing communication with Kevin and his team. Any adjustments that would need to be made to ensure the optimal product is produced, we’re there. It’s a very close relationship and we’re lucky to work in partnership with them.”