BMA as a supplier and consultant
In 2011, Michigan Sugar had decided to replace their two old extraction towers at the Bay City factory with one completely new tower, which was to provide a capacity of 10,000 short tons (or 9,070 metric tons) of beet per day. BMA was chosen not only as an equipment supplier, but also to provide consulting services for an extraction tower control concept to be implemented by a US manufacturer. BMA America at Colorado was commissioned to manufacture most of the tower walls and the conveying blades inside the tower. Since all sides worked very successfully together, the equipment, which also included three cossette-juice pumps and one sand separator, could be supplied on schedule. Installation in the 2012/2013 winter months was supervised by an experienced BMA site supervisor.
Joint effort for optimum result
After completion, all plant elements were checked for proper installation and operation, so the extraction tower could be started together with Michigan Sugar for the beginning of the campaign. At the same time, the plant operators were thoroughly instructed by experienced BMA process engineers, who acquainted them with the principles of tower operation and optimum tower control. After commissioning, the extraction tower could be handed over to the customer in a fully operable state.
Smooth transition from old to new
Since the old extraction towers had not been included in the preparations for the campaign, the customer was eager for a smooth commissioning of the new tower within schedule, which would provide the required beet processing capacity right from the start. BMA came up to all expectations and therefore brought this project to a successful conclusion.
Jörg Schulte-Schrepping
BMA AG
engineering@bma-de.com