Neutralization Lime Feeding System

Reliable Mineral Feeding for Refinery Processes

Mineral process aids used in vegetable-oil refining have to move through several very different operating conditions: bulk reception, storage, silo discharge and finally metered feeding to the process. With lime and similar fine powders, performance at the feeder is therefore influenced by everything that happens upstream of it. VOLDE develops lime-handling systems as a complete material path. Storage capacity, filling method, silo discharge behaviour, feeder range and process signals are considered together so that the system can respond to the refinery’s actual operating demand.

| Silo Storage & Reliable Material Discharge

Lime can compact, absorb moisture and form bridges during storage. The silo is therefore configured around the material and the way the plant will operate, not selected only by volume. Typical installations in this application range from 30 to 70 m³ and may receive product from a bulk tanker or through a big bag unloading station.

Pulse-jet vent filtration, pressure protection and min/max level monitoring are arranged at silo top, while the discharge zone is engineered to keep material moving toward the feeder. A SILOCONE Bin Activator can be installed beneath the silo to mobilize the powder and reduce irregular discharge. The important point is the relationship between these elements: filling, venting, level control and flow assistance all influence the condition of the material arriving at the dosing stage.

| Proportional Feeding with FEEDWELL

The FEEDWELL Volumetric Feeder meters lime from the silo into the refinery process. Its operating range is selected from the material bulk density, flow behaviour and required kg/h capacity, then matched to the production conditions through the control system.

Rather than operating as an isolated machine, the feeder can receive a set-point derived from production capacity or another relevant process signal. PLC control then adjusts feeder speed within the defined operating limits, while silo level, running status, alarms and material consumption remain visible to the operator. This makes lime feeding part of the refinery automation instead of a manually tuned auxiliary function.

| Consistent Feeding Starts with the Complete Material Path

Reliable dosing is determined before the powder reaches the feeder. How lime is received, stored and discharged establishes the conditions under which the dosing equipment has to work. VOLDE brings silo engineering, SILOCONE flow assistance, FEEDWELL feeding and PLC/SCADA control together around that complete path.