Calcified Seaweed Processing Plant

The Cornwall Calcified Seaweed Company is an established family business processing commercially dredged seaweed to produce agricultural fertilizer for grazing land. Their prime consumption of electricity within the facility is through the use of conveyors, which transport the calcified seaweed from the quay into the main building, where it is dried and bagged for distribution. Prior to use with Powerboss, no soft start was in operation and associated maintenance issues were therefore apparent, in addition to the typical peak demand penalties.

A trial Powerboss installation was undertaken on two conveyors within the seaweed facility. The conveyors are hopper fed, which creates a continual but partial load. When the results were measured using a high quality 3-phase analyser, it was identified that kW savings obtained were 38%, which equated to a return on investment of just over 18 months. Powerboss has a special feature termed �Broken Belt Protection�. In the event of a conveyor belt breaking, the unit will sense the change in load and shut off the motor. This not only has a maintenance benefit, but could also have Health and Safety benefits. Cornwall Calcified Seaweed have confirmed their satisfaction with both the product and its trouble-free operation. Although this is a relatively small processing facility, they are looking forward to installing Powerboss on their other conveyors.