Pneumatic ship unloaders that are up to the task
All ship unloader arms come under stress. It’s why we invest time in the design phase to find out where the stress points will be in your process – and to strengthen the arm so that it doesn’t fail. Our high-capacity pneumatic ship unloading systems are built to fit your materials, your ship size, and your dock.
Ship and barge unloaders backed by experience
Not all vacuum arms are created equal. Most pneumatic vacuum unloading arms have evolved from cranes designed for vertical lifting and are fabricated from high-tensile steel. When these arms are under high loads and forces they can fatigue and crack very quickly. FLSmidth uses Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and performs full kinematic studies to identify and strengthen stress points on the Docksider™ and KOVAKO® Ship Unloader arms during the design phase to prevent the arm from failing during operation. Backed by decades of experience and a worldwide service and support network, these pneumatic ship unloaders offer optimum reliability and efficiency.
Robust. No dust. Smart ship unloaders from FLSmidth
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Modern PLC control systems
All Docksider and KOVAKO Ship Unloaders have modern PLC control systems that control all of the unloading functions automatically using easy-to-navigate touchscreens. The control systems have built-in features to monitor operational status, process settings, historical production data, alarms and maintenance requirements. It can even simulate operating conditions and test the components and sub systems, ensuring that your unloader is ready to work when you are.
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Clean operation
from the time it enters the vacuum nozzle to the time it reaches its storage destination, the material is fully encapsulated in a system of piping, hoses and vessels – making Docksider and KOVAKO Ship Unloaders among the most environmentally-friendly transfer systems in the industry.
The filtration system is either integral with the transfer kettles or in a separate filter vessel (for dual-pipeline or extra-high capacity applications). Pleated cartridges provide optimal cloth area in a compact design, and jet-pulse cleaning and a PTFE media coating offer maximum durability and efficiency.
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Performance you need
GUARANTEED! With the industry’s continuing demand for increased capacity and for conveying multiple and diverse materials, constant research and development is critical. Only FLSmidth’s Pneumatic Transport group has a laboratory capable of analysing various materials – over 160 to date – for the sole purpose of identifying the optimal design for their movement through a pneumatic conveying pipeline. Every Docksider and KOVAKO Ship Unloader is backed with a performance guarantee – and FLSmidth’s global reputation for superior quality and exemplary customer service.
Flexible, high-capacity ship unloading, designed to suit you
DOCKSIDER™ Pneumatic Ship Unloader
Starting with a range of four basic sizes, FLSmidth can supply the right Docksider Ship Unloader for any terminal – whether you’re unloading river barges or Handymax Bulk Vessels, and whether you’re conveying to an adjacent belt conveyor or through a 1200-meter (4000-foot) pipeline.
Docksider Ship Unloaders are custom-designed for your specific terminal application, with state-of-the-art technology developed by FLSmidth exclusively for the ship and barge unloading industry – offering unequalled performance, reliability and durability. For high-capacity applications, a separate vacuum filter receiver allows for continuous airflow and faster material transfer. Multiple discharge options, including pressure tanks, feeders and rotary valves allow for conveying a wide range of dry-bulk materials – even abrasive products such as alumina and coarse limestone.
The system can even discharge through a Fuller-Kinyon® Pump – allowing for simple, low-pressure pneumatic conveying, or to provide a durable vacuum seal for material transfer to a dock belt conveyor.
Pneumatic ship unloaders
KOVAKO® – the original pneumatic ship and barge unloader
The KOVAKO name is recognized around the world as a symbol of quality and performance for vacuum/pressure transfer of cement from ships and barges to land-side storage. Since becoming part of FLSmidth in 1992, the industry has benefited greatly from this combination of the Kovako Ship Unloader innovative design and FLSmidth’s global reputation for superior technology and customer service.
Today’s KOVAKO Ship Unloaders are built to comply with CE design and performance requirements. Utilising the resources available at FLSmidth’s Pneumatic Conveying R&D Facility, these systems can be accurately and confidently applied for use with various dry-bulk materials such as fly ash and ground blast furnace slag, at unloading rates from 100 to 1000 t/h.
KOVAKO Ship Unloaders are offered in three standard models that match optimal unloading capacity with typical vessel sizes – eliminating added costs associated with custom design. They are available as either diesel or electric powered and in multiple configurations – making it easy to match a KOVAKO Ship Unloader model to any terminal application. No port concession or port infrastructure is needed, no civil works are required – once installed, the KOVAKO Ship Unloader is ready to get to work. Alternatively, you can choose to install the equipment on the ship – a self-unloading ship – and simply have your storage facility on the shore.
