A project summary detailing Dome Technology’s recent work for wood-pellet producer Barrette-Chapais at the Port of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada is available now.
Barrette-Chapais first contacted Dome Technology about a ship-loader project for a new transload facility in Quebec, Canada, but when portside availability changed, so did their plans.
Flat storage was Plan A for the Port of Saguenay site, but after weighing a reduction in available space against storage requirements, the decision was made to shift to a dome, said Granule 777 general manager Yann Sellin.
Dome Technology was contracted to build two DomeSilos, measuring 120 feet (36.5 meters) in diameter and 131 feet (39.9 meters) tall and each capable of storing 21,000 metric tons. Because of their geometry DomeSilos are able to store more product in a smaller footprint, stacking pellets deeper and storing them all the way to the structure’s apex.
According to Dome Technology sales manager Cameron High, one of the customer’s main requests was the ability for truck drivers to pull in, unload product, and return to the pellet plant without interruption and on repeat. “They wanted from start to finish a fully automated system,” he said.
Dome Technology also acted as construction manager, supervising Canadian crews on all equipment installation—load-out system, bucket elevator, and conveyance. The Bruks conveying system is the most exciting feature for the company, Sellin said.
Pellets are produced at a Granule 777 pellet plant nearby. Upon arrival at the facility, they are dumped into a truck-unloading hopper and conveyed to a bucket elevator, which delivers them to a reversing conveyor on top of the domes.
For more information on the Barrette-Chapais project, including more photos and an explanation of the outbound conveyor and why dome construction was ideal for the harsh Quebec climate, click here. In addition, many of Dome Technology’s industrial projects are detailed in our case-studies page.