RANCO FERTISERVICE, INC.

By Ranco Fertiservice, Inc.|July 1, 2021

WHAT THEY NEEDED / WHAT WE DESIGNED

The dry fertilizer industry in Florida is like nowhere else on Earth. The shear number of individual raw ingredients that are offered at blending facilities in Florida is overwhelming. To accommodate the large number of products (both bulk and micro), special considerations need to be made. Additionally, Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Mulberry, FL, facility required the ability to “blend” as a part of the receiving process. To facilitate this function, Ranco Fertiservice worked closely with Nutrien and Stueve Construction (the General Contractor) to lay out an appropriate system. Nutrien can bring truckloads of raw material into their building and fill a 20-ton Declining Weigh hopper. From there, the facility staff can initiate a blend sequence to effectively blend material from building storage with the incoming product to create base mixes. These base mixes are stored in one of the six secondary storage bins. Nutrien also had an existing rail receiving location. We were able to incorporate an overhead transfer conveyor system to get material off rail and into the new building.

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Aerial of new facility.
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DW Blend System on receiving side allows Nutrien to “pre-blend” into building.
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Receiving support tower; stair access to all levels.
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Micro bins with pallet hoppers and scale displays.
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25 main blender bins.
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26 micro bins.

Finally, the DW blend system is quite large. With 25 individual bulk blending hoppers (six having in-bin product conditioners) and 26 individual micro-product hoppers, it is arguably the most capable blend system on the planet in terms of flexibility. And, if a blender bin needs to be switched to another product, a bypass spout feeds back for quick hopper clean-out. The load-out system features a vibratory screener and multi-drop load-outdrag. This allows the four-compartment tenders used throughout Florida to remain stationary and be continuously filled by the DW blend system.