Near Hutchinson, Kansas, about 500 to 750 feet below the earth’s surface, there lie a number of abandoned underground salt caverns, filled with brine water and capped with concrete. The caverns, initially created in the early to mid-1970s using the solution-mining process, were used to store liquid propane gas (LPG), which was then extracted for consumption. The cavern wells were used in this capacity until the early 1990s.

After that time, the caverns sat plugged, abandoned, and largely unnoticed until 2011, when three businessmen – Craig Pangburn, a licensed geologist; Kenneth Gates; and Kevin Gates – acquired the land and founded Underground Cavern Stabilization, LLC (UCS) as a commercial Class V emplacement facility to contain non-hazardous contaminated materials within the abandoned caverns. The company received its licenses and permits in 2012, and opened for business in 2013.

According to Steve Pangburn, UCS facility manager, the purpose behind the company’s process is two-fold. “We provide a method for backfilling, emplacing, and containing non-hazardous semi-solid or solid material into these plugged/abandoned underground salt caverns. At the same time, we are helping to stabilize the ground in this area,” he says.

Known as “beneficial reuse material,” the material matter accepted by UCS for containment includes such industrial material as drilling muds, cement slurry, and salt-saturated or high-chloride contaminated soils. “These are not hazardous materials, but they are considered contaminated, and we don’t want them getting into the environment and causing issues,” emphasizes Pangburn.

Process Within the Process
With only a narrow bore hole to access the brine-filled caverns, how does UCS remove the salt water in the caverns and replace it with the solid soils?

The caverns are filled one at a time. The company must first drill out the concrete seal left behind by the former owners on each individual plugged/abandoned cavern well. Then, using a patented, proprietary process, a slurry created by mixing salt water and the beneficial reuse material solids is emplaced down into the cavern via a 5-1/2-inch steel pipe, set within a larger 8-5/8-inch pipe in the bore hole. The 8-5/8-inch outer casing is cemented in the well from the surface to the bottom of the casing. The displaced brine water from the well is forced up the outer pipe and into above-ground containers, where it is reused to create more slurry or sold to customers who can use it – creating zero waste.

“Business has been good,” says Pangburn. “In fact it was so good that we were working hard to keep up with the material coming in.” He explains that the dry material brought to the UCS site is placed into a covered concrete slab with 6-foot walls, to contain it until it can be processed for the slurry. The dry material often is bulky, sticky, and clumped together, and he says the larger clumps would not pass through the hopper into the slurry.

“Over the years, we tried all kinds of ways to break down the dry material, including hitting it with the backside of a bucket and even using a grinding wheel, but nothing really worked,” he says. “Then one of our partners discovered ALLU’s material processing buckets online. We were steered toward Murphy Tractor, the local ALLU dealer, and Luke Fanshier from Murphy came out and had us try an ALLU bucket.”

According to Fanshier, “In January of this year, we took a wheel loader and an ALLU D-Series bucket out to the UCS site, and began using it to process and reduce their dry solids prior to their slurry pit. Immediately, it doubled their production. That’s when we started discussing how to fit the ALLU bucket to UCS’s John Deere 644 loader.”

The ALLU Transformer^™ material processing bucket replaces a standard bucket on a wheel loader, excavator or other carrier machine. Turning drums in the bottom, outfitted with changeable blades and hammers, will crush, pulverize, separate and screen the dry material, allowing the sized dry material to pass through the bottom of the bucket.

“The ALLU unit has provided a huge advantage for us,” says Pangburn. “It quickly breaks apart and reduces the soils we receive, turning them into finer dry material that works better with our slurry. It’s been a huge time saver for us, and has helped us to increase our production by at least 100%.”

Heavily Regulated
Material arriving at the UCS facility must be accompanied with documentation from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), verifying that it is non-hazardous. UCS also conducts testing on all incoming materials to check for pH levels, chlorides, conductivity, and temperature. The dry solid material deemed acceptable is unloaded onto the covered concrete slab where the ALLU Transformer^™ DH 3-17 40 screener crusher bucket processes the solids. The reduced solids then are added into a hopper and fed into the emplacement slurry, which is introduced into the piping for emplacement.

The KDHE allows containment of the material within the caverns because they are located below the water table. The caverns were previously approved for use in storing LP gas because the salt formation is essentially impervious to liquid and gas, and it has a compressive strength comparable to concrete under the pressure of the overlying rock. In addition, the salt formation is somewhat self-healing because over time the formation creeps and re-seals any fractures or voids that may occur due to pressure. “The LP gas is gone. There’s no danger of catastrophic events with these caverns, as related to emplacement and backfilling of material,” notes Pangburn.

As part of its permit, UCS is required to test the longstring (interior pipe) and casing string (casing pipe) for mechanical integrity on each well as it is opened to ensure it has not been compromised. Opened and finished wells must also be retested regularly, with reports sent to the KDHE.

“This is an environmentally friendly process. We’re offering a different option to oil and gas operators instead of landfilling or landspreading (mixing additional solids into the material to render it inert), which is especially important in groundwater-sensitive areas,” Pangburn says. “We’re also creating beneficial reuse material out of discarded material, and putting it down into the caverns for better stabilization.”

The company’s containment site now encompasses 234 acres, with a total of 61 cavern wells available to fill – a number that is estimated to provide 180 years or more of stabilization activity.
ALLU Group Inc., 800/939-2558, www.alllu.net

ALLU Group will be proudly exhibiting equipment from the Transformer and Processor ranges at Intermat 2018. As well as established equipment, ALLU will unveil the latest features of the equipment and launching a new, exciting IT development – the ALLU App – which will be demonstrated at the ALLU stand.

The next Intermat will be held from the 23^rd – 28^th April in Paris. As one of the world’s leading construction equipment exhibitions, ALLU will be using the show to exhibit leading members of its Transformer and Processor ranges, outline the new features on the equipment and launch its latest development aimed at further enhancing customer business operations.

New Solution to be launched at show – the ALLU App

As well as its leading Transformer and Processor equipment, ALLU will be introducing for the very first time solution aimed at maximising customers’ investment. The ALLU-App will be shown and demonstrated at Intermat, enabling visitors to see at first-hand how ALLU is about much more than the supply of world-leading equipment.

The many features and benefits of the ALLU-App include:

• Connects the serial number to the relevant data
• Provides a description of the product (frame and drums)
• Matches base machine (wheel loader or excavator) to the attachment being used
• Notes specific applications to the model
• Provides access to relevant pictures & videos as well as a safety guide
• Links to closest ALLU dealer & ALLU Finland contact information as well as social media
• Enables access to operational and installation guides

…..and many more exciting features besides

With the widest range of attachments on the market, the range enables businesses to choose the right piece of equipment to meet their very particular requirements. We look forward to showing at first-hand how we can help any business transform more than just its profits.

The ALLU stand at Intermat will be located at:

• Inside – Earthmoving and Demolition
• Hall – 5A
• Number – H 106

We look forward to seeing you in Paris.

Source: ALLU Group

Allu Group is exhibiting equipment from its Transformer and Processor ranges at Intermat 2018. In addition to showing equipment, Allu has launched the Allu App and is giving demonstrations at the Allu stand.

The Allu App
This app is Allu’s first digital solution aimed at maximizing customers’ investment.

Features and benefits of the app include:

• Connects the serial number to the relevant data.
• Provides a description of the product (frame and drums).
• Matches base machine (wheel loader or excavator) to the attachment being used.
• Notes specific applications to the model.
• Provides access to relevant pictures & videos as well as a safety guide.
• Links to closest Allu dealer & Allu Finland contact information as well as social media.
• Enables access to operational and installation guides.

ALLU is now offering its highly efficient Transformer hydraulic attachment, which can be fitted to excavators, wheeled loaders or high-performance skid steer loaders. Said to be efficient, versatile and productive the unit can be used to crush, pulverise, screen, aerate, blend, mix, separate and load materials onsite. Highly versatile, the unit can process a very wide array of materials including construction debris, topsoil, excavated soil and contaminated soil, clay, peat, bark, compost, bio-waste, milleMaterials / May 1, 2018SHARE FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail

ALLU is now offering its highly efficient Transformer hydraulic attachment, which can be fitted to excavators, wheeled loaders or high-performance skid steer loaders. Said to be efficient, versatile and productive the unit can be used to crush, pulverise, screen, aerate, blend, mix, separate and load materials onsite.

Highly versatile, the unit can process a very wide array of materials including construction debris, topsoil, excavated soil and contaminated soil, clay, peat, bark, compost, bio-waste, milled asphalt, coal, oil shale and limestone. However, matching material and application to the most suitable ALLU Transformer model can be a complicated task. There are many parameters to consider such as the size of the excavator/loading shovel, tonnage to be dealt with, required product size and the end use of the transformed material amongst many other factors.

As a result, the firm is also offering its new product selector tool. This can be accessed through a portal available on the ALLU website and allows customers to match a base machine to the material they wish to process. When combined with the area of work, this will match the specific application to the most suitable ALLU Transformer.

In June, Finnish processing technology company ALLU demonstrated the capabilities of its range of Transformers through its new UK distributor, Blue Machinery Group company, Murray Plant at Hillhead.

Hillhead is the world’s largest ‘live-action’ quarrying show and was held from the 26 – 28 June in Buxton, Derbyshire (UK). As such, ALLU used the show to demonstrate the benefits of the Transformer series, which has proved to be ideal for quarrying, surface mining and aggregate production.

Part of the Blue Machinery Group of companies, Murray Plant also displayed other key product ranges, including the world-renowned Rammer hydraulic breakers and demolition attachments.

The ideal solution for quarrying and aggregates

The ALLU Transformer Series was reportedly the main focus of Murray Plant’s ALLU offering at Hillhead. This comprises of an excavator/ loader/ tractor mounted processing bucket which screens, pulverises, aerates, blends, mixes, separates, even crushes, feeds and loads materials. This results in the feed material being effectively transformed into highly valuable products, making any business involved in waste and recycling more efficient, and more profitable.

Catering for applications of all sizes, and capable of processing any material that can be screened and sorted, the ALLU Transformer Series comprises of the compact DL & D Series as well as the truly massive M and G Series. All are designed to transform the way in which materials handling and processing businesses are able to improve their efficiency and profitability. The latter have proved themselves on truly massive quarrying and surface mining applications throughout the world, being designed for use by excavators up to 300 t.

Positive reception

Earlier this year, Blue Machinery Ltd announced the acquisition of Rammer’s UK dealer, Murray Plant Ltd. As a key part of the Blue Group, this has led to the company now being able to supply its customers with a first class range of products. As well as being the exclusive Rammer dealer for the UK, Murray Plant Ltd was also the Scotland distributor for the ALLU range of Transformers and Processors, and is now the exclusive distributor for the whole of the UK.

ALLU’s UK Distributor Manager, Carlos Guallart, commented: “The opportunity to work alongside a company of Blue’s stature, as well as continue our relationship with Murray Plant which has dominated the UK breaker market for many years, is a fantastic opportunity.”

“We are now working with all parties to ensure that ALLU customers throughout the UK are able to benefit from dealing with such respected organisations. As the recent Hillhead exhibition showed, the combination of ALLU equipment and Murray Plant’s expertise has been warmly received by UK customers.”

“What is genuinely exciting for all UK quarrying, demolition, construction, civil engineering and material handling businesses, is that now, for the very first time, the leading brands have now been brought together,” said Murray Plant’s Sales Director, Fergal O’Neill.

“Visitors to our stand at Hillhead were excited by the operating synergies now available to them through Blue Machinery and Murray Plant.”

President of ALLU, Ola Ulmala, commented: “We saw at first hand during Hillhead how the combination of ALLU equipment and global aftermarket support, together with the local knowledge and industry expertise of Blue Machinery and Murray Plant, will enable ALLU customers to benefit from a winning combination.”