Raw materials are extracted and processed at the Howe Ross Mine near Ottawa: A few years ago, a 16-inch suction dredger from DSC Dredge LLC was used to extract the raw material. Production was in the range of 400 MTPH to 500 MTPH from a slurry of roughly 10,000 GPM. During this time dredged product was discharged into a secondary pond where the solids were excavated and loaded onto trucks for transport to a stockpile. At the stockpile wheel loaders transferred the aggregate to feed hoppers, which metered the material into a washing and sizing plant. The operator, Tomlinson Group, was looking for solutions to increase production volume and simplify the process chain.

The complete extraction process of sand and gravel was to be made simpler, more direct, and more cost and time efficient. For the optimization of classification and grading, STICHWEH came into play and developed a gigantic solution: one of the largest Bucket wheels worldwide: the STICHWEH bucket wheel with a diameter of 8 meters.

The STICHWEH solution was convincing, among other things, due to the simplification of the process chain, consisting of suction dredger, E 8014 H bucket wheel, conveyor and charging hopper. One year after the commissioning of the STICHWEH bucket wheel at the Howe Ross mine, production has now reached a capacity of up to 1,000 MTPH thanks to the teamwork of technicians and engineers from Tomlinson, DSC and STICHWEH.  Not only is the transport of raw materials from the suction dredger to the plant easier and less expensive, but the raw materials are also drier and easier to handle. And all this with an installed horsepower for the bucket wheel is only 50. STICHWEH was awarded the contract also due to best references and the longevity of the machines.