A 2 t/h rotary line left for Sulawesi: 11 days of loading, 24 of erection
What was in the 6 containers, why the refractory went in last, and the two design changes this project forced on the standard layout.
The short version
A 2 t/h continuous rotary activation line was loaded in Henan on 18 September and is scheduled to start erection on site in the first week of November. Finished capacity is 48 t/day at 1,000 mg/g iodine value from palm kernel shell char. Six 40-foot containers, 96 tonnes of steel and refractory, 24 days of erection with two supervisors.
The line is a standard HL-1800 layout with two changes: a longer post-activation cooling section, and a relocated control room. Both were driven by the site, not by the process.
Loading sequence
Days 1–3 · Shell and drums
Fabricated shell sections, each match-marked to its position on the general arrangement drawing. Nothing is cut on site; if a section does not fit, the drawing is wrong and we want to know before it leaves.
Days 4–7 · Rotary tube and drive
The kiln tube, tyres, rollers and gearbox. The tube is the longest single item and sets the container plan. It travels with the tyres already shrunk on.
Days 8–10 · Electrical and ducting
Control panel, VFDs, thermocouples, expansion joints, and the waste-heat duct sections. Spares go in the same container as the parts they replace.
Day 11 · Refractory last
Castable and brick go in last and come out first. Refractory stored at the back of a container for six weeks arrives with cracked bags and absorbed moisture, and a wet castable is a failed lining.
The two changes
The cooling section was extended by 4 m. PKS char at this capacity comes out of the kiln hot enough that a standard cooler delivers carbon at 90–110 °C to the screen, which is above the temperature where fines start to oxidise on the belt. Adding 4 m brings discharge down to 55–65 °C with no extra water.
The control room moved 14 m away from the kiln and was rebuilt with a positive-pressure air supply. The site is coastal; salt-laden air was corroding panel terminals within months on a previous installation nearby. Positive pressure with a filter is cheaper than replacing contactors every year.
Project timeline as contracted
| Milestone | Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Contract and drawings | 2026-06-08 | — |
| Fabrication complete | 2026-09-06 | 90 days |
| Loaded and sailed | 2026-09-18 | 11 days loading |
| Arrival and customs | 2026-10-24 | ~35 days transit |
| Erection and commissioning | 2026-11-01 to 2026-12-14 | 24 days + 20 days |
| Handover at contractual output | 2026-12-18 | 4 days performance run |
What the performance run will prove
Handover is conditional on 72 hours continuous operation at 2 t/h finished carbon with iodine value at or above 1,000 mg/g and loss on ignition below 5%. Char consumption is measured across the same window so the yield claim is verified, not estimated.
If the line does not hold 2 t/h, the final 10% payment is withheld until it does. That clause is in every contract we sign, and it is the reason the capacity numbers on this site are quoted on a finished-carbon basis.
Other notes
Send the raw material, target tonnage and finished spec. You get a configuration, a utility schedule and a budget range — not a brochure.