Transporting grain by barge is an ecological and cost-efficient alternative to railway and truck haulage. Bühler’s low-maintenance Bargolink unloading system makes this mode of transport even more competitive.

1. Digital Re-print -
January | February 2013
Efficient barge unloading technology for grain
handling on inland waterways
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2. FEATURE
Efficient barge
unloading
technology for
grain handling
on inland
waterways by Sandro Suppa, sales
manager, terminals
and Vincent van der
Wijk, product manager
Bargolink, Bühler,
Switzerland
T
ransporting grain by barge is an system. Continental Europe is crisscrossed hold and lifts it up onto a horizontal chain
ecological and cost-efficient alterna- by waterways. From the gateway ports on conveyor that carries the cargo to the port’s
tive to railway and truck haulage. the English Channel and along the northern storage units.
Bühler’s low-maintenance Bargolink Mediterranean, grain is distributed to the These state-of-the-art ship unloaders are
unloading system makes this mode of inland markets of Western and Central available as mobile or stationary versions.
transport even more competitive. Europe by barges. The Bargolink serves the The stationary unit is fixed on the pier and
needs of customers all along this system the barge is automatically towed by winches,
Since time immemorial, ships have been of waterways – mainly grain handlers and taking the role of moving the barge for
used to deliver bulk goods over long distanc- processors whose business model depends continuous unloading. The mobile version on
es, using the river current as a natural force on short berthing times and reliable high- rails is equipped with a travelling gear, so the
to carry them downstream or yoking draft volume unloading capacities. barge can stay fixed at the pier. As a result,
animals for upstream transport. Although the Bargolink enables customised terminal
trucks and trains have taken up a large part Straddling dry land and water plants according to specific requirements,
of this task in the modern age, barges are still Bühler has developed its Bargolink to taking into account the available space for
a viable alternative for many goods. A barge unload barges of up to 5,000 DWT at unloader and barge.
carrying one ton of cargo can travel five capacities of 150 to 300 tons per hour. The mechanical process is not only
times as far on five liters of diesel as a truck Here is how it works: a marine leg is easier on the wheat, causing less wast-
with the same freight – 500 km compared to positioned amidships in the material to be age and defects and keeping the grain in
the truck’s 100 km of range overland. A ship unloaded, where the marine leg moves a higher grading; it is also more cost- and
carrying 3,000 tons of goods is equivalent to through the product. To improve the feeding energy-efficient than pneumatic unloading.
50 railway cars or 100 trucks. of the unloader, the marine leg is equipped Furthermore, the Bargolink is less susceptible
Another plus is the ability to use an with a fixed mounted feeding screw (hinged to breakdowns. A pneumatic system’s fan
existing network of rivers, canals, and locks, in order to equalise the inclination of the is easily degraded by the fine particles it
which decongests the overland highway vessel) which digs into the grain in the ship’s conveys; the Bargolink’s mechanical process
16 | January - february 2013 Grain &feed millinG technoloGy

3. Success comes with the original product. Quality always pays off. Bühler is setting
standards in the grain processing industry for more than 150 years. Whether you
grind wheat, corn, rye, oat, buckwheat, soy, or malt grain – our processes and
equipment are finely tuned to get the most from your grain. And this kind of pro-
cess quality quickly pays off. The highest flour yields and best product quality
ensure fast return on investment. www.buhlergroup.com
Visit us at the IDMA 2013
Bühler AG, Grain Milling, 9240 Uzwil, Switzerland, T + 41 71 955 11 11, F + 41 71 955 66 11 in Istanbul (April 4 – 7, 2013),
milling@buhlergroup.com, www.buhlergroup.com Hall 10, booth no. B2
Innovations for a better world.

4. FEATURE
means longer uptime, lower operating costs,
less expenses on maintenance and spares,
and half the energy usage. This makes the
whole unloading process more economical
and environmentally sustainable, especially
considering the added demurrage costs to
vessels if a pneumatic system breaks down.
Lastly, the Bargolink operates at lower noise
levels and does not generate lower frequen-
cies than pneumatic systems whose loud
droning and changing volumes may consti-
tute a health hazard.
Already three customers in China,
Croatia and France have been convinced
that they can benefit from Bühler’s Bargolink.
Altogether, Bühler’s Bargolink offers an
investment-friendly, highly flexible and effi-
cient solution for unloading systems used for
inland water transportation in the genuine
Buhler manufacturing quality combined with
best in class components.
More InforMatIon:
Bühler GmbH
Grain Logistics, CH-9240, Uzwil, Switzerland
Tel: +41 719 551111
Fax: +41 719 553949
Email: grain-logistics@buhlergroup.com
Website: www.buhlergroup.com
ite
ou r we b s
Vi sit vigan.com
www.
VIGAN manufactures dry agribulk materials handling systems: Latest references
• Portable pneumatic conveyors or grain pumps (100 - 250 tph); PYEONGTAEK PORT
South Korea
• Pneumatic Continuous barge & Ship Unloaders (160 - 800 tph); 1 NIV 400 tph
• Mechanical Continuous Ship Unloaders (up to 1,500 tph); On rails with cable reels
• Mechanical loaders (up to 1,200 tph).
as well as complete storage systems in ports and the agricultural industries. LATTAKIA PORT
Syria
2 Mobile T200
From project design to complete turnkey bulk handling solutions 2 x 250 tph
and port terminals with mechanical and/or pneumatic
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SWINOUJSCIE
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1 Loader 600 tph
An affiliate company of VAN DE WIELE group.
VIGAN Engineering s.a. • Rue de l’Industrie, 16 • B-1400 Nivelles (Belgium)
Phone : +32 67 89 50 41 • Fax : +32 67 89 50 60 • Web : www.vigan.com • E-mail : info@vigan.com
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
Ann A5 victam 0212.indd 1
January - february 2013 | 17
21/02/12 15:37:04

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