Pinnacle Pellet in Williams Lake just got a lot heavier.
On April 16, a new 28,000-pound stainless steel cyclone was installed at the plant on Lakeside Drive.
“It will make the system more efficient,” plant manager Ron Myhre said. “It’s a different style and it’s taller.”
This will be the second time the cyclone has been replaced. It’s anticipated the new hardware will be better at separating the sawdust particles inside it.
“The new cyclone changes the geometry of the inlet,” Myhre said.
A 130-ton crane and 22 certified sheet metal operators travelled to Williams Lake for the installation.
“We shut the plant down at 12:30 a.m Tuesday morning and started preparing then the sheet metal guys began dismantling the old cyclone at 7 a.m.,” Myhre explained. The new cyclone was installed around 2 p.m. and it was expected to be in operation by midnight.
The cyclone was fabricated by Allnorth Engineering in Prince George, who worked with Air-Tech in Kelowna to build it and all the ducting.
“It arrived by truck Monday evening,” Myhre said. “It’s a very expensive investment as people who see the stainless steel will know.”
The new cyclone is part of an overall “fugitive dust” plan, that will include manufacturing a compound for fugitive and migratory dust.
“We’re also going to plant trees along the edge of our property on the backside of Canadian Tire,” Myhre said.