Geneva Rock Products’ Point of the Mountain (POM) quarry location is home to two of the largest crushing operations in the state of Utah.
With a rich supply of ledge rock (material left behind by tectonic movement deep in the earth) this plant provides roughly 75 percent of the material distributed through the company’s aggregate, concrete and asphalt products each year.
In May, Geneva Rock Products finished the installation of a multi-million dollar conveyor belt system designed to transport the ledge rock material to the crushing operations at the POM. This investment also significantly reduces energy consumption, as the energy produced by the load of the downhill belts can be re-routed for use in the plant’s electrical network.
“Conveyors provide an efficient, safe, and sustainable way to move aggregate material,” says Ed Clayson, aggregate production manager. “This type of system is a good fit for the properties we mine at the Point of the Mountain operation, and allows us to provide aggregate resources to build well into the future.”
While this type of system has been used in other mining operations, Geneva Rock Products is excited to be one of the first organizations utilizing this tool in the sand and gravel industry in Utah.
The conveyor system is set-up to move 3,000 to 3,500 tons of material per hour from the southeast side of operations to the crushing plants. From start to finish, the material will be transported over miles of conveyors without being touched by human hands.
The process begins with dozers pushing the material to loaders that feed the material into vibrating grizzly feeders where the material is sized to 7-inch mi- nus. The material then hits the discharge belts, is dumped into a common hopper and poured onto the first of three downhill conveyors (which measure 700, 800, and 1,050 feet in length, respectively).
As it runs down 60-inch conveyor belts at an 18.66 per- cent slope, the material moves 400 feet per minute. Counterweights provide tension for the belt, keeping proper contact with the pulleys and ensuring the belt doesn’t slip.
A variable frequency drive will act as a braking system to control this energy, taking the excess power generated from the belt and running it into a central distribution center to be used for plant operations. The more material on the belt, the more energy is produced. This system offers sustainable energy resources for the POM quarry.
The material nears the end of its journey as it hits a 100-foot, 60-inch conveyor that transfers the material to a 60-inch by 50-foot stacker. The stacker feeds two Syntron tunnel feeders where it is divided and conveyed to separate crushing plants.
The material is then crushed, sized, washed and deposited into aggregate piles — the final step in a process that pulls material from the mountain and places it on the customer’s driveway in the same day.
When it comes to rock products, what you put in is what you’ll get out. Geneva Rock Products, starts with the highest quality resource to get the highest quality product. The ledge rock material meets state specifications extremely well, with minimal effort. This conveyor system allows Geneva Rock Products to continue offering high-quality products at fair prices to our communities.
“Our customers enjoy quality material and great service at a central location from our Point of the Mountain plant,” Clayson says. “We believe this system will only increase the experience our customers have come to expect.”