SMS12
The SMS12 system works best with dairies that scrape or vacuum their alleys and the manure remains undiluted until it enters the system.
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Sand separation never has been a one-size-fits-all system. In some cases, the best solution for the dairy is the SMS12. This system uses the basic principles of sand separation — gravity settling along with high G-forces — to separate sand and create a reusable bedding product in an economical way. It is ideally suited for dairies that are bedding on sand, have fewer than 700 cows and are looking for a solution for sand separation.
How McLanahan SMS12 System Works
Sand-laden manure from the barns and alleys is first brought into a reception pit. From the reception pit, the manure is pumped into a conditioning box where hydrocyclone overflow is also added. These two combine to create a diluted manure, which flows into the rotary drum separator for fiber and debris removal. The water and sand that flow through the screen into the sump are pumped to the Hydrocyclone. The Hydrocyclone separates the sand and drops it into the sand washer for cleaning and rinsing. Excess liquid from the system combine with the fibers that were removed earlier and are pumped to a storage location. Clean sand discharges from the sand washer onto an optional dewatering screen, where a significant portion of the water is removed. Sand discharges from the sand washer at about 20% moisture content and from the screen at about 12% moisture content. The overall sand recovery from this type of system can be as high as 90% or more.
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Why McLanahan SMS12 Systems
McLanahan produces the most innovative and economical equipment and systems for recycling sand bedding. One of our strengths is that we can work with nearly any type of manure system. Now, with the addition of the SMS12 system, we can work with nearly any size dairy to design a system with a great ROI.
With the SMS12 system, McLanahan has developed the first mechanical sand separation system tailored specifically for dairies with fewer than 700 cows. In fact, the ROI on this system is so good that dairies with as few as 200 cows should consider installing the SMS12 system to recapture and reuse their sand bedding.
All McLanahan sand separation systems can achieve recovery rates of more than 90% if managed properly and washed concrete sand is used as bedding. This high-quality recovered sand can quickly be reused as bedding with minimal conditioning.
Frequently Asked Questions About SMS12
Ask An ExpertThis system was specifically designed and built to be affordable for dairies that are milking fewer than 500 cows and scraping their manure to a reception pit. This system will process about 15 gpm of sand-laden manure. Assuming typical manure production volumes per cow, this comes out to around 35 cows worth of manure per hour. To look at it another way, a 350 cow herd would operate the system for 10 hours per day to process all the manure produced from its herd.
This system is built from fairly standard components, including a Sandwasher, Rotary Drum Separator, S209 Hydrocyclone, 3x3 Pump, Electrical Controls, Support Structural and optional Dewatering Screen, many of which are kept in stock. Other required items include a piston pump, pump to storage, agitator, plumbing and electrical wiring, and concrete and building. The system is sold as a whole. Contact McLanahan or one of our dealers for current pricing.
The best sand to use is a washed concrete sand, which has minimal fines and is usually readily available. It also must conform to certain specifications regarding particle sizes, which is important for sand recovery and reuse. Here is a chart showing the particle size ranges that an ASTM C33 concrete sand falls within. Not sure if your sand falls within this range? First, call your supplier for specifications. If they can’t help you out, we offer particle size distribution analysis in our lab.
Fresh water is added several places in the system. The rotary screen has an automated clean-in-place system that keeps the screen clean. The sand washer has a spray bar that rinses the sand as it is conveyed out of the machine. In addition to this, some extra water is added to the sand washer. This additional water can either be fresh water or washdown water from the parlor. The total amount varies, but all these combined add about 3-5 gpm while the system is operating.
The SMS12 system has a relatively small footprint. We have a standard layout and general arrangement drawing for this system. Click here to access this drawing.
It depends on the location of your dairy. If the temperature falls below freezing in your area, then yes, you will need to house the system inside a heated building. If not, then it can be installed outside without any problems. The building footprint for a basic system is 30’x30’ with 20’ eaves. This basic layout doesn't include an inside sand stacking area.
The SMS12 system is suited best for dairies that are bedding on sand, scrape or vacuum their manure, and have fewer than 700 cows.
Features & Benefits
- Low cost
- High sand recovery
- Clean sand
- Small footprint
- Low overall horsepower
- Low maintenance
- High ROI
- Fast installation and setup