Mansfield Sand Company Limited has been quarrying sand in North Nottinghamshire, England for more than 170 years. They are known countrywide as a supplier of materials for top class sports and sporting venues across the United Kingdom and Ireland. They supply sand material to 16 Premier League Clubs, 16 Championship Clubs and 120 other football league and non-league clubs for use in their stadiums and training ground facilities.
Besides sand for football stadiums, Mansfield Sand also produces a wide range of products for landscaping and equestrian uses, including championship golf and world-class show jumping arenas, as well as asphalt sand, foundry sand, and sand for concrete and brick products.
Challenge
In 2014, Mansfield Sand wanted to upgrade their plant and control system to process a new deposit. They required a plant that would process 300 metric tons per hour of -65mm sand to manufacture their various products, including golf sand that meets United States Golf Association standards, block pavior sand and asphalt sand.
In addition to this requirement, the local planning commission also set a noise restriction in place so the new plant would not disturb some rare birds nesting near the boundaries of the site.
It was at this time that Neill Rowland, McLanahan Applications Engineer, knocked on their door. He explained that McLanahan could offer them a Hydrosizer™ sand plant that would produce five different products in one pass.
“One of the things that sold the plant was McLanahan’s technical ability to offer this,” said Rowland, noting that experience and confidence also played a role in Mansfield Sand’s decision to work with McLanahan.
Mansfield Sand was familiar with Hydrosizer™ systems from an existing plant they had been operating for several decades, so they had already realized the benefits of Hydrosizers™ for what they were trying to achieve.
“When you start getting down to really fine sizing, Hydrosizer™ classification is really more efficient and more cost-effective,” explained Rowland. “The Hydrosizer™ is the only piece of equipment suitable for the application to achieve the tight tolerances.” 
Solution
McLanahan installed a Hydrosizer™ plant incorporating McLanahan Pumps, Sumps, Hydrocyclones, Separator™, Dewatering Screens and Blending System with the ability of blending to 1% accuracy to help Mansfield Sand meet the strict specifications required of their final products. The final products are discharged at less than 15% moisture, which creates stockpiling efficiency and allows for further drying processes.
To meet the requirements set forth by the planning commission, the entire plant is housed within a galvanized structure, clad and insulated to reduce the noise level. The plant’s components are also lined with rubber to protect them from the abrasiveness of the sand.
After some calculations from Mansfield Sand’s laboratory technicians, the company discovered the waste from the wash plant would fill their lagoon within 18 months, so they turned to McLanahan for help with their water management.
McLanahan provided an Ultra Fines Recovery System to recover fines down to 40 microns to extend the life of Mansfield Sand’s lagoon system.
“Anything bigger than 40 microns is recovered,” Rowland said. “Anything less is going to the lagoon.”
Results
Since commissioning the Hydrosizer™ plant, Mansfield Sand Company has not received a single customer complaint due to the performance of the equipment. The plant’s modern control system gives Mansfield Sand the ability to adjust the product to meet consumer demands.
“The plant does have quite a bit of functionality for them to develop product and potentially react to market changes,” explained Rowland.
In four years of operation, the Hydrosizer™ plant has proven to be both stable and reliable. It produces a consistent 280 mtph, and to date, the plant has produced 2 million tons of sand for Mansfield Sand Company. Furthermore, the Ultra Fines Recovery system has doubled the life of their lagoon by allowing Mansfield Sand to capture the fine material.
“It’s a low-value product, but it’s a product they can sell, and it’s a product that isn’t filling their lagoon, which is the real benefit to them,” Rowland said.
Overall, Mansfield Sand is pleased with the Hydrosizer™ plant and Ultra Fines Recovery System.
“A good team effort by both parties and a professional working relationship providing a technologically advanced plant gives Mansfield Sand flexibility, controllability and future-proofing for the estimated 30-year life of the site,” said Richard Abraham, Managing Director of Mansfield Sand. “Now, four years on, we continue to have a fantastic working relationship together. Our process plant continues to manufacture our premium quality sands to Mansfield Sand’s exacting standards. The partnership between Mansfield Sand and McLanahan has rested on the McLanahan team’s awareness of the importance we place on the reputation of our products and our respect for their experience. The partnership had a lot to prove, and it proved to be a great success.”
