Heyl & Patterson Blog

Man has been mining stone, metals and minerals since prehistoric times.  The world's oldest known mine site is located in Swaziland in Africa, where the first mining of metals was recorded via carbon dating as 43,000 BC.  Mining of metallic minerals occurred in ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire, and metals such as iron ore contributed to the industrial growth of Europe during the Middle Ages.  Iron is the fourth most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust, at about five percent, and it also represents 95 percent of all metal used in any given year.

The polar vortex is a year-round atmospheric cyclone centered over the North Pole, with low pressure centers stretching from northern Canada to Siberia.  It may seem to be a new term, but the polar vortex was first identified in 1853, along with an accompanying pattern over the South Pole.  In January 2014, a southward shift in the Northern Polar Vortex caused extreme cold over much of North America.  Minnesota became the coldest part of the United States at −37 °F, and even Texas experienced temperatures as low as 16 °F.  Such weather events can occur at least once a year.

Model trains are synonymous with the holiday season, often circling the base of a Christmas tree to the delight of children and parents alike.  These toys have existed since the first real railroads stretched across the early United States.  The earliest versions were made of cast iron, and some could even run on steam.  In the late 19th century, a German doll house manufacturer named Marklin sought to create an equivalent toy line for boys.  The company envisioned a constant revenue stream of add-ons that could be bought for years after the initial purchase.

Electricity has been generated at power stations since 1882, and the first such plants ran on water or coal.  Over 130 years later, the modern world mainly relies on coal, nuclear, natural gas, petroleum, hydroelectric and biomass, with a small amount from wind, solar, tidal and geothermal sources.  The process of powering by electricity is known as electrification, and like these methods of power generation, it is usually associated with a change in a power source from one form to another.

The more efficient an oil sands operation is, the more profitable it can be.  The crude by rail industry has become an important means of transporting oil within Canadian provinces, to the lower 48 states, and to Europe and Asia.  Rail has become so vital because development of pipelines such as the Keystone XL have been delayed, and construction on pipelines for oversea exports is just getting under way. 

Prior to the Civil War, cities in the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys such as Pittsburgh and St. Louis were wholly dependent upon steamboats as a means of transporting bulk materials.  Even after barges entered service, they were unloaded by hand because unloading machines had not yet been developed.  Productivity improved along with technology, and new processes were developed for machinery production and mechanization.

Dust is a collection of particles in the atmosphere that can consist of anything from soil to pollen to skin cells.  In terms of bulk material handling operations, dust mainly refers to tiny fragments of the very materials being transported or transferred.  After dust is formed, it causes more wear on equipment components such as bearings, and can create a grinding effect for increased abrasion.  It also leads to an increased risk of fire, higher maintenance costs and decreased visibility for workers.

Heyl & Patterson introduced the first-ever conference designed for users of railcar dumping systems in 1984.  Thirty years later, the conference continues to bring users together for industry best practices, product updates, training, roundtables and social networking.  Attendees of the bi-annual Railcar Dumper User Group Conference have access to Heyl & Patterson engineers and technicians to discuss the most up-to-date techniques and processes for efficient operations.