Alewijnse successfully renews the control system for sand classifying installation Kaliwaal 41

Systems integrator Alewijnse has successfully completed an upgrade of the complete control system of sand classification plant Kaliwaal 41. Owner Van Nieuwpoort Bouwgrondstoffen contracted Alewijnse last year, after which the work was carried out in two phases in the summer of 2020 and early 2021.

Kaliwaal 41 is a floating installation that separates sand from gravel and can mix a total of 144 different sand compositions for concrete and construction companies. It is one of the few floating sand classification installations in the Netherlands and currently plays an important role in the Maaspark Well river widening project for the creation of a safe living environment in the Meuse valley between Well and Aijen. With the new Alewijnse control system, the technology of the Kaliwaal 41 has been given a new look to be able to carry out the extraction, sorting and delivery of sand and gravel in an efficient, productive, reliable and sustainable manner.

Current and future-oriented

During the upgrade, Alewijnse provided a comprehensive package of electrical and automation services, including engineering, supply and installation of equipment and project coordination and commissioning of the control systems, with visualisation of the installation and conversion of traditional hardware to a modern PLC/SCADA solution making a significant contribution to process optimisation and downtime reduction. The company is strongly focused on operational reliability and can therefore provide the installation with the most up-to-date and modern system solutions.

Jean-Pierre Gerrits, project manager at Alewijnse, on the success of the project: “The result is an innovative and modern control system with many visual possibilities and equipped with new equipment that is available on the market again, so that parts are available again and we create more operational reliability for the customer. The system is also much easier to operate and provides clear insights for the user through, for example, targeted notifications about malfunctions, maintenance and operating hours, registration and overload monitoring. This means that the system offers many more possibilities for monitoring downtimes and maintenance planning.

Alewijnse was awarded the contract for Kaliwaal 41 based on its previous successful collaboration in designing and installing the control systems for the original new build in 1998. In addition, the company has many years of experience with electrical and automation systems in the construction of all types of ships and industrial installations. This extensive experience and expertise is important to successfully complete a project such as Kaliwaal 41 in a short lead time.

Excellent cooperation

“We are proud that Van Nieuwpoort Bouwgrondstoffen has commissioned us to upgrade the Kaliwaal,” says Jean-Pierre Gerrits. “The collaboration with the client during the project was excellent. Together we were able to complete the project quickly, efficiently and to satisfaction. We would like to use our broad expertise in the field of electrical engineering and automation in further future collaboration.”

Michel van Komen, production and implementation coordinator at Van Nieuwpoort Bouwgrondstoffen, confirms this: "The project was well coordinated in consultation with Alewijnse, which allowed us to realise the conversion in two phases during our shutdown weeks. We are very pleased with the result. We now have the opportunity to monitor the operation and efficiency of our installation even better and Alewijnse can assist us remotely with its expertise."

Kaliwaal 41

Kaliwaal 41 is a floating installation that separates sand from gravel. A separate sand suction dredger sucks up the sand and presses it to the Kaliwaal. On board the installation, the sand sucked up from the bottom is separated by grain size, purified and dewatered. The desired mix is then composed. In total, the installation can mix no fewer than 144 different sand compositions for concrete and construction companies.

The Maaspark Well River Widening project is an initiative of the municipality of Bergen (L) and an important link in the large national project 'Room for the River', in which rivers in the Netherlands are given more space to safely discharge water. In the Kamperheul partnership, Van Nieuwpoort Bouwgrondstoffen, part of the Van Nieuwpoort Group, is working on the construction of a high-water channel between Well and Aijen, in which sand and gravel are extracted with a sand dredger and the sand classification plant Kaliwaal 41