Alfalfa Seed Plant

Bratney delivered a new conditioning facility for a global leader in alfalfa seed research and development. In true turn-key fashion, Bratney's process engineers and construction teams handled everything from conceptual design through construction and plant start-up.

Project Background

Challenged by the local landscape and running the project on an operational site, Bratney's project management team worked closely with the customer operations and management to ensure their existing operations could run safely and uninterrupted. Due to the local site conditions, extensive site preparation was required including:

  • Demolition of an existing building

  • Remediation of contaminated soils

  • Local blasting of buried rock shelves

  • Construction of an underground stormwater retention system

  • Specialized building foundations with rock anchors.

Another interesting aspect of the project was an innovative process flow. The customer frequently cleans different varieties of alfalfa seeds, and consequently can't have any cross-contamination. Bratney designed two mirrored seed cleaning lines, each with a capacity of 5,000 lbs. per hour, allowing the customer flexibility to run two products independently or one product at twice the capacity.

In addition to the 10,000 sq. ft. processing tower, Bratney also designed and constructed a 100,000 sq. ft. storage warehouse and a separate 8,000 sq. ft. office space.

Project Scope

  • conceptual design and scope development

  • process engineering

  • facility design

  • project management

  • construction management

  • millwright services

  • equipment selection

  • equipment installation

  • facility start-up and commissioning

  • operator training

 

Project Details

  • Turn-Key Alfalfa Seed plant, warehouse and office
  • 100,000 sq. ft. storage warehouse
  • 10,000 sq. ft. processing plant

  • 8,000 sq. ft. office space

  • Underground storm water retention system

  • Specialized building foundations with rock anchors
  • Two 5,000 lbs. per hour seed cleaning lines to run two products simultaneously without cross-contamination
  • Extensive site clearing, including demolition of an existing building, contaminated soils remediation and blasting of buried rock shelves

  • The project occurred at an existing facility, extra care was taken so the customer could maintain full operation during construction of the new plant
  • Conceptual design started in March 2014, construction finished in August of 2015

Equipment Solutions

  • Cimbria Air Screen Cleaners for pre-cleaning and precision cleaning

  • Cimbria Gravity Tables

  • Cimbria Bucket Elevators

  • Plant automation and control system

  • Motor control center

  • Dust control center

  • Compressed air system

Other Services

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