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‘Dune Express’ project delivers proppant from Atlas Energy's sand mine in Texas to New Mexico. F30 Brad Nails
Fairlawn, Ohio – Continental AG has won a major conveyor belting contract in the US from fracking proppant supplier Atlas Energy Solutions.
Continental will supply conveyor systems accompanied by digital system components for the Dune Express project, said the German group in a recent statement.
The total system, it said, has a 42-mile length, which includes “a world record” single conveyor belt flight length of 16.4 miles without a mid-booster drive.
Set for operation end of 2024, the conveyor belt is designed to optimise delivery of proppant from Atlas’ sand mine in Kermit, Texas, to the northern Delaware Basin in New Mexico.
The project will reduce the mileage driven by 'frac sand' delivery trucks, reducing risk of road accidents as well as fuel emissions caused by transportation, Continental added.
Continental went on to describe the deal as one of the largest conveyor belt orders in the group’s history.
“From our sales team to our engineers, and everyone in between, the teamwork and collaboration got us to this point”, said Andreas Gerstenberger, CEO of ContiTech USA.
Continental said it will use “the most advanced technologies” to increase efficiency and prevent equipment error for the project.
These include damage-detection equipment, which enable the system to monitor in real-time for rips, tears, cord damage and splice degradation.
This, in return, will help proactively avoid major maintenance events and maximises uptime.
For the belt itself, Continental said it had developed a compound which will enable it to pursue future overland projects similar to Dune Express.
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