Case Study: 'Vee'-Type Diverters Eliminate Spills At Missouri Mill

Handling wheat and flour at ADM Milling Co.'s 4,500-cwt.-per-day soft wheat flour mill in Carthage, MO, was a messy business until three to five years ago.

The problem revolved around the old-style, two-way, flop gate diverters in use at various places around the mill, says Plant Superintendent Stan Speer. After a while, these "A" valves would begin to leak product. These traditional diverters featured a metal or plastic flop gate that flipped back and forth to divert the product stream down one spout or another. Over time, the abrasiveness of the grain or flour against this gate plus the friction of metal or plastic against metal caused wear. Eventually, the seal inside the diverter was no longer tight, and product would leak, creating a sanitation problem in the mill and adjacent 1-millionbushel grain elevator.