Category: Somavrac C.C.

Saint-Étienne-des-Grès

Municipality: Municipality of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès
Project: pre-wetting of abrasive
Project specifications: custom de-icer
Timeframe: 2014 to 2018

Main customer challenges

Reduce the amount of road salt spread
Have a prepared mix of 18% salt with liquid brine for abrasive pre-wetting
Make the work of snow removal operators easier and eliminate time lost dealing with frozen clumps of sand

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Mix of sand, salt, and liquid using an automated on-site mixer

Results and customer impact

Lower consumption of road salt
Uniform, malleable piles at temperatures as low as -45 degrees Celsius
Less loss through bouncing, as liquid enhances product ground adhesion
Better long-term product effectiveness leading to fewer snow removal operatio

Drummondville

Municipality: City of Drummondville

Project: Pre-wetting of abrasives (5 mm stone)

Project specifications: improve snow removal operations

Timeframe: 2011 to 2018

Main customer challenges

First challenge

Make the work of snow removal operators easier and eliminate time lost dealing with frozen clumps of sand

Second challenge

Reduce the amount of road salt spread
Increase driver safety at lower temperatures (salt begins to lose its effectiveness at -12 degrees Celsius)
Budgetary considerations

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Solution to the first challenge: pre-wetting abrasives with an automated mixer
Pre-wetting abrasive piles with liquid to make handling easier at low temperatures (down to -51 degrees Celsius)

Solution to the second challenge: on-board liquid for abrasives

Installation of an on-site 40,000-liter buffer tank for liquid de-icer storage (29.6% concentration calcium chloride with corrosion inhibitor) for proactive spreader truck refills
Spreader trucks equipped with an automated liquid spray system controlled by operators based on spreading charts developed by the city
Before falling to the ground, the salt and sand in the truck body are sprayed with the de-icing agent for an immediate ice-melting effect

Results and customer impact

30% less salt in the environment
Product effective down to -25 degrees Celsius
Uniform, malleable piles at temperatures as low as -51 degrees Celsius
Less loss through bouncing, as liquid enhances product ground adhesion
Better long-term product effectiveness leading to fewer snow removal operations

Municipality of St-Valérien

Déglaçant, de-icing, ice melter, Somavrac C.C

Municipality: St-Valérien (Rimouski County)

Project: determine the optimum mix of de-icing products, given the spreading surface (number of kilometers) and the benefits of available products (road salt, calcium chloride, abrasives, etc.)

Project specifications: optimum performance and road safety

Timeframe: 2011 to 2018

Main customer challenges

Improve the general condition of gravel roads (potholes and frost boil from freezing)
Reduce the amount of abrasives spread
Abrasive piles are frozen and hard to handle during snow removal operations

Solutions recommended

Mix of salt and gravel, ideal for asphalt roads (no gravel): cover large surfaces in harsher weather conditions (Rimouski-Neigette) for safe roads (excellent for traction)
Reduced amounts of abrasive, since it sticks to ice

Results and customer impact

Significant improvement of road quality
Fewer snow removal operations and less abrasive loss from bouncing through better ground adhesion of the Somavrac C.C. mix
Uniform, malleable piles at lower temperatures
Non-abrasive for the municipality’s salt spreader tank

Ore carryback problem (chloride-free)

Iron Melt, déglaçant industriel liquide, chlorure de calcium, inhibiteur de corrosion, minerai, Somavrac C.C

Industry: mining

Project specifications: no chlorides

Main customer challenges

Ore carryback in railcars (down to -5 degrees Celsius)
Looking for a product with anti-adhesive properties for railcar bodies
Looking to use a chloride-free product (natural solution)

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Mixture prepared at the Trois-Rivières Somavrac plant to supply an industrial vegetable-oil-based anti-adhesive (formula developed in collaboration with the customer and a local partner)
Shipping of totes to northern Quebec
Spraying railcars with product using a semi-automated spray system

Results and customer impact

Carryback has fallen from 12 tons to less than one ton

Mining De-Icer

Industry: mining

Project specifications: develop a super de-icer for the customer’s private roads

Main customer challenges

Salt is ineffective at -12/-13 degrees Celsius
Earth roads (with too much sodium, melt and recrystallize): many potholes, costly and frequent resurfacing

Solution recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Development of the right mix of salt and calcium chloride flakes for the customer’s needs
Several tests conducted with the customer to determine the ideal concentration
Residue left on the road acts as a dust suppressant in the spring and helps compaction

Results and customer impact

Lower road reconstruction costs
Product effective at low temperatures
Cost-effective solution
Environment that is dust-free, clean, and safe for road users

Ore carryback problem

Antiadhésif végétal, Bioguard, Somavrac C.C, wagons

Industry: mining

Project: railcar spraying to avoid ore freezing and carryback when unloading

Project specifications: harsh winter conditions (northern Quebec)

Main customer challenges

Loss of product through ore carryback in railcars during the winter
Risk of derailment from the weight of railcars (ore carryback)
Minimizing the material and labor costs required to protect the railcars: approximately 1,500 railcars were equipped with plywood and insulation, which are short-lived, nondurable, and lose their effectiveness quickly
Risks to employee safety, material damage (load weight), and time loss when ore clumps together, which employees then have to break up

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Semi-automated system that sprays 29.6% concentration calcium chloride on railcar walls and top (includes a flowmeter to control amount of spray)
Following services: ship unloading, product warehousing in customer tank (pipeline), solution preparation in the tank, and railcar transfer (using the pipeline) performed by the Somavrac C.C. team

Results and customer impact

Less product loss at unloading (prevents the product from clinging to railcar side walls)
Safe railcar travel
Lower costs (material and labor)
Simplified management: product and service included, to avoid having to deal with 2 or 3 separate suppliers.

Ice, dust, and carryback problems

Customer industry

Our customer is a leading company in transportation infrastructure, abrasive production, and general maintenance of the Quebec road network.

Main customer challenge

Summer

Dust issues during road construction or other construction projects.

Winter

Problems with ice on worksites
Problem with bulk materials clinging to dump truck bodies and building up hard-to-remove accumulation. The problem can also make the truck body unstable and lead to serious accidents, even tipping.

Solution recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Dust and ice problems:

Annual delivery of 15 to 20 tons of Xtra85 calcium chloride flakes in 1,000 kg bags to the customer

Carryback problem:

To resolve the carryback issue, Somavrac C.C. delivered a tote of Liquidow liquid calcium chloride to the customer. As needed,

- Somavrac C.C. can deliver the product or refill totes directly at customer facilities.
- Customers can collect totes from Somavrac C.C.

Xtra85 can be purchased for you to dilute for applications such as avoiding carryback.

Customer benefits

85% concentration calcium chloride flakes (for dust and ice problems)

Safe worksites, free of dust or ice, for workers
Spreading handled by customer employees with minimal equipment (spreader truck) both for dust suppressant and de-icer: simple, effective, and cost-effective
Easy-to-store bags requiring only basic handling equipment (lift truck)
Product used year-round, killing two birds with one stone
Certified as a dust suppressant by Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)

Liquid calcium chloride (for carryback problems)

Proactive, efficient customer deliveries (with no carryback) thanks to the product’s effectiveness and anti-adhesive properties

Ease of use: easy to spray dump truck bodies with a multi-use sprayer.