How To Convert Dry Concrete Batching Plant To Wet Type?

To convert dry concrete batching plant to wet concrete batching plant, it is necessary to make systematic adjustments in terms of process principles, equipment structure, control system, etc., in order to achieve the transformation from "dry material premixing → adding water and mixing" to "wet material synchronous mixing".

Core differences between dry and wet concrete batching plants

Features of dry concrete batching plant:

- Process: Dry materials such as sand, stone, and cement are first measured in the batching bin, transported to the mixing host through a belt/elevator, and mixed after adding water (or mixing while adding water).

- Main points: high dust emission (especially in the feeding and mixing links), low water-cement ratio control accuracy (manual or rough measurement), and poor concrete homogeneity.

Features of wet concrete batching plant:

- Process: Real-time monitoring of aggregate moisture content, water, cement, and additives are added to the mixing host simultaneously according to precise proportions, the mixing process is more uniform, dust is less, and the concrete quality is more stable.

- Advantages: Good environmental protection (dust emission ≤30mg/m³), high water-cement ratio control accuracy (±1%), and low discreteness of concrete strength.

Core steps and technical points of convert dry concrete batching plant to wet concrete batching plant:

1. Conversion of mixing main machine: Adapt to wet mixing process

- Selection of main machine:

If the dry station is a twin-shaft forced concrete mixer (common models such as JS1000, JS2000), the main machine structure can be retained, but a uniform water spray system (such as annular nozzles or atomizing nozzles to ensure rapid mixing of water and dry materials) needs to be installed.

2. Batching system transformation: precise control of water-cement ratio

- Aggregate moisture content monitoring:

Install a microwave moisture content meter on the aggregate bin discharge port or belt conveyor (real-time detection of sand and stone moisture content, accuracy ±0.5%), access the data to the control system, and automatically correct the amount of water added (for example: sand moisture content 3%, the system automatically deducts 3% of water consumption).

- Water and additive metering upgrade:

The water metering of the original dry station may be a flow meter or volumetric metering, which is transformed into a weighing metering tank (accuracy ±1%), with a variable frequency water pump (stable water supply pressure);

Additives are set up with a separate metering barrel (such as polycarboxylate water reducer), and electromagnetic flowmeter + PLC control is used to achieve micro-precision addition (error ≤0.5%).

3. Optimization of conveying and dust removal system

- Adjustment of conveying system:

If the belt conveyor of the dry station is used for wet material conveying, it is easy to slip and stick to the material. It is recommended to change it to a closed scraper conveyor or belt conveyor + anti-stick coating;

Conveying of finished materials: The dry station may unload directly to the ground, and the wet station needs to be connected to a concrete mixer or a screw conveying pump (for pumping construction), and a discharge hopper and anti-segregation device need to be installed.

- Simplification and retention of dust removal system:

The dust is greatly reduced during wet mixing (dust is suppressed when water and dry materials are mixed). The large bag dust collector of the original dry station can be removed, and only the small dust removal device on the top of the aggregate silo is retained (to handle trace dust during loading). However, it should be noted that if the local environmental protection requirements are strict, the dust removal system still needs to be retained and the load reduced.

4. Control system upgrade: intelligent linkage control

- PLC program reconstruction:

The control logic of the original dry station is mainly based on "dry material metering → adding water and mixing". After the transformation, it needs to integrate:

Real-time collection of moisture content → automatic correction of water addition;

Linkage feeding sequence of water, additives and dry materials (such as: first feed aggregate + part of water, then cement + additives, and finally add water);

Dynamic adjustment of mixing time and speed (based on concrete slump feedback).

- Human-machine interface (HMI) update:

Add "wet mixing mode" operation interface, display real-time water-cement ratio, moisture content, mixing status and other parameters, support historical data query (for quality traceability).

- Sensor addition:

Install slurry humidity sensor in the host (monitor mixing uniformity) and slump detector at the discharge port (online detection of concrete consistency, automatic alarm when abnormal).

5. Environmental protection and safety supporting transformation

- Wastewater recovery system:

The wastewater from the wet mixing station to clean the main machine and conveyor belt contains cement slurry, so a three-stage sedimentation tank + filter press is required. The recovered water can be used for mixing after testing (the ratio needs to be adjusted to meet the GB/T 18966 standard).

- Anti-corrosion treatment:

Parts in contact with wet materials (such as metering tanks and conveying pipelines) need to be coated with epoxy resin anti-corrosion coating, and the shaft end seal of the mixing main machine is changed to oil-resistant rubber material.

- Safety interlock device:

Add the "water system failure → mixing shutdown" interlock function to prevent dry materials from idling; install a safety limit switch on the main machine inspection door to avoid accidental opening during operation.

Cost and cycle reference:

- Transformation cost: about 30%-50% of the cost of a new wet station (taking the JS1500 model as an example, the transformation cost is about 20,000-50,000 dollars, including equipment, labor, and debugging).

- Renovation period: 20-30 days (production suspension is required, and it is recommended to implement in stages, such as first renovating the main engine and batching system, and then debugging the control system).

Through the above transformation, the stability of concrete quality can be significantly improved, dust pollution can be reduced, while retaining the core components of the original equipment, achieving a balance between economy and environmental protection. If you need to convert dry concrete batching plant to wet concrete batching plant, you can contact me by email or phone. We have rich experience in transformation and can definitely help you.