Your Top UltraWASH Questions Answered

May 6, 2019
McLanahan launched their UltraWASH modular wash plant at bauma in Munich, Germany April 8-14. Team members were on hand during the show to provide information on the next generation of McLanahan's modular washing plants, as well as to answer questions visitors had about the UltraWASH.

Here are the answers to some of visitors’ most commonly asked questions about the UltraWASH during bauma. 

Does it wash gold?

This was probably the most common question received about the UltraWASH. The answer is no, the UltraWASH does not wash gold. It washes and classifies up to three aggregate products and two sand products.

However, even though the UltraWASH is not meant for washing gold, that doesn’t mean it can’t potentially be used for such a purpose. With the addition of a gold flume after the sizing screen, the UltraWASH could indeed play a role in a gold washing application. Please contact us for more information if interested in adding our equipment to your gold washing application.  

How does it work?

Material is dumped into the hopper of the UltraWASH feed conveyor. Any oversize material is immediately removed by the grating covering the hopper. The material is drawn out of the hopper and up the feed conveyor, where it is combined with water and enters into a feedbox and onto a sizing screen.  

The sizing screen is separated into three decks. The largest material (typically 40mm x 20mm) passes over the top deck of the sizing screen, while the mid-size aggregate (20mm x 10mm) is captured on the second deck of the screen and the fine aggregate (10mm x 5mm) is captured on the third deck. Particles smaller than 5mm (sand) fall pass through to the third deck of the screen. Spray bars rinse the material as it travels down the decks of the screen. 

Each of the sizing screen deck’s “overs” expel their respective material into the aggregate hood for discharge via stockpiling conveyors, creating a maximum of three aggregate products. Trapdoors within the aggregate hood facilitate the recombining of any two adjacent or indeed all three aggregate products for common stockpiling or onward processing as required.  

For example, opening only the first door in the aggregate hood will allow the 40mm x 20mm fraction to mix with the 20mm x 10mm fraction, creating two aggregate products:

  • a mix of the 40mm x 20mm and 20mm x 10mm
  • and the separate 10mm x 5mm.

Opening only the second door will allow the 20mm x 10mm to mix with the 10mm by 5mm, again creating two products:

  • a 40mm x 20mm
  • and a 20mm x 10mm mixed with 10mm by 5mm.

Opening both doors inside the aggregate hood will allow all three sizes to mix, creating one aggregate product. 

The bottom deck of the sizing screen, which captures the sand fractions, can be divided to allow the creation of a coarse sand fraction and a fine sand fraction. A patent-pending Fines Forward Slide is able to pre-blend a portion of raw fines into the coarse sand processing stream to help balance downstream equipment and optimize plant capacity. The Fines Forward Slide also allows the alteration of proportions of the fine and coarse decking areas above while preventing the loss of coarse material into the fines processing stream.  

Each sand fraction falls from the bottom deck of the sizing screen into a partitioned sump, where it is mixed with water and pumped to a pair of Hydrocyclones, one for each fraction. Adjustable weirs within the sump allow the deliberate overflowing of silts either from the fine side to the coarse side or from either side to waste. The Hydrocyclones then remove the remaining silts and clays from the sand, and discharge each fraction onto a divided Dewatering Screen.

The Dewatering Screen removes excess moisture from the sand and discharges it to a pair of stockpiling conveyors. Final blending of one sand fraction into the other at the dewatering screen’s discharge chute permits the creation of a primary (all minus 5mm) sand product and a residual (whether it be coarse or fine) or secondary stream. 

Within the sand washing circuit, a configurable proportion of the combined Hydocyclone overflows is reutilized in order to minimize clean water consumption and ensure that each sand product is as clean, but no cleaner than specifications demand. 

How many products does it make?

The UltraWASH can produce up to three clean aggregate and two washed sand products, like shown in the containers in the photo below. 


What makes the UltraWASH different from other modular washing plants in the market?

The UltraWASH is different from other modular washing plants in several ways. First, the width of the work platforms around the machine are larger than any other on the market, which makes it easy to service the machine. Some walkways on other modular plants are only 600mm (23.6”)  wide; the walkways on the UltraWASH start at 900mm (35.4”) and go up to 1.5m (4.9’) wide in some areas. You don’t have to step over or duck underneath anything; these wide platforms create an open area for maintenance activities.

Second, the aggregate hood can be moved back away from the sizing screen and replaced with a platform to allow for easy access to the screen for servicing. By unlocking the pins on the bottom of the aggregate hood, you can slide the aggregate hood back and over the solid platform behind it. Safety chains extend with the aggregate hood to cover the gap left in its place until the solid platform is moved to cover it. By the aggregate hood and solid platform essentially exchanging places, this leaves plenty of room to service the screen or hood.

Third, our patent-pending Eze-Riser simplifies pump maintenance by creating the necessary clearance between the discharge pipe and the pumps so that they can roll out onto the pump trolley system. Unbolt the discharge and suction pipes from the pump you wish to service, then use the foot pedal of the Eze-Riser to lift the discharge pipe from the pump and hold it in place with the locking mechanism.  

Other maintenance features include an access door into the sump and lifting beams for pump pipe replacement. Level entry ensures that it is possible to fully drain/clean out the sump prior to entry.


What washing options are available?

The UltraWASH comes in three different models: single wash, double wash and twin sand. Several different sizes are then offered for each model.  

Single Wash

The single wash model can create up to three aggregate products and one sand product. The feed is divided by the sizing screen, and the clean aggregate is separated and stockpiled with conveyors. The sand fraction is mixed with water in the sump and pumped to a pair of Hydrocyclones, which remove the silts and clays before excess water is removed from the sand by the Dewatering Screen ahead of stockpiling. 

Double Wash

The double wash model is ideal for sand that is extra dirty and requires additional contaminant removal. The difference between the double wash and single wash model is the addition of a divided sump and secondary pump. Sand mixes with water in one side of the sump and is pumped to a large Hydrocyclone, where the first pass removal of silts and clays is affected. The product of this process is a partially cleaned sand that is discharged back to the other side of the divided sand sump, from where it is picked up again and pumped to the smaller, secondary Hydrocyclone for removal of the remaining silts and clays before being discharged onto a Dewatering Screen for excess water removal.

Twin Sand

The twin sand variant allows the creation of separate coarse and fine sand products. This model also includes a divided sump and two Hydrocyclones circuits and adds a divided dewatering screen. In the twin sand model, the bottom deck of the sizing screen is divided, allowing the coarse sand fraction to fall into one side of the sump and the fine sand fraction to fall into the other side. The coarse and fine sands are then pumped separately to the Hydrocyclones for single pass removal of silts and clays, and the sand is discharged onto separate sides of the Dewatering Screen for excess water removal, primary product blending and separate stockpiling.  

What are the power requirements?

The power requirements for the UltraWASH can vary depending the on the model and size of the machine. The chart below can give you an idea of the maximum power requirements needed for each model of the UltraWASH 5164 Series, 5165 Series and 6206 Series.


Can the size of the Hydrocyclones be changed?

Yes, the Hydrocyclones can be sized for the application, more commonly, though, they will be tailored by the substitution of differing apexes and vortex finders.


Does the UltraWASH come with conveyors?

Yes. Depending on the model, the UltraWASH comes with up to three 9m x 650m static aggregate conveyors and up to two 12m x 650m radial sand conveyors.

Can I get a static feed conveyor?

The UltraWASH standard option comes with a static feed conveyor/hopper arrangement. The tracked feed conveyor that was on display at bauma is an optional upgrade, thanks to a partnership between McLanahan and Anaconda Equipment. This upgrade provides the ability to back the feed conveyor away and easily lower it for: 

  • Easier access to the screen
  • Conveyor maintenance
  • Improved access to the feedbox 

What feed size can the UltraWASH accept?

Depending on the model and variant, the UltraWASH may be fed up to around 400mtph of an all minus 100mm raw material. 

Additional Questions

If you have any other questions about the UltraWASH modular wash plant not listed here, please visit the product page, download the UltraWASH brochure or contact us for more information.  

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Tags: Mining, Washing and Classifying, Aggregates, Modular