Re: Taconite

From: Jon Paul
Location: Cheboygan
email:
Remote Name: 209.172.24.62
Date: 12.29.07
Time: 06:21:16 PM

Comments

Taconite pellets freeze just like anything else due to moisture. When the pellets are made they are hot and tend to draw moisture out of the air surrounding them. As they cool and are subjected to freezing temps, the moisture that has clung to the pellets causes them to freeze together in clumps. It causes no damage to the pellet itself. When I was sailing we used to have issues with the pellets freezing in the ore pockets at the chute loading docks, especially Marquette. This was a result of the pellets having been dropped from the cars into the pockets on the dock while still warm, then freezing in the pocket waiting to be loaded. To alleviate this problem several times we were loaded by having the ore cars positioned over the pockets, the chutes lowered into the ship and then dumping the cars directly through the chute into the hold. What a mess! The pellets sprayed everywhere because of the additional distance being dropped and made a heck of a mess all over the deck, though most did get into the holds. Our favorite places to load in winter were Silver Bay and Taconite Harbor where we got "hot" loads by conveyer. It helped keep the deck warmer and less chance of the deck and hatches freezing over from lake spray and waves, at least while on Lake Superior.