This is one old plant. First built in 1883, the Jord filters being replaced were installed during a 1976 upgrade.
Project highlights are many. The centre slung agitator design is an industry first. It facilitates a swift lift-out of the tank for inspection and maintenance. So too is the modular agitator design, allowing for unbolting of sections for replacement as needed. This is to accommodate high sand loads anticipated in this particular sugar cane.

The replacement units also have the heaviest wall thickness pipe Jord has built (5mm); quite possibly the heaviest in any sugar drum in the world. This is again, to minimise the effect of sand erosion. Clean out & flooding ports on the side of the drums allowing access for internal cleaning is also an industry first.

Civil design was also complex. 8m piers had to be bored under the filters, inside the old building, to find solid ground below the soft mangrove mud.

Finally, these are the largest filters Jord has designed with a shaft mounted planetary drive. This eliminates the reliability issues associated with worm drive gearboxes.

Installation was a matter of millimetres. There was just 100mm clearance under a railway bridge & only 20mm clearance around live equipment in the plant. Relocation of a 15m tall bagacillo cyclone, mud mixer and lime tank were required.

A 400 ton crawler crane was used to lift the filter into the building. It needed a special pad to be built to minimise ground pressure. The drum then had to be re-rigged, turned & skated away to allow for the second filter to be lifted & manoeuvred into its final resting place. Such is the joy of brownfield projects is this one.