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Agriculture • Horticulture • Forestry • Environment • Amenity LANDWARDSWinter 2002 www.iagre.org FALKIRK WHEEL Volume 57 No.6 57 No.6 Volume VEGETABLE OILS TOTAL Production MACHINE Reuse as fuel CONTROL IAgrE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S PAGE STUDENT MEMBERSHIP Dr Dan Mitchell, President ast autumn, as your given to the students and a total of 245 student mem- in many ways and, as your President Elect, I spoke staff at: bers, including existing stu- President, I have put two Lto students at Writtle • Writtle College dent members, by Christmas. posters up on key college College and Harper Adams • Harper Adams University These students will go on to notice boards in the last few University College. With the College key positions in engineering weeks! support of Malcolm Carr • Reaseheath College during their careers. I would A card to promote West and Chris Bishop at • The Royal Agricultural like to thank all the staff who membership to non mem- Writtle and Jim Loynes and College have supported my strategy bers is also available and a Geoffrey Wakeham at And before Christmas and the students who copy is included in this issue Harper Adams, we gained 75 plans are in hand to speak to attended the presentations. of Landwards. These can be student members for this students at: We also set a target of handed or sent to anyone Institution. The Douglas • Cranfield University at 20 new ‘Eminent’ members, a interested in joining us. Bomford Trust provided Silsoe figure which we have also So we have made some financial support and we all • Askham Bryan College achieved. Each new mem- progress this year and I hope agreed that this was well • Lackham College and ber in this category is a sen- you will support these initia- worth doing. • Walford College ior manager in a key organi- tives in 2003. If you are lec- In May 2002, during my As a result of the sup- sation within agricultural and turing on engineering or Presidential Address, I port of staff at these eight rural engineering. The sup- mechanisation and would stressed that student mem- Colleges, I am pleased to port of these members is like me to talk to your stu- bership is a key part of my inform you that we will have also much appreciated. dents then do not hesitate strategy to grow our mem- 170 new student members As part of the marketing to ask. I believe there is fur- bership. Today’s agricultural of our Institution. We have of your Institution, we have ther scope for this strategy. engineering and mechanisa- continuing support from The produced posters for com- With my best wishes to tion students are this Douglas Bomford Trust pany and college notice- you for a Happy Christmas Institution’s key members for which means that students boards. These are available and a successful 2003. the future. can now have free member- free of charge from the I am pleased to report that, ship throughout their cours- Secretariat. Dr Dan Mitchell this autumn, talks have been es. This means we will have We can raise our profile President Volume 57 No 6, 2002 The Journal for Professional Engineers in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Environment and Amenity Editor LANDWARDS Eur Ing Prof Brian D Witney PhD CEng FIMechE HonFIAgrE MemASAE FFCS CONTENTS LAND TECHNOLOGY LTD 33 South Barnton Ave, IFC PRESIDENT’S PAGE Edinburgh, EH4 6AN Student membership Tel/Fax:0131 336 3129 Dr Dan Mitchell E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.landtec.co.uk Advertising Feature Articles All enquiries to the Institution of Agricultural Engineers 2 AMENITY ENGINEERING Tel:01525 861096 The Falkirk Wheel Fax: 01525 861660 Melissa K.Witney-Hunter Origination: David King Printing: Barr Printers Ltd 8 POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY Publisher Lobe pumps for oil production Landwards is published bimonthly by: Steve Minett and Feld Kenwick Institution of Agricultural Engineers, West End Road, Silsoe, Bedford, MK45 4DU 11 RENEWABLE ENERGY Tel:01525 861096 Fax: 01525 861660 Recovered vegetable oil as a vehicle fuel E-mail: [email protected] Bernard Rice and Andreas Fröhlich Website: http://www.iagre.org President Dr Dan Mitchell 18 ELECTRONIC CONTROLS CEng FIAgrE FRAgS ‘Total machine control’ for mobile off-highway equipment Chief Executive & Secretary Nick Pridham Christopher R Whetnall IEng MIAgrE MemASAE Membership Matters centrefold News and Comment 5 News scan 24 Company and product information Front cover: The Massey Ferguson Agricultural Terrain Vehicle (AgTV) (Photo:AGCO Ltd) The views and opinions expressed in individual contributions are not those necessarily of the Institution or the Editor. Landwards is compiled from information received by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers but no responsibility can be accepted by the governing Council, the Publishers or the Editor in respect of any errors or omissions. The Editor reserves the right to edit any material sent to the journal. Material from this publication may be quoted or reported on condition that full credit is given to Landwards and to the author, and that the date of publication and volume number are stated. In the interest of factual reporting, reference to trade names and proprietary products may be inevitable. No endorsement of the named products or manufacturers is intended and no adverse criticism is implied of similar products which are not mentioned. © THE INSTITUTION OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS ISSN 1363-8300 AMENITY ENGINEERING The Falkirk Wheel which joins the Forth and Clyde Canal and Union Canal is shown here, complete with visitors’ centre (Photo: SKF) THE FALKIRK WHEEL Melissa K. Witney-Hunter Introduction the 1790s, creating attractive Union Canal between Glasgow The Falkirk Wheel, a unique and accessible places on which and Edinburgh. Up until the giant rotating boatlift located to live, work and relax. 1930s, the two canals were close to the Scottish town after Restoring waterways benefits linked by a series of 11 locks. which it is named, was opened everyone: renewing communi- However, along with the demise officially on the 24th May 2002 ties; protecting and improving of the canals, the locks fell into by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the environment; creating jobs disrepair, were in-filled, and II. By the end of 2002, British and boosting opportunities for remain unusable. Waterways and its partners new businesses. This particular plan to complete an huge £190 regeneration also offers scope Design million waterway restoration for exciting new buildings, visitor The Falkirk Wheel is expected programme which will see 350 attractions and conservation of to double as a new national km of waterways built or re- both a structure of great histori- landmark. The idea of connect- BIO NOTE opened, spectacular new visitor cal interest and the natural envi- ing the canals via a rotating boat attractions and even the first ronment. lift, was put forward and was Melissa K. Witney-Hunter is the Features stretch of new canal in a centu- The Wheel is the centre- originally conceived as a giant Editor and I.T. Consultant with Land ry! piece of the Millennium Link, a Ferris wheel with suspended Technology Ltd, 33 South Barnton The restoration of water- £84.5 million project led by gondolas. SKF proposed large, Avenue, Edinburgh, EH4 6AN. Tel: 0131 ways is currently taking place at British Waterways, which double row, spherical roller 336 3129 E-mail: the same rate as they were built reopens and reconnects the bearings and specially designed [email protected] at the height of ‘canal mania’ in Forth and Clyde Canal, and the bearing housings to support the Web: www.landtec.co.uk 2 LANDWARDS WINTER 2002 loads. When the wheel is fully loaded, it weighs 1800 t which results in a radial load of 9095 kN per bearing. Each slewing bearing has three rows of cylin- drical rollers, one for the radial load and two with smaller rollers for the axial loads. Ten hydraulically driven gearboxes, via the geared slew- ing bearing, rotate the wheel. It turns at a rate of around 0.125 rpm, which sees it lift and lower boats at an average rate of 4 m/minute. With consideration given to the time taken for loading boats, the wheel is expected to complete a half turn about once every 15 min- utes. In operation, the wheel is maintained at close to perfect balance. With the caisson and the canal watertight doors open for loading and unloading, the water levels in the caissons depend on the level in the canals to which they are then open. Any vessel which enters a caisson, automatically displaces its own weight of water back into the canal and therefore has no net effect. When the caisson and canal watertight doors are The Falkirk Wheel is a feat of modern engineering (Photo: SKF) closed, a pump system is brought into action to equalise wheel. However, the final considered to be a form of con- SKF to provide a new bearing the water levels in the two cais- design, differing from the origi- temporary sculpture and is solution. To support the wheel, sons to establish near perfect nal, which progressed to con- endorsed as such by the Royal they developed a solution which balance. The wheel drive sys- struction evolved over the years Fine Art Commission for uses a pair of purpose-designed, tem has, of course, been into the radical concept which is Scotland. It takes the shape of a 4 m diameter, three row, slewing designed to handle a degree of now in use. Celtic-inspired, double headed bearings, one positioned at imbalance due to differing water The Wheel measures 35 m axe, in which two axe-shaped either end of the wheel, with levels in the caissons. However, in diameter, with an axle length arms rotate in a continuous cir- outer rings bolted to the sup- even allowing for this potential of 28 m, and will transfer boats cle, 180 degrees at a time.