300TPH PE Jaw Crusher & Cone Crusher with Washing Circuit for River Gravel Aggregate in Ethiopia

Project Background

Nile Construction Aggregates PLC, an Addis Ababa-based construction materials company, was awarded a contract to supply aggregate for a major dam construction project in the Awash River basin in 2022. The project required 300TPH of processed river gravel and washed sand, with strict specifications for cleanliness and gradation. The company's technical director, Mr. Tadesse Bekele, contacted Xianglong Machinery through Alibaba International Station after finding XLM's storefront through a targeted search for "impact crusher and sand washer manufacturer." He also connected with XLM on Facebook after seeing a sponsored post featuring river gravel processing projects.

Channel Communication and Needs Assessment

XLM's Africa sales engineer, Ms. Jenny Zhao, responded to the Alibaba inquiry within one hours and arranged a WhatsApp consultation with application engineer Mr. Tom Xu. The raw material was river gravel from the Awash River, with a maximum feed size of 300 mm, a Mohs hardness of 5-6, and a high clay content from the riverine environment. The target output was 0-5 mm washed sand, 5-20 mm, and 20-40 mm clean gravel at 300TPH for dam construction, with strict limits on clay and silt content.

Technical Solution and Engineering Alignment

   Feeding and Pre-Screening
   ZSW-490x110 Vibrating Feeder with a pre-screening grizzly regulated feed to the jaw crusher and bypassed already-fine material, protecting the primary crusher and increasing overall throughput efficiency.

 Secondary Crushing 
The HP Multi-Cylinder Hydraulic Cone Crusher replaced the original PF-1315 Impact Crusher based on the following considerations:
- Cone crushers employ compressive crushing principles, delivering 3-5 times longer wear part life compared to impact crusher blow bars
- For highly abrasive river gravel (hardness 5-6), this significantly reduces maintenance costs and downtime
- Although initial investment is approximately 15% higher, total lifecycle operating costs are reduced by approximately 40%
- Product shape is slightly inferior to impact crushing, but closed-circuit screening ensures gradation requirements are met

    Screening and Closed-Circuit Design
YK2160 Circular Vibrating Screen classified the crushed material into three fractions. The closed-circuit design returns oversize material (>40mm) to the cone crusher for re-crushing, ensuring consistent product gradation and shape. Screened fractions: 0-5 mm fine sand, 5-20 mm medium aggregate, and 20-40 mm coarse aggregate.

     Washing Circuit 
0-5 mm Fine Sand:Two **XSD-3620 Wheel Bucket Sand Washers** operating in parallel provided thorough washing and gentle handling to minimize fine-sand loss
5-20 mm and 20-40 mm Coarse Aggregate (Optimized): Replaced the original XL-1530 Spiral Sand Washer with vibrating screen + high-pressure spray rinsing**
  - Coarse aggregate surface clay adhesion is relatively low; high-pressure spraying meets silt content requirements
  - Energy consumption reduced by approximately 60%, fine-sand loss minimized, equipment investment reduced by approximately 35%

Fine Sand Recovery System
FX-500 Hydrocyclone + TS-1530 Dewatering Screen combination was added to recover 0.15-0.5mm fine sand lost during wheel washer operation. Fine sand recovery rate reaches 85-90%, generating approximately 15,000-20,000 tons of additional fine sand annually at 300TPH capacity. Investment payback period: 6-8 months.

 Water Recycling and Environmental System (Unchanged)
 2,000 cubic meter sedimentation pond system was designed to meet Ethiopian EPA discharge standards, allowing 85% water recycling and reducing fresh water consumption to 300 cubic meters per hour. A 300 TPH water recycling pump station with hydrocyclone pre-classification was specified to maximize water recovery. A 500KW diesel generator set was included as backup power due to Ethiopia's unreliable grid in remote areas. Dry season operational protocols were developed including raw material stockpiling during wet season and reduced production scheduling during peak dry months (February-May).

 Equipment Capacity Verification
| Equipment | Rated Capacity | Actual Operating (Hardness 5-6) | Status |
|-----------|----------------|--------------------------------|--------|
| PE-1200x1500 Jaw Crusher | 400-800 TPH | 350-500 TPH | ✅ Adequate |
| PYH-2200 Cone Crusher | 300-500 TPH | 300-400 TPH | ✅ Matched |
| YK2160 Vibrating Screen | 400-600 TPH | 350-500 TPH | ✅ Adequate |
| XSD-3620 Sand Washer (×2) | 200-300 TPH | 180-250 TPH | ✅ Adequate |

 

Delivery, Installation, and Commissioning

Equipment was shipped from Qingdao to Djibouti port and transported by road to the Awash River site. XLM's commissioning engineer, Mr. Tom Xu, was on-site for 12 days to oversee installation and trial production. The plant achieved 310TPH of on-spec washed aggregate during the acceptance test, with clay content in the washed sand well below the project specification limit.

Results and Client Feedback

Within four weeks of commissioning, Nile Construction Aggregates was meeting its aggregate supply schedule for the dam project. The project engineer from the dam construction consortium confirmed that the washed aggregate quality consistently met or exceeded specification. Mr. Tadesse Bekele stated: "XLM's jaw crusher and impact crusher combination handled our hard river gravel efficiently, and the split washing circuit -- XSD washers for fine sand and the XL Spiral Washer for coarse gravel -- produced aggregate that passed the dam project's stringent cleanliness tests on the first submission. The plant has run reliably in a challenging remote environment. We are planning to bid on further infrastructure projects in Ethiopia and will specify XLM equipment for all of them."