skookum grapple at the end of the forwarder boom, which has a bar saw on one end, as well as a knife on the other for cutting the small- er slash that has the nasty habit of derailing the saw chain. And like all Timberpro cabs and loaders, they pivot 360 degrees, allowing for effi cient slash pickup. Behind this cab is a unique slash collection and compaction system, as air is the enemy of all effi cient slash handling systems. This patented gear allows Cyclofor to “compact all the harvest residue in interchangeable containers, and then transport these in an efficient and safe manner, while conserv- ing the intrinsic value of the mate- rial,” explains Alain Brodeur, for- estry director and Tardif’s business partner. And based on early results, it works. Trials in varied conditions show that the RC-03 requires one operator to collect and com- pact slash at a rate of 15 tonnes or more per hour, and that it can work non-stop in 24/7 operations as needed, just like any other for- est operation in this part of the world. Moreover, replacing a full container for an empty one takes just minutes, all done without the operator ever having to leave the safety of his cab. The machine also benefi ts from a full automation and control package, from GPS (you’ll know where you’ve collect- ed slash already, day or night) to a full on-board computer. This is no taped-together concept, but a sys- tem designed for the long haul. Once fi lled with 15 tonnes of slash, the container is dropped off at a transfer point where an empty container awaits. The full con- tainer is picked up by a truck that carries two per trip to the sorting and processing centre. Here it picks up two empty containers, and continues the cycle. Logistics are obviously a big part of the op- eration. SORT FOR VALUE The second stage of the Cyclofor operation takes place at the sorting and processing station. Depending on markets, such stations could employ up to 150 people for each and every region where it is pos- sible to collect one million cubic metres of slash per year. The com- pany has already identified several such areas. “The trick is to run the operation with a minimal impact on the environment, recuperate the maximum volume and value of material, and in the end turn a profi t from it all,” says Brodeur. “The larger manufacturers have systems in place, but the majority we saw required too many ma- chines and operators for us to see a profi t in the end. It was up to us to fi nd a way, under local conditions, to do the work with a minimum of machinery, in a simple, efficient operation, and to adopt some fa- miliar pieces to do different work. The RC-03 solved this with one machine and one operator.” Based on 15 tonnes/hour, 20 hours/day, and 250 operating days, one can imagine some 13 to 15 RC-03s plying the woods in one region, for a scale of biomass oper- ation unheard of in most of North America. For now, the company has one machine working, back in the woods since mid-March, according to Patrick Paiement, a keen young forest engineer who heads up woods operations for Cyclofor. When Canadian Biomass spoke to Paiement in mid-June, the machine was working basi- cally 24 hours/day, fi ve days per week, with two production shifts, and a third that takes care of main- tenance in addition to compact- ing biomass. They had worked behind both full tree operations recovering slash at roadside, and behind CTL operations. “The only thing we ask them to do is leave us space for the spare containers,” Paiement says. 20 CanadianBIOMASS AUGUST 2008
Canadian Biomass August 08: Page 20
