Bulk Handling Review Jul 2019 by Prime Creative Media

www.bulkhandlingreview.com

VOLUME 24, ISSUE 4 | JULY/AUGUST 2019

In this issue: 28-page conveyor feature Harnessing Industry 4.0 How to choose a belt cleaner BULK 2020

VEGADIF 85 – Twice as safe under pressure

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CONTENTS JULY/AUGUST 2019

AUSTRALIA

REVIEW

Published by:

REVIEW

9 WorleyParsons makes $4.55 billion acquisition 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Editor William Arnott E: william.arnott@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Luke Ronca E: luke.ronca@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey

16 What is BULK 2020? 18 Problems with short drop-height soft flow chutes

11 thyssenkrupp to build major fertiliser plant in Poland 12 Major milestone reached on Inland Rail 14 Under pressure: VEGA’s new connected differential pressure transmitter

22 From the clouds to the ground: the benefits of Industry 4.0 technology 24 Flexible automation for the future

CONVEYORS

26 Newcastle trio transforms stacker throughput 29 Pulsar’s ultrasonic success with super-light fumed silica measurement 30 Reclaiming the concrete jungle with Lincom’s new reclaim plant 33 Another brick in the wall

34 Bulknet builds bespoke screw solution

50 Good things in small packages

36 Linking zinc with Fenner Dunlop’s top-to-tail conveyor system

52 Treotham paves the way for automation with Energy Chains

39 Safety comes first with Hi Roller conveyors

54 Proving pulley lagging’s longevity

40 Ask an Engineer: How can I stop my conveyor belt mistracking when throughput increases?

56 A storm is brewing: Vortex Global supports Australian tea

44 Could a Diverter Plow help your conveying operation?

58 Schenck Process installs Australian-first TEDO tube conveyor

48 Increasing plant efficiency with thyssenkrupp’s digital twin technology

60 Kinder dust suppression to tackle silica emissions

Design Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Subscriptions T: 03 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

www.bulkhandlingreview.com The Publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article or advertisement submitted and requires indemnity from the advertisers The AGI Advantage and contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. © Copyright – No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.

BELT CLEANERS 62 Unique belt cleaner harnesses the power of gravity

Delivering full-system solutions to Australia for farm and commercial grain management

64 BULKtalk: Choosing the right belt cleaner

COVER STORY

For more information on AGI products and solutions, visit aggrowth.com

www.bulkhandlingreview.com

VOLUME 24, ISSUE 4 | JULY/AUGUST 2019

In this issue: 26-page conveyor feature Harnessing Industry 4.0 How to choose a belt cleaner BULK 2020

AGGROWTH.COM

4 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

VEGADIF 85 - Twice as safe under pressure

UNDER PRESSURE: VEGA’S NEW CONNECTED DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE TRANSMITTER Monitoring dust is an important part of bulk solids handling, especially if the material is potentially explosive. Differential pressure transmitters help companies to better understand their operations and play an important role in managing dust levels. ABHR sat down with VEGA Australia’s Managing Director, John Leadbetter, to learn more about how the company’s latest creation, the VEGADIF85, can improve safety and productivity. For the full story, see page 14.

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EDITORIAL

20/20 vision The bulk handling industry is Australia’s quiet achiever, helping deliver the raw materials needed for everyday life. In particular, conveyors are the arteries keeping all manner of industries moving. They move the iron from the mines that becomes the steel for our cities and move the food we need from paddock to the plate. Without them, it’s hard to imagine what modern life might look like. Even the computer I’m using to write this letter is made up of glass, lithium, gold and a number of other minerals that have been moved from one place to another, in bulk. Bulk handling is also incredibly diverse, supporting other industries such as mining, agriculture, logistics, pharmaceuticals, and many more. Each has different needs and applications, facing unique challenges that must be overcome. This is why Australian Bulk Handling Review (ABHR) is proud to host the Australian Bulk Handling Expo, BULK2020, next year on 1 to 3 April. BULK2020 will bring the bulk handing industry together under one roof to showcase new technology and equipment. It will be a great opportunity to network with key decision makers and learn from industry innovators. The event, supported by VEGA Australia and Kockums Bulk Systems, will host an industry conference led by the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling. Located at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, BULK2020 will be held in conjunction with intramodal logistics expo MEGATRANS2020. To learn more about the event, ABHR sat down with the Show Director, Simon Coburn. You can read the interview on page 16. This issue of the magazine also contains a massive 28-page feature on conveyors, starting on page 34. Grant Wellwood from engineering firm Jenike & Johanson answers a reader’s question and discusses productivity losses that can occur from asymmetric loading on page 40. Rio Tinto’s Steve Davis also offers up his decades of expertise on page 64, providing insight on how to pick the right belt cleaners. This edition of ABHR will also be my first in the editor’s chair. I am excited to continue working closely with the industry and to see how it grows.

William Arnott Editor - ABHR

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NEWS

WorleyParsons makes $4.55 billion acquisition Engineering services company WorleyParsons has made a $4.55 billion acquisition of Jacobs Engineering Group’s Energy, Chemicals and Resources division. THE NEW MERGED BUSINESS WILL BE A GLOBAL provider of professional project and asset services in energy, chemicals and resources, employing 57,600 people across 51 countries. The companies entered the agreement on 22 October 2018. “This merger is about more than capacity and capability; it’s about opportunity – the opportunity to become the partner of choice for our customers, the employer of choice for our people and to deliver enhanced returns for our shareholders,” says WorleyParsons CEO, Andrew Wood. The operating structure announced in February of four business units, Advisian, Energy and Chemical

Services, Mining, Minerals and Metals Services, and Major Projects and Integrated Solutions, is effective from completion. The transition process for combining the businesses into a cohesive, merged new company is underway following a period of extensive planning. Cost synergies of around $130 million at a cost of $160 million are anticipated to be delivered within two years. Further benefits will be achieved from optimisation and revenue synergies. WorleyParsons has adopted ‘Worley’ as its new brand. The company name will be changed to Worley Limited, subject to the approval of members at the Annual General Meeting in October 2019.

BELOW: The companies expect cost synergies of around $130 million.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 9

NEWS

10 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

NEWS

thyssenkrupp to build major fertiliser plant in Poland

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thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions will build an environmentally-friendly fertiliser plant for one of the largest oil companies in Central and Eastern Europe, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

ANWIL, A SUBSIDIARY FOR PKN ORLEN, has placed an order with thyssenkrupp to construct a facility that can produce 1265 tonnes of nitric acid and 12,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate per day. It will be located in Wloclawek, around 200 kilometres north of Warsaw, Poland, at an existing chemical and fertiliser complex. The plant will incorporate thyssenkrupp’s EnviNOx process to remove greenhouse gases from the nitric acid production. The order includes the provision of technology licenses and the engineering, procurement and construction of the new facilities. The contract is valued in the lower three-digit million-euro range and will play a substantial part of a larger investment program implemented by ORLEN to expand its fertiliser portfolio and open new value chains in the petrochemical industry. By 2022, ORLEN aims to increase fertiliser production capacity in Wloclawek by 50 per cent to 1.461 million tonnes a year. “More than ever, the chemical industry faces the challenge of growing profitably and at the same time protecting the climate,” thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions CEO Chemical and Process Technologies Sami Pelkonen says.

LEFT: An EnviNOx plant in Linz, Austria.

“With the realisation of this new, low-emission plant in Poland, ANWIL and thyssenkrupp are making an important contribution. “We look forward to our further cooperation and are proud to bring decades of plant engineering and process know-how into the project.” The EnviNOx technology will be used to treat tail gasses from nitric acid production by converting nitrogen oxides into nitrogen, oxygen and water with the aid of a special catalyst. It aims to reduce the annual emissions of the plant by around 3200 tonnes of laughing gas and 1000 tonnes of nitrous oxide per year. The global warming potential of laughing gas is estimated to be around 310 times greater than carbon dioxide, which corresponds to a reduction of around one million tonnes less carbon dioxide created annually. ANCWIL S.A. CEO Agnieszka Zyro says thyssenkrupp will be a reliable partner for the investment project. “The company combines extensive plant engineering experience with efficient technologies that meet and exceed the highest environmental standards. Together, we will drive growth and sustainable development of the chemical industry in Poland,” Ms Zyro says.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 11

NEWS

Major milestone reached on Inland Rail More than 63 kilometres of existing rail line has been removed as part of the Inland Rail construction in Parkes, New South Wales. 100,000 CUBIC METRES OF MATERIAL have been moved as part of the ongoing earthworks. Removed tracks will be recycled and repurposed for Pacific National’s Intermodal Terminal in Parkes, as well as other parts of the NSW rail network. The first section of works takes place between Parkes and Narromine and is the first of a total 13 Inland Rail projects spanning more than 1700 kilometres. The project, a partnership between the Australasian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), the Federal Government and private sector, aims to upgrade the national freight network between Melbourne and Brisbane by developing regional

lines across Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The works are being carried out by INLink, a joint venture between BMD Group and Fulton Hogan, which is focused on upgrading existing links, building new embankments and culverts, and upgrading signage, signals, level crossings and fencing. The ARTC said it would install more than 4000 culverts across the project in total. Neighbouring projects include the southerly Stockinbingal to Parkes project and northerly Narromine to Narrabri project, which are both currently in the project feasibility stage. The ARTC held its first community forum on the project, followed by two more on June 19 at the ARTC Community and Working Hub in Parkes and on June 20 at Peak Hill RSL in Peak Hill. LEFT: Track removal works taking place on the line between Parkes and Narromine in NSW.

ARTC – INLAND RAIL

12 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

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COVER STORY

Under pressure: VEGA’s new connected differential pressure transmitter VEGA has unveiled a differential pressure transmitter which offers improved connectivity, simplicity and availability for the bulk handling sector. IN THE WORLD OF BULK HANDLING, WHAT YOU don’t know can hurt you. Many materials, such as grain and sugar, produce flammable dusts which can become explosive if left to build up. Dust also poses issues for the mining and cement industries, as it can be dangerous when inhaled and detrimental to the nearby environment. For this reason, many state Environmental Protection Authorities have placed strict regulations on managing these dust levels. Monitoring dust helps inform businesses when there is a potential build up on a filter or within a system. One method of detecting this is through the installation of differential pressure transmitters (DPT), which measure either side of a filter and determine whether there is a drop or increase in pressure that requires intervention. Accessing these instruments directly can be dangerous. Filters on silos are often high above the ground, and in other operations there may be moving or dangerously loud equipment nearby. John Leadbetter, Managing Director of VEGA Australia, says the company reached out to the bulk handling industry to find out what the market wanted from its sensor technology. “We found there were three main points: connectivity, simplified selection and availability,” he says. VEGA took this feedback and incorporated it into the design philosophy for its latest DPT, VEGADIF85. Equipped with two piezo-resistive detectors, VEGADIF85 measures both differential pressures and static pressures at the same time. Previously, it would require two separate instruments to analyse the dynamic pressure and superimposed static pressure. Now, only one is needed to help spot potential issues that could be occurring further down the line. Bluetooth technology is one of VEGADIF85’s core features. Wireless data can be transmitted from the sensor to a smartphone or tablet device, improving safety for operators who can now

14 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

LEFT: Bluetooth technology helps VEGADIF85 improve operator safety and productivity.

check sensors from a distance. VEGA’s suite of sensors and digital platform are backwards compatible, so the majority of its instruments manufactured since 2002 can take advantage of Bluetooth. Mr Leadbetter says gone are the days where each instrument would also require its own calibration device. “Because most people have a smartphone, operators can access all sorts of instruments, using the same app for pressure, ultrasonic, or even radiation sensors,” he says. “Maintenance staff can now walk around the site, logging parallel to the device and monitoring the performance of machinery to spot any

irregular patterns occurring. This can be used to plan for a shutdown in advance to address any issues as fast as possible.”

Simplified selection Simplicity has been a significant focus for the development of VEGADIF85. It is housed in one of three common, compact, single-chamber cases to make choosing the right instrument for the job easier. Installation only requires a few screws and it can be located in tight spaces. Its electronics are potted to improve its resistance to shock and vibration and it can be programmed through a cable or connection via Bluetooth. To account for applications where the device would be in contact with potentially flammable or explosive elements, a flameproof housing is standard, tested by independent authorities such as ATEX and the IECEx system. Mr Leadbetter says VEGADIF85 is qualified and approved to a Safety Integrity Level (SIL) of two. This SIL rating means the VEGADIF85 has been rigorously tested for use in manufacturing processes that depend on certified components, simple operation and permanently transparent processes. Bulk liquid handlers can also use VEGADIF85 to measure processes within tanks and pipes, thanks to a robust and universal measuring principle. It finds the pressure difference through an orifice disc that narrows the flow in a pipe at a predetermined point. “What we wanted to do with VEGADIF85 is allow one instrument to be used across a range of different applications,” Mr Leadbetter says. “It can just as easily measure the level of a tank as it can check the pressure of a filter. It’s a common item that can be used in many different industries only requiring slight changes to how it is configured.”

can even be fixed over a quick phone call.” VEGA offers in-house or on-site training and has developed hundreds of training courses to teach operators how to troubleshoot the instruments if needed. The majority of this training is hands-on experience with powered up equipment to give operators the practical information necessary to find common faults.

Industry 4.0 With the ability to use Bluetooth enabled, VEGADIF85 is capable of being implemented into Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things systems. Mr Leadbetter says listening to customer feedback is key to providing future-ready technology. “VEGA is part of many technology consortiums to stay part of the conversation and to help us see where the market is moving,” he says. “As an international manufacturer, advances like 5G technology are key to keep in mind as we develop new equipment. “We want to be ready for the future, no matter what it may be, so that we can provide the latest technology when the bulk handling industry needs it.”

BELOW: VEGADIF85 has been designed for use across a variety of industries and materials.

Availability VEGA’s survey found the most important thing to the bulk handling industry was availability. Mr Leadbetter explains the majority of companies wanted their equipment up and running as fast as possible and that if something was to go wrong, any issues would be fixed quickly. To provide this level of uptime, the company designed VEGADIF85 to be simple to teach and easy to use. All of the menus have been standardised, the technical information and manuals use common language, and shipments of extra stock are made twice a week from Germany. “We have service technicians on the ground in Australia that can fix any problems quickly,” Mr Leadbetter says. “Because the system is so simple, a lot of problems

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 15

BULK 2020

BULK

2020

With BULK2020 set to be one of the biggest events in the Australian bulk handling industry, ABHR speaks to Show Director Simon Coburn to find out more about what visitors can expect.

ON 1 TO 3 APRIL 2020, MELBOURNE WILL HOST one of Australia’s biggest bulk handling events. Aptly named the Australian Bulk Handling Expo (BULK2020), it aims to bring the diverse bulk handling industry together to showcase the latest technology and innovations. Simon Coburn, BULK2020 Show Director, says the event will be the only dedicated Australian expo for producers of bulk commodities such as grains, coal, iron ore, cement, animal feed and woodchips. “The bulk handling industry is a vital part of Australia’s economy, with a wealth of knoweldge and expertise to share,” he says. “To have all these exhibitors under one roof is not only a great place for business opportunities, but a fantastic occasion to network within this essential industry.” The event is aimed at bulk commodity producers, which require the latest in equipment to run their businesses more efficiently and keep one step ahead of the competition. New bulk materials handling equipment will be on display, including conveyors, silos, motors and drives, belt scrapers, container tipplers, dust control systems, and weighing or level measuring products. Mr Coburn says there has been plenty of interest

16 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

from local and international exhibitors and visitors. “Industries around the world are revolutionising as technology becomes more connected. Industry 4.0, automation and artificial intelligence have the potential to radically change the way businesses operate,” he says. “Stakeholders from a broad range of sectors will share their insight and expertise on how to stay at the cutting edge of technology and avoid being left behind.” BULK2020, sponsored by Vega Australia and Kockums Bulk Systems, will provide the bulk handling industry a chance to connect, network and learn. The Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handing (ASBSH) will host a two-day industry conference with multiple technical streams. Mark Jones, Chair of the ASBSH and Director of Tunra Bulk Solids, says the ASBSH is pleased to be supporting BULK2020. “It has been many years since we had an exhibition dedicated to bulk handling in Australia, and this will be an excellent opportunity to connect bulk handling engineers with suppliers across multiple industries,” he says. “We will be advising organisers Prime Creative Media on the conference program and look forward

ABOVE: Industry leaders will showcase the latest technology and equipment at BULK2020. RIGHT: The expo will be held in conjunction with logistics event MEGATRANS2020.

CMY

to seeing you all there.” The 2020 Australian Bulk Handling Awards gala dinner will take place during BULK2020 to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the companies and individuals in the industry. The Australian Bulk Handling Awards are the only awards program specifically for the bulk solids handling industry and celebrates the innovative practices and superior performances over the past year. The expo will be held in conjunction with one of Australia’s biggest transport, logistics and supply chain events, MEGATRANS2020. The two events will be hosted over 30,000 square metres at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with one ticket entry for access to both exhibitions. Mr Coburn says BULK2020 and MEGATRANS2020 are the essential trade events for companies looking to be at the forefront of innovation, technology and industry collaboration. “We’re inviting everyone to be a part of this game-changing expo – from hands-on decision makers in the bulk handling industry to CEOs, COOs, regulatory bodies and government on all levels. Now is the time to bring everyone together Half - ABHR - July andPage startAdconnecting the2019.pdf dots.” 1 1/7/19 10:46 am

BULK2020 will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 1 to 3 April, 2020. For more information and to exhibit, contact Luke Ronca at luke.ronca@primecreative.com.au or 0402 718 081.

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CHUTE DESIGN

Problems with short drop-height soft flow chutes Aspec Engineering’s Paul Munzenberger investigates some of the performance problems that can result from insufficient drop heights in bulk material handling systems. TRANSFER CHUTES ARE AN INDISPENSABLE part of bulk material handling systems. Although seemingly simple, if a comparatively blasé approach is followed in designing the chute, there is a high risk the chute could become a bottleneck and not efficiently move material from one conveyor, or process, to the next. A common design issue with new chutes in material handling plants is the relative locations of the discharge conveyor and the receiving conveyor below it. Usually, the design position for the two conveyors will be too close vertically – in an effort to reduce plant construction costs by reducing the overall height. In many cases, a chute will be intended to handle material from a discharge conveyor to a receiving conveyor on the next floor down with conveyor-toconveyor drop heights as short as two or three metres. This can present certain problems that are likely to be discovered by the engineers designing the chute; however, by this time, the plant’s structural design and layout may have reached the point where only small, potentially insignificant, adjustments to the chute’s constraints are possible.

Soft flow chutes Soft flow transfer chutes are a comparatively recent development in the materials handling industry, with their theory and design maturing throughout the past three or four decades. Prior to the uptake of soft flow chutes, chute designs were characterised by having only flat surfaces and minimal steel work, using simple shapes to direct material from one conveyor to the next. Soft flow chutes, as depicted in Figure 1, are characterised by curved surfaces that catch and redirect the flow of material. A soft flow chute will typically consist of two curved sections called a hood and a spoon. The hood takes the place of a traditional flat impact plate, or curtain, and is engineered to catch the bulk material stream with minimal impact, redirecting it downwards to the spoon. The spoon is positioned to catch the material stream from the hood then direct it onto the receiving conveyor. The two curved surfaces are specially engineered to gently control the material flow and their radii,

18 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

relative positions, entry and exit angles, and rate of convergence are carefully calculated. Soft flow chutes can reduce material degradation, conveyor belt wear, and dust, which has seen them become increasingly popular and routinely specified in new plant designs. Unfortunately, the design of a soft flow chute is sensitive to the drop height from the discharge conveyor to the receiving conveyor and the chute’s performance can be greatly affected by poor placement of these items.

Chute exit velocities One of the design goals of soft flow chutes is to accelerate the material so that its exit velocity matches the receiving conveyor’s belt speed. This is due to rubber being typically poor at withstanding the wear generated by accelerating the bulk solid up to the conveyor’s belt speed. However, velocity matching is at odds with the use of curved surfaces which, while gentler on the bulk material, also keep the bulk material in contact with friction-generating walls for longer than in traditional chute designs.

ABOVE: Soft flow chutes have become popular as they can reduce material degradation, conveyor belt wear and dust.

To mitigate this, the chute should be designed with enough drop height to allow gravity to accelerate the material before it is caught by the spoon and passed on the receiving conveyor at a matched velocity. The lack of a suitable drop height in a soft flow chute reduces the exit velocity and exposes the receiving conveyor to higher wear rates. It is particularly important that the velocity of the bulk material stream and receiving conveyor is matched for the typically short conveyors used in handling plants, as each section of the conveyor is exposed to the chute flow more often. Using a smaller spoon radius to increase a deficient drop height will not only increase the wear on the chute’s lining through higher normal pressures but will also fail to increase the exit velocity by any appreciable amount, due to the increased resistance developed by the higher normal pressures.

Dealing with scraper fines Poor drop heights between discharge and receiving conveyors are also a problem when dealing with scraper fines. A well-designed chute will have two sets of scrapers installed to clean the conveyor belt: a set of primary

scrapers that contact the belt on the head pulley and a second set contacting the conveyor belt a short distance after it has left the head pulley. Primary scrapers are designed to remove most of the carry-back, which simply falls down the chute and becomes entrained into the main material stream. Handling of the remaining carry-back, collected by the secondary scrapers, is more difficult as the small amounts collected can only generate low normal wall pressures and therefore high wall friction angles when compared to the main stream. LEFT: Poor drop heights between discharge and receiving conveyors can lead to issues with scraper fines.

CHUTE DESIGN

FIG 1.

structure hard enough to retard the motion of the belt and cause a fire risk or other belt damage.

Central loading of the receiving conveyor

Higher wall friction means the angle of the surfaces catching the secondary scraper carry-back must be steep. This presents a problem when trying to collect them from behind the discharge pulley and moving them forward into the main stream, within the length of a short drop height. To move this ultra-fine material, the secondary scrapers should be enveloped by the main chute and rely on induced vibrations and stray lumps of bulk solid to dislodge any build-up. An alternative is to provide a secondary dribble chute that, with its steep sides, collects the ultra-fine material and deposits it onto the receiving conveyor up-stream of the main flow. This solution can be effective but is only really practical when the discharge and receiving conveyors are in line or nearly in line. A further, though unrecommended alternative, is to collect the ultra-fines in a small hopper which is connected to a pipe linked to the receiving conveyor. This option is tempting if the structure hasn’t been designed with a suitably sized hole to accommodate the secondary scraper location as it only requires the boring of a 200 to 300-millimetre hole under the conveyor to pass the pipe through. However, the hopper walls and pipe still need to be steeply inclined. This is a problem if the hopper has to fit in the space between the return strand of a conveyor and the floor beneath as shown in Figure 2. Now there is a small diameter pipe in the system which can block easily and is difficult to inspect internally. A blocked fines chute means the build-up can reach the underside of the discharge conveyor belt and then lift the belt off the secondary scrapers and, in the worst case, pinch the conveyor belt against the conveyor FIG 2.

20 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

Insufficient drop height can also be partly responsible for poor loading of receiving conveyors. Central loading of any belt conveyor is critical as it is the primary means by which the belt’s tracking is maintained. It is best achieved by incorporating a long, and thus high, spoon section that provides sufficient transit times for gravity to pull the material stream to the centre of the chute before depositing the material centrally on the receiving conveyor as shown in Figure 3. Problems with central loading occur when vertical material flow exiting the hood is not directly in line with the receiving conveyor and must therefore be deflected sideways to meet the conveyor as is common in splitter, or trouser leg, chutes. In these types of chutes, a large part of the drop height is used to shift the bulk solid stream sideways, with respect to the receiving conveyor. Unless the drop height is significant there won’t be enough height left for the spoon to collect and centralise the flow before it reaches the receiving conveyor represented by the dashed outline in Figure 3.

Conclusion It is recommended that chute designers are consulted during the layout phase of a material handling plant so that potential problems can be discussed, and reasonable compromises can be made. This is the best way to reduce the chances of problems occurring in a plant’s soft flow chutes.

FIG 3.

LEFT: Figure 1: Diagram of a hood and spoon chute from a stacker. BELOW LEFT: Figure 2: An example of an inappropriate fines chute that would need flow aids to work effectively. BELOW: Figure 3: A splitter chute with enough length to centralise the material flow.

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INDUSTRY 4.0

From the clouds to the ground: the benefits of Industry 4.0 technology Andre Kluge, Managing Director of Schaeffler Australia, explores some of the tangible benefits from Industry 4.0 advances for the bulk handling industry. AUSTRALIA HAS DOUBLED ITS DIGITAL GROWTH over the last five years and the trend looks to be accelerating, with an expected 50 billion devices to be connected to the internet by 2020, according to the McKinsey Global Institute’s Internet of Things report Mapping the value beyond the hype. Deloitte Australia’s Digital pulse report also finds the total economic contribution of the digital economy by 2020 is forecast to reach $139 billion, equivalent to 7.3 per cent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product. One of the major questions asked about Industry 4.0 advances is ‘what are the tangible benefits?’ This especially applies to business-to-business companies in industrial sectors like mining, materials handling, manufacturing, food and beverage, water and waste, agriculture, and resources. It’s a good question. Companies that are looking at the cost, performance and efficiency of their operations need to know that new technologies which sound good in theory, and look good on paper, will work in practice. Globally, Schaeffler has invested considerable time researching and demonstrating the benefits of Industry 4.0. Its research indicates most industry sectors in the region contemplating expanded digitalisation, see it producing revenue improvements of typically 10 to 15 per cent over the next three or four years. The potential goes beyond just connected machinery, with efficiency, adaptability to individual needs, safety and machinery lifespan optimisation all seeing strong improvements through online monitoring and maintenance. Strong partnerships with all stakeholders are critical to successfully execute applications. If all parties, including equipment suppliers, technology suppliers, manufacturers and end-users embrace Industry 4.0 from the outset, results are far more likely to meet or exceed expectations. Once all parties are on board, setting the right foundation for the successful implementation of digital technologies relies on sourcing quality components,

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using advanced mechanical systems and having the right mechatronics and Industry 4.0 expertise.

Key tangible benefits Cost reductions. A major value driver for industrial companies is the potential for a new technology to provide cost efficiencies, or even pay back the initial investment. Industry 4.0 can provide cost benefits in three main areas: • R educed downtime. Advances in condition monitoring technology can radically improve predictive maintenance plans and ensure machinery downtime is scheduled during times of least impact on production. Companies implementing digitalisation typically see machine downtime reductions of around 30 to 50 per cent. • R educed maintenance costs. With downtime planned at optimal times and machinery continuously monitored, maintenance programs can be streamlined, to reduce costs. Companies implementing digitalisation typically see maintenance cost reductions of 10 to 40 per cent. • R educed inventory holdings costs. By planning maintenance schedules in advance, along with real-time condition reporting on machinery and parts, there is no longer a need to keep an abundance of spare parts for when a machine breaks down. Companies implementing digitalisation typically see inventory holding cost reductions of 20 to 50 per cent.

ABOVE: 50 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet by 2020.

Efficiency improvements. In Australia’s competitive industries, efficiency is vital to long-term, profitable operations. Industry 4.0 can provide efficiency benefits in three main areas: • O ptimised production. Smart connected products provide data on what goes on inside machinery, allowing for better control and management of important machinery and plant. • S horter lead times. Advances in software provide logistics and supply chain efficiencies that result in faster delivery times, even for custom-designed products and solutions. • F lexibility and adaptability. Digitalisation advances mean that more data than ever is available on machinery and operations. If there is a need for new equipment, upgrades or retrofits, the data can be used to create a custom solution and help the company react swiftly to market changes.

Continuous monitoring For production-critical machinery, continuous monitoring through vibration diagnosis can be indispensable. Investing in such systems often pays for itself after a few months due to the reduced failure costs.

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Depending on the area of application, different sensor configurations and solutions can be applied, including single-channel standalone solutions for smaller equipment, medium-sized systems with up to eight channels and complex monitoring systems with up to 2048 sensor channels. Condition monitoring technology can integrate into existing systems to upgrade their efficiency and performance. The user can decide whether to monitor the system independently or take advantage of online system monitoring services, with the ability to have remote analysis carried out by digitalisation experts.

Smart technologies require a smart approach Industry is critically dependent upon optimum bearing and rotating machinery performance, which is why automation and digital strategies must incorporate such technologies from the very outset. Adding digital technologies, such as sensors, at a later stage in the process will provide benefits, but not at the same rate or effectiveness as those implemented at the beginning. Developing a digital strategy, as early as possible, is the best way to take advantage of the tangible benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies.

BAGGING SYSTEMS

Flexible automation for the future Italian bulk packaging manufacturer Concetti has unveiled the I-flex, its most flexible automated bagging machine for free-flowing products to date. COMPARED WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, Australia is an isolated nation. Girt by sea and sparsely populated, the distances between the producing regions and population centres can be hundreds of kilometres. Trevor Mitford, Sales Manager for the Concetti company, says this lack of population density has meant some industries – such as mining, food and agriculture – are ripe for growth and automation. “Automation will always be key in countries like Australia where the costs of labour are high and logistical challenges are common,” he says. “For example, if a producer in the United Kingdom makes something, they can send it all around the country without much difficulty. A producer in Perth faces much more difficulty if it wants to do the same thing, especially for lowcost products.” To equip Australian feed and seed producers with the tools they need to solve these challenges, Concetti has unveiled its latest open mouth bagging machine called the I-flex, which stands for ‘infinite flexibility’. I-flex has been designed for producers of loose, free-flowing and moderately powdered materials that need frequent packaging changes. The machine is one of Concetti’s most compact plants, and can be installed in facilities with restricted heights and floorspace. It can handle multiple bag formats across the one line, from five to 50 kilograms. Multiple bag types and closure systems are included, letting the I-flex stitch, heat-seal, glue or custom close bags made from paper, raffia or plastic. The system can perform fully automatic format changes across a range of bag widths from 250 to 600 millimetres. It also features a flexible bag holder that adapts itself to different bag widths. Concetti performs continuous research and development, listening to customer feedback to ensure its products meet the changing requirements of different industries. One of the most important pieces of feedback it has gathered is that two production lines will almost never be the same. Mr Mitford says each business will have

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different requirements for its products, bags, closure, labelling, pallet dimensions, protection type or even space and height availability. “Our customers demand enhanced flexibility from their technology. This is why we have focused our passion into developing a solution that can handle the wide variety of uses the international market requires,” he says. Automation is core to the I-flex. The system is able to change bag format within 60 to 90 seconds. Improved machine intelligence and connectivity have been included to help the I-flex incorporate into Industry 4.0 systems. Mr Mitford says Concetti’s philosophy is to find new ways of automating and connecting its machinery. “In fact, Concetti has incorporated the same principles in our own manufacturing centre to provide the highest quality machines possible.” Concetti aims to build a partnership with its customers instead of a traditional supplier/client relationship. Its customers are encouraged to discuss what they want out of their plant, which drives the company’s development. The company has created a project development team that regularly visits international clients. New customers are also frequently invited to visit the company’s headquarters in Umbria, Italy. Every machine that leaves the company’s factory has connectivity functionality built in, allowing Concetti to provide remote diagnostics

ABOVE: I-Flex stands for ‘infinite flexibility’. RIGHT: Concetti aims to build partnerships with its customers instead of a traditional supplier/ client relationship.

and maintenance no matter where the plant is. Around 80 per cent of issues are able to be solved remotely, with a specialised team of technicians able to assist over a telephone call, email, Skype or directly through a teleservice connection with the plant itself. To further support Australian customers, Concetti has also launched a partnership with Victorian-based company Automaint Solutions. Automaint has almost 50 years of experience in automation and technical assistance of highly mechanised systems. The companies work together to provide remote assistance managed directly by specialised Concetti technicians in Italy, and field interventions within a few hours, by Automaint engineers. “Our customers ideas become our challenges. We listen, learn, study and apply all our experience in providing the most efficient, reliable and costeffective packaging machinery,” Mr Mitford says. “Teodoro Concetti, the company’s packaging machinery division founder, said customer service was the bread and butter of the business. He believed he should be proud of every machine stamped with his family name.”

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ENGINEERING

Newcastle trio transforms stacker throughput A collaboration of Newcastle businesses, including TUNRA Bulk Solids, HIC Services, and Lindsay Dynan, worked together to improve the throughput of a transfer chute at a prominent Hunter Valley coal mine by using 3D modelling technology. WHEN A HUNTER VALLEY COAL MINE BEGAN running into issues with one of its transfer chutes, it needed a solution as soon as possible. The transfer chute was important to the mine operation with a throughput of 2000 tonnes per hour. A fourteen-day shutdown period was planned for February 2019, with this window of time allowing the implementation of planned improvements. In order for the chute improvement to be undertaken, Hunter Industrial Ceramics (HIC) Services were engaged by the mine site to investigate how it could improve the material flow through the chute. HIC Services then collaborated with both The University of Newcastle Research Associates (TUNRA) Bulk Solids and Lindsay Dynan Consulting Engineers, sharing the necessary information for the project through open communication. Jude Sneesby, HIC Business Development Manager, says it was important the new chute maintained the existing footprint. “The chute was connected to a major boom stacker, so cutting the existing structures would have been time consuming and expensive,” he says. Because limited drawings existed, Lindsay Dynan created a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) file using site measurements and a 3D scan of the chute and structure. The geometry was then provided to TUNRA to be the basis of the chute assessment and conceptual redesign works.

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TUNRA then employed Discrete Element Modelling (DEM), finding the old chute had poor control of the material stream. Its modelling indicated that while the flow of the coal through the transfer chute was functional, there were opportunities to improve it, including reducing potential coal buildup and optimising the flow onto the receiving belt. TUNRA set out to design an improved chute from a materials handling perspective while working within the envelope of the existing chute. “Significant modifications were made to chute ABOVE: 3D CAD techniques and DEM were pivotal to unlock the potential of the transfer chute. LEFT: TUNRA’s DEM design made significant modifictations to improve performance.

design in order to improve its performance,” Mr Sneesby explains. “The feed head pulley and conveyor belt were kept in place while a new chute assembly including, hood, mid chute deflector, spoon, and discharge chute were installed. “This included structural support frames which were mounted to the boom stacker.” TUNRA used a converging design for the hood’s span to promote constrained discharge onto the spoon and to minimise the material stream’s impact angle. The spoon helps encourage the stream velocity to move in the direction of the receiving belt. To make the manufacturing process easier, the chute was designed in segments with straight panels. Once the conceptual design was finalised by TUNRA, Lindsay Dynan began developing the detailed engineering design. TUNRA provided the 3D CAD concept to the Lindsay Dynan drafting and engineering team, which used CAD techniques to produce engineered drawings for fabrication. When the final design was approved, HIC Services fabricated the new chute, installed abrasion and impact resistant HICTECH Alumina Tiles, and coated the remaining surfaces in

various protective coatings. HIC Services then installed and commissioned the new chute. The collaborative effort was built on the good relationship between HIC Services, TUNRA, and Lindsay Dynan. In particular, the DEM analysis tool provided by TUNRA was pivotal in unlocking the potential of the transfer chute and achieving the 10 per cent throughput gain in a timely and cost-efficient manner. “A lot of planning went into the initial stages to understand the full scope of works and mitigate any risks,” Mr Sneesby says. “Working with such professional companies made it a lot easier. It was exciting to help increase the capacity of the chute by 200 tonnes per hour, while also sticking to the current footprint – an achievement in itself.”

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LEVEL MEASUREMENT

Pulsar’s ultrasonic success with super-light fumed silica measurement When a Welsh silicon manufacturer couldn’t accurately measure its lightweight fumed silica, it reached out to Pulsar for a personalised solution. FUMED SILICA IS A COMMON THICKENING agent, used in a wide variety of products from gel batteries to non-drip paint to a toothpaste abrasive or even as a light scattering agent in cosmetics. It has a bulk density of around 30 grams per litre, with a surface area that can reach hundreds of square metres per gram. Because the material is so light, it presents significant difficulties for bulk measurement. Silicon manufacturing company Cabot Carbon had begun running into these issues at its Welsh plant. The company required accurate level measurement of its finished fumed silica product for stock control and to check tanker loads. Cabot Carbon tried a number of approaches to measure the contents, including radar, but all failed due to the lightness and absorbency of the product. Eventually, the company turned to Pulsar, which installed its non-conducting ultrasonic technology to monitor Cabot Carbon’s 11-metre-tall silo. “The Pulsar equipment has cured a headache for us,” says Jason Jones, Cabot Carbon’s Electrical Engineer. “We were really struggling to find something that worked and was cost-effective, and Pulsar’s kit ticks both boxes.” Non-contacting measurement methods often rely on being able to bounce a signal back from a material surface and measure the time taken for it to reach the transducer. The challenge is to supply a signal with enough energy and then discriminate that signal against a background of competing noise. Pulsar’s approach was to supply its highest power transducer, the dB50, along with an Ultra 5 ultrasonic control unit. The dB50 is designed to measure up to 50 metres and so puts a great deal of ultrasound energy into the measurement.

Even with that enhanced energy, the signal that returns to the transducer from the absorbent silica was small. To overcome this, Pulsar incorporated its latest generation Digital Adaptive Tracking of Echo Movement (DATEM) software to identify and dynamically track the material level. The DATEM software maintains a link to the true material level, even as it changes and other signals from the internal features of the vessel compete. Bintech Systems is the Australian distributor of Pulsar products. The company offers level measurement devices from a number of different suppliers, which helps it provide the best fitting solution for its customers. The company prides itself on its personalised services and offers on-site commissioning telephone assistance, workshop repair, servicing and calibration services.

ABOVE TOP: Pulsar’s dB50 can measure up to 50 metres. ABOVE: Pulsar’s DATEM software maintainx a link to the true material level, even as it changes.

For more information contact Bintech Systems at 03 9467 7300 or visit bintech.com.au.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 29

RECLAIMERS

Reclaiming the concrete jungle with Lincom’s new reclaim plant Lincom Group’s Concrete Washout Reclaim plant is helping recyclers recover sand, water and aggregates while reducing waste and handling costs. RECOVERING SAND, WATER AND aggregates for beneficial reuse and minimising handling costs have been on the agenda of Lincom Group over the past year. The materials processing equipment specialist has performed extensive research and testing to develop a concrete washout reclaim system that allows concrete recyclers to capture clean sand, aggregates and water for future reuse. Pete Godwin, Manager of Lincom’s newly introduced Environment and Process Division, says the product combines a Rapid Reclaimer with an Ostwald Filtration Systems (OFS) filter press, allowing the company to service a greater proportion of the market. The system was put on display at the Firth Concrete yard in February in Auckland – the largest national manufacturer of ready-mixed concrete, letting attendees get an up-close glimpse of the concrete washout reclaim system. “We’re doing something very separate and distinct from the normal sand and aggregates business,” Mr Godwin says. “The reclaimer was around 30 years ago, and the world seemed to lose interest for a time, but right now it’s on the top of everyone’s list.” One particularly popular selling point was the system’s ability to significantly reduce the footprint for concrete reclaim. Mr Godwin explains that the prices of real estate in New Zealand and Sydney have made this option attractive, as companies can get more work

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out of a much smaller yard with just a filter press and a reclaimer. “If it costs one or two million for a block of land in Auckland, you can take a third of that off because of more efficient use of space,” he says. Traditionally, concrete plants used to have settling ponds that could take up large amounts of space with cement and stone settling to the bottom. After a week, the water would be pumped out to recover sand and aggregates that emerged. However, the German-designed and manufactured OFS recessed chamber filter press uses a proven solid/liquid separation

ABOVE: Attendees got an upclose glimpse of the concrete washout reclaim system at the Firth Concrete yard in Auckland.

technology. Unlike a settling pond system, the filter press is more compact. Dirty water is pumped from the agitated storage pond, through the press, then back into a clean water pit. This reduces the amount of dust generated from breaking up dry waste concrete, according to Mr Godwin. “If you can reclaim the concrete at its wet stage there is no dust generated, so environmentally that’s a good thing,” he says. “The rain that falls from the sky ends up going through the same process so it’s a big general cleanup of the area. Concrete plants spend all day hosing due to the dust created and they use large quantities of water to allay the dust.” The rapid concrete washout reclaim unit takes waste concrete and deconstructs it back into its base sand and aggregate components. The OFS filter system then recovers grey water by filtering and compressing dewatered cement fines into manageable ‘cake’ form, solving a variety of issues for concrete producers. The rapid reclaimer is capable of processing up to 20 cubic metres of concrete slurry per hour. It then discharges the cementitious water

into the dirty water pit where it’s continually stirred to keep the spent cement fine particles in suspension. The clean water, known as filtrate, is captured and returned to a clean water pit for use in further concrete batches and reuse in the reclaimer’s washing and separation process. Sand and aggregates are separated within the reclaimer, with the dewatered sand conveyed by twin hydraulic screws to one pile, while the washed aggregates exit via a belt conveyor to another separate pile. The cementitious water overflows the adjustable weirs and is piped via gravity to an agitated storage pond. At the end of the cycle, filter cakes fall into the void below the filter press where they are removed as waste or for beneficial reuse. Mr Godwin says the feedback from customers was highly positive at the Auckland demonstration with a significant number of New Zealand and Australian customers impressed with its capabilities. He says customers were particularly drawn to the high quality of water. “When the aggregates come out, they are clean. If I pick up a handful of aggregate, there is no colour on my hand – it’s just clean water.”

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HOPPERS

Another brick in the wall For more than 10 years, hopper liners from industrial plastics specialist E-Plas have helped one of Australia’s biggest brick manufacturers stay productive. PGH BRICKS AND PAVERS IS ONE OF Australia’s largest clay brick producers, making millions of bricks a year. Its Bringelly brick factory, located in New South Wales, has been a key production centre for decades. Around 45 tonnes of clay are supplied to the site’s box feeders every hour to begin the crushing process. However, just over 10 years ago, the company ran into an issue. Mohammad Khan, Maintenance Manager at PGH Bricks, says dirt and clay had begun to stick to the walls and the corners of the hoppers. “The clay would get cold and wet in certain weather conditions, sticking to the steel,” he explains. “The consistency of the raw material’s flow is important for production and brick quality and any that was stuck to the hopper wall had to be scraped off manually, which presented a safety issue. “This was potentially dangerous, as the material could collapse without warning.” In addition, the clay sticking to the hoppers created a bridging effect, where material becomes blocked and flows erratically. Because of this, gaps would form on the conveyor in between material surges. This resulted in reduced productivity and less compaction, creating lower quality bricks. To improve its production, PGH Bricks reached out to engineering and industrial plastics specialist E-Plas. The company installed Tivar 88 liners on the steel sections of the hoppers. Made from ultra-highmolecular-weight polyethylene, the liners have a low coefficient of friction and high wear resistance, stopping the clay from sticking to the sides of the hopper when fed through it. Tivar 88 has been specifically designed for the

bulk handling industry and has undergone rigorous laboratory and field testing to ensure it reduces arching, ratholing and erratic material flow. A variety of bulk handling applications can use Tivar 88 liners including chutes, silos, bins, screw conveyors, truck beds, slider beds, vibratory feeders and more. It can also be used for wear strips, belt scrapers, conveyor skirting and chain conveyor flights. The plastic has a high abrasion, corrosion and impact resistance with no moisture absorption. It is able to retain its properties at temperatures of -269 to 80 °C and is resistant to aggressive chemicals. It also has a significantly long lifespan. Mr Khan says the material has never needed to be replaced over the decade it has been installed at the factory. “When we were looking to extend one of our hoppers by two metres, we didn’t even need to replace the plastic, just the steel walls behind it,” he says. “E-Plas has given us a quality product that has greatly improved the safety of our facility, which is one of the most important things for our business.”

ABOVE: Tivar 88 has been specifically designed for the bulk handling industry.

About E-Plas E-Plas has been providing a diverse range of industrial plastics for almost 40 years. It is involved in a variety of industries, from orthotics and nuclear medicine to mining, ship building and bulk handling. Supported by global manufacturers, E-Plas has access to extensive product supply and technical knowledge. E-Plas Head Office is based in Ravenhall Victoria, with branches in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 33

CONVEYORS

Bulknet builds bespoke screw solution When a major miner needed to move a heavy and hazardous material, Bulknet was the only company able to meet its strict requirements.

AS PART OF A MAJOR MULTINATIONAL MINING company’s new project, bulk material handling specialist Bulknet was selected to design and manufacture a unique screw feeder. Positioned under a 150-tonne storage hopper, the screw feeder supplies nickel sulphate crystals to a bagging system below. The system needed to start under a full load from the hopper through a fourmetre-long outlet. This would allow the client to fill and store material in the hopper for when planned maintenance was undertaken upstream. The hopper’s significant capacity and the weight of the material would place the screw feeder under extreme pressures. Special consideration was necessary in the design phase to ensure it was robust enough to handle the task. When the screw rotates, it creates shearing force and under a full load, immense pressure is placed on the spiral gear drive unit. A Bonfiglioli planetary drive was selected to handle this as it was ideal for low speed, high torque and small footprint tasks such as this. “Deflection of the centre tube was a major concern during the design and consultation phase,” Geoff Thomson, Business Development Manager for Bulknet, says. “If there is too much deflection on a screw conveyor’s centre tube, unnecessary radial loads are transferred to the drive and tail bearings, resulting in faster wear.

34 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

“In addition, extra stresses are exerted on the centre tube’s welds, reducing its fatigue life.” Nickel sulphate crystals are a class one carcinogen, which presents a hazard to human health. As such, the screw feeder had to be completely air-tight, so Bulknet incorporated a number of sealed gaskets and air purged Clamp Ezy Seals to ensure no leakage of the product. Bulknet then manufactured the feeder using Grade 316 stainless steel and delivered it to the client. As a specialised designer and manufacturer of screw conveyors, Bulknet was also able to offer the customer engineering expertise and spare parts to keep the system running after installation. According to the customer’s feedback, Bulknet was the only screw feeder manufacturer able to meet all of the unique design requirements needed for its screw feeder.

About Bulknet Bulknet is an Australian manufacturer. For the past 50 years it has specialised in bulk materials handling. It uses an in-house design and manufacturing facility in Melbourne to provide premium-quality screw conveyors, screw feeders, pugmills, paddle mixers, live bottom bins, ribbon mixers, bucket elevators and drag chain conveyors. Its clients range from multinationals to small processing facilities worldwide.

LEFT: The screw feeder needed the ability to start under a full load from the 150-tonne storage hopper. BELOW: Bulknet was the only screw feeder manufacturer able to meet all of the unique design requirements.

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CONVEYORS

Linking zinc with Fenner Dunlop’s top-to-tail conveyor system Fenner Dunlop and Australian Conveyor Engineering have set sail to Singapore to undertake a major conveyor overhaul on the shipping vessel MV Aburri. access to begin major repairs or upgrades. As part of this process, conveyor belt specialist Fenner Dunlop was brought in to service

ON THE BANKS OF THE NORTHERN Territory’s McArthur River is the Bing Bong loading facility, one of Australia’s most important sites for zinc and lead exports. Trucks from the McArthur River Mine carry hundreds of tonnes of bulk concentrate 120 kilometres north, depositing their payload at Bing Bong’s storage shed. However, the mouth of the river is shallow, meaning massive bulk transport ships are unable to anchor directly at the facility. This is why Carpentaria Shipping Services operates a custom solution called MV Aburri. Designed specifically for this operation, MV Aburri is a shipping vessel that is small enough to dock at Bing Bong. The vessel is a workhorse and operates around the clock to cart up to 3200 tonnes of concentrate to ships waiting in deeper waters. In order to keep it in ship shape, MV Aburri undergoes a dry dock once every five years. The vessel is sent to Singapore, where it is removed from the water to allow maintenance crews

36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

MV Aburri’s conveyor system. Craig Wright, Fenner Dunlop’s NT Branch Operations Manager, explains that the company quickly inspected the ship and presented a detailed report that later was converted into a million-and-a-half-dollar tender. “Initially the approach from the customer was to re-use the existing belts and most conveyor components if it was viable, however after an inspection to ensure the vessel would operate with minimum down time, we advised of a complete overhaul,” he says. Fenner Dunlop began the project late last year in collaboration with its sister company Australian Conveyor Engineering (ACE). It involved the delivery and commissioning of an entirely new conveyor system, including all new pulleys, idlers, belt cleaners, chutes and a programmable logic controller (PLC) operating system. Once the structural repairs to the vessel’s haul had been completed, the five refurbished systems and one brand new system were installed into place. “Our goal was to provide an entire system replacement, not just the belts, in order to provide a long-lasting and well-engineered solution,” Mr Wright says. “Upgraded components replaced parts that had become worn over time. With the right lubrication and maintenance, MV Aburri should see years of trouble-free servicing.” Around 340 metres of Fenner Dunlop’s QuarryMaster belt will be supplied and vulcanised as part of the overhaul. QuarryMaster is an M Grade cover compound, which provides high strength, low stretch and is completely resistant to moisture. In addition, stainless steel components were used instead of painted steel to ensure the new conveyors are able to handle the highly corrosive salt air.

LEFT: MV Aburri is small enough to dock at the Bing Bong Loading Facility. RIGHT: Fenner Dunlop and Australian Conveyor Engineering delivered an entirely new conveyor system.

Mr Wright says an important thing to consider when designing a ship-based conveyor system is the potential for alignment shifts. “On land, a conveyor will be largely fixed, as the ground underneath it rarely moves,” he explains. “However, when a conveyor is on top of a ship, the vessel is constantly flexing which can change the alignment. To account for this, we re-engineered how the drive system works to take pressure off of certain components, improving its longevity.” Safety features include improved guarding systems around a counterweight wire rope, to a complete new and improved PLC system to control all the conveyors. The new PLC system has many advantages including eliminating previous faults like in the event of a loaded shut down, having to manually remove concentrate before the system can once again begin. As part of the tender, Fenner Dunlop also provides a 24/7 breakdown service, with technicians on call to respond to urgent issues. “We are working with the customer to avoid unnecessary downtime. We also expect to see

improvement in the overall efficiency of their conveyor system,” Mr Wright says. “Undertaking this major upgrade alongside our sister company ACE has been a great experience. This was an interesting project and it demonstrates our ability to manufacture and supply a complete conveyor system from head to tail.”

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CONVEYORS

Safety comes first with Hi Roller conveyors By encouraging collaboration between two of its major brands, Ag Growth International is helping Australian grain handlers reach new safety highs. IN 1982, A CONVEYOR COMPANY CALLED Hi Roller began working on a solution to reduce grain dust. Grain dust can be explosive, present environmental issues and can have high clean-up costs. The company’s solution was to release the Hi Roller line of conveyors which were enclosed to keep dust contained. Designed specifically for grain handling facilities, soy and corn processing operations and industrial operations, Hi Roller conveyors contain dust and material spillage while also automatically reloading material back on the carrying surface of the belt. Hi Roller continued developing the line, adding the ability to handle products from other industries such as clay, carbon, salts, borax and lime. In December 2006, Ag Growth International, a global manufacturer of agricultural bulk handling systems acquired Hi Roller. The acquisition allowed Hi Roller to collaborate closely with AGI’s other brands and further improve its line of conveyors. One of these brands was CMC Industrial Electronics, a manufacturer of hazard monitoring systems for industrial applications. Bob Reiss, General Manager of CMC, says the two brands are highly complementary and come together to enhance safety. “CMC provides a low voltage digital sensing platform that is safe for plant labour to operate and maintain,” Mr Reiss says. “Sensors monitor shaft speed, bearing temperature,

LEFT: Hi Roller was acquired by AGI in 2006. BELOW: Grain handling ports are a common customer of Hi Roller conveyors.

belt misalignment and vibration in harsh industrial environments. “For a product like Hi Roller, this monitoring is critical. Grain dust can be volatile, and in an enclosed conveyor environment a single spark can set off a major fire or even an explosion.” CMC’s platform is often deployed alongside Hi Roller conveyors to provide automatic safety measures. If the belt’s take-up shaft slows by 10 per cent, an audible alarm will sound to alert operators. At 20 per cent, the feed will go into a controlled shut down, taking away the potential for human error. Grain handling ports are an extensive user of Hi Roller conveyors due to their reliability in high uptime facilities, according to Peter Forster, Business Manager at AGI Australia and New Zealand. “Hi Roller is the industry standard conveyor for these facilities, as it is dust free and operates at a high capacity,” he explains. “When exporting grain to a ship, reliability is crucial. Explosions or fires have the potential to cripple important operations for years, which is why we don’t compromise when it comes to safety.” In Australia, the two products are tightly integrated to offer comprehensive after-sales support at a competitive price. “AGI uses its international partnerships to develop equipment suited for Australia’s high standards of safety,” Mr Forster says. “We are already seeing major grain handlers standardise their facilities using Hi Roller belts and are excited to continue delivering high-quality infrastructure for the bulk handling industry.”

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 39

CONVEYORS

How can I stop my conveyor belt mistracking when throughput increases? In this regular column, experts from specialist bulk materials engineering firm Jenike & Johanson answer readers’ questions about problems at their sites. In this edition, the company’s general manager, Grant Wellwood, discusses how asymmetric loading can cause serious productivity losses. Q. OUR PLANT HAS RECENTLY INSTALLED

LEFT: Grant Wellwood is the General Manager for Jenike & Johanson in Perth and is passionate about applying the science of bulk solids handling to help people and organisations succeed. As a process engineer specialising in technology development, he experienced the pain of inconsiderate design (his own) early in his career. He can be contacted at gwellwood@ jenike.com

dynamic optimisation software which monitors our entire value chain, generating insights to maximise profits. It routinely calls for changes in plant throughput, but on one particular line there is always a problem. Whenever we attempt to increase the rate on a critical bulk solid metering conveyor, its belt tracks off and we end up losing valuable production time correcting the problem. In fact, we lose so much time that our daily output is often less than if we had not tried to increase the rate in the first place. The increased metering rate is well within the design specification of the conveyor unit and the surge bin supplying it. Those of us at the pointy end are at a loss in terms of understanding the root cause of this problem, as the bin should be buffering (acting as a circuit breaker) between the modulated in-feed conveyor and metering unit. We are finding it difficult to make a scientifically informed fix to realise the increased profitability. Any thoughts regarding what’s going on and what we can do to make these optimisation insights actionable in practice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, “Desperate and Clueless”

A. Thanks for sharing your experience D&C. If it’s any conciliation, this is becoming quite a common situation as dynamic optimisation software becomes more pervasive. While it is not possible to provide a specific solution without knowing the exact details, there is a good chance the problem could actually be upstream of the metering belt, within the surge bin. Unlike tanks used to buffer liquid flows, the dynamic loading and discharge performance of a bulk solid surge bin is influenced by the

40 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

nature of the material involved and the manner in which it is delivered. At the design operating point, material is normally delivered to a bin close to its centre line (Figure 1). However, any change in the in-feed conveyor belt speed in order to maintain inventory will also change the trajectory of the incoming material entering the headroom of the bin. In simple bin designs this can lead to asymmetric loading. Entering the headspace at higher velocity means the material could now be flung to the far wall instead of being deposited close to the centre line of the bin (Figure 2). The physical effects of this process change are hidden inside the bin and can play havoc in

terms of the bin’s level controller. In addition, the combination of extra velocity and wall impact can increase material attrition, exacerbate segregation and even cause abrasive wear of the bin walls. If there is any cohesiveness between the particles involved, the extra kinetic energy can cause compaction leading to rat holes. This obscured loading dynamic can also change the live load distribution on the support structure and create vibration due to slip-stick flow – an important consideration for larger capacity bins. Finally, and most importantly in your case, asymmetric loading can be reflected at the discharge giving rise to a skewed drag force profile across the discharge (metering) belt. This is most likely to be the root cause of your frustrating tracking issue. Interestingly, this kind of loading behaviour can also be hysteretic in nature (meaning that even backing off the rate won’t immediately fix the problem). Without inserting an endoscope, such behaviour is difficult to detect, although the level control system may start behaving strangely and the noise level/pitch may alter as the impact point within the

bin changes. If you have a liquid flow mindset, these subtle symptoms may go unrecognised. In a typical liquid system, the fluid under gravity always settles quickly to a uniform horizontal level within the surge tank. By using the ‘five whys’ problem-solving framework, the analysis looks like this: Problem: Metering belt tracks off Why? Drag force is not uniform across the belt Why? Bulk solid is not symmetrically loaded on the belt. Why? Bin is not symmetrically loaded (material could also be compacted) Why? Trajectory of the material entering the bin has changed (moved off centre-line) Why? In-feed belt speed has increased (in order to maintain bin inventory at a higher throughput) This hypothesis seems reasonable, so we can use it to make predictions and look for evidence to support and then find a solution to address the root cause. Examples of possible evidence could include: •D oes the belt track off on the same side and the one furthest from the in-feed conveyor? • I s there increased noise and vibration ahead of belt track-off?

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CONVEYORS

FIGURE 1: The physical effects of asymmetric loading are hidden inside the bin.

FIG 1.

FIGURE 2: Symmetrically loaded bin. FIGURE 3: Asymmetrically loaded bin caused by increased in-feed belt speed leading to discharge (metering) belt tracking.

FIG 2.

FIG 3.

•D oes the bin level controller system show any abnormal behaviour ahead of a track-off event? (Do you have any hard data? Is there a relationship between in-feed belt speed, level controller behaviour and metering belt drift?) •W hat do you see inside the bin when you stop (and lock-out) the system for a belt correction? (Ratholes? Signs of wall wear? Residual asymmetric loading or compacted material?) Front-line operators usually have heightened process empathy and can detect even subtle changes from normal operation. As such, they are your best source of information when it comes to testing your hypothesis. Assuming the ‘trajectory’ root cause hypothesis is correct, possible solutions include the addition of an in-feeder discharge hood to guide the material along the centre line, Binserts and perhaps even live-bottoms. These should all be ranked on their merits and engineered for your specific situation, taking into account structural impacts if necessary. While I can understand the building pressure to solve this issue, I recommend you get independent expert advice before rushing to a DIY solution, catalogue engineering or even approaching a vendor. If you dont, there is a real chance you could actually make things worse. When it comes to bulk solids flow, haste usually means waste. Rushing to solve the problem without science usually leads to repeating the process that created the problem in the first place. In addition to making physical changes to accommodate velocity and trajectory changes, you may also need to constrain the optimisation software. While true value chain digital twins will revolutionise many operations, the current models are still quite basic as the software has a liquid flow mental model that treats bulk solids flow as invariant. Unfortunately, when it comes to bulk solids flow, behaviour is complex and often non-linear. In terms of behaviour everything upstream and downstream can be interdependent. Do you have a bulk solids handling question? Jenike & Johanson has developed the science of bulk solids flow and specialise in applying it to solve the most challenging bulk solids handling problems. Why not put us to the test with your question? The harder, the better.

Note: The advice here is of a general nature. Specific solutions are very sensitive to their circumstances; therefore, you should consult with a specialist in the area before proceeding.

42 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

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CONVEYOR CLEANING CONVEYORS

Could a Diverter Plow help your conveying operation? Graeme Greaves from Dyna Engineering explains the ins and outs of Diverter Plows, how they work, how they are designed and why they can lift productivity when fitted to certain conveying systems. A DIVERTER PLOW (DP), ALSO KNOWN AS a diversion plough, is an apparatus that redirects or discharges material being conveyed by a belt, usually positioned mid-way along the conveyor belt. When engaged, the DP blade is lowered (or the belt is raised) to divert the conveyed material off the conveyor belt. This is usually used in conjunction with a chute so that bulk material is pushed over one or both sides of the belt. The blade can be raised or lowered as required by manual or process control, with hydraulic, pneumatic or electric motor drive activation methods. When the original discharge position on the conveyor is no longer needed, a DP can be placed on the conveyor to transfer the material to another location. A common flow alteration application is to

allow the material to bypass a crushing, screening or other mining process to avoid unnecessary processing. A DP can be fitted onto a typical troughed conveyor system with little modification (if any) to the existing structure, proving itself to be a low-cost solution compared to other devices, such as trippers, designed for discharging equipment. It is not typically incorporated into a new conveyor system, rather it becomes a necessity as the requirement of the conveying operation changes. Typical applications of a DP include using the crushing plant to manufacture road base, removal of contaminated or low-quality material from the belt prior to reaching storage bins, or removal of material in the case of breakdown. Each application calls for different features to be added or removed from the DP design.

ABOVE Dyna Engineering’s managing director, Graeme Greaves, discusses the productivity benefits of diverter ploughs on certain systems.

LEFT: Diverter ploughs are fitted onto existing structures and allow for normal conveyor operations when not in use.

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ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS

How does it actually work? Designed to fit onto an existing conveyor structure, a DP allows the normal operation of the conveyor to continue, even when the DP is not in use. When activated, the blade will start to lower onto the belt while the belt support lifts the belt from its trough shape to a flat shape. The blade will lightly contact the belt across the entire width, ready to divert material away from the belt surface. Material being conveyed then impacts the blade in a steady stream, and the blade will begin to push the material off one or both sides of the conveyor into discharge chutes. The main components of a Diverter Plow are: • The blade • Belt support • Discharge chutes • Structural frame DP blades are designed to contact the conveyor belt and redirect and push the conveyed material into side chutes. The blades are usually single-or doublesided (V-shaped). Single-sided blades are generally used in single chute designs as the material is directed in one direction only. Double-sided blades are used when discharge chutes are required on both sides of the DP.

Conveyor speed, the conveyed material and the impact force of that material are some of the factors that will determine which design will fit certain applications best. The belt support mechanism is constructed in a series of transitions and flat idlers that shape the belt from trough profile to a flat profile when engaged. During the normal operation of the conveyor, the conveyor belt forms a trough, which assists in keeping the material on the conveyor belt. A system of rollers raises the belt to a flat horizontal plane, effectively removing the trough from the belt. This function allows the blade to come down into full contact with the belt, avoiding the need to drag the material up and out of the trough.

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ABOVE: Diverter ploughs are usually positioned mid-way along the conveyor belt.

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RIGHT: A series of transitions and flat idlers shape the belt from trough to flat profile when engaged.

A mechanical energy source (such as a hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder or electric motor) is normally connected to the belt support mechanism in order to lift the belt, however, it can be done manually. The discharge chutes catch the material diverted by the blade over the side of the flattened belt and guide the material down to a suitable discharge location below the conveyor structure. Typical discharge locations can include loading points on another conveyor, storage bins, stock piles or a dump truck parked below the discharge chute. Depending on the desired outcome, the discharged material may rejoin the process, be segregated, or moved to another location or stock piled for later further handling.

Design considerations Wear-resistant blades

Dyna Trac Diverter Plow blades are made from high wear-resistance materials because the blades come into constant contact with extremely rough and coarse material which can easily wear away unsuitably designed blades. Blades are commonly made out of hardened steel, engineered plastics or polyurethane

depending on the application. The composition of the blades is an important consideration in the design process. The blade needs to be wearresistant enough to withstand the application but at the same time be subtle enough not to damage the conveyor belt.

Single or double-sided blades The choice of blade is generally dictated by three factors: how fast the conveyor is running, how much material is being conveyed and where the material is being moved to. A single-sided blade is useful when the

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material flows easily, or the belt is relatively narrow. However, there are some limitations on the single-sided blade. Due to the material flow being redirected in one direction, there is a limit on how much material can be moved across the belt width and down through the chute. If the flow rate is too high, blockages and overflow can occur. The double-sided blade can handle a higher flow rate when compared to a single-sided blade. Because the flow is split into two different streams, the distance the material needs to travel to reach the belt edge is reduced and the amount of material passing through each chute is reduced. The disadvantage of the double-sided blade is that additional structures and chutes need to be built, which is an added cost.

Situations where DPs can be very useful Bin maintenance and emptying of storage bins

Scheduled maintenance shutdowns are a common time for a DP to come into action. Material storage or surge bins need to be emptied in order for maintenance to take place on the liner plates. A DP can be placed on the crushing circuit feed conveyor and as the shutdown commences, the material flow into the material storage bins is halted. At this point, the DP is engaged, allowing the material from the bin to be discharged through the feed conveyor and into a stockpile below, clearing the crushing circuit of material without needing to wait for all the material to be run out and the circuit to be emptied. This allows a timely start to the shutdown, saving time and cost for employees and contractors alike.

About DYNA Engineering Dyna Engineering is an Australian-owned and operated company with their head office and factory located in Perth, Western Australia. The company specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of conveyor equipment and related services which can be tailored to an extensive range of applications, operations and operating conditions. These designs incorporate common components and assemblies which allow easy modification from one design to another on short notice. Its DYNAFastFit range of belt cleaners and adjusters can be converted from polyurethane to carbide blades without major modifications or replacement. Products are of robust construction, which allows them to withstand extremely harsh operating environments and deliver a long, trouble-free service life. Dyna Engineering thoroughly test its products in both workshop and onsite situations to ensure they work as intended and to industry safety standards.

De-watering De-watering is applied when substantial amounts of water from rain or the mining process has been accumulated on the conveyor and needs to be removed before the ore is placed onto the conveyor. A typical example would be a train loading facility where it is not desirable to spill thousands of litres of water into the bin and cause the ore to become muddy. This may result in material flow issues or localised flooding from the water.

Material separation If the material being conveyed does not contain the desired element or is contaminated with foreign matter, a DP can be used to remove the material until the correct product is placed on the conveyor. Another application of material separation is a multi-material facility that runs different types of material on the same conveyor. A DP is placed on the conveyor to separate the different materials or create different flow paths.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019 І 47

CONVEYORS

Increasing plant efficiency with thyssenkrupp’s digital twin technology Matthias Göing and Martin Krex from thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions speak to ABHR about three megatrends emerging in the mining industry. AS A GLOBAL MINING CORPORATION, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has kept its finger on the pulse of the industry, identifying three megatrends occurring across the world. Matthias Göing, Head of Product Management and Martin Krex, Global Product Manager Automation and Digitisation at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions explain the trends are sustainability, increasing plant efficiency and digitisation. “Specifically, digitisation is playing an everimportant role as it touches on the other two megatrends,” Krex says. “The use of digital solutions is a key lever in increasing process efficiencies as well as ensuring sustainability for our customers. thyssenkrupp Business Unit Mining is presently busy with transferring its knowledge of machinery into digital expertise.” The company offers a range of digital services, which use technology such as drones to collect data from its customer’s plants, machinery and equipment for analysis. By looking at the gathered information, thyssenkrupp is then able to make informed decisions that can evaluate, predict,

automate and optimise mining equipment. One digital solution the company employs is the creation of a digital twin. These are virtual representations of a physical object or system, which can use data to simulate outcomes and provide a better understanding about the machine as a whole. Göing says that thyssenkrupp’s digital twin process goes even further than just a dynamic virtual representation. “The digital twin consists of two parts: one part is the 3D visualisation of the machine or plant to get a better grasp on what is currently installed, understanding dimensions and relation between plant portions,” he says. “The second part is a dynamic mathematical model, which reflects the machine behaviour under specific input conditions. Both parts are interconnected to create a useful link between design and operations of a machine along the whole product lifecycle.” “The design of the machine is continually evaluated and updated to find the right operational concept, required architecture and optimised detail design.” One piece of machinery that can benefit from the LEFT: A digital twin can be used to evaluate how a system can be optimised.

48 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

use of a digital twin is a conveyor. thyssenkrupp can create a digital twin for any conveyor, which includes a visualisation of the mechanical components and their operational behaviour using mathematical modelling. This mathematical model can be fed live or recorded data to improve the accuracy of its predictions. It can then be used to understand critical start/stop processes of the conveyor and visualise complex mechanical behaviours such as belt tension of belt velocity at any point on the conveyor. Additionally, a digital twin can simulate variable belt speeds to find the best operating point for existing components and identify unforeseen power oscillations caused by drive slip. While in operation, a digital twin can help to create a concrete understanding of how each change in a machine’s design can lead to a change in the operating characteristics of the equipment by analysing operational and maintenance tasks. Göing says thyssenkrupp can also provide its customers with a comprehensive view of the components and their behaviour, which could result in less downtime. “On the basis of anomaly detection (the comparison between real actual states and ideal target states), thyssenkrupp can even generate the planning reliability

LEFT: A digital twin of a conveyor can help detect anomalies and potentially reduce downtime.

of the machine’s maintenance intervals for the customer,” he says. “Future states can be simulated on the basis of current states, which leads to a reduction of unplanned downtimes as well as plant failures and thus to increase production output. Furthermore, the prediction of anomalies reduces required maintenance and optimised spare and wear parts inventory. “The digital twin offers us new possibilities. We are able to simulate the whole system during the project feasibility phase to optimise engineering and evaluate new plant parameters before a change on the live system is even executed.”

For more information about thyssenkrupp’s automation and digital solutions, email sales-is-australia@thyssenkrupp.com

ARE YOU A DESIGNER / MANUFACTURER / RESEARCHER / OPERATOR OF BULK SOLIDS HANDLING SYSTEMS / EQUIPMENT / STORAGE?

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CONVEYORS

Good things in small packages A hybrid belt and apron feeder is giving Australian mining companies enhanced flexibility, through its ability to receive, store and feed material horizontally and up an incline. AN ENGINEERING, PROCUREMENT AND construction (EPC) contractor was tasked to find a way to efficiently and economically move stockpiled iron ore tailings to an overland conveyor. Located in mid-Western Australia, around 220 kilometres south-east of Geraldton, the newly established iron ore and magnetite mine needed a system that could transfer 1500 tonnes per hour to meet the mine’s production requirements. To eliminate the need for multiple conveyors and transfer points, the EPC contractor decided to install a low-profile feeder (LPF) reclaim hopper that could be fed tailings with a front-end loader. Doing so would save a significant amount of money and be simpler to install. Mining equipment manufacturer Transmin’s LPF reclaim hopper fit this role perfectly, as it was able to be both the feeder and conveyor. The LPF is a hybrid of a belt and apron feeder, designed with a bulk-loading hopper on its frame to allow front-end loaders and other bucket machinery to feed it. Receival, storage and feeding can be done with the one machine, which helped the EPC Contractor save on capital expenditure. According to Stuart Taylor, EPC Project Manager, the LPF has consistently outperformed the desired 1500 tonnes per hour output rate without any problems. “The client is really impressed with the performance of the reclaim low profile feeder,” he says. “In fairness, the machine was used above

50 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

and beyond its initial design specification and it’s never missed a beat. This thing is bullet proof.” The LPF uses a bend transition to change the direction of the material, able to go from horizontal to inclined without a second machine. This reduces its footprint providing greater flexibility for plant layouts and reduces civil and steelwork costs. Because the machine is also able to move material on an incline, it also reduced the amount of transition points between conveyors required in a plant.

ABOVE: The LPF’s small footprint provides flexibility for plant layouts. BELOW: The LPF is a hybrid of a belt and apron feeder, designed with a bulk-loading hopper on its frame.

Transmin has a variety of LPFs available and can customise the machines to fit the specifications of a site, providing a range of belt sizes and capacities. Additional features include toothed sprockets that positively drive the chain to reduce belt slippage and mistracking. In-process weighing, flow control gates, various drive styles, belt protection bars, and wear liners can be included to help the machine fit the specific application. Its belting does not need to be continuous and can be supplied in modular sections to be joined by a mechanical joiner.

Shifting stockpiles Transmin’s technology has been implemented on a variety of sites, including an open cut gold mine. The miner needed a way to improve the amount of material extracted from a stockpile. The site’s existing extraction method used conventional feeders submerged in pre-cast concrete tunnels. However, installing a secondary tunnel with a conventional belt or apron feeder would have been too expensive, and the height requirements would have taken the plant out of production for an excessively long period. With a low height profile and ability to incline,

Transmin’s LPF meant precast tunnel sections could be submerged under the stockpile to eliminate the need for additional chute work. It acts as both the feeder and conveyor, extracting and carrying ore from the stockpile for around 40 metres towards an inclined section, where it deposits the ore onto a conventional conveyor. A culvert was dug out using excavators and the precast concrete tunnels dropped into place, allowing the stockpile to quickly be reformed and put back into full service.

LPF Specifications: Based on the iron ore and magnetite mine owner’s requirements, the client EPC chose the following specifications: • Heavy-duty D4 chain • 1.8m wide belt – reinforced with steel slats • 1500 tonnes per hour • Belt speed 0.25 metres per second • 35 cubic metre hopper – for front-end-loader • 75-kilowatt electric motor • Total weight approximately 40 tonnes

CONVEYORS

Treotham paves the way for automation with Energy Chains Component supplier Treotham Automation is helping bulk handlers keep up with the increasing energy and data requirements of automation through its Energy Chain technology. AS TECHNOLOGY BECOMES FASTER AND smarter, machinery often requires more from its surrounding infrastructure. For example, for a conveyor tripper to have access to the Internet of Things, it requires a reliable internet connection. John Sharp, Bulk Materials Handing Specialist at Treotham Automation, says cables need to provide more than just power to support more advanced technology. “Most things involved in moving materials will require power. But, as more companies begin to automate their processes, there is also a higher need to include ethernet, fibreoptic and data cables alongside energy sources such as electricity, gas or liquid,” he says. “A lot of the time, these cables will also need to be tough if being used for bulk handling, as the environments are often harsh, especially if the machinery itself is moving.” To facilitate this, Treotham provides a cable solution called an Energy Chain. Also known as a power chain, drag chain or cable chain, Energy Chains supply, guide and protect moving cables and hoses for automated equipment. Recently, Treotham installed Energy Chains at the Port of Esperance for a ship loader handling iron ore. Mr Sharp says the company’s cable festoon option was only providing power, but with the installation of an Energy Chain system it could also

52 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

provide water for the dust suppression system and fibreoptic cable for cameras, data and control. “Bluescope Steel has also used the technology to upgrade its ship unloading operations. Previously the machine’s power came from a trolley crane with a busbar, which was limited in speed and required a lot of maintenance,” Mr Sharp says. “After the upgrade, the crane had the connectivity for autonomous use and vision systems, allowing the grab to unload the ship. This also mean the company no longer required an operator, letting them use the employee in a higher value task.” The cable chains use high durability plastic, and as a result, the plastic suffers from significantly less wear when compared with metal components and can be run in environments with sand or near corrosive salt water. Mr Sharp explains it is possible to run a maintenance free system for 10 to 15 years with extremely high duty cycles as a result of its construction, which he adds is also significantly cheaper than stainless steel. Energy Chain can also be used in areas where a long travel length is required. Treotham offers specific solutions for longer travel lengths, as potential challenges can arise when the length of chain goes over 400 metres at cable loads of 50 kilograms per metre. Treotham’s system engineers are able to

ABOVE: Energy Chains can help connect bulk handling machinery to the Internet of Things. RIGHT: Energy chains can run for 10 to 15 years maintenance-free in harsh environments.

tailor the chain to a company’s specific operation, providing travel lengths of up to 800 metres long and high additional loads of up to 30 kilograms per metre. A new design of Energy Chain is used in these scenarios, suitable for the mining, warehousing and crane industries. The company’s founder, Mikael Paltoft, moved to Australia from Sweden around three decades ago. He began selling the technology locally, inspired by his father who had sold similar technology in Europe. When Treotham started, Mr Sharp says the technology had not significantly penetrated the Australian market. “Globally, the technology has been used in more than 1000 facilities across a range of industries, from the mining and ports sector, to manufacturing and warehousing,” he says. “However, Australia can often be a bit more conservative when it comes to upgrading certain parts of its infrastructure. This is because there is often a tendency to stick with what you know, even if it is potentially outdated.” Energy Chains are able to be integrated across a variety of bulk handling equipment, including

• Low power consumption • Reliability • Low wear and tear • Low Maintenance • High Capacity • Light weight belt • Steep angles of inclination • High belt speeds • Dust tight • Complete settling of material on belt • True belt tracking • Simple conversion form open to closed conveyor

conveyor belts, excavators, portal scrapers, lifts, silos and funnels. Treotham is able to support the sizing, design, construction and installation and maintenance of the system. “The chain is a mission critical part of operation. If it stops, the machine stops,” Mr Sharp says. “That’s why we ensure our customers are well equipped and are well looked after.”

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CONVEYORS

Proving pulley lagging’s longevity Elastotec aims to change how the mining industry sees pulley lagging by proving it isn’t a consumable item, and that if correctly designed, applied and specified, it can last as long as the mechanical components of the pulley. CONVEYORS OFTEN PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN mining operations, transporting tens of thousands of tonnes of ore per hour. Because of this, when something causes a conveyor to breakdown, the unplanned downtime can cause millions of dollars in lost productivity each day. Specialist pulley lagging company Elastotec has spent more than a decade focusing on increasing the service life of pulley lagging to substantially improve conveyor availability. David Molesworth, Sales Director at Elastotec, says the company believes a conveyor should never stop because of pulley lagging failure. “Lagging does not work individually. It is part of a system that needs to work together with the pulley and the belt,” he says. “Pulley lagging is a vital part of a conveyor, providing wear resistance, grip and protecting both the pulley and the belt from damage and build-up. “However, in many situations there is still an attitude that views pulley lagging as a consumable item and is replaced multiple times during a pulley’s service life. We believe this doesn’t need to be the case and that pulley lagging can be engineered to last as long as the other mechanical components on the pulley.” Elastotec has spent more than a decade designing, understanding and installing pulley lagging and collecting data from each site to build a database of common lagging failure modes. It found that one of the most common failure modes for pulley lagging systems was debonding from the pulley shell. Ceramic lagging is traditionally applied using a two-part neoprene contact cement in a process

54 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

LEFT: Pulley lagging provides wear resistance, grip and protects the pulley and belt from damage. BELOW: Cold bonding can lead to pulley lagging tiles debonding from the rubber backing.

known as cold bonding. This method is convenient, but Elastotec found a number of limitations that impacted the reliability and service life of the bonding. Cold bonding’s adhesion between the rubber backing on the lagging and the steel pulley shell often doesn’t achieve a full rubber tear bond, which is where the bond strength is greater than the rubber strength. In applications with high belt tensions, the shear forces applied by the belt can exceed the bond strength between lagging and the pulley shell, leading to lagging separating from the pulley. For pulleys operating in wet environments, corrosion can occur at the lagging/pulley interface, lifting the edge of the lagging and allowing water in. In addition, cold bonding joins can be weak points for water ingress, which can corrode the pulley shell and debond the lagging. To eliminate these issues, Elastotec developed a method of bonding pulley lagging it calls Hot Vulcanised Ceramic Lagging. The pulley is put into a pressure vessel, where the lagging is attached with hot steam at high pressure. Mr Molesworth says this creates a product with no joins, eliminating the issues of water ingress, and ensures a 100 per cent rubber tear bond. “Because of that bond, the pulley lagging can’t be delaminated. You would have to tear the rubber itself in order to get it off,” he says. Elastotec believes that the application of the lagging is just as important as the engineering and provides training for its approved applicators to install its lagging. Training covers both application techniques and understanding of lagging failure modes so that the

correct type of lagging is selected for each application. The company has found it gets the best results when its approved applicators work closely with a mine’s engineering and maintenance staff. Approved applicators listen to mine engineer’s expertise to help guide them in the application process. Mr Molesworth says the application process has been improved and updated over time as new techniques were developed. “We have the benefit of working with international companies in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, and have seen different methods of applying pulley lagging. Over the past ten years we’ve taken what we have developed in-house plus what we have learned from our international partners and incorporated it into our own applications methods,” he explains. “We have also undertaken significant in-house testing at temperatures between -50°C to 75C, as our product is also sold in regions with vastly different climatic conditions, like Russia and India.” “Our outdoor ageing station has a range of lagging samples, which we test every six months. After seven years we are still obtaining 100 per cent rubber tear bonds, showing that the lagging is able to handle some of the roughest conditions,” Mr Molesworth says.

LEFT: Hot vulcanised polyurethane lagging.

This extensive testing has made Elastotec confident in its pulley lagging solutions to the point where the company offers a warranty with its lagging. Elastotec says its hot vulcanized lagging won’t debond from the pulley, the edges will not lift, and water will not get through the joins. Additionally, the Elastotec warranty covers tile debonding – which is another reason why conveyors have to stop for lagging or pulley replacement. “We introduced the warranty a couple of years ago to show that we were serious about providing pulley lagging that would last,” Mr Molesworth adds. “Since 2012, more than 800 hot-vulcanized Elastotec pulley lagging systems have been installed internationally with zero failures.”

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CONVEYORS

A storm is brewing: Vortex Global supports Australian tea Vortex Global’s bulk handling equipment is specifically designed for handling dry tea leaves.

LEFT: Taylor’s of Harrogate trialled four of Vortex’s Wye Line Diverters over several weeks.

AS PART OF A STUDY, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH has found Australians love a cuppa. One in every two Australians drink a cup of tea at least once a week, with only tap water, milk and hot coffee beating it in popularity according to the findings. It also found Australian tea drinkers consume, on average, around five to 10 cups a week, depending on age. The tea industry made more than $1.64 billion in revenue in 2018, according to analysis from Statista, which expects the market to grow annually by 3.5 per cent through to 2023. To ensure thousands of Australians can enjoy their afternoon tea, Vortex Global has been providing dedicated equipment designed to handle dry tea leaves for more than a decade. During this time, it has provided more than 75 slide gates, diverter valves, iris diaphragm, and loading chutes specifically designed for bulk dry tea leaves. Each piece of tea handling equipment has its material contact areas constructed from 304 stainless steel and are built to IECEx specifications. An electropolished blade is often included to help accommodate wash down, along with polyethylene terephthalate polymer seals to prevent swelling in the presence of moisture during these wash-down procedures. Ferrule fittings

56 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

are also included to accommodate compression couplings instead of studded bolt flanges.

Taylor’s tea time Taylor’s of Harrogate is a tea and coffee merchant based in North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1886, the company offers a range of teas sold in more than 35 countries. In order to streamline its processes, Taylor’s of Harrogate reached out to Vortex Global. Previously, blended teas were transferred to two packing machines, each with a dedicated vacuum conveying system. Engineers at Taylor’s of Harrogate wanted to combine the two systems, with the aim of reducing costs, energy consumption and the number of vacuum pumps and pipework, without affecting the quality, taste or structure of the tea. Vortex provided Taylor’s of Harrogate with four of its Wye Line Diverters to use on a trial basis over several weeks. When the trial ended, Taylor’s of Harrogate was impressed with how the diverter valves had performed and purchased an additional eight diverters. “Many are surprised to hear that dry leaf tea is actually a very abrasive material with explosion potential,” a Taylor’s of Harrogate spokesperson says.

“We certainly valued Vortex’s trial service, so that we could evaluate the diverter valves in use with our product. The valves were also modified with abrasion-resistant features to help us get around the potential wear problem.” By using the Wye Line Diverters to bring the two systems together, Taylor’s of Harrogate was able to remove three 4.3 kilowatt electric motors, reducing power consumption as well as noise in the production hall. Vortex also provided Taylor’s of Harrogate with loading chutes to control fine material particulate when various types of tea leaves are fed into the blending drum. The chute has a tube-in-tube design with a neoprene-coated polyester outer sleeve, which is static dissipative to address the potentially explosive environment. It uses three double-acting air cylinder actuators, replacing the standard electric motor and four-cable hoist drive system, and has a dust collection port routed into the pre-existing dust collection system. For food safety, the spout’s material contact areas are stainless steel, with all welds ground and polished. Once all the tea types have been introduced into

LEFT: Dry leaf tea leaves can be a very abrasive material with explosive potential.

the blending drum, the spout is retracted, and the blender is secured to begin the blending process. When the process is complete, the tea blend is transported to a packaging line. Since the upgrade, Taylor’s of Harrogate has acquired several additional Vortex Wye Line Diverters to work alongside the diverter valves that are still in service today.

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CONVEYORS

Schenck Process installs Australian-first TEDO tube conveyor Schenck Process Australia has installed one of Australia’s first tube conveyor systems as part of an alternative system for an east coast cement plant. TO MANUFACTURE CEMENT, SPECIALISED KILNS are used to reach extreme temperatures. High carbon fuels such as coal, heavy fuel oil, or gas are often used to fuel these kilns. However, as more companies look to improve sustainability in their operations, alternative fuels are becoming more popular. These fuels are often materials that would have otherwise been sent to landfill, including tyres, paper and packaging, sawdust or shredded plastic. Many of these fuels have bulk densities that are only 10 to 20 per cent of a primary fuel, meaning a large volume needs to be transported, stored and metred. Raja Ratnam, General Manager of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Schenck Process Australia, explains the company has seen a rise in popularity with alternative fuel systems and has designed, supplied, installed and commissioned an Australian-first tube conveyor for the application. “Schenck Process’s extensive record in delivering these systems to other worldwide locations and the capability to supply the entire process was key to the successful tender in Australia,” he says. “We are a global technology company, which means we are able to draw on a diverse range of expertise. This is then combined with our local teams’ understanding of the regulations and

58 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

requirements for certain projects.” Schenck Process operates technology centres around the globe. The company’s experts in the Czech Republic specialise in alternative fuel systems and have extensive international experience in providing alternative and biomass fuel feed systems. The company has installed a number of systems for public and private clients in the US, Europe and the UK, including Yorkshire’s Drax Power Station. The company’s Australian team helped their European counterparts during the design phase, ensuring that all of the local regulations were met, especially when it came to operations and maintenance. The plant was then manufactured and shipped to Australia, where Schenck Process’s local team oversaw the installation. Mr Ratnam says Schenck Process is prepared to deliver complete plants, including engineering and steel works as part of a turnkey package. “In addition, we own a test field where new developments can be tested, new materials can be checked for flow behaviour and Schenck Process equipment can be seen in operation,” he says. Material is loaded onto a tube conveyor the same way it is in a conventional system, but as it travels, special devices close the belt carrying the conveyed material. The belt forms a closed pipe over the entire conveying distance, where it then opens automatically before the discharge point is reached. Mr Ratnam says this is one of the first tube conveyors in the country, selected for its ability to contain and transport light loads. “Refuse derived fuel isn’t homogenous. There’s a lot of variance that can arise in the consistency of the material, so the material handling system needs the flexibility to manage this while also being low maintenance,” he says. “Tube conveyors have no pinch points so the material can’t cause hang ups or blockages. The environment is protected against any material

LEFT: Schenck Process tube conveyors can handle horizontal and vertical curves. RIGHT: Schenck Process brings international solutions into the Australian marketplace.

being lost and can handle both horizontal and vertical curves.” The tube belt installed in the plant lifts the feed almost 70 metres on a 30-degree angle to be processed through a screw weight feeder. This helps the system prevent surges and regulates the flow of fuel product. Material is then delivered to the

site’s calciner, which operates at temperatures of above 850°C. Weighing equipment is a key component in the control system of the plant as it controls the belt speed and the speeds of the upstream feed conveyors. This ensures a constant loading, a basic requirement for high-accuracy weighing of a flow of material. Schenck Process ensures the metering systems included in its alternative fuel systems are designed for widely varying materials and designs the plants to be protected from foreign body damage as well as blockages. Mr Ratnam says Schenck Process has a responsibility to take care of their customer’s needs and is investing into new technologies to improve this support. “Moving forward, we’re looking to embrace more digital technologies and provide additional insights for conveyor operators,” he says. “Schenck Process wants to bring the technology that has been proven internationally to Australian shores, providing local businesses with the support of an OEM that understands their needs.”

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CONVEYORS

Kinder dust suppression to tackle silica emissions Inhalation of silica dust can be deadly, which is why bulk handling equipment manufacturer Kinder is focused on reducing workplace dust. SILICON DIOXIDE, ALSO KNOWN AS SILICA, is found in sand, stone, concrete and mortar. It is one of the most common minerals found on the earth’s crust and is used across a number of industries such as mining and construction. Despite its many applications, it poses a potentially deadly threat to workers according to Safe Work Australia. Inhalation of the dust can lead to diseases including bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer and silicosis. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians says Australia is currently in the midst of an accelerated silicosis epidemic, with more than 100 stonemasons diagnosed with the preventable disease in the past six months. It has led to the Victorian Government initiating a compliance enforcement blitz, targeting high-risk workplaces. According to WorkSafe Victoria, the exposure standard for airborne crystalline silica is 0.1 milligrams per cubic metre over an eight-hour day, however the State Government is pushing to reduce this to 0.02 milligrams per cubic metre. “Victorians have a right to expect their work won’t kill them – that’s why we’re doing all we can to make sure workers go home safe to their families,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement. Silica dust is often generated by the cutting, drilling, extraction, crushing and screening of rock, meaning mine, quarry and bulk materials handling workers could be at risk. Excessive dust emissions can also be hazardous to motors and machinery, damaging and interfering with conveyor components. Neil Kinder, CEO of Kinder Australia, says effective

60 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

dust control is more important than ever before. “The nature of today’s bulk materials handling operations produces dust, and plenty of it. Best practice dust control measures need to be implemented to keep dust emissions at industry standard compliant levels and to ensure the safety and health of all workers,” he says. “Maximising productivity, protecting your most valuable assets (your people and plant) and the effective suppression of dust goes hand in hand. “Current dust suppression systems vary greatly in terms of costs, complexity and ease of implementation, making it highly dependent on the operation’s size, location and surrounding environment.” This is one of the reasons Kinder Australia performs site visits, to ensure its suppression systems will be a good fit for a site. Recently, site inspections at an Asian-Pacific manufacturer uncovered it was suffering from major inefficiencies in material flow, as well as excessive conveyor material spillage and dust emissions. These inefficiencies had resulted in frequent shutdowns and excessive clean-up costs, with the recruitment of an external cleaning contractor required to manage spillage and minimise dust hazards. Kinder’s team found the culprit for the inefficiencies to be the distance between frames on the existing skirting and conveyor belt. A K-Sure Belt Support System and K-Ultra Dual Seal have since been installed at the manufacturing plant to reduce the gap. The system is a combined conveyor belt support and skirting solution within the steel plant’s impact zone under the chute. Two extra K-Sure Belt Support

ABOVE: Inhaling silica dust can have serious health consequences. RIGHT: Kinder’s K-MotorShield protects machinery from dust, which can help extend its working life.

frames were introduced to reduce gap support to 300 millimetres solely for rail support, including a lead on frame. By absorbing the full impact of the conveyed material at the transfer point, the manufacturing plant was able to reduce the amount of dust and material spillage significantly and slash clean-up costs. Because the seal is located where material is loaded and continues to where it becomes stable, belt tracking is minimised, and conveyor reliability improves. Kinders’ range of dust control solutions includes conveyor belt covers which protect material from environmental factors such as sun, wind and rain. By covering the conveyor, airborne dust cannot escape as easily, which keeps emissions levels low. Because dust can affect more than just people, the company can implement a range of motor covers to protect vital and expensive machinery, prolonging their working life. “When both material spillage containment and airborne dust is effectively suppressed and within acceptable industry standards, this can pave the way to operational improvements, continuous productivity, a safer and cleaner work place for all workers and meeting our environmental obligations,” Mr Kinder says.

For more information on Kinder’s range of dust suppression solutions contact Kinder Australia on +61 3 8587 9111 or email conveyorsolutions@kinder.com.au

BELT CLEANERS

Unique belt cleaner harnesses the power of gravity A major mining corporation has implemented a new belt cleaning system to improve the reliability, safety and profitability of its conveyors. TWO YEARS AGO, A MINING OPERATION IN the Pilbara transitioned their overland conveyor from a dry operation to a wet one. After the transition, the conveyor operators began to notice that carryback was sticking to the belt beyond the point of discharge. This carryback started to significantly impact the conveyor by damaging its idlers to the point of failure. Phil Scott, Superintendent at the mine site, says the idler damage slashed productivity. “There were situations where one idler would fail,

62 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

meaning the process would need to stop to repair it. A lot of these idlers were high above the ground, so any team sent to manually repair it would require a lot of safety preparations, with shutdowns up to three hours long,” he explains. “Because the conveyor had isolated and difficult to access idlers, it wasn’t possible for our team to know when another could fail. This made preventative maintenance on other idlers unfeasible, so another breakdown could happen within hours.” To solve some of these major issues, the company reached out to Unique Fluid Power (UFP), a mining engineering company which had an innovative solution. The company’s Autonomous Tensioning System (ATS) uses gravity instead of an external power supply to apply constant hydraulic force to belt scrapers. The ATS floats up and down, actively following variable belt profiles and uneven splices with a constant level of force to maintain optimal cleaning performance. Using a closed hydraulic loop, the ATS aims to extract the best possible performance from the belt cleaners, over the complete blade life, without intervention. Mr Scott says after installing the ATS, the overland conveyor went from almost daily downtime issues to a full 12 weeks without an issue. “We’re now almost maintenance free, which has been a massive improvement for our productivity. Before we installed the ATS, we had a labour contract

ABOVE: The Autonomous Tensioning System uses gravity to clean conveyor belts. LEFT: Hydraulic force applies constant pressure to belt scrapers, following variable belt profiles and uneven splices.

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BELT CLEANERS

talk

Choosing the right belt cleaner STEVE DAVIS In his regular BULKtalk column, Steve Davis of Rio Tinto considers the basics of bulk handling that sites often struggle with. He shares his insights gained from more than 30 years in bulk materials handling. Steve Davis is the principal advisor – bulk materials process at Rio Tinto, based in Perth. Steve has worked in bulk handling for 30 years, for both resource companies and professional engineering firms, in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada. His experience encompasses such commodities as iron ore, coal, potash, phosphates, petcoke, sulphur, sands and grain.

FIGURE 1: Spillage and carryback.

Rio Tinto’s Steve Davis discusses why we clean belts, the cost of having dirty belts, and some practical guidance on selecting cleaners and keeping belts clean. CONVEYOR CARRYBACK COSTS THE BULK handling industry billions of dollars every year in clean up, lost product and downtime. Carryback is the fine material that falls on the floor or structure along the length of the conveyor, which can build up on and below idler rolls. It can damage the conveyor and become a fugitive dust source. There are also safety implications as carryback can lead to injury, serious damage and encrustation. The costs of carryback can quickly build up. Consider the following: a 1.5-metre-wide belt moving at four metres per second, with 1.2 metres of the belt dirty. If the amount of carryback is one millimetre thick, the volume carried is 17.3 cubic metres per hour or 121,000 cubic metres per year. In this scenario, there would be potentially more than 100,000 tonnes of coal, or nearly 200,000 tonnes of iron ore on the floor from each conveyor. Reduce the thickness to 0.1 millimetre, and it is still 10,000 tonnes of coal and 20,000 tonnes of iron ore. Assuming an iron ore stream includes some 20 similar conveyors from pit to port, and as I write, the value has just passed $100 per tonne. This could be $40 million on the floor, on top of the cost to FIG 1.

FIGURE 2: Quick release dual primary cleaners (Martin Engineering).

64 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

clean it, plus any resulting damage it causes, adding up to a potential cost of $75 million annually for a single operation. By reducing carryback to 0.01 millimetre, there is the potential to save nearly $70 million a year. Although many suppliers have developed excellent belt cleaning equipment, keeping belts clean is still a major problem. It’s not possible to eliminate carryback entirely, however belt cleaning equipment can be implemented to the best possible standards. Ploughs stop dirt (and larger things) from entrapment between belt and pulley, extend lagging life and protect the belt from punctures and the pulley from failure. A missing plough could easily cost several million dollars for pulley and belt replacement and downtime. Pulleys can tear from their supports if tramp enters between belt and pulley. This is a safety hazard on top of the cost of damage.

GETTING THE BEST FROM CLEANERS There is no Australian Standard for belt cleaning equipment. In order to get the best out of cleaners, start by selecting one that is fit for purpose from a specialist supplier. There are very few new ore conveying situations, so select a cleaner type with proven capability in blade type and pressure setting system for the ore on the belt. Understand the requirements, and the differences between wet and dry, coarse and fine, abrasion and the like. Is the belt reversible? Will it have clip or vulcanised splice? Is the pulley crowned? Would an air knife really remove fine wet residue? Is tungsten carbide better than polyurethane for the blades? Is a brush cleaner or belt wash appropriate? Choose cleaners that make maintenance easier. Self-adjusting blade tensioning gives better performance as precise manual adjustments are time consuming. Robust components that are maintainable while wearing gloves are required.

FIG 2.

Install the cleaners according to supplier guidelines. One cleaner is seldom sufficient for best belt cleaning. Primary and secondary cleaners, and possibly more, are usually necessary. Design chutes around the cleaners. Consider the cleaner discharge, and preferably how it can return product to the belt. Do not allow procurement to buy something different to the original design just to save a few dollars. The additional cost to change the chute to match the new supply, or the ongoing failure in operation when installed incorrectly will be far higher than the saving. Cleaners start to wear out immediately after commissioning. Cleaner wear rate is high, so for best performance provide good inspection and maintenance access in and around the cleaner. Safe, simple and fast maintenance will get best results. Consider retracting the components from the chute, which could need wider and lower walkways. Provide access panels for easy condition monitoring. Who wants to lie on grating to peer through a slot to see cleaner condition? Remember that the chute is a guard, and all penetrations must comply with AS/NZS 4024. I have seen a cleaner installation so well tucked away under the chute that the maintenance team was not aware

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BELT CLEANERS

FIGURE 3: Manual adjust cleaners – how easy is it to access, adjust and maintain them?

FIG 3.

FIGURE 4: Secondary Cleaner with quick change blades (Martin Engineering).

of it, and others that are completely inaccessible without entering a chute or dismantling structure. The worst I have seen so far is a site with a zero-maintenance expectation for cleaners and no spare parts. Carryback was extreme after two years operation, and the facility had to pay to dispose to landfill, turning $150 per tonne profit into $275 per tonne loss.

PLOUGHS Install ploughs before any belt to pulley nip point, using vee or diagonal ploughs for unidirectional

belts, and diagonal ploughs only for reversible belts. Ploughs only work properly if the belt is positively flat where it contacts, and the plough is as wide as the belt. Including safety chains is highly recommended. The plough must be deep enough to divert the largest rock that could be on the belt. If in doubt, a shrouded plough should keep all particles from the nip point. Rounded or bull nose vee ploughs may not be best for wet fines, as the particles can build up in front and cause the plough to lift and wear and can damage the belt. Ploughs discharge to the side of the belt, and many installations have no provision to collect this discharge. It is common to see ploughs bury themselves and the belt at the tail end of a conveyor, while elevated ploughs can throw a large rock several metres. Ploughs also need maintenance, so access is required. Many ploughs are self-adjusting under gravity. If allowed to wear down to the steel considerable belt damage can result. There are some ploughs with quick-change blades for fast maintenance.

CLEANER TYPES Cleaner selection is subjective, and previous experience is a good start for selection. I believe there are some differences between the available cleaners. I also believe that any cleaner chosen based on a logical selection process, that is correctly FIG 4.

66 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

installed, and is simple to maintain will function well. Maintenance spares must be readily available too. One of the best sites I have seen had cleaners supplied and maintained as a single contract in chutes designed to suit. There are contractors in Australia who can supply such a package. I am often asked to make a recommendation for a replacement cleaner when the fault is with installation and maintenance. Discuss problems with the supplier first as they have experience to help. Retrofitting different cleaners is fraught with possible operational problems when making assumptions regarding the installation. Replacement cleaners are often installed incorrectly to avoid rework. Cleaners are not expensive. It is worth spending a few extra dollars to get a good result. There used to be many cleaner and plough designs from non-specialist suppliers. Most of those I have seen were relatively ineffective, but the cost of the engineering was not reflected in the cheaper supply cost. The majority of cleaners for belts are blade style with some form of blade pressure control. Use supplier guidance for pressure settings, as grinding the blade into the belt under high pressure will wear the blade faster and probably will not improve cleaning. Beyond this, the materials of construction and blade configuration are extremely varied. I have not seen any table that recommends a particular type and application. Selection is subjective. Some suppliers recommend wetting the blades to improve cleaning and reduce wear. Diagonal pulley cleaners are relatively new. Two steel cords with reversible blades in between are tensioned around the pulley face. Supplier recommended installation and setup for these cleaners is specific and retrofitting to an existing chute may require more chute changes than other types to get optimum performance. Rotary brushes need space, a drive, bearings and supports, so are more complex and maintenance intensive. Capture of the discharge is different. The brush may clog quickly with fine, wet, sticky materials. Brush cleaners may generate static electricity, which can be a hazard. Rotary ‘finger’ cleaners are also available. Rappers are useful for sidewall and cleated belts. Air knives can work well with fine carryback such as alumina. Spiral and disc return rolls can remove carryback, but distribute it along the conveyor. Wash boxes are the ultimate cleaners for difficult carryback. Primary and secondary cleaners are still required with the wash box being the last stage. Wash boxes need space on the return belt for operation, and good access for maintenance. From experience, they can be difficult to retrofit so for some conveyed ores it might be prudent to allow space in the design even if not initially installed. A clean water supply is best, and some method of disposing of the slurry formed. Wet process plants usually can manage a small slurry stream, dry process plants are another matter. Water jet cleaners are non-contact systems that may

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BELT CLEANERS

FIG 5.

FIGURE 5: Cleanscrape Cleaner (Martin Engineering).

be applicable. The slurry resulting has to be captured and treated. Generic spray bars are generally not effective for belt cleaning as nozzle size, spray shape and orientation should be specific. All cleaners and ploughs remove material from the belt. For best results, address where and how the material will be collected and disposed. Primary and secondary cleaners generally return ‘dribbles’ to the main chute, but this can be difficult in the chute geometry. Consider polytetrafluoroethylene slides, water and vibration to encourage flow on shallow slopes in dribble chutes. Belt damage, splice damage, belt clips, buildup of materials on pulleys and lagging damage all interfere with the operation of belt cleaners, and will accelerate wear of the cleaner. Lifting the cleaner is not a solution, nor is increasing pressure on the blade. Some cleaners accommodate these issues better than others. Multiple finger cleaners may be more effective than a continuous blade for an irregular belt surface. Large belt cleaners have large and heavy components for manual handling so consider the

68 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2019

weight, location and removal method. A primary cleaner bar with blades for a 2200-millimetre-wide belt will weigh approximately 150 kilograms. Motors, drives and other mechanisms add complexity. Many cleaners have stored energy in the adjuster from springs, air cylinders and hydraulics; release this energy safely prior to work.

SUMMARY Install quality cleaners to supplier recommendations and maintain appropriately for best cleaning. No cleaning system is perfect. There will always be some carryback, so consider how this will be collected. Belt cleaners and ploughs need frequent inspection and regular maintenance to work well. I have not seen a cleaner on-line condition monitoring system that would give advanced warning of wear or other problems, but this would cut out the regular inspection. Safe, accessible, easy, quick inspection and maintenance will help keep belts clean. Simpler maintenance systems are easier, cheaper and faster to maintain.

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