Effective transport of bulk material
Companies require effective options for transporting bulk goods such as ore, coal, gravel or sand – for example from the mine, sand pit or quarry to the plant (Fig. 1). Transportation by truck is expensive and has a negative impact on the environment. An economical alternative is a continuous conveyor, such as troughed or tubular belt conveyors. With the right design, these conveyors can be optimally adapted to the environmental conditions. Pollutants such as dust, noise emission and exhaust gases are minimised or even eliminated. By comparison to transportation by truck, large mass flows can be transported. Even in difficult environments, the construction work for these systems is minimal.
The BEUMER Group designs and implements such conveying systems. The BEUMER belt conveyors are used as closed tubular belt conveyors or as open troughed belt conveyors. The tubular belt conveyors are suited, for instance, for powdery material and on steep routes, the open troughed belt conveyors are used for robust or coarse material. Due to their routing, the belt conveying systems negotiate rugged terrain and other obstacles, such as rivers, streets, buildings or train tracks (Fig. 2). This reduces the costs of moving earth and expensive transfer points are significantly reduced. Horizontal and vertical curves can even overlap.
Tubular belt conveyors are particularly suited to negotiate steep slopes or inclines and also for high quality or powdery materials. Inside the closed system, the material does not fall backwards and the excellent sealing allows the material to be transported dust-free. The tubular belt conveyors are used for particularly tight curves, as they are able to better negotiate curves than troughed belt conveyors. The troughed belt conveyors transport larger volumes and mass flows and consume less energy. BEUMER has already implemented belt conveying systems with centre distances of more than 10 km. The motors in these systems can be controlled, making optimal load distribution in the belt possible in all operating conditions. Depending on the terrain and loading condition, the systems can also operate as generators. The generated electric energy is fed to the mains by a regenerative feedback unit, helping to reduce energy costs for operating the whole system.
Belts on BEUMER systems reach long service lives of up to 20 years. The reason for this is the optimal design of the routes, drive technology, the take-up station and the arrangement of belt-guiding idlers. Exact calculations of the idler positions enable the belt conveyor to negotiate curves. If the system is designed optimally, an even stress on all components is ensured and the overall strain on the belt is minimised. BEUMER engineers work with customers to design the static requirements for the bridges and belt conveying systems, optimise the route of the belt conveyor on-site and see the project through each phase of construction.
BEUMER Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG,
Beckum (D), Tel.: +49 2521 2428-0, www.beumer.com
