Voith recently delivered 36 fluid couplings for an iron ore distribution center in Malaysia. The couplings will be used in the drives of 16 belt conveyors supplied by the BEUMER Group which will start in 2014. For each of the belt conveyors, Voith has supplied the hydrodynamic fluid couplings which are applied to drives ranging in powers from 200 to 800 kW. They have been selected to softly start and protect all conveyor system components and minimise unplanned system downtime.

Voith fluid couplings have a rugged design and are well suited for use under the most extreme environmental conditions. They dampen torsional vibrations in the driveline and protect it against overload. This extends the lifetime of the entire system. The belt conveyor drives provided by Voith are equipped with TVVS constant –filled fluid couplings which are suited to medium and long belt conveyors with start up times up to 45 seconds. Fluid couplings automatically match the demand torque of the driven conveyor. The smooth application of fluid coupling torque provides a smooth belt start-up to protect the belt from damaging stresses, thus reducing system downtimes.

The mechanical separation of the motor and machine through the fluid coupling allows the motor to run at speed without load and machines that use multiple motors can be switched on in a staggered sequence to limit the current demanded during the motor acceleration. This avoids grid overloading caused by simultaneous motor starts. In the most demanding belt conveyors, the TVVS is deployed with centrifugal force valves to further protect the electric grid.