Tag Archives: mine maintenance

Martin Engineering on handling uptime and potential hazards in conveyor belt operations

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , ,

Martin Engineering is aware of the potential hazards and injuries that can come from a build up of material around or near conveyor belts and has issued some advice to mining companies to prevent such events occurring and to ensure bulk handling equipment works to its potential.

“As tonnes of material per hour are quickly dropped with great force through receiving chutes onto a receiving conveyor, fugitive cargo often piles up around the frame and dust migrates throughout the area, collecting on idlers, pulleys and floors and affecting air quality,” Martin Engineering said.

“Workers have to continuously clean up the material before it encapsulates the belt, potentially exposing them to a hazardous work area around a moving conveyor, where even incidental contact can result in serious injury in a split second. Considering that most conveyor injuries occur though routine maintenance or clean up, controlling fugitive material is becoming one of the primary elements in a well-organised effort to reduce hazards and prevent injuries.”

Jerad Heitzler, Product Specialist at Martin Engineering, said conveyor operators need only to take a broad look at the expense that fugitive material has on a system to realise the full cost that accompanies inefficient transfer point designs.

“Problems such as improper belt support, badly sealed chutes, damaged idlers and uneven cargo distribution can all result in spillage and belt mis-tracking,” he said. “They also contribute to increased costs for lost material, premature equipment failure, maintenance and clean-up, as well as the potential for injury and compliance issues. These factors raise the cost of operation and reduce profit margins.”

In a properly-engineered transfer point, each component, from the chute design to the cradles and dust seals, is employed to maximise its specific function and contain dust and fines, while at the same time offering workers easy access for maintenance, the company said.

Transfer points

Containment is the key to avoiding spillage and dust and there are several components designed for this purpose, according to Martin Engineering.

Although shaped transfer chutes and rock boxes direct the material flow to mitigate the concussion of material on the belt, most high-volume operations need one or more impact cradles to absorb the force of the cargo stream.

“Heavy duty impact cradles can be equipped with rubber or urethane impact bars with a top layer of slick UHMW plastic to minimise belt friction. Able to withstand impact forces as high as 17,000 lbf (53.4-75.6 kN) and drop heights of up to 50 ft (15.2 m), support beams in the centre of the cradle are set slightly below the receiving belt’s line of travel. In this way, the belt avoids sustained friction when running empty and yet can absorb hard impacts during loading, while still retaining a tight belt seal.

“Within the settling zone – located after the impact cradle in the conveyor chute box – slider cradles can then create a troughed belt to centre the cargo and reduce disruption quickly, aiding in dust settlement.”

Slider cradles, located down the length of the skirted area, have several functions, the company said. One is to create a trough angle that adequately centres the load. The trough angle also plays an important part in retaining a tight seal between the belt and the skirt. Lastly, using track mount idlers in between each cradle, a smooth belt path is created through the settling area, one that can be easily maintained.

“A smooth belt path should have no gaps, minimising disruption and promoting containment, allowing dust and fines to settle into the cargo stream prior to leaving the containment area,” the company said.

Airflow

With a constant stream of material crashing on the impact point of the receiving belt, the transfer point can be extremely turbulent, and this turbulence must be contained, Martin Engineering said.

By slowing the airflow in the skirted area, suspended dust can settle onto the cargo path. To contain the mixture of air and disrupted material, a stable, correctly-supported belt is needed for the sealing components to function properly, according to the company. Without a stable beltline, the belt will sag between idlers, and sealing components will not prevent air and fine material from escaping out of the resulting gaps, causing spillage and dust emissions.

Chute sealing

By closing gaps and keeping a tight seal on the belt, apron seals can also be attached to the chute walls to prevent fugitive dust and fines from escaping.

“A crucial requirement in any transfer point designed for reduced spillage and high efficiency is an effective skirting and wear liner sealing system at the edge of the belt,” Heitzler said. “Modern designs feature external skirting, which establish the tight belt seal needed to eliminate fugitive dust and fines.”

The external design requires minimal tools and no confined space entry to inspect, adjust or replace wear liners or skirts and, in most cases, can be performed by a single worker, Martin Engineering said. “The low profile of the skirting assembly needs only a few inches of clearance, allowing installation and maintenance in space-restricted areas. The design of these components drastically reduces scheduled downtime and the potential workplace hazards associated with replacement and adjustment.”

Dust filtration

In operations with limited space for a settling zone or especially dusty materials, dust bags and curtains may be “essential components”, the company said.

“Providing passive relief via positive air pressure created at belt conveyor loading zones, dust bags prevent the escape of airborne particulates by venting the air and collecting dust at the same time. Installed at the exit of the loading zone and mounted in the skirtboard cover, dust curtains can help create a plenum for dust suppression and dust collection.”

For additional dust control, an integrated air cleaner system can be installed at the point of emission, containing a suction blower, filtering elements and a filter cleaning system.

Conveyor uptime

The company concluded: “Managers concerned with the overall safety and cost of operation need to review potential hazards, the impact of rising labour costs for clean-up and maintenance, combined with the expense of potential fines or forced downtime, to determine specifically how they can affect the bottom line.

“Using the technologies described here, even poorly-performing conveyors often don’t need to be replaced or rebuilt, but merely modified and reconfigured by knowledgeable and experienced technicians installing modern equipment.”

Heitzler signed off: “These improvements will help operations improve efficiency, reduce risk and contribute to regulatory compliance.”

FLSmidth’s SAGwise makes an impact on mill consumables

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Just over a year since launching its SAGwise™ total process control solution for semi-autogenous (SAG) mills, FLSmidth is putting some savings statistics behind the sensory and process optimisation system.

SAGwise is designed to optimise the use of the three main consumables in SAG milling: power, media and liners.

Winston Mokoena, Key Account Manager at FLSmidth, said the solution reduces critical impacts inside the mill by up to 45%. This adds life to wear liners and grinding balls, helping to prolong liner life between maintenance and giving mills more uptime, he added.

“SAGwise can improve mill production by 6% and substantially reduce process variability,” Mokoena said. “This ensures that the mill provides a constant and optimal feed to the next stage of the process, effectively facilitating better performance of downstream operations.”

Among the challenges mill optimisation tries to address is too little material in the mill, or too much. Too little leads to critical impacts between the grinding media and the mill liners, damaging both elements without producing value. If the mill is overfilled with mined material, on the other hand, this results in grinding inefficiencies.

“The SAGwise system uses four or eight unidirectional or bidirectional audio sensors located in close proximity to the mill, which detect the analogue sounds and convert them into digital signals for analysis by a processing unit,” FLSmidth said. “This unit uses the sound patterns and other process variables to determine the necessary adjustment to the mill’s feed, speed and pulp density.”

So direct are the improvements that can be achieved by this solution that customers can pay back their investment in less than six months, depending on the commodity value and the specific mill environment, according to FLSmidth.

“The parameters that are monitored by SAGwise include the mill’s power consumption, load impacts, mill load and pulp density,” Mokoena said. “The system then responds to these parameters by controlling the mill speed, the feed rate and the water to achieve the ‘sweet spot’ where the mill runs at optimum efficiency.”

Aury Africa equipped for the digitalisation of mining

Automation, Coal technology, Comminution of minerals, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aury Africa Managing Director, Sydney Parkhouse, says in the near future the company will be tracking all of its screening and vibrating equipment via RFID tags and will incorporate full data packs for real-time access.

Speaking to IM, Parkhouse said Aury had been increasing its use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to measure important information such as temperature and vibration in its equipment. Initially this technology has been installed at three mines in South Africa to help track service data and share that information with mine operators, he said.

He told IM he saw many more applications beyond this.

“RFID tags have the capabilities of providing proof of presence when activated by for-purpose RFID readers. The associated software is configurable so that external monitoring devices can be inputted into the reader providing valuable information such as temperature, vibration, etc.

“However, the real benefits are through the digitisation of work processes,” he said. By capturing such data, personnel can verify all work processes are being completed in a logical manner, according to Parkhouse.

“Furthermore, real time capturing of data by trained personnel provides useful information, through configurable reports,” he said.

The RFID technology, using InfoChip software, was developed for Aury Africa by its Johannesburg-based technology partner, Thembekile Asset Management Solutions (AMS). The system not only allows the company to track when services are provided, but also enables some self-learning for its crew, while ensuring regulatory compliance for the mine, Parkhouse said.

AMS has offered active and passive RFID-based solutions to the mining industry, as well as the health care and logistics sectors, since 2012, according to Parkhouse.

In addition to the development of the use of RFID tags in equipment – which Parkhouse considers to be part of Aury’s broader goals of adapting to all facets of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the digitalisation of mining – Aury’s sister company, Tianjin Meiteng Technology, is piloting ‘Smart Plant’ technology.

“The group’s ‘Smart Plant’ concept utilises automated control and sensor technology to monitor key parameters to boost operational efficiency on a proactive, real-time basis,” Parkhouse said.

This can range from pump pressure to conveyor belt speed, with all associated software and hardware proprietary and developed specifically by Aury’s parent company, Dadi Engineering Development Group.

Dadi recently retrofitted such a system at a 30 Mt/y coal handling plant in China, but Parkhouse said the market in Africa for such ‘Smart Plants’ was still in its infancy.

“Although several major mining houses have set goals for smart plants, the acceptance of the technology is slow and we believe it will be several years before there will be any significant changes,” he said.

Aury has also been carrying out work in dry processing; an area that has come into focus in recent years on the back of heightened fears over water resources.

Dadi, its parent company, has devised an intelligent dry sorting system (pictured above) that does not consume water or media, and has been gaining favour in China – Aury estimates some 60 dry systems are already in operation in the country.

Parkhouse expected Aury to have sold and installed its first dry sorting system in Africa by the end of the year, explaining ongoing trials of South Africa coals were taking place at Meiting’s facilities in Tianjin, China.

“In the meantime, plans are in place to bring into South Africa a pilot plant during the third quarter (September quarter),” he said.

When asked how this technology differed from other ‘dry’ technologies being developed by original equipment manufacturers, Parkhouse responded: “The real brains behind the technology is the development of big data capture, cloud computing, high-speed processors and high-tech IT skills. We believe Meitieng is at the front of this development.”

He said there were also applications beyond coal: “Trials are on-going in manganese and gold, which have produced very positive results to date.”

Mato Products makes its mark on conveyor belt cleaning market

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , ,

Mato Products, a Multotec company, says it has expanded its bulk handling equipment reach into the design of innovative belt cleaning systems for a number of mineral and metals markets.

The company has long been a household name in clip fasteners for conveyor belts, especially in the underground coal sector. It company operates one of only three high production Mato machines in the world, and significantly the only one outside of Germany.

After over 30 years of operation, this Mato unit was overhauled in 2016 in an intense six-month refurbishment. It was upgraded from 180 t to 360 t capacity, speeding up production and ensuring both ongoing cost-effectiveness and reliability of supply for customers, according to the company.

Mato said: “The company’s exciting line of belt cleaning equipment has for some time now been gathering momentum. Its popularity has extended well beyond the coal sector into other materials handling and mineral processing applications, even in diamond mining.”

According to Benjamin Sibanda, Managing Director of Mato Products, over-feeds at transfer points often lead to material build-up on the inside of a belt.

“As mines and other industrial facilities raise their environmental standards, they want to avoid problems like duff heaps under conveyors, which can cause pollution,” Sibanda said.

The Mato MCP3-S primary cleaner, installed at the head pulley is designed to be an aggressive head pulley cleaner, yet friendly to the conveyor belt surface and suitable for use with mechanical fasteners, the company said.

“It offers a high level of cleaning due to its blade profile, and the spring tensioning system ensures the blade is in constant contact with the belt for the life of the blade while achieving up to a maximum of 75% cleaning.”

Sibanda said: “The secondary Mato MUS2 belt cleaner is one of our latest design belt cleaners and offers an M-TRAK slide on cushion and blade for easy installation and maintenance.”

The M-TRAK is designed to eliminate lengthy maintenance downtime and ensures blade alignment is 100% true across the entire conveyor belt width, according to the company. Blade replacement is simple with the design of the slide-on and slide-off principle, eliminating the need for special tools or training when maintenance is performed, Mato said.

Sibanda continued: “The unique design of our MUS2 cushion is based on the principle of a parallelogram whereby the cushion also stays true to the conveyor belts surface ensuring the angle of attack is maintained. This cleaner’s primary duty is to remove fines and duff, to almost zero carry-back.”

Blades on the cleaners come in a range of materials suited to different applications, including polyurethane and tungsten.

While the application in South Africa was initially mainly underground, equipment variations for surface have now also been developed and introduced to market, Mato said. The plant tail-end cleaner is based on the same concept but is mounted on channels rather than on stringer pipes.

“This product includes innovative blade stoppers,” Sibanda said. “When the blade is worn to a certain level, the mounted flat plate does not touch the belt, for better protection.”

Mato has also engineered closer integration between its fastener clips and the belt cleaners.

“For instance, we have added a profile to the clip which optimises the life of both the clip and the tungsten tip on our secondary belt cleaner,” Sibanda said. “The skiving process embeds the clip slightly into the belt ensuring the mechanical splice is on the same surface as the conveyor belt thereby minimising the impact on the tungsten tip as well as lowering noise levels. Longer life of both means less downtime for the customer and greater reliability.”

Sibanda said all the offerings in Mato’s conveyor belt systems range helps to improve the lifespan of equipment at loading points. The energy of ore transfer is absorbed, and wear resistance is increased by Multolag ceramic products.

Hylec Controls and CSZ Industrial help maintenance teams at remote mine sites

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, , ,

Hylec Controls, CSZ Industrial’s agent in Australia and New Zealand, thinks a ruggedised and robust skid-mounted industrial freezer could solve the problem of fitting new bearings into existing pieces of equipment at remote mine sites.

The conventional way to fit new bearings into existing pieces of equipment is to heat the outer housing with a flame to allow the bearing to fit, Hylec said.

An alternative method has been to use liquid nitrogen to freeze and shrink the component prior to fitting. At remote mine sites, this can be expensive and inconvenient as the liquid nitrogen often must be shipped from capital cities which is costly and time consuming, according to Hylec.

“Another alternative method is to use a two-stage water-cooled industrial freezer which is capable of freezing the item to -70°C, or, with the use of liquid nitrogen, boost down to -180°C,” Hylec said.

“Pre-cooling the item in a freezer minimises the use of liquid nitrogen – and in most cases nitrogen boost is not required. These chambers are normally installed in a workshop and the part must be brought to the workshop for fitting, which is often not feasible.”

CSZ Industrial’s ruggedised industrial freezer, which is connected to an air-cooled water chiller, can all be skid-mounted on the back of a truck and taken to the site where the item needs to be fitted, according to Hylec. “The air-cooled water chiller eliminates the need of a suitable mineral-free water supply, which is often not available on site. This can operate up to ambience up to +55°C,” it said.

“If the chiller is used in a workshop environment and used continuously, it is possible to speed up the chilling process by filling the chamber with delaminate, a natural liquid that freezes at about -90°C,” Hylec said. “This allows the part to be cooled much faster than if air-cooled with the freezer. Other metallurgical applications with steel include age hardening, stress relieving, martensiting, and dimensional stabilisation.”

National Group’s NMX to manage sales of CAT surplus parts

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , ,

One of Australia’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEM) has engaged National Machinery Xchange (NMX), part of the National Group, as the exclusive agency and preferred supplier to manage the sale of Caterpillar (CAT) surplus parts.

This open market tender from Caterpillar received a high level of applications from some of the biggest names in the industry, according to NMX, with the company securing the tender amid very strong competition.

NMX calls itself is a leading valuation and auction house for the mining, energy, construction, transport and agricultural industries. It regularly holds auctions that caters for buyer and sellers, offering valuation services and finance options such as monthly instalments.

Simon Brown, NMX General Manager, said: “We are very happy to have won this tender, it is a testament to the flexibility of our approach – we don’t just offer services, we work with our clients to devise dynamic and appropriate solutions.”

He added: “NMX developed an appropriate sales and remarketing strategy that included traditional and digital marketing approaches. After evaluating our clients’ needs, we recommended the sale of assets on an ‘as is where is’ basis with the utilisation of the National Group’s wider industry network and communication vehicles. With NMX being part of the National Group of companies, we were also able to offer various benefits, efficiencies and therefore cost savings through complementary entities such as National Heavy Haulage”.

NMX formally opened the tender campaign for the sale of CAT parts on March 8, with the call for offers ending on April 5. Around 3,500 CAT parts are currently for sale on an ‘as is where is’ basis, with offers being facilitated through the NMX website.

Semtech brings IoT capabilities to Transco conveyor belt monitoring solutions

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , ,

Semtech Corp and Transco Industries have partnered up to provide a remote monitoring solution for conveyor belts.

Transco, which specialises in conveyor components, design, installation, maintenance, and repair, has added Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology into its own belt applications for “safer monitoring while reducing operating costs”, Semtech said.

Semtech’s LoRa devices and wireless radio frequency technology is a long-range, low-power solution for Internet of Things (IoT) that gives telecom companies, IoT application makers and system integrators the feature set necessary to deploy low-cost, interoperable IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide, Semtech said.

Jeff Brown, President and CEO at Transco Industries, said: “Semtech’s LoRa Technology enables miners to remotely monitor conveyor belts, therefore reducing maintenance costs and helping to prevent belt failure.

“Previously, mine operations had to contract specialists to monitor factors like belt idler temperature and, typically, this could cost hundreds of dollars per hour. With LoRa-based sensors, managers are able to do this themselves in real-time without the risk of human error.”

Transco’s LoRa-enabled sensors were developed to flexibly fit into existing mining infrastructure including conveyor belts, the company said. “The small and durable sensors connect to private networks based on the LoRaWAN™ protocol allowing the continued relay of real-time data in the extreme conditions found in a mine.”

Miles-long conveyor belts can be equipped with an end-to-end solution consisting of several sensors embedded in the belt itself to measure stress and prevent potential ripping, according to the company. “In the event of a belt rip, LoRa-enabled sensors transmit a signal to the belt control, shutting the belt down immediately to halt the hazardous and expensive rip from worsening,” the company said. Mine operators can then inspect the damage and decide how best to repair the system.

Additional sensors are placed on belt idlers to measure temperature of the idler bearing as sensors report temperature data to allow mine operators to monitor bearing status and prevent overheating and fires.

Transco’s LoRa-based conveyer belt application is used in collaboration with Polysense Technologies, a leader in enterprise IoT solutions for fibre and wireless sensing, Semtech said.

Vivek Mohan, Director of IoT, Wireless and Sensing Products at Semtech, said: “Semtech’s LoRa Technology creates industrial IoT solutions that are highly scalable by number of sensors and gateways to cover even the largest work site or mine.

“LoRa Technology’s easy to deploy, flexible capabilities allow mine managers to leverage real-time data to predict maintenance and increase operating efficiency.”

Mining3 and Ava Group gear up for launch of Aura IQ conveyor monitoring system

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Mining3 and Ava Group have revealed a little more about the plans to launch an innovative predictive asset monitoring solution for conveyors.

Under the development and commercialisation agreement signed last month, Ava’s Future Fibre Technologies (FFT) subsidiary will use its Aura advanced fibre optic sensing platform, combined with Mining3’s signal processing algorithms, to bring to market a brand new FFT solution – Aura IQ.

“This automated system will provide the global mining industry with the world’s most advanced solution in wear detection of conveyor rollers with the ability to pre-empt failure, generating significant time and cost savings,” Mining3 said.

Prof Paul Lever, CEO of Mining3, said: “Our focus remains on accelerating the research and development process to deliver breakthrough technology for our members and the global mining industry. The new development and commercialisation partnership with the Ava Group facilitates this outcome and ensures the industry benefit from much-needed advancements in technology.”

Ava Group’s Head of Extractives and Energy, Andrew Hames, said: “Mining companies are striving to realise the full benefits of evolving digital capabilities to enhance improvements in productivity; including looking at ways of using data more effectively to improve asset management, reliability and introduce predictive capability.

“This partnership is a result of our focus towards providing innovative solutions to clients in key strategic sectors. The opportunity for Ava Group and FFT is transformational for the industry and adjacent markets as we further leverage the technologies’ applications.”

Aura IQ is expected to launch in Q2 FY2019 and provide a first mover advantage for Ava Group, in a potential total addressable market of up to A$300 million ($213 million), Mining3 said.

Martin Engineering’s tips for cleaner, safer and more production conveying

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Martin Engineering, a supplier of bulk material handling solutions, is urging mining companies to take another look at their conveyor belt cleaners and devise a strategy that can reduce operator and operational risk, as well as overall operating costs.

The company says: “Given the number of conveyor-related accidents that occur during routine maintenance and cleanup, every bulk material handler has a vested interest in technologies to help reduce hazards and prevent injuries.

“Seemingly mundane tasks such as adjusting belt cleaners and removing spillage often require employees to work near the moving conveyor, where even incidental contact can result in serious injury in a split second. Further, spillage can contribute to the risk of fire by interfering with pulleys and idlers and by providing potential fuel. Even worse, in confined spaces, airborne particles can create the right ingredients for an explosion.”

The buildup of fugitive material can occur with surprising speed, according to the company.

“As the table below illustrates, spillage in an amount equal to just one sugar packet (about 4 g) per hour will result in an accumulation of about 700 g at the end of a week. If the rate of escape is 4 g/min, the accumulation will be more than 45 kg/week, or more than 2 t/y. If the spillage amounts to just one shovelful per hour (not an uncommon occurrence in some operations), personnel can expect to have to deal with more than 225 kg/d of fugitive material.”

Reducing carryback

Although there are several belt cleaning technologies available to conveyor operators, most designs in use today are blade-type units of some kind, using a urethane or metal-tipped scraper to remove material from the belt’s surface, according to Martin Engineering.

“These devices typically require an energy source – such as a spring, a compressed air reservoir or a twisted elastomeric element – to hold the cleaning edge against the belt. Because the blade directly contacts the belt, it is subject to abrasive wear and must be regularly adjusted and periodically replaced to maintain effective cleaning performance.”

The ability to maintain the proper force required to keep the blade edge against the belt is a key factor in the performance of any cleaning system, the company said. Blade-to-belt pressure must be controlled to achieve optimal cleaning with a minimal rate of blade wear.

The company said: “There is a popular misconception that the harder the cleaner is pressing against the belt, the better it will clean. Yet, research has shown there is an optimum range of blade pressure, which will most effectively remove carryback material. Increasing tension beyond this range raises blade-to-belt friction, thus shortening blade life, increasing belt wear and increasing power consumption – without improving cleaning performance.

“Operating a belt cleaner below the optimum pressure range also delivers less effective cleaning and can accelerate blade wear. A belt cleaner lightly touching the belt may appear to be in working order from a distance whereas excessive amounts of carryback are being forced between the blade and the belt at high velocity.”

This passage of material between the belt and the blade creates channels of uneven wear on the face of the cleaner, according to the company, with these channels increasing in size as material continues to pass between the blade and the belt.

The company continued: “A common source of blade wear that often goes unnoticed – even with a properly installed and adjusted cleaner – is running the belt empty for long periods of time. Small particles embedded in the empty belt’s surface can create an effect like sand paper, increasing the wear rate of both the blade and the belt. Even though the cargo may be abrasive, it often has moisture in it that serves as a lubricant and coolant.

“Another potential source of wear is when the cleaner blade is wider than the material flow, causing the outside portion of the cleaning blade to hold the centre section of the blade away from the belt. As a result, carryback can flow between the belt and the worn area of the blade, accelerating wear on this centre section. Eventually, the process creates a curved wear pattern sometimes referred to as a ‘smiley face’ or ‘mooning’.”

As urethane cleaner blades wear, the surface area of the blade touching the belt increases, according to Martin Engineering. This causes a reduction in blade-to-belt pressure and a corresponding decline in cleaner efficiency. Most mechanically-tensioned systems, as result, require periodic adjustment (re-tensioning) to deliver the consistent pressure needed for effective carryback removal.

“To overcome the problem of the blade angle changing as the blade wears, a radial-adjusted belt cleaner can be designed with a specially-engineered curved blade, known as CARP (Constant Angle Radial Pressure),” Martin Engineering said. “With this innovative design, the changes in contact angle and surface area are minimised as the blade wears, helping to maintain its effectiveness throughout the cleaner’s service life.”

Air tensioning

New air-powered tensioning systems are automated for precise monitoring and tensioning throughout all stages of blade life, reducing the labour typically required to maintain optimum blade pressure and extending the service life of both the belt and the cleaner, Martin Engineering said.

“Equipped with sensors to confirm that the belt is loaded and running, the devices automatically back the blade away during stoppages or when the conveyor is running empty, minimising unnecessary wear to both the belt and cleaner,” it said. “The result is consistently correct blade tension, with reduced power demand on start-up, all managed without operator intervention.”

For locations lacking convenient power access, one self-contained design uses the moving conveyor to generate its own electricity. This powers a small air compressor to maintain optimum blade pressure at all times.

Maintenance

Even the best-designed and most efficient of mechanical belt cleaning systems require periodic maintenance and/or adjustment, or performance will deteriorate over time.

Martin Engineering said: “Proper tensioning of belt-cleaning systems minimises wear on the belt and cleaner blades, helping to prevent damage and ensure efficient cleaning action. Belt cleaners must be engineered for durability and simple maintenance, and conveyors should be designed to enable easy service, including required clearances for access. Service chores that are straightforward and ‘worker friendly’ are more likely to be performed on a consistent basis.

“The use of factory-trained and certified specialty contractors can also help ensure that belt cleaner maintenance is done properly, and on an appropriate schedule. Further, experienced service technicians often notice other developing system or component problems that can be avoided if addressed before a catastrophic failure occurs, helping conveyor operators avoid potential equipment damaging and expensive unplanned downtime.”

The company concluded: “By setting the cleaning goal necessary for each individual operation and purchasing a system adequate for those conditions, as laid out in CEMA standards, it’s possible to achieve carryback control and yet obtain long life from belt cleaners.

“The bottom line is that properly-installed and adjusted belt cleaners help minimise carryback and spillage, reducing risk and overall operating costs.”

Ava and Mining3 partner up to provide condition monitoring solution for conveyors

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , ,

Ava Risk Group has signed a development and commercialisation agreement with Mining3 aimed at launching an “innovative new performance management solution” that could revolutionise the condition monitoring of conveyors, the ASX-listed risk assurance company said.

The agreement will strengthen the recently announced strategic alliance between Future Fibre Technologies (FFT), an Ava Group division, and Mining3, a leading global mining research and innovation company.

Ava explained: “Conveyor maintenance is a significant daily problem for the mining, cement, pulp and paper and agriculture sectors. Conventional methods of advanced detection of failure in conveyors are unreliable, time-consuming and labour intensive.”

Under the three-year agreement, FFT will use its Aura Ai-2 advanced fibre optic sensing platform, combined with Mining3’s signal processing algorithms, to bring to market a new FFT product that provides the world’s “most advanced predictive conveyor condition monitoring system for the global mining industry”, Ava said. The product will provide wear detection to pre-empt roller failure using FFT’s fibre optic solutions, with FFT investing up to A$250,000 ($177,437) to develop and market the new jointly created product. FFT will also have worldwide rights to the commercialisation of the technology.

This solution is expected to launch later this year and, Ava said, “provides a first mover advantage for the Ava Group, in a potential total addressable market of up to A$300 million”.

Ava Group CEO, Chris Fergus, said: “Mining companies are striving to realise the full benefits of evolving digital capabilities to sustain and enhance improvements in productivity, including looking at ways of using data more effectively to enhance asset management, improve reliability and introduce predictive capability.

“This partnership is a result of our focus towards providing innovative solutions to clients in key strategic sectors. The potential opportunity for Ava Group is transformational as we begin to execute and leverage on our strong portfolio of intellectual property to address our adjacent market solution strategy”.

Prof Paul Lever, CEO of Mining3, said: “We believe that partnerships such as this will drive the industry forward, building trust with suppliers by turning vendors into partners. Ava Group’s approach to collaborative innovation with service companies and suppliers is to be commended and we look forward to working with the FFT team to extend the application of their world-class technology beyond the initial solution.”

The Ava Group is a leader in the provision of risk management services and technologies and features a range of complementary solutions including intrusion detection for perimeters, pipelines and data networks, biometrics, card access control and locking as well as secure international logistics, storage of high value assets and risk consulting services.

Mining3, meanwhile, is a leading research organisation, directed by its global mining industry members to develop and deliver transformational technology to improve the productivity, sustainability, and safety of the mining industry.