Coal Age

NOV 2014

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Conveyor systems are a segment of mining technology that demands innovation — because the industry itself demands it. As mines become deeper, more remote and more expensive, end users are faced with a Hobson's choice of increased mainte- nance attention or higher downtime on conveyor systems that may, by necessity, be longer, more powerful and more complex than their predecessors — so the higher performance offered by sophisticated but expensive new conveyor technology must be accompanied by higher reliability to balance the cost-versus- benefit equation. At a conventional truck haulage operation, the loss of a truck or two may only superficially affect short-term production. Mines employing truly large in-pit or overland con- veyor systems, for example, don't have that safety margin; a broken conveyor under those circumstances can bring produc- tion to a complete halt, perhaps for weeks at a time. However, there is no doubt that conveyor systems and compo- nents are getting better, and with these advances comes higher end- user interest, wider project scope for new products and services, and increased investment in the technology. The push to overcome rolling resistance along the belt lines, reduce electrical energy consumption, and improve system reliability and longevity that drives this project is typical of the targets that con- veyor manufacturing and engineering companies have set their sights on — generating recent innovations that apply to conveyor sys- tem conception, design, operation, maintenance and system health. Tracking Conveyor Problems: Not So Simple It's a universal axiom in conveyor maintenance that big trou- ble almost always begins as a small problem — a tiny rip, a slightly misaligned pulley, a dry bearing or something similar. B u t , a s H o n e y w e l l ' s P r o c e s s S o l u t i o n s g r o u p p o i n t e d o u t , detecting problems and managing the health of belt convey- ors is a complex activity that can include at least a dozen sep- arate requirements, including: • Cover defect, edge damage, spice damage and belt rip detection; • Pulley and idler health detection; • Drive health monitoring; • Belt wear, steel cord damage and other internal defect detection; • Material offloading and chute blocking; and • Belt wander detection. About a year ago, Honeywell introduced its Belt Asset Inspection System (BeltAIS), a product suite it is developing to handle belt cover defect, idler and belt wear monitoring. Recognizing that there are a number of monitoring solutions that address specific aspects of con- veyor system components and operations, Honeywell maintains that these solutions may provide a high volume of measurement data but also may not lend themselves to the integrated solutions that many of its mining customers have come to prefer. BeltAIS, said Honeywell, offers an alternative to multiple stand- alone solutions. Users can employ it to maintain a continuous, online view of conveyor operations and perform a wide range of monitoring and analysis functions. The system, according to the company, will provide an intuitive, user-friendly interface to the conveyor that can boost the effectiveness of maintenance and oper- ational personnel. To implement its initial BeltAIS product, the Cover Defect Monitoring solution, Honeywell turned to an existing camera- based solution developed for pulp and paper producers to check for defects in the papermaking process. For its mining application, Honeywell said the system offers highly localized analysis for moni- toring defects along a conveyor belt. In a similar vein, ContiTech announced in June that it had devel- oped innovative electronic warning and inspection systems to detect conveyor problems at early stages, providing a way to protect con- veyor systems from major damage. Its CONTI PROTECT splice elon- gation measurement can detect irregularities in belt splice length with the help of magnetic markers, while its belt rip detection system finds longitudinal rips in conveyor belts early on by means of vulcan- ized conductor loops. The belt warning system's improved technol- ogy is claimed to eliminate false warnings and thus unneeded system downtime. Online support is also available. ContiTech also said that its CONTI INSPECT systems supply data that can be used to make reliable prognoses regarding remaining belt service life and estimate future investment costs more accurately. A mobile belt thickness measurement system measures the thickness of the conveyor belt across the entire length of the belt. Surface damage can be detected at an early stage with its continuous surface inspection system, which employs sophisticated scanning technology to inspect and com- pile a detailed image of belt surface quality. In addition, the com- pany said its cord monitoring system can monitor steel cord within the carcass using a magnetic-inductive procedure. c o n v e yo r syst e m s B Y R U S S C A R T E R , W E S T E R N F I E L D E D I T O R 30 www.coalage.com November 2014 Common Carriers Mines depend on conveyors for a multitude of materials handling tasks—and the newest systems are being asked to perform at higher workloads than ever before. Modern conveyors are often complex systems with many interrelated components; failure of just one can lead to a belt shutdown and loss of production. Proper design, inspection and maintenance are critical.

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