July/August 2017 www.coalage.com 41
operating ideas continued
More than 30,000 lb of ash were safe-
ly removed from the silos and in less time
than plant management had expected.
Moreover, no rescues were required. In
fact, no rescues have been required at any
job site where MPW has implemented its
process, which incorporates best practices
in allied fields to clean coal ash silos in a
better and safer manner.
Jimmy Peck is the general manager
for MPW Industrial Services, located in
Hebron, Ohio. www.mpwservices.com
Choosing the Right Belt Scale System
Few industries handle more bulk materi-
als than the coal business and it must be
weighed and monitored several times from
the face to the power plant. Belt conveyor
scales allow an operation to monitor pro-
duction output and inventory, or regulate
product loadout, while providing vital in-
formation for the effective management
and efficient operation of the business.
Picking the right belt scale system to meet
the specific needs of an operation is essen-
tial, but what are the most important factors
and options to consider? Thermo recently
addressed the problem in a blog post.
Starting at the most elementary level,
the post explained that a belt scale sys-
tem consists of three major elements: the
weighing carriage with load cell(s) mea-
sures the weight of material on the belt,
the belt speed sensor and electronic in-
tegrator joins the output signals from the
scale load cell(s) and speed sensor to ar-
rive at a rate of material flow and the total
material passed over the scale.
The weighing assembly consists of
either one or two modules, depending
on conveyor width. The modules support
the weigh idler and measures the weight
of material on the belt. The speed sensor
is mechanically connected to the convey-
or's tail pulley and generates a stream of
pulses. Each pulse represents a unit of belt
travel. The frequency of the pulse stream is
proportional to belt speed. The electronics
integrate the output signals from the scale
module(s) and speed sensor to arrive at a
rate of material flow and the total material
passed over the scale.
Some belt scale systems provide basic
rate information and totalization func-
tions in processes involving non-critical
or lower value materials with an accuracy
of ±1%. Other belt scale systems can mon-
itor the feed processes with an accuracy of
±0.5%, or with better-than-normal accura-
cy of ±0.25%. Most belt conveyor scales are
capable of providing reliable results within
±½% of their full-scale rating.
There are other options to consid-
er when considering belt scale systems:
idlers, idler spacing, load cells, belt widths,
belt loading amounts and even consider-
ations for the type of application. To help
coal operators decide which belt scale
system is best for their operation, the
company has outlined the options in a
belt scale system selection guide, available
online at www.thermofisher.com/us/en/
home/industrial/cement-coal-minerals/
bulk-weighing-monitoring-sampling/
belt-scale-selection-guide.html.
Our
Experience
for Your
Individual
Solution
Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik GmbH
Siemensstr. 1-9, 48488 Emsbueren/Germany
info@paus.de
www.paus.de
Scaler
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