SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT
comes from Mark Baller, managing director of Weba Chute Systems, who says the solution to reducing
T MATERIALS
ransfer points don’t need to be high maintenance areas on a mine any more. T is good news
Advances in
maintenance costs on transfer points is simple. “More often than not this issue is
addressed by looking at new materials handling solutions, including the use of sophisticated lining composite materials which can be extremely expensive,” Baller says. “T e solution does not have to be as complicated as this, and as soon as engineers realise this, the closer they will be to saving money on their maintenance budget.” Baller explains that the Weba
Chute System is not an alternative to conventional chute systems. “It is, in fact, a completely diff erent engineered approach with a ‘supertube’ or ‘cascade’ scenario with 95% of the material running on material at the same time. “Some engineers may be familiar with the term ‘boundary layer’, which is used in aero and fl uid dynamics. Study of this phenomenon shows that when a boundary layer is in place friction can be reduced by up to 30%,” he says.
handling Re-engineering transfer points to remove the maintenance headache
Weba Chute Systems are engineered to control the movement of materials
When viewed in slow motion it is
apparent that the particles close to the surface actually move in a tumbling motion and are, in fact, moving slower than the main fl ow of material. Baller explains that sliding particles moving at higher velocities cause extensive wear, while those that tumble at a lower velocity cause far less wear. “Controlling the material’s
The Weba Chute System is not an alternative to conventional chute systems; it is a completely diff erent engineered approach
30
www.engineerlive.com
movement down the transfer point is only the fi rst step. By changing the angle of the transfer point the material can be controlled from its entry into the chute right up until the point of discharge.” T is optimal control of the material during its journey through the transfer point not only reduces wear, but can also eliminate spillage. Spillage can be a major cost issue – both in terms of waste and when it comes to cleaning up the area around the transfer point. Baller says that on a new transfer point it is actually possible to
completely eliminate spillage, and on projects where Weba Chute Systems are retrofi tted into existing installations it is possible to signifi cantly reduce the spillage. T is also results in substantial savings for the mine. Weba Chute Systems currently
services six diff erent continents, mainly from its South Africa manufacturing facility, with distributors and agents in most regions. T e company holds ISO 9001:2008 accreditation, and quality manufacture forms an important part of the process. Today there are over 4,000 successful transfer chute and system installations throughout the world, handling a variety of diff erent materials. T e company recently supplied 13 custom chute systems to a diamond mine in Botswana to replace ageing transfer points. ●
For more information visit
www.webachutes.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
