Belt conveyor (BC) transportation systems are considered to be the most effective for handling large volumes of bulk material. With regards to the rules of sustainable development, the improvement of belt conveyor technology is, in many cases, focused on environmental issues, which include the idea of energy usage optimization. The key issue in an energy-efficient transportation system is reducing the value of specific energy consumption (SEC) by increasing conveyor capacity whilst decreasing belt conveyor motion resistance. The main idea of this paper is to conduct an analysis of the modernization of existing belt conveyor transportation systems operated in open-pit lignite mines, in order to achieve relatively small electric energy consumption for a considered transportation task. The first part of the paper investigates the relationship between a conveyor’s SEC and material flow rate for various conveyor design parameters. Then, based on multi-parameter simulations, an analysis of electric energy consumption for a belt conveyor transportation system is carried out. Finally, an energy-saving, environmentally friendly solution is presented.
In conveyor transport systems, different solutions to the transfer points constructions are used. Choosing the right solution requires conditions analysis of the cooperation between two conveyors. For years, the analytical methods have been used to evaluate the discharge trajectory of the transported material. Increasingly, to evaluate the movement of grains in the transfer space to analyze the behavior of the bulk material in contact with transfer chute elements, researchers successfully use simulations performed in the discrete element method (DEM). Well-constructed chute allows the material stream to be uniformly fed onto the receiving conveyor with a desired stable tangential speed. Proper design reduces motion resistances and belt wear. In the paper, the analysis of selected construction solutions of transfer points and the possibilities of their usage in copper ore transport systems were performed. The research was conducted using the DEM simulations of the ore flow. For specifying the best conditions of the cooperation of the feeding and receiving conveyors, a series of simulations were generated. The criteria for the comparative evaluation of the analyzed solutions were the values of acceleration zone length and abrasive wear of the belt.
Modelling the flow of a non-homogeneous ore is an important element needed to identify ore parameters for the purpose of ore processing control. The simulation model of the underground ore haulage system with the implemented function of estimating ore qualitative and quantitative parameters was built in the dedicated FlexSim simulation environment to address this issue. The transported ore is averaged in transfer and retention points, for instance in ore bunkers. This fact renders the modelling of ore flow inside the bunker a necessary part of the simulation. The movement of the granulated material, restricted by the geometry of the floor and walls, is modelled using Discrete Elements Method (DEM) with regard to the technological cycles of bunker filling and emptying. An experimental task was conducted on the site to identify the transport time of RFID tags that flowed together with the portions of ore they annotated. Empirical model of the transport system in the KGHM Lubin mine was parameterized with mean retention times obtained in DEM simulations in order to be compared with the RFID-tag experiment. The as-parameterized FlexSim simulation for one-chute bunker discharge variant yields tag transport times comparable with the experimental data. The results proved the reliable description of the ore transport time in the FlexSim model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.