Australian Bulk Handling Review January/February 2024

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VOLUME 29, ISSUE 1 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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In this issue: BULK2024 revealed Conveyors across the world Bulk facility design

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CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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6 Industry news

26 Page Macrae’s Enviro EDGe

44 BULKtalk: Facility design

16 Breaking the cycle of silo buildup and clogging

28 New pouch for a roo

48 Innovation down under: CST and the growth of Australian METS

20 Chutes across the globe 22 European giant joins the fight against Aussie food waste 24 Duly delivering for Bulk Handling Technologies

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32 Dancing Goat upgrades pneumatic conveyor 36 Aerobelt Australia’s American expansion 38 Blasting to success

54 Bulk solids handling design using Discrete Element Method modelling

40 Brilliant backstops

56 Enhancing energy efficiency in belt conveyors through large diameter rollers

42 Bulk Handling Expo returns in 2024

58 ASBSH member profile: Peter Robinson

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VOLUME 29, ISSUE 1 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

COVER STORY: Brad Pronschinske, global air cannon product manager at Martin Engineering, explains how air cannons can safely and effectively clear blockages from silos and hoppers.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 3

EDITORIAL

Published by:

379 Docklands Drive Docklands VIC 3008 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au COO Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Editor William Arnott E: william.arnott@primecreative.com.au Journalist Adam Daunt E: adam.daunt@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Rob O’Bryan E: rob.obryan@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey Design Michelle Weston

New year, new workforce It’s a problem that plagues the industry – finding the right skilled labour. Bulk handling equipment can be found across dozens of sectors, and while some industries are handling the skills shortage better than others, many are feeling the squeeze.

The latest skills priority list released by Jobs and Skills Australia in October found that 36 per cent of occupations assessed were in a shortage.

Technicians and trade workers had some of the highest shortages, particularly in regional and remote areas.

In the report, Jobs and Skills Australia found the shortage is being driven by the continued tightness in labour market conditions, reflecting either a lack of people who have the essential technical skills, or those with the right skills and qualities who aren’t willing to apply for vacancies under current pay and working conditions. Occupations with a strong gender imbalance were also more likely be in shortage.

While on the whole, equipment is becoming more efficient, the skills required to make the most of it are also increasing.

Bulk handling technology is becoming smarter, and professions like data scientist and drone operator are becoming more common.

A range of strategies are being implemented across the country to help address the issue, including restructuring organisations, using migration programs, and continuing to advertise vacant positions to attract more applicants.

Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet for this issue. It requires industry, government, and educators to work together to ensure we have the workforce necessary.

The start of a new year is a great time to reflect. What can your organisation do to help tackle this issue and ensure Australia has the right people for the job?

Subscriptions T: 03 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

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The Publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article or advertisement submitted and requires indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. © Copyright – No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.

4 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

William Arnott Editor - ABHR

NEWS

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Kotzur commemorates 70th anniversary

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Kotzur plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Charlton, QLD.

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THIS YEAR, KOTZUR PTY LTD will celebrate 70 years of designing, engineering, and manufacturing fully Australian-made agricultural and industrial equipment.

The family-owned company began as Modern Engineering and Construction Co in Walla Walla (NSW), but has grown to include sites in Perth (WA) and Toowoomba (QLD).

For the last seven decades, Kotzur has prided itself on developing customised solutions in collaboration

with customers across several industries.

The team specialises in innovative bulk solid storage and handling equipment.

Kotzur plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Charlton, just west of Toowoomba in Queensland.

This custom designed facility will allow the business to increase manufacturing of robust material handling equipment while improving accessibility and affordability of its reliable and durable products to northern NSW and Queensland customers.

6 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

In addition, for the first time ever transportable silos will also be manufactured in Toowoomba via this new facility.

Kotzur can also incorporate advancements in aeration and handling capacity to keep farmers harvesting in challenging conditions and ensure the longevity of stored products.

State-of-the-art equipment is being installed at the Charlton facility, and the business looks forward to continued innovation.

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NEWS

World first $95M recycling facility to open in Brisbane A FULLY AUTOMATED, $95 MILLION recycling plant will soon begin turning construction and demolition waste into material for new infrastructure projects.

The plant, located in Pinkenba, Brisbane, can process up to 475 tonnes an hour, the equivalent of 68 truckloads, and minimises the need for landfill.

Rino Recycling general manager, Dan Blaser, said the plant has scale, capacity and efficiency.

“It can recycle more than 1.5 million tonnes of waste with 97 per cent recovery annually whilst producing high quality products such as aggregates, sand, and road bases to the equivalent standard of quarried material but with significant environmental benefits,” he said.

“In under 20 minutes, a truck can go from offloading construction waste and leave with a new load of high- quality,

recycled products ready for the job site. It is a green, circular economy in action.”

Blaser said ahead of the infrastructure and construction boom driven by the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, the SEQ City Deal and the significant infrastructure pipeline in Brisbane, it is critical to have this new facility (the largest by volume in the world under one roof) to cater for new projects and lead the circular economy charge.

“This puts in place the infrastructure for developers and all levels of government to adopt a ‘recycled first’ policy when it comes to construction and waste management.”

Based on an independent report, it’s estimated the new recycling facility will help reduce carbon emissions by 55,000 tonnes per year – the equivalent of 909,000 trees planted or removing 12,000 cars from the road annually.

L to R: Ed Bull Rino Recycling director, Richard Jacobitz CFO, Daniel Baser general manager, Todd Pepper director.

8 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Rino Recycling’s director, Todd Pepper, said it could help Queensland lift its recycling rate from 68 per cent to 75 per cent, by recovering 97 per cent of the material fed into the plant.

“We are helping decarbonise through recycling waste and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of truck movements on the road,” Pepper said.

“The new facility is 13 kilometres from the CBD, so trucks have less distance to travel, and we are replacing the need to have to go to landfill sites west of the city, like Swanbank in Ipswich.”

The plant has an acre of rooftop solar panels for energy efficiency and recycles 35 thousand litres of water every hour, making it “water neutral”.

The facility has an expected opening date of late November 2023.

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Reliability and Durability Originally designed for the Iron Ore industry in Western Australia, BHT Isolation Gates are specifically designed to suit the head load and aperture to be isolated and can be manufactured to suit a range of applications. Wear liner packages are customised to suit the material handled to ensure long life and reliable operation.

Available as • single plate or • dual overlapping plate designs

Sizes ranging from • small 500mm square units, • up to 12m long by 3m wide dual plate units, fitted with multiple high pressure hydraulic cylinders

Customised Design Capability BHT Isolation Gates are supplied with BHT Hydraulic Power Units ranging from the ‘Mining Spec’ package, right up to fully enclosed ‘Premium Spec’ system with bladder breather and options for foam fire suppression. The in-house hydraulic design team can also customise the design to comply with site or project hydraulic specifications if required.

Customised • custom designed gates to suit the bin loads and stored material properties • retrofitted isolation solutions to existing bins • complete with a shared Hydraulic Power Unit and Local Control Station (Electric or Manual Lever)

As a full-service engineering and manufacturing company, BHT custom designs and supplies all manner of heavy-duty gates, including single or double clam shell gates, diverter gates or special gates for maintenance or operation. Hydraulic, pneumatic or electric actuation is available depending on the application.

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FEATURE NEWS

Steel salvaged from Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star AROUND 20,000 TONNES OF STEEL have been salvaged from the recently completed Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 (N2NS Phase 1) project.

The steel will be stored for future use in construction projects across New South Wales and Queensland.

As part of the enhancement works on N2NS Phase 1, some pre-existing bridges required demolition and reconstruction before new bridges, capable of accommodating double-stacked trains, could be built.

Inland Rail was able to use most of the demolished bridge material elsewhere, including five steel spans of the old Croppa Creek bridge repurposed for use on other Australian Rail Track Corporation bridge projects in Newcastle.

In addition, steel was also repurposed for an access platform for a bridge construction project along the Nerang River on the Gold Coast, and for other projects in Brisbane.

Principal contractor Trans4m also donated rail ‘jewellery’ – the pins connecting sections of track – to the local Moree Men’s Shed to create hat and coat racks. The project incorporated sustainability measures to avoid sending material to landfill sites and reduce emissions.

Inland Rail director of health, safety and environment Stephen Jones said the organisation is trying to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“Those of us working on Inland Rail have always recognised our responsibility

to design and deliver this significant freight infrastructure program as sustainably as possible,” Jones said “Striking the right balance between cost, schedule, design, and benefits remains a challenge but also creates exciting opportunities to think and act differently.”

The steel will be stored for future use in construction projects across New South Wales and Queensland.

Capricorn Copper Mine declared critical project QUEENSLAND’S DEPUTY PREMIER has declared the Capricorn Copper Recovery and Extension Project a prescribed project and a critical infrastructure project.

The declarations aim to provide certainty around timeframes and allow the government to offer help and ensure there are no unreasonable delays.

The project aims to bring the mine brought back to full operations and investigate the possibility for producing more critical minerals, such as cobalt.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said encouraging private sector investment and supporting the development of critical mining projects, like Capricorn Copper, will ensure regional communities can capitalise on the renewable energy opportunity too.

“We want Queensland to be at the forefront for renewable energy on all fronts, from mining resources and critical minerals to manufacturing the technology, as well as using, and distributing energy stored,” Miles said.

“This project will be vital in boosting the local economy in Mount Isa, generating up to 400 jobs when fully operational.

“The Queensland government knows clean energy can create more jobs and unlock new economic opportunities for our state.

“We will continue to invest in projects that will help drive a global green energy transition, and position Queensland as a global leader in this space.”

The global demand for critical minerals is rapidly increasing given their

10 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

key role in the development of renewable energy technology.

Queensland’s North-West Minerals Province is one of the world’s richest mineral-producing regions.

29Metals Limited managing director and CEO Peter Albert said the organisation is very happy for the Capricorn Copper Recovery and Extension Project to be declared a prescribed project.

“Operations at the mine have been significantly affected by rainfall and flooding across the region earlier this year,” Albert said.

“These declarations will help us restore the mine to full operations and enable us to implement significant improvements to secure its long-term sustainable future.”

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NEWS

Sand delivered to replenish Stockton Beach AROUND 130,000 CUBIC METRES of sand has been delivered to Stockton Beach, NSW, as part of a $6.3 million project to remediate the heavily eroded coastline.

The project is being administered by the NSW Government, and jointly funded by the Federal Government’s 2022-23 Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program, and the City of Newcastle.

Stage one of work to renourish Stockton Beach is now complete, with the volume of suitable sand dredged and placed exceeding the initial 100,000m3 target, delivering an additional 30,000 cubic metres of sand.

During the works, it became evident that more sand had accumulated in the approved dredging area in Newcastle Harbour. The Trud R, the dredging vessel that collected and sprayed the sand onto Stockton Beach, was able to dredge this additional sand.

Investigations into sourcing further sand for Stockton Beach continue.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the Federal Government is pleased to work with the local Council to fund such an important project for the region.

“The NSW Government has made great progress with the sand renourishment project,” Watt said.

“The Federal Government’s Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program recognises the need for coastal communities to have better resilience against the natural hazard induced events that we know will be coming in more frequency and more severity.”

Regional New South Wales Minister Tara Moriarty said the work is just the beginning, and what has been learned will inform the government’s commitment to Stockton and future investigations into longer term solutions.

The volume of suitable sand dredged and placed exceeding the initial 100,000m3 target.

12 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

“We anticipated we would get at least 100,000 cubic metres of sand onto Stockton Beach in this initial phase of work, but I am delighted to share that we have exceeded those expectations to deliver even more,” Moriarty said.

“I know how important the beach is to the community, and how devastating it has been for them to see it washed away bit by bit, year after year.”

Investigations into sourcing further sand for Stockton Beach continue.

The NSW Government has steered this project while gathering key insights for a blueprint to help the Department of Planning and Environment map out the next steps for Stockton.

The Blueprint for Stockton, led by the Department of Planning & Environment, is part of the NSW Government’s works to deliver on its $21 million promise to find long term solutions for coastal erosion at Stockton.

Lake George Mine to undergo remediation works THE NSW GOVERNMENT WILL commence remediation work to improve safety and reduce environmental risks at the historic Lake George Mine site in Captains Flat.

Historic mining operations in New South Wales such as Lake George Mine were not subject to the stringent rehabilitation regulatory requirements in force today.

Under contemporary mining regulations, mine operators are required to submit and implement comprehensive rehabilitation plans, lodge security bonds, and progressively remediate sites to limit poor environmental and safety outcomes.

The NSW Resources regulator is responsible for ensuring compliance with rehabilitation plans approved through the planning process.

While it was operative, Lake George Mine was one of the largest base metal mines in NSW. It produced lead, zinc, copper, pyrite, silver, and gold and spanned approximately 100 hectares of legacy mine workings, extending underground to a depth of over 600 metres.

The mine operated over several decades, starting in the late 1800s and closing in the 1960s.

NSW Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos said the government is committed to safeguarding the environment and protecting local communities, including through the Legacy Mines Program.

“Mining continues to drive prosperity in NSW. Remediating historic legacy mines is an important way that the NSW Government can

support local economies and ensure regional communities are great places to live and visit,” Houssos said.

“By addressing the legacy of historical mining practices, we are ensuring a better and safer future for our communities.”

Up to $33 million of remediation work at the Lake George Mine will be carried out under the NSW Government’s Legacy Mine Program.

The fund includes a total of $107.7 million for high risk historic and abandoned mine sites.

During the work period, the site’s historic mining structures will be preserved to maintain the mining history of the site.

Work at Lake George Mine will commence on 20 November 2023 and be carried out until mid-2026.

Safe Work Australia urges industry to get silica smart SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA HAS launched a new phase of its ‘Clean Air. Clear Lungs.’ campaign to improve understanding about silica dust and its hazards.

Silica dust is produced when materials or products containing silica such as stone, bricks, concrete or tiles are cut, drilled, polished, or ground.

Particles of silica dust can lodge deep into the lungs and cause permanent lung damage, including serious and fatal diseases such as silicosis and lung cancer.

Workers in construction, manufacturing, tunnelling, demolition,

mining, quarrying and stonemasonry can be exposed to silica dust at work.

Persons conducting a business or undertaking have a legal duty to protect workers by managing the health and safety risks from silica dust.

Workers also have a legal duty to take reasonable care of their own, and others, health and safety at work.

The ‘Clean Air. Clear Lungs.’ campaign includes information on how to identify hazards and eliminate or minimise the risk of exposure in the workplace.

Important workplace health and safety information is available in English, Chinese, Arabic, Hazargi, Vietnamese and Korean.

Particles of silica dust can lodge deep into the lungs and cause permanent lung damage.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 13

NEWS

Industry partners with unis to address agriculture skills gap

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AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES have partnered with a global provider of crop inputs and farm services to grow the agriculture workforce.

The Nutrien Harvesting the Future Scholarship program will launch in 2024, offering four scholarships with a total investment of around $80,000 over the next few years.

It is open to students at the University of Western Australia, Charles Sturt University, University of New England, and Deakin University. Each university will manage the recruitment and selection process.

Nutrien Ag Solutions senior director of human resources, Shelley Nolan, said the business is focused on taking

a skills-based approach to building the future agriculture workforce.

“Our work in early career planning is critical to addressing the substantial gaps in Australia’s agriculture workforce. For every one graduate of an agricultural degree, there are six job vacancies,” Nolan said.

“We are focused on building the skills, capability, leadership, and knowledge of the future leaders of Australian agriculture. In addition to providing financial assistance, the Nutrien Harvesting the Future Scholarships also allows recipients to be mentored by some of our business leaders for the duration of their studies.”

14 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Agriculture is one of the largest employers in rural and regional Australia, but Nolan said the Nutrien workforce is no longer made up solely of ag students from traditional farming backgrounds.

“This year we have welcomed over 400 people to our business, and many have never actually stepped foot on a farm,” she said.

“When these people sit down for a conversation with a fifth or sixth generation farmer their diversity in experience, perspective and skillset elevates the solutions we can provide to our farmer customers. It’s these conversations that are truly progressing Australian agriculture.”

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Australia’s only publication 100%-focused on bulk solids handling. Australian Bulk Handling Review covers conveyors, silos, engineering, dust control, powder handling, weighing, pneumatics and much more, in industries such as mining and metals, ports and terminals, grain, fertiliser, sugar, salt, foods, milling, resins, cement and woodchips.

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COVER STORY

Breaking the cycle of silo buildup and clogging Brad Pronschinske, global air cannon product manager at Martin Engineering, explains how air cannons can safely and effectively clear blockages from silos and hoppers.

MOST HOPPERS AND SILOS WERE designed for the needs and environment at the time they are constructed.

However, production demands and shifts in climate are changing the dynamic.

Modest changes in moisture content can cause adhesion to silo walls.

Low temperatures and changes in atmospheric pressure – especially if the silo is stagnant for long periods – can contribute to flow changes.

In the past, when material accumulation problems became a recurring issue, operators would usually limp along until the next scheduled shutdown. That could cost a business hundreds of thousands of dollars per day in lost production. Once coarse material adheres, the buildup is generally fast and dense, eventually resulting in downtime

to remove. Seeking ways to address it quickly without the proper tools or training can also be the moment when workplace safety degrades.

Air cannons are engineered to safely clear and prevent clogging, promote material flow and avoid costly downtime.

To know if the technology will work best for a specific application, the first step is understanding how, where, when and why clogs happen in any given silo. The second step is removing any worker involvement in clearing the clog, aside from pushing a button to activate the cannon if it is not automated or controlled by logistical software.

Silo clogging and safety Regardless of the cause, the types of clogs in a hopper can pose unique

challenges for discharge, as well as very serious safety issues. There are several unsafe practices around silos that too often result in serious worker injuries or fatalities, mainly sudden discharge of adhered material and entrapment.

Poking or lancing from beneath the clog at the spout can result in a sudden surge of falling material, burying, or crushing the workers below and seriously damaging the receiving belt. Beating the vessel walls with mallets or other objects to loosen adhered material is common.

Operators who engage in this method find this worsens the situation over time as the divots and ripples left from hammer strikes provide places for additional material accumulations to start.

If a worker enters the vessel and stands on the volatile bridge, a sudden

A series of air cannons can be programmed to deliver precisely-timed discharges for maximum benefit.

16 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

New designs no longer require tank removal for valve replacement saving time and manpower.

discharge could pull the worker into the cavity. Sometimes material buildup on the sides of the vessel reaches higher than the worker and falls from above, causing serious injury or burial.

Material churn Silos are designed to hold a certain volume of a particular material, so awareness of the maximum load is important. Repeatedly filling and emptying them makes load requirements especially important in those cases, since capacity is reached repeatedly under many conditions. When working with bulk solids, environments with high moisture and freezing regularly experience clogging. Wide variations in the size and shape of the material can also affect the flow characteristics, leading to buildup and clogs.

Arches form when material consistency changes during loading or the top material contains more moisture.

It can also just be caused by gravity.

This is very dangerous since material discharge has a long fall distance. The flat top surface can give workers a false sense of stable ground, so vessel entry is ill-advised. Air cannons placed at the upper point of where material begins to

adhere keeps the cargo flowing toward the discharge spout.

Plugs are generally caused by compacted moist material or the contents that have been left for long periods.

Strategically placed air cannons can help loosen material to get it flowing.

Sometimes the contents have hardened to such a degree that a silo cleaning service is needed, which utilises the support of the air cannon system to resolve the issue faster, lowering the cost of the service.

Buildups can be caused by several factors: weather, silo design, the way the silo is loaded, a horizontal grain of the metal on the side of the silo, the silica content of the material, etc. Buildups can be economically mitigated using strategically placed air cannons at common collection points to keep material flowing toward the discharge spout.

Ratholes often form over time and reduced the capacity of the silo. Since the material is flowing, they are often ignored by operators, but can severely impact on production. The significant weight put on the thin walls of the silo and structural supports can pose a serious safety issue.

Air cannons Low-pressure air cannon technology has progressed exponentially over the 50 years since its conception. They use a plant’s compressed air system to deliver a powerful discharge to dislodge material buildup. Mounted on a pipe assembly, the basic components include an air reservoir, a fast-acting valve with a trigger mechanism and a nozzle to distribute the air in the desired pattern to clear the accumulation most effectively.

Strategically positioned on the silo, when compressed air (or some other inert gas) in the tank is suddenly released by the valve, it is directed through an engineered nozzle toward the specific or general location depending on the design of the nozzle. The air blasts help break down material accumulations and clear blocked pathways, allowing solids and/or gases to resume normal flow.

Often installed in a series and precisely sequenced for maximum effect, the network can be timed to best suit individual process conditions or material characteristics. Specific air blast characteristics can be achieved by manipulating the operating pressure, tank volume, valve design and nozzle shape.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 17

COVER STORY

Valve replacement

After installation, the cascading sequence of the cannons is apparent, aiding the direction of the material flow.

The valve in an air cannon is considered a wear part, but it is common practice to refurbish them rather than replace them with new ones. Since clearances and fits are critical to proper operation, valves should be rebuilt and repaired by the manufacturer, or specifically trained plant maintenance personnel.

Martin Engineering has created a program to supply factory-rebuilt air cannon. Customers can receive a standard pallet-sized container with six refurbished valves, so there’s no need for users to rebuild worn-out components.

The changeout can be accomplished in just ten minutes, at less than half the cost of new valves. Used valves are shipped back to the company, where the units are rebuilt to as-new condition by factory-trained technicians. Customers save time and money, with no need to stock repair parts or provide the training/ labour to rebuild.

Case study Toledo Power Plant in Cebu, Philippines (a subsidiary of Global Business Power Corporation) was experiencing clogging issues in its coal hopper. The material was wet and slightly sticky, which made it adhere to the walls of the hopper and accumulate creating blockages and unscheduled downtime. Temporary shutdowns affected production as employees manually knock down the material from the walls of the hopper with mallets.

Along with lowering production, clogs removed labour from other tasks, created a potentially unsafe work environment, and raised the cost of operation.

If left for too long, material buildup can harden and take a silo out of commission.

After evaluating the problem, Martin Engineering recommended the installation of 18 Martin Air Cannons.

Fed by the compressed air system and discharged either on a schedule or manually from a convenient central location, air cannons provide effective performance by supplying a powerful discharge of air that dislodges material buildups and enhances the flow of bulk solids.

Mounted on the slope of the hopper with nozzles pointing in the direction of the material flow where accumulation and blockages were most prominent, the cannons both dislodged accumulation and promoted consistent throughput.

The low maintenance requirements and high-velocity discharge make the Martin Air Cannons suitable for use on high temperature applications and humid conditions, as well as helping move the most challenging materials.

18 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

The air cannons eliminated the blockages and successfully prevented the accumulation that impacted efficiency and required process interruptions for manual cleanout. With the Martin Air Cannon installed at the slope of the hopper, the material now flows freely through the hopper to the screw feeder.

Martin installed a total of 18 air cannons at the plant.

Silo flow Air cannons are not new, but the technology has progressed to the point that the footprint on the compressed air system of a plant is considerably lower. Efficient silo flow is essential to plant production, so justifying the expense of installation and operation are easy once calculated against the cost of downtime and the importance of workplace safety.

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MACHINERY

Chutes across the globe Vortex Global trusts its machinery to stand up in the harshest conditions from the US to the coal plants in Indonesia.

ABHR looks at how it has designed a solution to handle some of the most abrasive materials available.

NEW DATA SHOWS THAT THE Indonesian coal industry is one of the leading exporters and producers of thermal coal in the world.

Indonesia led the world for producing and exporting thermal coal with 413 tonnes across the first 10 months of last year. It saw the country top the likes of Australia, Russia, and South Africa.

Coal in Indonesia is a serious business.

The energy source accounted for 43 per cent of the country’s energy supply in 2022, with Indonesia estimated to have coal reserves measuring nearly 39 billion tonnes.

When an Indonesian coal producer engaged Vortex Global to improve the flow rate of its power plant, the company knew its machinery needed to stand up to the test.

The client required a maximum flow rate of 1800 tonnes per hour with a bulk density of 641kg/m3 but its flap type diverters were failing.

Vortex Global’s two pivoting chute diverters proved to be the perfect replacement for the high-capacity Indonesian plant.

The diverter has been a staple of Vortex’s portfolio due to its ability

to divert heavy-duty and abrasive bulk solids to multiple destinations from one source.

This ability made it perfect for the gravity-fed environment at the Indonesian coal plant, which demanded efficacy and reliable material flow.

Vortex constructed the pivoting chute body from carbon steel, while the inlet and pivoting chute were built from abrasion-resistant steel.

The construction and advantage of no interior seals, means it can handle materials with heat ratings of 200°C and above.

C t

Au au pro yo

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• • • • The diverter can transport heavy-duty and abrasive bulk solids to multiple destinations.

20 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Vortex constructed the pivoting chute body from carbon steel.

The pivoting chute also features replaceable abrasion-resistant parts and a removable access panel for inspections and maintenance. These design elements increase the device’s service life and prevent operators from buying a complete replacement.

Managing director of Vortex Global Laurence Millington said the chute was vigorously tested to ensure it could handle the brunt of heavy-duty and abrasive materials.

“Nobody wants to be constantly repairing equipment every six months; they’re looking for something that will outlast everything else,” he said.

“Everything we build goes through a quality check to ensure the diverter or valve works correctly before dispatch.”

According to Vortex, the pivoting chute is not only a better fit for the application, but it will improve the flow rate compared to the old flap style diverters that were being used.

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The unique design of the pivoting chute diverter allows for it to be fixed to the flowing column, which improves the handling efficiency for materials like coal.

The wear and containment bar provides dual functionality to the set-up as it guides material to the destination and protects the weld point at the top of the divert legs where the material flow is split from the abrasive material.

Vortex Global also provides 24/7 support for technical and operational issues as an added bonus for this costumer.

Millington said Vortex prides itself on its customer support, available to all Vortex customers, whether in Indonesia, Australia, the UK or anywhere.

Millington said these factors will allow the Indonesian plant to have smooth operations with total control of the flow rate to multiple destinations, improving efficiency and production.

GRAIN HANDLING

European giant joins the fight against Aussie food waste ABHR looks at one of Europe’s largest material handling companies and explores what it can offer the Australian market.

BÜHLER HAS REVEALED ITS LATEST plans to make a mark on Australia’s bulk handling materials market and solve the country’s food waste problem.

The company, founded in 1860, wants to tackle the 30 per cent of food lost between fields and the forks of families in Australia and across the globe.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) data illustrates the significant cost of seeing 1.3 billion tonnes of food lost annually worldwide. The organisation’s report shows that while some food and grain wastage is due to supermarkets or restaurants, a portion is during transportation, handling, and storage.

The same organisation also publicly estimated that 25 per cent of crops worldwide are contaminated with mycotoxins.

The FAO’s Anthony Bennett said publicly there is a need to “concretely reduce” food wastage across the globe, and Bühler has decided to step up to the plate.

The Bühler name encompasses one of the world’s biggest brands, stretching across several sectors, from grain handling to technology.

By the company’s measurement, billions of people encounter Bühler technologies daily. Two billion people consume food produced on Bühler

equipment daily, while around one billion people travel in vehicles that were in some way made with Bühler machinery.

It shows the sheer scale of a familyowned company that employs nearly 13,000 employees across 140 countries with an annual turnover of 3 billion Swiss francs (more than $5 billion AUD).

While the Bühler name is synonymous with the food industry through its work in the confectionary space, it owns a vast market share within grains and milling solutions, a pillar of the company.

For a company of its size globally, it may come as no surprise that it can offer a complete grain-handling solution from intake to storage.

According to the company, this is why it can make a difference not only to the Australian market but also in the race to reduce produce waste.

“Bühler’s processes are tailored to reduce that drastically,” Bühler’s Sales Manager for the Oceania region, Adam Williamson, told ABHR. “While we understand that there will always be some food loss, we strive to help producers reduce that number.

“And there are lots of things producers can do using Bühler technology and equipment regarding food losses and food wastage.”

Bühler’s machinery is popular in the food industry.

22 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Caption

Bühler offers grain cleaners and scales at the intake stage, which allow operators to perform an effective precleaning process. Removing impurities and foreign materials ensures a higher quality grain, improves the equipment lifecycle, and enhances storage conditions.

Bühler’s cleaners separate impurities based on their size and weight.

Its Vega MTVA offers a compact grain cleaner that can still handle high throughput and process up to 100 tons per hour.

From there, Bühler can take the product through the sorting stage with its leading-edge optical sorters to be milled by milling range, stretching from bakery flours in the combimill to semolina with its roller and PesaMill.

According to Williamson, Bühler stands out from the pack with its technology-backed machinery, which can provide operators peace of mind and certainty.

Many of these products come built with a sensor component that allows site managers to monitor the grain online and remotely. The sensors enable management to make data-backed decisions around moisture management, storage timeframes and quality control.

“Monitoring the grain at every stage as it moves from intake to export is important for producers,” he said.

“If there is too much heat or moisture, then you get mould and risk losing whole silos worth of product in some cases, which is significant for most producers.

“We’ve invested in the technology side of things to provide producers with the data and monitoring they need to ensure their equipment is operating effectively and producing the grain they require.”

Bühler has offices and staff across Oceania.

Bühler’s extensive portfolio of grain handling allows for an integrated site fit-out manufactured to the company’s exacting standards developed from more than 160 years in the business.

“When the Bühler name is on the product, you know it is going to be produced to a high standard which is reliable and delivers to your specifications,” Williamson said.

LONG-TERM SUPPORT While Bühler has an international reputation, they have also done work with smaller Australian producers, including micro-breweries and farms.

With a national presence spread around Australia, Bühler can provide 24/7 support on-site and remotely.

This enables customers to lean on the experience of industry professionals with over 50 years of combined experience.

But Bühler understands that the Australian market, with its unique conditions, requires a tailored touch and expertise.

When producers come to Bühler needing a solution, Bühler’s expert team starts at the end to find a solution.

“We find that every producer can require some specialisation, which is why we start with their end product, what they want to produce and how much of it,” Willamson said.

“All those little details matter to us, whether they’re exporting or selling speciality grains or producing grain for human consumption and animal feed, it changes the equipment they’ll require.

“When the customer knows what they want and the areas they want to target or improve, we can devise a solution which will be effective for them and their needs.”

The company employs leading technology to ensure clients receive the best customer care, whether by remote support or in-person interaction.

In one recent case, a Bühler engineer was able to help solve a client’s problem remotely by accessing the site from Germany using Microsoft Glasses. The

technology enabled him to see the machine from across the globe in realtime and provide detailed solutions for operating it again.

Customers have also taken a sample of their product to Bühler’s German offices to see how they would handle the company’s equipment in real-time.

While technology is increasingly improving how Bühler can help customers, Williamson said they still pride themselves on providing a personal service in the grain handling industry.

“We’re able to do online monitoring and support, but crucially, with our presence across Oceania, we’re able to get a technician out quickly to provide support,” he said.

“Some companies must fly people in from overseas, but in Australia, Bühler has people on the ground and in your communities ready to help.

“We value our relationships with our customers, whether new or existing because we want to help engineer their success and make a better world.”

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 23

FEEDERS

Duly delivering for Bulk Handling Technologies Perth-based Bulk Handling Technologies delivers heavy-duty FEL hopper and belt feeder for a lithium project in Western Australia.

LITHIUM DEMAND IS SET TO expand beyond current supply in the future. Tesla has suggested it will need 16 times its 2022 needs or 30 per cent more lithium than currently available by 2030.

The World Economic Forum has predicted global demand will reach over three million metric tonnes. In contrast, the world produced 540,000 metric tonnes in 2021.

It was clear to Bulk Handling Technologies’ Western Australian client that an opportunity existed in the lithium market if it could improve its system.

Planned increases in production at the site meant that a more reliable and higher capacity system was required to ensure uninterrupted feed of lithium ore.

The client had struggled for many years with an ‘off-the-shelf’ hopper and belt feeder. Bulk Handling Technologies

was engaged to design and supply a new, larger capacity hopper suitable for feeding with a Komatsu WA700, which would prevent the delays experienced with material hang-up and poor hopper flow.

Sebastien Poulinet, senior mechanical design engineer at Bulk Handling Technologies, said there were key features to the new set-up.

“With a 6m long hopper, it is important to take account of the material properties to not only ensure mass flow but also to promote uniform draw-down along the full length,” he said.

“Without proper design, long hoppers can not only suffer hang-ups and bridging, but they can preferentially feed from one end, causing delays in re-loading and premature wear of the belt.”

Small-capacity hoppers for front-end loading (FEL) feeding are standard on

Bulk Handling Technologies was commissioned to deliver heavy-duty equipment to a WA lithium project.

24 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

mine sites and quarries. They are often based on a standard proprietary design and suitable for ‘typical’ bulk materials in many cases.

With minimal storage capacity, a small, standard hopper can seemingly work well, despite not being optimal for the material. However, if the same approach is taken with larger hoppers, they can cause expensive downtime and limit throughput.

Bulk Handling Technologies had previously helped a large gold mine that faced the same circumstances. FEL feeding was paused regularly so build-up in the hopper could be manually cleared.

Following a site audit and design review, material testing was conducted and Bulk Handling Technologies designed a new hopper.

The review results established critical hopper geometry, wall liner

materials and head load conditions for the belt feeder.

Bulk Handling Technologies also carried out a review of the belt feeder design to determine the pull-out forces, discharge bed height and wall divergence angles required to ensure mass flow discharge along the entire length of the hopper.

The new design incorporated polished, bolted, replaceable Arcoplate liners, a single offset baffle and wall angles of 70 degrees.

Specialist material testing of a representative sample is always recommended to determine the range of potential flow properties when designing large feed hoppers.

Correctly matching the feeder to the hopper is essential to ensure reliable performance. This is even more important when dealing with materials that have difficult flow characteristics.

“An important criterion for both projects was the full recovery of the

Bulk Handling Technologies is a Perth-based manufacturer.

stored volume over a range for moisture contents,” Poulinet said.

“Uniform draw-down from the hopper was necessary to ensure there was capacity created along the full length during discharge to ensure the FEL operator could tip a full bucket without spillage.

“An uneven level in the hopper can create delays in refilling

or spillage when the operator tries to refill.”

Designed to feed 225tph of crushed ore, the belt feeder was 19m long and installed at an angle of eight degrees. The design included side and back hungry boards and provision for a front spillage control plate.

The feeder was assembled and tested before it was sent to the site

PORTS

Page Macrae’s Enviro EDGe Page Macrae has unveiled a new era for grabs that aims to enhance productivity and sustainability in Western Australia.

PAGE MACRAE HAS SUCCESSFULLY commissioned two new-generation Enviro EDG bulk grabs at the Port of Bunbury, Western Australia.

The company says this advancement marks a testament to the company’s unwavering commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions.

The newly commissioned grabs will provide a significant step forward for bulk handling operations at the Port of Bunbury.

The Enviro EDG grabs are designed to streamline bulk handling operations, offering features that optimise performance, minimise downtime, and maximise returns for clients.

One of the key highlights of these grabs is their remote programming capability, enabled by onboard telemetry.

This empowers Page Macrae to tailor grab performance to specific cargo requirements, such as the 2.5mt/m3 density of mineral sand encountered at the Bunbury site.

The real-time data stream the grabs generate provides valuable insights into productivity, condition monitoring, and grab performance.

This information informs clients of their operational efficiency and enables Page Macrae to proactively provide aftersales support and servicing within a timeframe that aligns with clients’ schedules, minimising potential downtime.

Symbiotic partnership Page Macrae understands the stringent capital expenditure approval processes faced by businesses today. Therefore, the company strongly emphasises demonstrating the value proposition of its equipment, ensuring that clients recognise the tangible benefits and ROI associated with its products. This commitment to value creation is evident in the company’s PowerHead Ship and Harbour Crane system, which offers

Page Macrae can tailor grab performance to specific cargo requirements.

versatility and adaptability to cater to diverse cargo handling needs.

The PowerHead system encompasses a range of attachments, including different bucket sizes or swapping to grapples to handle logs, enabling clients to leverage their investment and adapt to evolving market demands. This flexibility ensures that operations remain agile and responsive to changing opportunities.

The PowerHead Harbour crane models also now includes electric options for bulk grabs, log grabs, and grapples, further expanding the portfolio of sustainable solutions offered by Page Macrae.

A journey of innovation Page Macrae’s dedication to innovation extends beyond product development. The company regularly engages in open dialogues with its

26 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

clients to better understand their evolving needs and challenges. These interactions have highlighted the need for businesses to demonstrate value addition and ROI when justifying capital expenditures. This insight has been incorporated into Page Macrae’s business model, ensuring that the company’s solutions align with the financial realities of its clients.

In a proactive step to stay ahead of the curve, Page Macrae’s combined New Zealand and Australian teams continually discuss global market challenges, advancements in data-driven support, and strategies to anticipate and address future client requirements. This collaborative approach underscores the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and pursuit of marketleading products, support, and real-time data solutions.

A m s

“Page Macrae’s combined New Zealand and Australian teams continually discuss global market challenges, advancements in datadriven support, and strategies to anticipate and address future client requirements.”

Environmental commitment A deep commitment to environmental sustainability lies at the heart of Page Macrae’s philosophy. The company’s products are designed to minimise environmental impact while enhancing operational efficiency for its clients. This commitment is evident in developing the Enviro EDG grabs, which optimise energy consumption and reduce waste.

Page Macrae’s dedication to innovation and environmental responsibility has positioned the

The Enviro EDG grabs are designed to streamline bulk handling operations.

company as a trusted partner for bulk handling operations worldwide. The company’s new generation grabs, coupled with its comprehensive support services

and data-driven insights, empower clients to achieve operational excellence, maximise profitability, and foster a sustainable future.

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GRAIN HANDLING

New pouch for a roo Kilic Engineering has designed a new underbelly for its “Roo” line of bunker stackers. ABHR learns more about how and why the machine was developed.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN manufacturer Kilic Engineering (KE) has its eyes on the rest of Australia.

Historically, the company had grown almost exclusively in SA. Craig Dennis, KE’s general manager, told ABHR that as the automotive industry disappeared, the business needed to establish and grow into new markets both locally and overseas.

“While we have built and delivered some of our machines overseas, that became a lot more difficult during the pandemic years,” he said.

“So we refocused and looked towards the domestic market, particularly in the grain sector.”

KE found its range of bunker stackers to be a popular local product. The machines are used to move grain from trucks into storage bunkers and play a crucial role at grain receival sites across Australia. The machinery has been in KE’s stable of equipment for almost two decades now, changing a lot during that time in response to customer demands for faster and safer equipment for their grain operations.

In 2023, one customer had a specific request. They were handling canola, which can be quite oily, and had started using an auger to deal with the product.

That way, if it caked up, the motion of the auger would clean itself.

The customer approached KE and asked if it would be possible to include an auger as part of the bunker stacker machinery, instead of the underbelly belt conveyor that has long been part of the success of the bunker stacker range.

Dennis said KE was committed to working with them and set about designing a machine that could take material from a truck and deliver it onto the main conveyor.

“We had confidence in our design team to make it work, and there was a lot of enthusiasm from the customer,” he said.

The auger system can handle canola, wheat and other cereals with no issue.

Wo exp Ha

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“From design to completion, the process took about six months – something the team is really proud of.

“After seeing the first one work so well, we let other Roo customers know.

We built a total of four throughout 2023,

each version incrementally improving on the design.”

The lucky few that have had early access to the machine have appreciated the machine during last year’s busy harvest season. They have been able to

28 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

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switch it from canola to wheat and other cereals with no issue.

There were even situations where truck drivers delivering the grain asked to use the KE machines, as they were much faster than the others on site.

Feedback plays an important part in KE’s design process. Dennis said that while the word is a bit cliché these days, “collaboration” was the key.

“It’s a good word to describe what happened. We spent time at our customers’ sites and invited them to our workshop. We learned about what worked and what didn’t from them,” he said.

“As the same time we worked with our own suppliers to understand what we could do to put a machine like this together.

“The big challenge was finding the space on the machine to fit the underbelly auger and all of the additional equipment to support it. Our bunker stackers only need one motor to drive them, but the auger would require six.”

In addition, KE also brought in its tradespeople, especially its fitters, to learn how hard it would be to build and to find the right materials to use, and how long it would take.

Everything from the auger itself to the bearings and other mechanical components were lined up to ensure it would all work correctly.

Dennis said the company strives to create a culture of open communication and connection with its customers.

“We build genuine relationships with not only the senior people, but also the people operating the equipment,” he said.

“We take their feedback on board, becoming more attuned to what they are looking for in a machine.

“It’s also not just myself and Jason Kilic, our managing director. We make sure the people on our factory floor who built the machines have an opportunity to get up close with it.”

While the new machine doesn’t have

a name just yet, Kilic Engineering plans to launch the underbelly auger bunker stacker in 2024.

The company has delivered machines from coast to coast and plans to continue with its strategy of national expansion.

Dennis said it’s a busy time at the moment, as KE begins planning for the year ahead.

“We’re working through a review of everything we did in 2023, looking internally at things we can tune and improve,” he said.

“Then we plan to visit our customers throughout the summer to inform our product development work.

“KE will also be attending the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) annual conference and expo in the US. “We’re looking forward to bringing Kilic Engineering’s bunker equipment to the US market and hope to sell several machines internationally while growing at home.”

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PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

Dancing Goat upgrades pneumatic conveyor An American distillery has installed a Flexicon pneumatic conveying system as part of a major upgrade and expansion.

DANCING GOAT DISTILLERY HAS

Employing modern technique

come a long way since barrelling its first batch of rye whiskey in 2017.

It’s now a destination that offers a range of distillery experiences from tours to hands-on distilling classes.

The Dancing Goat Gin Academy lets students distil and bottle their own 750ml bottle of gin to take home.

The distillery also boasts a rustic-chic tasting room where patrons can watch corn and rye become drinkable spirits, including the company’s flagship Limousin Rye and Death’s Door gin.

While the company’s rye whiskey can spend six years barrelaging, Dancing Goat needed about five years to orchestrate three expansions. The most recent, which doubled the facility’s footprint to 3159m2 moves grain nine-times faster using a Flexicon pneumatic conveying system.

With each expansion, the company aims to preserve the traditional art and science of distillation as it adopts modern techniques, which is why a copper pot remains in service beside distillation columns.

At the cookers, where grains and malt are turned into a mash for fermentation, the company has twice upgraded its loading methods.

Originally, workers hoisted dozens of 23kg bags of grain to load three 908L cookers. When those were replaced by two 7192L cookers, Dancing Goat began receiving grain in bulk bags, unloading them into the vessels using a bulk bag discharger and flexible screw conveyor from Flexicon.

After its latest expansion added a third 11,356L cooker, Dancing Goat installed a 26 m (85 ft) long PneumaticCon pneumatic conveying system, also

32 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

from Flexicon. The system transports the grains to two 0.2m3 hoppers, one feeding the two existing cookers and one feeding the new cooker.

“The pneumatic system can load three times as much grain in one-third the time,” Mike Reiber, former director of operations said.

“Instead of driving fork trucks to the bulk bag discharger at the cookers and charging the cookers there, we created a grain-handling room and based our pneumatic conveying system there. It improves the process and is less painful for the operators.”

Weigh batching from a distance Located on the opposite side of the facility from the cookers, the grain room houses the intake and terminus of the pneumatic circuit, and a bulk bag discharger mounted on load cells.

With a forklift, workers load the bags into the discharger using a lifting frame

Dancing Goat Distillery produces rye, gin, brandy, schnapps and other spirits.

The distillery combines modern methods with traditional aging in oak barrels.

that nests into receiving cups atop the discharger’s frame posts.

Once the bag spout is secured to a Spout-Lock clamp ring, the grains— milled to a flour-like consistency—flow into a 155L floor hopper, from which a 1.5m long flexible screw conveyor, inclined at 45 degrees, feeds the grain into the pneumatic conveying line via a pickup adapter, which includes an air inlet filter. Load cells supporting the discharger transmit loss-of-weight signals to a PLC that stops the screw conveyor once a pre-set batch weight has been fed into the pneumatic line.

The 125mm diameter pneumatic line—under negative pressure generated by a 23.3kW vacuum pump— transports the entire batch with no residual, across the facility to the two 0.2m3 capacity hoppers installed over the cookers. Inline fill/pass valves, located above each hopper, guide the grain to one hopper or the other, depending on the recipe.

The grain discharges into each cooker through a rotary valve. Above the

twin cookers, a diverter valve controls whether the grain discharges from the hopper to the first or second cooker.

The second hopper discharges to the third, larger cooker.

On the return side, the line runs from the hoppers back to the grain room to a 122cm diameter filterreceiver whose cartridge filters separate the conveying air from carry-over grain dust. Reverse-pulse air nozzles dislodge

accumulated material, which enters a 0.5m3 floor hopper with rotary valve that returns it to the conveying line feeding the cookers.

“That means I don’t have to worry about grain being aged at the bottom of my conveying line or about grain backing up in the filter-receiver,” Reiber said.

“It also minimises any concerns about attracting bugs or other pests and

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 33

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

it gets the maximum amount of grain into the cookers.”

Faster, cleaner, safer The pneumatic conveying system— which can move as much as 6350kg per hour—reduces the time operators spend loading and discharging the bulk bags.

“Instead of taking the bags to the use point, they’re now taken to the grain handling room near to where they’re stored,” Reiber said.

“The forklifts travel maybe 50 ft (15.2 m) now, so the amount of handling, the forklift time, has been cut by 80 percent.”

Corn and rye, the grains Dancing Goat uses the most, flow from the bulk bags faster.

“We were delivering a bag in roughly 15 minutes before. Now it’s in the 5-minute range for a bag of corn and seven minutes for rye, with both bags weighing 1750 lb (794 kg),” Reiber said.

A typical batch requires discharging six to eight bulk bags.

“The operators who were here before we upgraded are amazed at how much less work and how fast the pneumatic system transfers the grain.

We’re doing more with less work and in less time.”

The operators are freed to perform other tasks in the distillery.

The operation is also cleaner and safer because the batching system is contained and operates under vacuum, preventing the grains from spreading dust.

“We already make a flammable product, ethanol, and we don’t want to add potential fuel—airborne dust—to a zoned and classified space,” Reiber said.

Discharger promotes flow and evacuation In the grain room, the bulk bag discharger contains dust and ensures reliable flow using several subsystems.

At the bag spout interface a SpoutLock clamp ring makes a dust-free connection to the floor hopper. As the bag empties, a Tele-Tube telescoping tube lowers the clamp ring, applying continual downward tension to keep the spout taut promoting flow. Meanwhile,

A loss-of-weight bulk bag discharging system with integral flexible screw conveyor feeds grain by batch weight into a Flexicon pneumatic conveying line.

Flow-Flexer bag activator plates raise and lower the opposite bottom edges of the bag into a V shape, directing all the grain out the spout.

Reiber said the company uses the bag activator plates every day on every grain. It helps break up the cube that can form during transport. The company also relies on the discharger’s

34 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Power-Cincher flow control valve, whose pneumatically driven bars close concentrically on the spout.

“It’s a great tool when we need to restrict the flow or tie off a bag before it’s empty.

It’s ideal for handling malt, which starts out blocky but then flows like water once it gets moving.”

In addition, the discharger’s posts can be raised or lowered to accommodate off-size bulk bags.

“Our malt supplier’s bulk bags are about 14 inches longer than the normal ones,” Reiber said. “But it only takes maybe five minutes to adjust all four posts.”

Non-stop advancement While the distillery has become a destination for whiskey and spirits lovers, Reiber said the company is only partway into its journey, with plans to load the grains from bulk silos instead of bulk bags.

“We plan to tie in the silos to piggyback on the pneumatic conveying system,” Reiber said.

“The goal is to cook, ferment, and distil around the clock, and this system has brought us much closer to doing that.”

The company has expanded operations three times to keep up with demand, establishing a grain room for unloading of bulk bags.

From small to not so small, NetterVibration have the largest range of vibrators, electric, pneumatic and hydraulic, to handle any product flow and compaction issues.

All with German design and manufacturing quality.

www.nettervibration.com.au info@nettervibration.com.au

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CONVEYORS

Aerobelt Australia’s American expansion Aerobelt has gone global, installing its specialised air-based conveyors into agriculture operations in the US. FARMERS’ RICE COOPERATIVE (FRC) is a grower-owned rice marketing cooperative. Since 1944, it has supplied domestic and international food manufacturers, brewers, private retailers, exporters, and distributors with premium-quality California rice.

FRC processes and markets approximately 25 per cent of all the rice grown in California, making it one of the state’s largest rice marketing firms.

FRC branded products can be found in Hawaii, Guam and the mid-Pacific Island region where per capita rice consumption is high. The company is also a principal supplier of medium grain rice for exports to Asia and the Middle East.

In 2016, Aerobelt was invited to visit FRC in West Sacramento to give a presentation about Aerobelt conveyors and their benefits.

The company makes use of an air cushion belt conveyor, which is where the belt is carried on a film of air instead of rollers. Air is blown under the conveyor by a small fan, with small holes along the trough to help set a certain air pressure and volume.

The belt only requires the use of return rollers and pulleys at the very ends of the system, significantly cutting down on the weight and maintenance.

Peter Mazzieri, manager at Aerobelt, said the air supported conveyors can be supplied in a range of sizes and capacities to transport a wide range of common and specialised products.

“Many different products are transported on Aerobelt conveyors across a range of industries including mining, food and industrial products,” he told ABHR. “Aerobelt’s engineers have extensive experience across design, maintenance and installation plus extensive backgrounds in mining, design, and industrial engineering.

“There are many variations to the standard Aerobelt conveyors and rest assured if a project requires an unusual configuration, Aerobelt will give a rapid assessment of options.”

The meeting with FRC was a success, and Aerobelt provided the cooperative with a quote for a conveyor that could carry white rice from the mill to the packaging area, which would replace an old, existing roller conveyor.

In July 2020, Aerobelt received a request to quote a second reversible conveyor for them also. By September of that year, the company won the contract to deliver two 400mm-wide belt conveyors.

The first conveyor was reversible and approximately 60m long, it has a capacity of 50 tonnes per hour and belt velocity of 1.9 metres per second requiring only 2.43 kilowatts of calculated power.

The second conveyor was approximately 136m long, it also has a capacity of 50 tonnes per hour and belt velocity of 1.9 metres per second requiring only 3.88 kilowatts of calculated power.

Both conveyors utilised the existing structural steelwork that supported the old roller conveyors. The longer

36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

conveyor had a tubular span that housed the old, exposed roller conveyor between the warehouses.

In this tube section, Aerobelt replaced the carry idler frames with an air plenum and utilised the existing return rollers and mounts. This helped save FRC on the overall capital expenditure for the conveyors.

Mazzieri said that Aerobelt offers a range of services, from supply, delivery, steelwork, fabrication, electrical system design, installation, and commissioning.

“Aerobelt can customise the conveyors to fit the operation. We can use stainless steel construction, specialised bearings, high wear resistance chutes and inlet doors, and even reversing conveyors,” he said.

“Because less power is required to get the belt moving, we can use smaller drives and have an overall lighter conveyor construction. That also means there are fewer moving parts, resulting in less noise and maintenance requirements.

“Aerobelt conveyors can also achieve steeper inclines, due to the low product agitation on a continuously supported air belt.”

Aerobelt worked with its representative in the USA, Stephen

The existing tube spanning between warehouses.

Hartshorn. Hartshorn had a previous working relationship with Aerobelt before moving to the USA and is now the CEO of Dependable Conveyor Systems. Together they refined the designs that were required, and the conveyors were issued for manufacture in March 2021.

Hartshorn said the enclosed conveyors were ideal for FRC, as they protected the rice from potential contamination.

“The old belts would also drop product and allowed dust to accumulate around the conveyor,” he said.

“It also had parts where employees could be caught in moving machinery.

The Aerobelt conveyor removes the potential for people to get hurt.

“An added bonus is a reduction in maintenance costs. The old system was ageing and constantly needed readjustment. Due to how the Aerobelt conveyor works, the air forces the belt to remain centred.”

Aerobelt fabricated the conveyors in Sydney during the COVID lockdowns which was another hurdle their engineers had to overcome. The conveyors were

completed, packed, and shipped to site on time and budget. The first reversible conveyor was installed and commissioned in January 2022 and the second in September 2023.

Both conveyors are working as designed and have already saved FRC money on running costs and product losses due to inclement weather at site that would constantly affect the product

on its old, exposed roller conveyors.

Hartshorn said the companies plan to continue growing in North America, in the grain industry.

“The market responds to new things like it always does – people are wary about new technology,” he said.

“Building trust means developing strong relationships in the industry and showing what the conveyors can do.”

Fully enclosed 60m long reversible Aerobelt running next to an old roller conveyor.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 37

FLOW-AIDS

Blasting to success Material blockages can cost companies up to millions of dollars. ABHR explores how, with the help of ESS Engineering’s range of flow aids, companies can save serious money.

IN HIS LINE OF WORK, Tom Stahura accounts development manager for ESS, is often asked why companies should take on a flow-aid device for their bulk handling operations.

His simple and effective answer takes five words and can potentially save companies millions in lost revenue.

As he says, “without flow, you have nothing. Without flow, the product is sitting idly in a silo or storage facility, reducing plant efficiency and limiting live capacity.”

Stahura has four decades of experience in the industry and nearly as long with air cannons, first in the United States and then in Australia He knows just how valuable and versatile ESS Engineering’s flow-aids can be in the bulk material handling industry.

“I think wherever bulk materials are being handled, there is a need for a flow-aid to help them with their

product.” Says Stahura, “I’ve had clients use air cannons on everything from cereal manufacturing to bricks and cement works to heavy-duty bulk handling like iron ore.”

Equally, this experience also recognises how crucial proper application, placement and alignment are in utilising flow-aids.

“When flow-aids aren’t applied correctly, they can damage a structure and create a problem,” he said.

This is why operators must rely on trusted industry advice from a specialist team with decades of experience dealing with these products.

The ESS difference ESS Engineering develops flow-aid solutions for a site’s application through close collaboration with its clients. By investing time to comprehend client needs and goals, whether it’s sustaining material flow or utilising maximum

ESS Engineering’s air cannons are a popular flow-aid device across several Australian industries.

bin, hopper, or chute capacity, ESS Engineering’s flow-aid team devises optimised solutions tailored to address these specific requirements.

One recent example saw ESS Engineering’s team helping an Australian mining company help alleviate a blockage issue on its iron ore sizer.

The ore was building up to the point where the sizers continually turned through the same material, which was not flowing onto the next stage of the plant.

The company estimated the lost productivity from the sizer was costing them close to $3 million a year for no benefit.

The flow-aid solution utilising an air cannon from ESS Engineering is estimated to have returned them close to $2 million as the material flowed freely through the sizer and into processing.

“After we created a flow-aid solution for the sizer, the client was really pleased with the results. They estimate we saved them around $2 million in less than a year,” Stahura said.

“For the expenditure they invested in the flow-aid solution and the air cannon, they saw that returned several times over.”

A

Versatile range ESS is known for its comprehensive range of flow-aid devices, from air cannons to industrial vibrators, to silo cleaners, all of which can be adapted across many bulk-handling applications.

ESS Air Cannons are pneumatic bulk material flow aid systems that utilise the release of a volume of compressed air.

This sudden release of energy is directed through a transition pipe into compacted material in a bulk storage structure to fracture blockages, restoring flow and regaining storage capacity.

In the bulk materials and

M F

•L •L •H •S •D •C •S

CO 38 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Aer Ph: info

Air cannons can quickly solve bulk flow problems in silos, hoppers, and chutes.

handling sector, air cannons have numerous applications.

They can quickly solve bulk flow problems in silos, hoppers, chutes and storage piles and are often used where vibration is not practical or other methods are too expensive.

The recent upgrades to ESS’ air cannon design have enhanced operator

safety and efficiency, especially with ESS being able to retrofit air cannons onto previously installed valve arrangements The newly designed ESS Air Cannons are available in both internal and external valve arrangements with 4” (i4) and 6” (i6) valves.

The direct blast design of the i4 and i6 valves allows stored air in 40L, 70L, 150L or 250L receivers to escape directly through the valve and into a discharge pipe without bends or obstructions.

This is important, as the quicker the air discharges, the more significant the blast’s force, velocity, and impulse are and, therefore, have a more substantial impact on the problem area.

ESS’s new air cannon design range also allows operators to fill the air cannon on demand. The feature reduces the hazard risk and statutory inspection requirements of the device and enhances operator safety.

Other upgrades have also had a profound impact on the Air Cannon’s safety and longevity. The ESS team removed wearing components like springs and reduced metal-on-metal contact within the device to improve its reliability and lifetime.

The ESS Air Cannon delivers the best results when angled correctly at the problem area, especially the base area of the build-up, which is why ESS tailors its service to the customers’ requirements.

Operators can use the sequence controller to remotely activate the air cannon and control the firing intervals of individual or multiple cannons.

This design feature further enhances operator safety and air cannon productivity.

It is clear, as Stahura said, that if a company needs its bulk material to flow, the ESS Air Cannon is the safe and effective way to go.

Air-cushion BELT CONVEYOR Both belt and product are carried on a cushion of air

MONEY SAVING FEATURES:

• Low power consumption • Reliability • Low wear and tear • Low maintenance • High capacity • Light weight belt • Steep angles of inclination • High belt speeds • Dust tight • True belt tracking • Complete settling of materials on belt • Simple conversion from open to closed conveyor

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

Aerobelt Australia Pty Ltd Ph: 02 4631 2919 | Mob: 0419 279 566 | Fax: 02 4631 2915 info@aerobelt.com.au | aerobelt.com.au

EQUIPMENT

Brilliant backstops ABHR explores Regal Rexnord’s range of torque limiting releasable backstops and investigates the key factors behind their growing popularity within the Australian market.

THE BACKSTOP MAY BE A SMALL component of a conveyor set-up, but it can be a crucial determiner of safety and productivity within a conveyor set-up.

This is why companies across Australia, particularly within the mining sector, are increasingly turning towards Regal Rexnord’s range of backstops to ensure their set-ups have the lifecycle and modern features to keep their operations running smoothly.

“It has been a combination of customers knowing our reputation within the market, especially regarding lifespan compared to competitor products and issues that they’ve had using other products,” Regal Rexnord’s Rex Sinclair said.

“We’ve been engaged by several companies now to replace backstops by competitor brands which have failed or haven’t performed to the same standard as ours.”

ABHR spoke to Regal Rexnord about why its releasable backstops were proving successful in Australia,

particularly in the mining sector.

When a site needs to perform a controlled release under load due to stored tension in the conveyor belt or rotate a belt backward for maintenance and clearing, it can significantly impact the operators and the site. If workers needed to perform maintenance on a conveyor belt, they needed to release the stored tension from the belt, which was a timely and labour-intensive process.

Belt clamps and chain blocks would be added to take the tension off the backstop and the backstop to be removed. The process can take up valuable time and expose operators to risk of injury.

This was a familiar story for Sinclair and the team at Regal Rexnord, which is why they found a solution in Stieber’s torque-limiting/load-sharing backstop.

Sinclair said while high-speed and low-speed releasable backstops were available, customers were particularly wrapped with the performance of the high-speed iteration.

The compact backstop packs a lot into its design, with torque capacities of 5500 Nm to 180,000 Nm across its 11 models.

40 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Stieber’s RDBK high-speed backstop was developed with an internal torque limiter specially designed for use on the high-speed or intermediate shaft of the driving unit in multi-drive systems.

This feature makes it a practical application for equipment like large, inclined conveyors, where two or more backstops share the reverse load.

The RDBK unit features an internal hydraulic system and bearings supporting the backstop, enabling it to perform as many reverse rotations as required up to 150 RPM. According to the company, this is a crucial feature if a conveyor has a blockage, belt jam or overload, which needs to be fixed promptly to negate the impact of downtime.

Sinclair said the Stieber team had put much thought into creating a backstop to benefit the end user.

“The Stieber backstops have a major advantage over the competition due to its fully bearing supported design and high heat dissipation capacity, which allows it to slip when high peak loads occur, which may otherwise cause damage to conveyor components,” he said.

“The old process was a combination of heightened injury risk but also that it took quite a bit of time for workers to go through this process compared to what we have now,” Sinclair said.

“With our current backstop, it is as simple as releasing the backstop with a hydraulic pump, which you can do within a matter of minutes or less, depending on the system.

“It allows the operators to save a lot of time but also, importantly, enables people to do what they need to do safely.

The compact backstop packs a lot into its design, with torque capacities of 5,500 Nm to 180,000 Nm across its 11 models. Regal Rexnord estimates the

GET IT FLOWING! Industries that incorporate bunkers, silos, chutes, transfer points or hoppers into a system encounter bulk material blockages, reducing productivity and, in some cases, bringing operations to a halt.

The RDBR unit features an internal hydraulic system.

“With our current backstop, it is as simple as releasing the backstop with a hydraulic pump, which you can do within a matter of minutes or less, depending on the system.”

Stieber RDBK Backstop is capable of 3.5 times more torque capacity and up to 15 times more energy dissipation when compared to other similar backstops. It is also designed to last the distance with friction linings steeped in an oil bath to maintain the backstop’s functionality after long periods of inaction.

INTEGRATED SOLUTION When Regal Rexnord and Altra Motion merged last year, it was tipped that customers would benefit from combining the two major powertrain solutions manufacturers.

Sinclair said a vital factor of the merger is its enhanced ability to offer a complete drive package, which is rare in the sector.

The company can provide a complete fit-out across the conveyor system using products from the Regal Rexnord brands, which includes Falk, Tollok, Marland, Svendborg Brakes and Stieber.

“We can supply customers with a complete conveyor drive package from all our brands, and there is no one else in the market that we know of that can offer that,” he said.

“It means the customer only needs to place the order with one company, and then we can guide them the whole way from commissioning to ongoing service and spare parts.”

Sinclair said these factors enabled customers to trust they were getting a high-quality product, manufactured to a strong internal standard, with a significant knowledge base to support them.

Regal Rexnord employs more than 36,000 staff, which includes an engineering team and overhaul workshops based in Australia. This was further bolstered with the addition of Altra Motion’s staff and service facilities in Sydney, Perth, Mackay and Newcastle last year.

“Rexnord had a real strength in the gearing and coupling side of things while Altra had similar strengths in the clutch and brake side of things,” Sinclair said.

“Our customers will be able to access a great depth of industry experience from across our team, providing them with the right solution for their application.”

The ESS Air Cannons are pneumatic bulk material flow aid systems that utilise the release of a volume of compressed air.

This sudden release of energy is directed through a transition pipe into compacted material in a bin, silo or stockpile to dislodge that material, restore flow and regain storage capacity.

The ESS Air Cannons are; •

Designed to utilise a direct blast, allowing for greater velocity, impulse and force of the blast affecting a greater amount of material.

•

Engineered to function without components such as springs, which cause premature failure.

•

Fill-on-demand just before the air cannon is fired to reduce hazards.

•

Activated remotely via a Sequence Controller, which controls the firing time interval and sequence of one or more Air Cannons.

•

Available in internal and external arrangements.

•

Available in a range of tank sizes (40L, 70L, 150L, 250L and an epsilon 150L tank)

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ESS AIR CANNONS

ENGINEERING SERVICES & SUPPLIES PTY LTD

PH: 1800 074 446 www.esseng.com.au

BULK2024

Bulk Handling Expo returns in 2024 The Australian Bulk Handling Expo will return after a successful event in 2022. ABHR learns more about the show and how it plans to grow the industry.

Industry decision makers will be invited to the expo.

THE BULK HANDLING INDUSTRY IS a diverse sector – made up of businesses that transport and handle bulk solids.

At first glance it might seem that a major iron ore mine, a cement plant, or a grain shipping terminal don’t have much in common. However, they each use similar equipment like conveyors, silos, hoppers, and more to move their materials from one point to another.

They are also grappling with a labour shortage. Skilled labour has also become harder to find, and much harder to retain.

The latest skills priority list released

by Jobs and Skills Australia in October found that 36 per cent of occupations assessed were in a shortage.

Technicians and trade workers had some of the highest shortages, particularly in regional and remote areas.

Jobs and Skills Australia found that the shortage is being driven by the continues tightness in labour market conditions, reflecting either a lack of people who have the essential technical skills, or those with the right skills and qualities who aren’t willing to apply for vacancies under current pay and working

conditions. Occupations with a strong gender imbalance were also more likely be in shortage.

A range of strategies are being implemented across the country to help address the issue, but there is no silver bullet.

It has led many organisations to begin looking at innovations like autonomous machinery to help increase their efficiencies as much as possible, whether it’s a mine, or manufacturer.

Networking opportunities will be available at the event.

42 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

The Australian Bulk Handling Expo (BULK2024) plans to bring this diverse industry together, under the one roof in September.

Located at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, the event aims to help spread industrial knowledge, showcase the latest technologies and innovations, and provide an opportunity to network with likeminded peers.

Lauren Chartres, BULK2024 Show Director, said the event is the only dedicated Australian expo for producers of bulk commodities such as grains, coal, iron ore, cement,and animal feed.

“The bulk handling industry is a vital part of Australia’s economy, with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share,” Chartres said.

“To have all these exhibitors under one roof is not only a great place for business opportunities, but a fantastic occasion to network within this essential industry.”

BULK2024 is aimed at bulk commodity producers who are looking to run their businesses more efficiently and keep one step ahead of the competition.

To ensure they can do that, the latest in equipment will be on display, including conveyors, silos, motors and drives, belt scrapers, container

The latest equipment will be on display at BULK2024

tipplers, dust control systems, and weighing or level measuring products.

“Industries around the world are revolutionising as technology becomes more connected. Industry 4.0, automation, and artificial intelligence have the potential to radically change the way businesses operate,” Chartres said.

“Stakeholders from a broad range of sectors will share their insight and expertise on how to stay at the cutting edge of technology and avoid being left behind.”

Attendees will have the chance to connect with industry leaders and innovators on the show floor and at various networking opportunities at the show.

It will also offer the opportunity to meet with new clients, learn about new markets and connect with customers you might never have met elsewhere.

The expo will be held in conjunction with one of Australia’s biggest transport, logistics and supply chain events, MEGATRANS2020. The two events will be hosted over 30,000 square metres at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It will also host the 2024 Australian Bulk Handling Awards, the only awards program specifically for the bulk handling industry.

Chartres said the awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding achievements and successes of companies and individuals that have demonstrated innovative practices and superior performances across the year.

Nominations are currently open for the awards night and can be submitted online at the Bulk Handling Awards website. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner held on 18 September.

“We’re inviting everyone to be a part of this gamechanging expo – from hands-on decision makers in the bulk handling industry to CEOs, COOs, regulatory bodies, and government at all levels,” Chartres said.

“We’ve seen how impactful bringing the industry together was at BULK2022 and are excited to see the industry continue to grow.”

BULK2024 will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 18–19 September, 2024.

LOGISTICS

Ship considerations must include time at berth for draft surveys and paperwork, berthing and departure time and other non-productive time.

talk

Steve Davis outlines some key factors for designing a modern bulk commodities port facility.

AN ENGINEERING GROUP

STEVE DAVIS Steve Davis discusses Australia’s bulk handling sector, highlighting the advancements the industry has made and the organisations that are providing local innovations and expertise.

Steve has worked in bulk handling for 30 years, for both resource companies and professional engineering firms, in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada.

His experience encompasses such commodities as iron ore, coal, potash, phosphates, petcoke, sulphur, sands and grain.

asked if it would be acceptable to base the design of a new bulk materials port facility on the operating history and metrics of the existing operation. The existing operation was designed in the 1960s and has been upgraded several times over its continuous lifecycle. The facility still operates with much of the original equipment, although commodities and configuration have changed over time. The existing operation manages to achieve current targets but has little or no spare capacity. Efficiency is relatively low mostly due to reliability issues. History and metrics for the existing operation are available, however are typically sketchy and unreliable.

The new facility will be required to manage more commodities at higher throughput

44 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

and will use modern equipment and methods to obtain efficiency and reliability at best practice.

A key aspect of the facility is that it could be considered an intermodal hub for bulk material management. Bulk materials are delivered in large and small packages by ship, train, and truck from various sources, consolidated in storage and transferred in similar large and small packages again by ship, train and truck to users or other hubs.

Larger ships may be used in addition to the existing mix. A new approach channel will be used for accessing the berth. Trains and trucks will remain as current, limited by regulation and existing access and infrastructure.

The facility is part of a large and relatively complex logistics operation. As such, this mandates design around the external impacts

that the logistics chain applies to the bulk handling facility.

Experience of a different facility with one commodity, rail only delivery and defined ship fleet is an indication of the result when the external logistics were ignored.

The facility was designed to receive a constant rate annual supply by rail and with the expectation that a ship would always be available for loading when required. No reliability calculations were completed, with the supplier confirming that it would be 97 per cent available overall according to contract. This facility was expected to ramp up from initial throughput to approximately triple this but has always struggled to meet the initial throughput. The basic reasons are that the facility cannot achieve anywhere near 97 per cent availability in current configuration, the two rail supply

operations do not provide continuous output so loading trains is erratic, trains do not arrive on schedule due to various reliability issues and delays, and shipping is as always erratic due to market factors, weather, and other external impacts. A major factor was the assumption that all ships can be loaded at maximum rate. As this rate is defined by the ships master and the ship design, many were unable to accept more than 50 per cent design rate, extending loading time by a similar amount.

Factors that must be considered for shipping. First define the ships that will be accommodated. A bland assumption of “panamax” is not acceptable. There are now two sets of locks in the Panama Canal, and our conventional reference refers to the first and much smaller locks. Maximum dimensions are length 289.56 m, beam 32.31 m, height 57.91 m and draft 12.04 m. There is no standard for Panamax ships, and my small list of Panamax ranges from 190 m to 230 m length and between 30 m and 32.29 m beam with tonnage listed from 40,000 DWT to 80,000 DWT and critically for load rates, between 5 and 11 hatches and with several being geared ships. There are other classes of bulk ship, see table, definition is not consistent and there are others that are specific to different ports, e.g. Kamsarmax. Make sure that the port matches the vessels to be used.

I often see an assumption that a panamax is 85,000 DWT, this may be correct for

This low capex shiploading method was likely as efficient as the old facility.

Table of ship sizes CLASS

TONNAGE (DWT)

LENGTH (m) maximum

Coastal

1,000 to 10,000

160

Handysize

10,000 to 39,999

190

Handymax

40,000 to 59,000

240

Panamax

60,000 to 99,999

310

Capesize

100,000 to 199,999

Above 310

Very Large Ore Carriers

200,000 to 299,999

Above 310

Ultra Large Ore Carriers

300,000 to 400,000

Above 310

Chinamax

400,000 plus

Above 310

some but certainly not all. Some bulkers do not travel the Panama Canal and are larger than Panamax, e.g. “post panamax”. Loading rate is difficult to establish and results from deballasting rates, number of holds, gearing clash, and is individual to each ship. Trimming holds at the end of loading may add five per cent to 10 per cent to the load time.

Ships that are being unloaded have similar concerns relating to size and rate of unloading. Additionally, we must consider hold cleaning which can result in the last five to 10 per cent of the load taking up to 25 per cent or more of the total unload time.

Ship considerations must include time at berth for draft surveys and paperwork, berthing and departure time and other non-productive time. Many wharves have a single channel approach,

and this means a delay between one ship departing and another being able to berth. Ships can be delayed by lack of tugs. We must also make allowance for wharf activities such as outage, shift change, or failure, to develop a ‘berth occupancy’ value. Berth occupancy in design should target approximately 65 per cent for ports with smaller and varied ships. Spare occupancy provides margin for ship arrival variability, which can be caused by weather, breakdowns, delays enroute and other issues, and also for irregular longer maintenance outage.

For rail and road, we must understand how frequently they arrive and how quickly they can be unloaded and loaded.

Both rail and road are batch operations with similarities and differences. With rail it is reasonable to assume there are not many trains in circulation for each commodity and easier if they cycle between end points. On a large rail network this is not always possible, and trains may have an asymmetric cycle over a long time.

For example, different number of trains per day at differing times, and even with different numbers of railcars, but adding up to a continuous average rate over time. Some operations may require that many trains deliver in a short period to build up storage for shiploading.

This is known as cargo assembly. There may be a requirement to offload a train directly to a ship. Trains may be offline for long periods for bad weather, track repairs and maintenance, potentially several weeks at a time for some rail systems. Others manage with many shorter interruptions.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 45

LOGISTICS

With trucks, depending on the operation we might have many trucks in circulation or few. Roadworks can generally be circumvented. Truck operations can be established to cycle continuously generating an almost constant delivery or collection rate. Truck operations can also be established to deliver or collect only when necessary to fill or empty storage, or to deliver or collect directly from a ship.

Both trains and trucks often have secondary time-consuming operations, such as driver changes, refuelling, brake checks, covering, transfer paperwork etc.

These all must be rolled into cycle time.

It is common for a fleet of trucks to have a range of different vehicles, and these must all be considered.

We must establish a baseline reliability / availability for the proposed bulk facility, as without some knowledge of this, the inbound and outbound ship / train / truck knowledge cannot be integrated into an overall model to establish a design basis. It is common for customers to request high availability without fully understanding the consequences. Unfortunately, there is a high cost associated with attaining high availability for anything beyond a facility with only a few items of equipment. A single conveyor might achieve 99 per cent availability (3.5 days downtime per year). A system with a string of eight conveyors will simplistically achieve

Some operations may require that many trains deliver in a short period to build up storage for shiploading.

(0.99)^8 or 92.3 per cent availability.

Add in storage, transfers, stackers, reclaimers etc. and the availability will drop unless redundant and duplicate pathways are added.

Availability data is not readily available unless there is a good maintenance data base for similar equipment in type, age, and usage. Data from the existing plant that initiated this article would be irrelevant as it would likely show low reliability due to age and design. As in the previous example, if we get data from existing operation that results in a conveyor availability of 95 per cent, eight conveyors will have an overall (0.95)^8 or a low and unacceptable 66 per cent. If this data is used for the new plant, we would likely have to upgrade

Bulk materials are delivered in large and small packages by ship, train, and truck from various sources.

46 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

conveyor capacity, add some duplication, and buffer storage to obtain a higher overall availability level.

The best source of reliability data is from computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) software, however if not structured and used correctly it can be difficult or impossible to obtain useful data. A structured failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) is one method of predicting reliability. Once reliability data has been defined, reliability availability maintainability (RAM) software such as Blocksim or Maros or similar is the best way to define the overall reliability of the facility.

We now have sufficient data to set up a discrete event simulation model using Rockwell Arena or similar, which will include the complete logistics chain affecting the facility. These simulation model show the function of all parts of the logistics system and will condense years of prediction into a short animation and summary data that indicates whether the system will function as expected.

The model is then used to test ‘what if’ scenarios to indicate improvements for the initial design and for future changes.

The above process is more involved and expensive at the design phase than using unrepresentative data and ignoring up and down stream logistics.

Constructing the project will incur significant expenditure and I believe customers would prefer to get an outcome that achieves the required target than a facility that will be a failure from commissioning onwards.

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SCALES

Innovation down under: CST and the growth of Australian METS Australian METS companies have become world leaders: But does the Australian mining industry know this? Ian Burrell, managing director of Control Systems Technology (CST) explains.

IF YOU’VE WORKED ON AN Australian mine, you already know that the Australian mining industry is world leading. We are known for leading the world in safety, efficiency, and quality.

A big part of that is the technology we develop and produce in this country. From the laboratory to the workshop to on-site installations, our scientists and engineers have the expertise, the decades of experience, and the resources to be the best.

Australian mining equipment, technology, and services (METS) suppliers are in a market-leading position.

Birth of a belt weigher business In the 1970’s a small Australian startup called Info Belt Weighers (IBW) manufactured a beautiful machine called the Inflo Resometric RF4A. It was mechanically complex but amazingly stable and accurate.

In its short lifespan, IBW quickly sold about 200 units to domestic iron ore and coal miners hungry for the competitive advantage it offered. But, like so many Australian startups at the time, IBW was unable to capitalise on a world-leading technology and folded after just three or four years.

I was fortunate to work for IBW, first in Australia and then in the USA, and in the process, I became strangely bonded with the belt weighing industry. Certainly not love at first site, but when you get to know the field well, it has a certain fascination.

At that time, electronic technology was in its infancy in mining, and it was almost all imported.

The mining industry needed “industrial instrumentation”, that is, devices for making measurements of temperature, pressure, bin level

and of course flow on a conveyor belt. Belt weighers as we call them, also known as belt scales or weightometers.

Belt weighers were, and still are, very important equipment in mining.

When I started in this business, coal mines in Australia paid a production bonus of as much as $1000 per week.

The payment of the bonus depended on the belt weigher’s daily measurement of production.

The mine owners and the workers both need to have confidence in the ‘bonus belt weigher’ because the numbers they produce are the key to a big-ticket expense and a big-ticket income. There is no middle ground for the belt weigher, it cannot be perceived to be biased in favour of one party more than the other.

Given the importance of the belt weigher and the unreliable nature of Australian businesses at the time, it might be considered strange to put your faith in a young business like Control Systems Technology Pty

The PFS4 Weigh Frame, a descendant of the first installation at Clarence Colliery.

48 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Ltd. Despite this fact, in 1985 I was privileged to be invited to create a new bonus belt weigher, from scratch, for Clarence Colliery.

It was a marvellous opportunity and the unit we built, a four idler, four load cell system, became trade certifiable within a few years. Its descendants are still in service today.

The role of trust in innovation That’s how CST got started, however, like IBW, it could have ended almost as quickly as it began. Thankfully, in the decades since, we’ve learnt a couple of principles which have helped us grow into the trusted partner of miners all over Australia and now the world.

It is relatively easy to develop new technology, but the challenge is to get the equipment into the field where it can demonstrate its prowess and show that it is good value.

Before even getting to the starting line it is necessary for developers and companies to be trusted, otherwise why would a customer try a new a

CST personnel at the installation of A big belt weigher at Cero Verde in Peru. Left to right, Santiago, Nelson, Ian Burrell, Hugh, Dr Vladimir Sin.

new product in a critical application like a bonus belt weigher. Trust works in the zone of character, competence, and capability – and this can be an elusive mix.

It’s great to be trusted to provide important equipment, but then you actually have to deliver.

For CST, integrity means doing what we say we’ll do, and it’s important to us.

We’ve gone to a lot of effort to keep our word over the life of the business.

Sufficient to say that there would never have been an opportunity to build a bonus belt weigher at Clarence Colliery if the electrical engineer at the time, Malcolm Hewitt, had not been able to trust me.

A lot has changed since CST got started, both in terms of technology, and in the makeup of the Australian manufacturing sector. The METS sector is now recognised as one of the pillars of our economy.

It’s only natural that Australia,

a world leader in mining, should also develop and manufacture the technology that supports our miners and that they should be as good as any in the world.

The quality difference Anyone who has read the classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,

by Pirsig will know that he had a lot to say about quality. He maintained that quality was something which we all understood but that it could not be defined. Instinctively, this did not seem to be right to me. I thought it should be possible to come up with a working definition. Every manufacturer seems to make products of the ‘high quality’. It is such a cliché these days, but I have a working definition: to me quality is ‘the total content of applied knowledge’ in a product or service.

For a manufacturer that means having both the intention, and the knowledge, to build a quality product.

The manufacturer must have the

intention of applying their knowledge to the customers’ needs. The ironic part of this might be that when it comes to belt weighers, customers don’t always understand the quality content.

Intention Setting up a business is a risk and a responsibility. Many people’s lives are influenced: customers, employees and suppliers. A personal objective of mine is that all those involved have a good experience, and with competing interests, that can be tough to achieve. As founder of CST, it is important to me that I be true to my core values. This is expressed in one of our first slogans which was, ‘no customer would ever be sorry that they purchased equipment from CST’.

That’s not to say that problems do not occur, of course they do, but it is no good being fearful in business, fear can lead to wanting to cover up mistakes to save money and to not admitting if

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 49

SCALES

M E

CST’s high integrity environment encourages long term commitment. Here some of it employees receive their 10 year employment award.

there has been a screwup. It’s a tough thing to do, but brutal honesty is in my opinion, always the best policy. But doing a good job is paramount and that creates the intention to provide a highquality experience for the customer.

Knowledge We defined quality as “the total content of applied knowledge”, but where does this knowledge come from?

This is where the huge divide between companies who supposedly do the same thing emerges, it’s called their intellectual property (IP).

Some IP is public domain, some is patent-protected, some is secret.

But this so-called IP can also include preconceived ideas of doubtful origin.

Much ‘knowledge’ is locked in industry folk lore and is not scientific or good practice.

The best example of this is in accuracy claims. For instance, you may have heard that a four idler scale is 0.25 per cent accurate; or from other manufacturers who claim to have better technology, the ideas that 1 single idler system is 0.5 per cent accurate, a pair of single idlers is 0.25 per cent accurate, and three together is a 0.1 per cent system.

When I see machines touted under these specifications, I think that belt weighing must be the only field of endeavour where manufacturer can make any claim they like. Big brands make claims that are completely unsupported by science or customer experience.

When the equipment does not work as expected they are told that the equipment is fine, but that their conveyor, or their application

50 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

is to blame. The supplier is not taking responsibility.

I can cite an example of how lack of knowledge caused a big problem at a major iron ore mine in WA. It was a case where single idler modular belt weighers were sold as the latest technology and as 0.5 per cent accurate. Plant balance was out, and the weighers were not performing as promised. Before they were declared a failure, they were being calibrated weekly.

CST’s equipment was much bigger and stronger, apparently a bit ‘old fashioned’ mechanically, but stable.

Longer, stronger weigh frames are more stable but even they must be designed to suit conveyor conditions.

This is no way to win a job on price but is the best way to have problem-free belt weighing.

K s

C

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e

The integrity difference Integrity can be defined as ‘doing what you say you will do’. When thinking about integrity, it is necessary to distinguish between a short-term and a long-term view. In the short term, admitting to a mistake or quality failure may be financially costly, but in the long term, ignoring a problem or lying to a customer is much more costly because it damages reputation and your brand.

To set the necessary tone of integrity, everyone at CST is required to be a truth teller when it comes to customers, fellow employees and suppliers. It’s a matter of internal consistency, and ethical congruence. A company should never lie to a customer, it is disrespectful and anyway, the customer knows when they are being given the runaround.

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Systematic error, the error that is always there Let’s talk about systematic belt weigher error, the error which is always there. A customer might buy a 0.5 per cent belt scale only to find after a few months of operation that it really has an error of several percent. The confusing thing is that when the weigh frame is checked with static masses or a calibration chain, it looks all right, calibration is within 0.5 per cent or even 0.1 per cent, but the problem persists.

The sad truth is that most belt weighers have a bias error of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent even though the unit is supposed to be a ‘0.25 per cent’ weigher. This consistent error can be due to a poor weigh frame design, poor alignment, or most likely a bad tachometer system. This error will often change every time the belt weigher is ‘maintained’. This changing systematic error is known as ‘random walk’. It is shocking to consider that such a large systematic error might be present in a piece of equipment presented as highly accurate. Unfortunately, it is very hard to check belt scales. Worse still, if the belt weigher is proven to be at fault, the supplier may come up with a plausible excuse.

Driving home a useful point here, when it comes to trying to solve belt weighing errors, most maintenance departments concentrate on the weigh frame part of the belt weigher, but errors from the weigh length and the tachometer are actually much bigger.

So there is a lot of wasted effort in putting weights and chains on and off weigh frames and the very real and fixable errors from the weigh length and tachometer parts of the system are left untouched.

Systematic error from the tachometer, cured To cure the tachometer issue, CST has developed a continuous tachometer monitoring and calibration system that will keep tachometer calibration perfect all the time. We have determined that actual systematic tachometer error of 0.5 per cent to 2.0 per cent

CST’s symmetrical dual redundant controller screen.

“To set the necessary tone of integrity, everyone at CST is required to be a truth teller when it comes to customers, fellow employees and suppliers.” is quite common so it is well worth fixing. These errors originate from belt stretch and the fact that the radius of turning of many tachometer types vary with belt loading. One thing about the automatic tachometer calibration system is that it reveals how stable the tachometer is because it logs all the results. Ignorance is usually bliss.

When you monitor something properly with a data logger, a lot can be learnt, and sometimes it’s something you did not want to know.

Research into systematic error in belt weighers We have a strong R&D department with some very talented people including two doctorates, one in artificial intelligence and the other in belt weighing. CST is committed to research into systematic error in belt weighing. We are conducting both theoretical and practical research into the accuracy of belt weighers, and we have built a comprehensive test rig which can conduct live material tests at 180 tonnes per hour. The rig can handle and re-circulate a test load of 3.6 tonnes. We’re able to measure to

52 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

0.1 per cent accuracy at OIML Class 0.2 standards, using a static scale working as a Control Instrument. The test rig supports a research program for a higher degree qualification at the University of Newcastle.

The comprehensive test rig also supports CST’s research and development activities.

I am very proud of our research and development team, and we are continually working on new developments.

Dual redundant belt weighers and other developments Our recently Class 0.2 certified controller unit can manage two independent belt scales and this unit has become the heart of a new model designated the ‘symmetrical, dual redundant’ (SDR) belt scale, or SDR. The rig is fitted with one of CST’s innovative weigh frame designs known as the close spaced roller rack (CSRR).

This system provides additional support under the belt between main idler sets so there is less belt sag and less belt influence on the weighing result.

The CSRR can be combined with our SDR belt scale.

When a customer requires a 0.25 per cent or 0.1 per cent belt scale, CST can offer the SDR system: two belt scales in one, giving dual redundancy and the same accuracy in the same conveyor space which would normally be occupied by one belt scale. We split the standard four idler, four load cell

As

weigh frame into two parts, and add four more load cells.

The SDR systems is completely self-checking. Agreement between the two halves is evidence of a good installation, good calibration, and good ongoing accuracy. This system also has the virtue of being OIML R50 pattern approved as a Class 0.2 belt weigher for trade purposes.

The IntelliRoll is a complete belt weighing system in a roller.

The IntelliRoll development Another development at CST is the belt weigher inside a roller, the IntelliRoll.

This device is a complete belt weighing system in a roller.

It has energy harvesting to power its operation, load cells, tachometer, microprocessor, WiFi and Bluetooth, and is operated from an iPhone or Android application.

The roll is durable, sealed to survive in wet and difficult conditions, and can be

mesh networked together to operate as a single ‘multi-idler’ belt scale.

Conclusion CST remains committed to belt weighing and there are plenty of interesting challenges yet in creating good belt weighers that are a pleasure to own. We are continually developing new features, new software, and new

products. CST is also looking more to world markets where our knowledge and products are sought after by customers who need reliable belt weighing equipment.

The Australian METS community is growing although industry organisations like Austmine provides a very supportive environment for international growth.

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FEATURE

Bulk solids handling design using Discrete Element Method modelling Enes Kaya, senior project engineer at Jenike & Johanson, explains how advances in computational modelling techniques have improved bulk solids handling design.

IN THE DEVELOPMENT

ENES KAYA is a senior project engineer at Jenike & Johanson. After a brief stint in consulting, he decided to forge a career in the mining industry, predominantly focusing on bulk material handling and processing equipment design.

Prior to Jenike & Johanson, he worked on a variety of greenfield and brownfield projects, spanning from design, fabrication, assembly and construction. His prior hands-on experience equips him with a wholistic understanding of bulk material handling equipment, and he enjoys coupling that experience with the science lead approach at Jenike & Johanson to assist clients in solving their bulk material handling problems.

of bulk material handling equipment, engineers have traditionally relied on empirical formulas, physical scale modelling, and past experiences as their primary design tools.

While these methods have been refined over time, with varying levels of industry success, each has their limitations.

Fortunately, advances in computing power have introduced several computational modelling techniques, such as the Discrete Element Method (DEM).

DEM allows engineers to model the mechanics of individual particles to simulate bulk material behaviour. By applying Newton’s Laws of Motion, we can calculate the forces, accelerations, velocities, and positions of each particle, which in turn, predicts the overall behaviour of the bulk material.

It is important to note that DEM simulations are DEM use cases in industry.

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54 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

DEM use cases in industry.

computationally intensive, especially for systems with large number of particles. To ensure stability and efficiency, an appropriate time step is needed at which each particle force and displacement calculation is performed. It requires a significant amount of time to run these calculations.

Incorporating DEM into the design workflow can provide valuable insights for improving equipment design by providing a visual material rheology where sensors and field measurements cannot.

With DEM, a granular bulk solid is treated as a system of interacting particles. Each particle interaction follows a soft contact approach where an overlap of particles is accepted.

These particles are treated as rigid bodies, typically of varying size and shape, and the interactions between them governed by a contact model,

energy dissipation by friction, and inelastic collisions.

The choice of the contact model and the determination of the material properties are essential for calibration and dependent on the application studied. For example, to evaluate the flow-ability of cohesive materials under high storage stresses for systems that may experience blockages such as ratholing or arching, the stress history of the material needs to be considered. The DEM parameters may differ for the same material in a dilute flow system where material is not confined and in constant motion.

In its initial stages, DEM used 2D disks and later in 3D, spheres. The benefit of this shape is a simplification of the contact detection model which vastly reduces the computational power required. With the increased computational performance achieved from today’s CPUs and GPUs, particles of varying shapes can be simulated. Advanced software packages can now take point cloud scan data to create and

Typical DEM contact force model.

Real Particle (left), 3D Scan of particle (middle), Particle rendered for DEM (right).

import custom shapes into the simulation. However, with increased complexity of the particle geometry, the required computational time can also be prohibitive to a simulation.

How DEM works in practical applications Figure 5 illustrates the typical flowchart of a DEM program. A DEM simulation will need the boundary walls of the system to be defined, such as a hopper, chute, mixer etc., as well as the motion of moving components.

The second step is determining the suitable particle size and shape representative of the bulk material being studied. A calibration is performed under a contact model characteristic of application behaviour.

Depending on the selected contact model, the physical properties of the material such as the particle density, frictional parameters, modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, coefficient of restitution is set. While these parameters may more easily be determined and measured for large,

Typical DEM flowchart.

free flowing materials; fine and cohesive materials require additional tests to validate the model.

Limitations of DEM Although DEM can provide insight in the design of numerous bulk material handling systems as an added tool to study material flow behaviour, some limitations exist. One of the primary limitations of DEM simulations is their computational intensity.

The simulation run time increases proportionally with the number of particles simulated in the system. This can make it challenging to accurately simulate complex systems requiring large number of particles and vast ranges of particle sizes. Additionally, the accuracy of the selected contact model in simulating the desired behaviour should be considered in determining how representative the results are.

Reducing computational burden The run time of a simulation could be reduced by:

•

Increasing the number of GPU’s and CPU’s in the simulation • Reducing particle count by only simulating the regions of interest.

• Reducing the complexity of the system, by simplifying the geometries and only simulating internal surfaces. Don’t simulate the boundary surfaces of bolts, nuts, flanges that join geometries.

• Model spherical particles where feasible The contact model has negligible effect on the total run time of the simulation, but it has a significant effect on the accuracy of the simulation results. To ensure the that the contact force model accurately represents the physical system reality, the user must fully understand the model and how modifications to various parameters will affect the outcome of the simulation.

Conclusion DEM has become a very useful tool for designers and engineers to predict the behaviour of bulk materials in a system. There are key considerations such as setting the correct boundary conditions, selecting the most suitable contact model, and determining the correct physical properties of the materials to accurately simulate the system. The accuracy of DEM simulations rely on the users understanding of not only the physical properties of the bulk materials, but also their understanding of the system as a whole.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 55

ROLLERS

Enhancing energy efficiency in belt conveyors through large diameter rollers TUNRA Bulk Solids, in collaboration with Big Roller and ContiTech Australia, aims to evaluate the influence of larger diameter idler rollers on energy savings for overland belt conveying systems.

BELT CONVEYING SYSTEMS ARE effective solutions for transporting bulk materials over long distances.

The indentation rolling resistance in belt conveying systems, caused by the viscoelastic contact between the conveyor belt and an idler roll, can account for up to 60 per cent of total drive power for overland conveying systems. Typically, the indentation rolling resistance is known to be a function of idler roll diameter, belt loading profile, belt cover thickness, cord diameter and pitch for steel cord belts and the viscoelastic material properties of the bottom belt cover, which are also dependent on the operating conditions of the system including temperature, belt speed and belt load.

This article explores the relationship between indentation rolling resistance and idler diameter. A larger idler diameter results in a larger contact area between the conveyor belt and idler. This in turn allows for a more evenly distributed pressure between the belt and the idler, reducing the rate of indentation, and the

Figure 1: Test facility set up with the 152.4mm diameter test idler [4].

localised pressure, and hence reducing the indentation rolling resistance.

There are several additional benefits to increasing idler diameter, in that the viscous resistance from the grease in the bearings and labyrinth seals reduces by lowering the angular velocity of the idler, and the corresponding drag force reduces due to the belt acting at a larger radius to oppose the viscous torque.

The advantages of larger-diameter idlers have been known for some time; however, practical implementation for roller sizes greater than 219mm has been constrained primarily by a lack of quantifiable information regarding their benefits, potential challenges associated with the manual handling and maintenance of larger components and supply chain manufacturing limitations.

In existing systems, especially those prioritising efficiency improvements, it is common practice to substitute the central idler in a three idler set with a larger diameter, typically around 219 mm. The central idler bears approximately 50-70 per cent of the total idler load, therefore simple economic advantages can be gained by increasing the diameter of the central idler roll only.

Taking this concept to more substantial dimensions, this article presents a study investigating the impact of idler diameter on indentation rolling resistance for idlers with diameters up to 400mm. Big Roller engaged TUNRA Bulk Solids to conduct indentation rolling resistance measurements with idler roll diameters of 152.4mm, 219mm, 316mm, and 400mm, to quantify the impact of larger idler rolls.

Testing was conducted on the large

56 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

Figure 2: Test facility set up with the 400mm diameter test idler [4].

indentation rolling resistance test facility operated by TUNRA Bulk Solids at The University of Newcastle, Australia using an ST1000 belt supplied by ContiTech Australia Pty Ltd, manufactured with Continental Eco Plus cover compounds.

Pictures of the test facility set up with the 152.4 mm and 400 mm test idler rollers are shown in Figure 1.

In addition to the experimental data, the QC-N analytical model was utilised to predict the indentation rolling resistance of a generic low rolling resistance compound for a range of idler diameters.

The percentage decrease in indentation rolling resistance compared to an idler roller diameter of 152.4mm is shown in Figure 2 for belt loads of 5 kN/m and 8 kN/m, for the idler roll diameters tested. Included in the comparison is the relative decrease predicted from the QC-N model at 20 degrees, with a belt speed of 5 m/s.

These results show an improvement in indentation rolling resistance performance of over 45 per cent when comparing a 400mm diameter roller to a 152.4mm roller for this system,

Decrease in indentation rolling resistance (IRR) compared to 152.4 mm diameter idler roller [4].

representing a saving in energy.

Extrapolating this data based on the QC-N model would yield a 55 per cent reduction for a 508mm idler roll.

To illustrate the influence of idler diameter on overland conveyor design, a hypothetical case study is presented with parameters detailed in Table 1. To allow a direct correlation, a flat system is considered to remove lift forces.

The results of this case study, depicted in Figure 2, benchmark the performance of larger rolls against a conventional 152.4mm idler. The case study presents two scenarios; the relative Table 1: Case Study Parameters

Belt Velocity

5 m/s

Belt Width

1.5 m

Belt Mass

81.0 kg/m

Material

Copper

Throughput

6,000 t/h

Conveying Length

10,000 m

Carry side idler configuration

3-idler trough @ 2.0 m spacings

Return side idler spacing

2-idler vee @ 4.0 m spacings

Topography

Flat

improvement attained from replacing both carry and return idlers with larger diameter rolls, and the case where only the carry side idlers are replaced while the return idler rolls remain at 152.4mm.

Extrapolations predict the improvement based on a 508mm diameter idler roll, considering it as an approximation due to the absence of direct testing on this size idler.

Figure 3 highlights that using a 400mm idler roll predicts a 30 per cent and 36 per cent improvement in total drive power when replacing carry side or all idlers, respectively, compared to a 152.4mm idler.

This aligns with Hager’s research, estimating that IRR accounts for about 60 per cent of the total drive power for a flat, one km conveying system. Extrapolating to a 508mm idler predicts a further 3 per cent improvement in drive power, with reductions of 33 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively.

The comparison assumes ‘all other factors’ are equal, maintaining constant rim drag, flexure, and secondary resistances between scenarios. Flexure resistance should be relatively constant for a given sag ratio of the belt, while secondary resistances follow ISO5048 guidelines, particularly for systems longer than 1.5km. Rim drag may vary with idler diameter due to bearing and seal design differences, however should reduce with bearing and seal designs consistent across larger diameters.

Larger idlers also allow for design changes, notably in idler spacing.

Increased idler diameter reduces contact stresses on the belt’s bottom cover, enabling larger idler spacings and hence a reduction in the total number of idler sets needed, leading to further energy savings.

However, the impact on the dynamic response of the belt due to the span increase requires further consideration.

Trade-offs arise between increasing roll diameters and spans to achieve optimal efficiency versus adhering to material strengths and weights for roller components. Considerations such as shell wall thickness, abrasion design allowances, lubrication characteristics and component design life expectations also play a crucial role in determining practical limits for roller diameters.

The practicality and cost-effectiveness of employing larger-diameter idler rollers may be more suitable for specific applications and need to be optimised.

In summary, the use of larger diameter idler rollers can lead to significant energy savings, particularly in long overland conveyors.

Figure 4: Case study – Relative improvement in power consumption [4].

Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024 І 57

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I am a member of ASBSH because…

MEMBER PROFILE:

Peter Robinson ABHR spoke to Peter Robinson, research engineer at the University of Newcastle and member of the Australian Society of Bulk Solids Handling (ASBSH).

I am fortunate enough to live in perhaps the strongest mining region on the East Coast – Newcastle.

Minerals and resources drive the local economy and foster a constant need for research and innovation. As a research engineer with the University of Newcastle, I am privileged to work across a variety of projects in bulk material handling.

I am currently researching… methods to improve the efficiency of material handling systems. Primarily, my background is belt conveying, and these have seen a constant need in recent decades to become longer, faster, and more efficient.

Key research areas include reducing the Indentation Rolling Resistance (IRR) of conveyor belts, defining the frictional characteristics between a belt and pulley, and developing new conveying technologies.

I love my current work because...

The ASBSH’s mission is to enhance the discipline of bulk solids handling through research, education and sound engineering practice. It aims to promote cooperation between universities, research establishments, consultants, equipment manufacturers & suppliers and industrial users.

no two projects are the same. The nature of research is that it hasn’t been done before, and therefore there is never a feeling of repetition.

Working at the university also enables easy collaboration with other areas of engineering (mechatronics, civil, chemical), as well as applied mathematicians, computer scientists and other researchers.

Teaching into undergraduate courses also enables me to shape future engineers, so they are ready

The Society also aims to encourage research and development, technology transfer and training. It holds national and international conferences at regular intervals.

58 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2024

to hit the ground running once they graduate.

My career highlight is... the partnerships that I have developed.

Research is a two-way street; researchers must understand the current needs of industry, and once the research is complete, have pathways to translate the outcomes to industry. The relationships that I have built over my career have drastically simplified this process.

The most valuable lesson I have learned is… never overcommit to a client; always provide clear and achievable deliverables and timelines. Thankfully, I learnt this from a senior colleague and not the hard way.

My plans for the future are… to focus on the translation of research to industry. This is a key requirement in my role, to ensure that current research has real, tangible benefits to industry.

When I am not working you will probably find me... spending time with my family, most likely caravanning or fishing.

The next best thing about this region on the East Coast is the beaches and local fishing.

I am definitely looking forward to the warmer weather over Summer, and the fishing this brings.

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