CONVEYING
questions and demands are very much different from those customers where conveying makes up only a small part of their production chain. In the latter case, we are fully equipped to support them with our know-how and experience to find the best solution for their projects.”
Sempertrans says it continues to grow its conveyor belt market by utilising creative application engineering, bringing innovative solutions to unique conveyor requirements. Shaw Almex Industries brought one such opportunity to Sempertrans back in 2014 with an invitation to partner on what was then the longest single flight conveyor in the world at 34 km. Shaw Almex won the contract with the specification that all conveyor belting be supplied by Sempertrans.“ The extensive experience and deep technical knowledge which characterised this project for a Lafarge Cement plant in Bangladesh highlighted the synergies which have now led to a formalised partnership between Sempertrans and Shaw Almex Industries in the North American marketplace as part of the Sempertrans global growth strategy.”
Another memorable project is of course the Flyingbelt, featured already in IM, an innovative and environmentally friendly conveying system suspended on ropes up to 36 m high.“ It was designed for Lafarge-Holcim in Brazil by our partner Agudio. Sempertrans tailored the design and manufactured the 15 km long belt used on the Flyingbelt. This required in-depth calculations and planning by Application Engineering, in this case from colleagues in France. The biggest hurdle was the very small radii on the pylon stations which support the whole structure. Our belt had to adapt to this very special routing and we found the perfect solution in Sempertrans’ Metaltransbelt with its unique steel carcass construction. Today, the Flyingbelt is running very successfully in southeastern Brazil connecting a limestone mine with a cement plant. We are very proud of having been involved in this one-of-a-kind undertaking.”
BEUMER pipe conveyor delivers at Peru ' s Callao
Transportadora Callao SA, the logistics operator of a special cargo terminal in the port of Callao, Peru, now relies on a BEUMER Group pipe conveyor for the transportation of zinc, copper and lead concentrates of different mining companies from the warehouse to the terminal. With its ability to navigate curves in three dimensions, the conveyor can be optimally adapted to its routing course of about 3,000 m.“ What is even more important: the conveying system prevents the concentrates from coming in contact with the environment and ensures dust-free transport to the ship’ s holds.”
BEUMER Group was responsible for engineering and supply, including the steel structure, supervision of the installation and putting the pipe conveyor into operation.
Callao is located directly on the Pacific Ocean and a modern ship loading terminal for ore concentrates was built in the port and operated by Transportadora Callao. About 75 % of the imports and exports of Peru are handled in Callao. In order to satisfy the increasing demand for these valuable materials, the Peruvian government as well as expanding the port, wanted to change the way the raw materials were transported to the ship loading areas. Before the construction of the special terminal, trucks were used to transport the concentrates from the warehouses to the port terminal.“ Since Transportadora Callao started its operation, they could reduce the truck drives by 130,000 per year,” explains Victor Sam, CEO at Transportadora Callao SA. The company, a consortium comprising five enterprises from the mining and port industries( manufacturers and warehouse logistics operators), obtained a licence from the state of Peru for building and operating the necessary infrastructure.
The mines in central Peru transport their concentrates to the warehouses, about 3 km from the port. The onward transport required an absolutely protected method for the transportation of material, to prevent particle emission into the atmosphere. Transportadora Callao opted for the BEUMER Group pipe conveyor. The direct contact person and project partner was Helmut Wolf from BEUMER Group Austria GmbH:“ Together with the responsible persons from the customer, we developed a solution that is perfectly adapted to the routing and the ambient conditions.”
Due to its enclosed transport, the pipe conveyor not only protects the environment against harmful impacts during the transport of the lead concentrate, it also allows conveying over
Due to its enclosed transport, the BEUMER pipe conveyor not only protects the environment against harmful impacts during the transport of the metal concentrates, it also allows conveying over long distances and navigation through tight curve radii
long distances and navigation through tight curve radii. Due to its ability to navigate curves, this belt conveyor requires a lot less or no transfer towers at all, depending on its length and the available curve radii. This results in substantial cost savings for the customer, and allows BEUMER Group to easily customise the system to the individual routing. Durable conveyor belts, guaranteeing tensile strength, are used.
“ The engineers use different dimensioning programs to determine the ideal belt design. They use them to calculate tractive forces and forces that arise during acceleration and deceleration and also to determine possible curve radii. BEUMER Group provides tailor-made feasibility studies for each project. Another advantage is the reduced noise emission that the system provides.” This is ensured by special idlers, as well as low-noise bearings and selecting the right conveying speed.“ This improves the quality of the employees ' day-today work environment,” says BEUMER engineer Wolf. Sam adds that the“ noise measurements along the Pipe Conveyor resulted in values that are consistently far below the permitted limit values.”
BEUMER Group supplied and installed a pipe conveyor with a centre distance of 3,195 m.“ Due to the system design and the required system capacity, we designed it with a diameter of 400 mm,” explains Helmut Wolf.“ The conveyor transports 2,300 t / h, at a speed of 4.5 m / s and is driven by three motors with a capacity of 650 kW each. We equipped the system with filters, strippers, a dedusting unit and a control system.”
Trucks or trains transport the mining
50 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2017