IM 2021 February 21 | Page 49

CONVEYOR TECHNOLOGY iBeltVOLUME ( yellow beam ) for volume flow measurement ; iBeltSPEED ( blue beam ) for material speed ( for volume flow calculation ); iBeltALIGN and iBeltFREEBOARD ( green beam ) for belt alignment monitoring and optimised conveyor belt utilisation
“ Made of highly wear-resistant polyurethane , the K-Commander Tracking Discs fit both flat and vee return rollers as well as selected troughing rollers ,” Kinder says . “ Ideally , they are located in pairs prior to the tail pulley to help align the conveyor belt , so eliminating spillage from mis-tracked belts . They can also be installed after the feed area on troughing sets to help keep the belt aligned . They are easy to install with a split on one side to slip over the roller – no need to remove the roller .”
Finally , the K-Commander Guide Series INV is an all-purpose conveyor belt alignment idler suited to short centred or reversing conveyor applications . The two inverted vee rollers put pressure onto the belt , promoting centralised belt training . The universal frame adjusts to all types of mounting structures and is installed just after the head pulley , or prior to the tail pulley , Kinder explains . They are suitable for reversing belts and are available for all belt widths , according to the company . avoided as no additional software installation or maintenance is required . The iWEB interface allows the operator to visualise all important process data such as current volume flow or a scalable timeline of volume flow . indurad ’ s dedicated processing unit can be configured to communicate with all common iBelt by indurad : radar-based bulk volume scanner
Aachen , Germany-headquartered indurad supplies numerous radar-based automation solutions for mining applications . Their modular iBelt™ solution reliably measures conveyor belt ’ s performance and other key performance indicators in real-time . These include material cross section and speed for volume flow calculation , belt alignment for better maintenance planning and conveyor belt freeboard for better utilisation of conveyor belt capacity . Advanced software features allow for the identification of centre of gravity and loading peak of material .
Unlike optical or laser systems , iBelt relies on robust radar-sensors that are not affected by dust , fog , rain , or snow . It uses radio wave ( long wavelength approx . 4mm ) that enables radar sensors to penetrate dust clouds in the air instead of being reflected by them . iBelt allows non-contact measurements , requires very low maintenance and easy installation - even on inclines / declines and on stackers , reclaimers and ship loader booms . Real-time data allows customers to shut down idling belts to save costs and train misaligned belts to prevent belt damage . Furthermore , optimising control of feeding processes increases overall belt capacity .
All process data is available to customers via indurad iWEB HMI ( Human Machine Interface ) and via PLC integration in the main control room . A webserver runs on the radar processing unit , combining setup and maintenance modules with operator interfaces on one platform . Access is as easy as opening a webpage and cost intensive SCADA integration can be
FEBRUARY 2021 | International Mining 45