CONVEYOR TECHNOLOGY
Voith successfully starts up BeltGenius
The mining industry is facing serious challenges , including declining ore concentrations , harsh weather conditions at remote locations and a growing interest in environmental protection . Voith says is responding with new digitalised solutions to meet these challenges and to permanently increase mine productivity . Voith has been successfully running a first prototype of the digital twin BeltGenius ERIC at a renowned European mine operator for some time now .
The company said recently that this project has now reached a relevant milestone , with all the key figures announced at the beginning of the prototype run having been realised for the customer since the start of the project . BeltGenius ERIC analyses and compares on the basis of standardised values how respective belt conveyor systems of a mine perform . “ By means of these key figures , Voith is able to identify physical deviations of the belt system , which serve as an early indicator of failures . In addition , the mine operator is given a starting point for determining how efficiently the respective system transports material . With the help of this key figure , conveyors can be compared with each other .”
“ In this case , the newly defined data made it possible to take measures that led to improved uptime and reduced energy consumption . The prototype is used in a belt conveyor system with a capacity of 37,500 t per hour and a speed of 7.5 m per second . The belt of the system is 2.2 km long and 2.7 m wide and is completely digitally mapped by the system .”
“ BeltGenius ERIC has achieved all planned key figures at the customer ’ s site ,” says Dr Manfred Ziegler , Business Development Manager of Belt Conveyor Systems at Voith . “ The exact image of the belt conveyor system generated by the digital twin enables us to create further added value for our customers and thus maximise productivity .”
Voith BeltGenius is a product family used for monitoring , benchmarking and optimising belt conveyors and conveyor systems . BeltGenius ERIC is a digital twin of the conveyor belt . It processes sensor data in real time to calculate the Performance Indicator of the respective conveyor belt and to point out possibilities for performance improvement .
Motion Metrics adds functionality to BeltMetrics
Using artificial intelligence and 3D stereoscopic imaging , Motion Metrics says its new BeltMetrics Volume Monitoring feature measures material transported by conveyor belts 24 / 7 to help mines optimise production . Volume Monitoring is the third major feature available with BeltMetrics ; the system also offers Particle Size Analysis , Empty Belt Detection and Load Profiling . “ With our complete belt monitoring package , mines can optimise production by continually monitoring the volume of transported material , optimise crusher feed size with continual particle size analysis , detect empty belts to alert personnel to blocked chutes or other upstream productivity issues plus prevent uneven belt wear .” Mounted above the belt with LED lighting , the rugged camera-based system continually captures images of the visible material on the belt and uses deep learning algorithms to deliver accurate results ;
Using artificial intelligence and 3D stereoscopic imaging , BeltMetrics Volume Monitoring measures material transported by conveyor belts 24 / 7
the system also includes an automatic lens cleaning
system that uses compressed air to minimise maintenance . “ Data collected with BeltMetrics is automatically transmitted to our centralised data analysis platform , MetricsManager™ Pro . Users with authorised credentials can create customised notifications and access data summaries , in-depth reports , and particle size data from anywhere . Because all updates and feature developments are automatically deployed to our cloud-based data analysis platform MetricsManager Pro , existing BeltMetrics users will have immediate access to the new Volume Monitoring feature .”
Users with authorised credentials can access data summaries , in-depth performance reports , equipment activity logs , and particle size data from anywhere . Motion Metrics says it recognises the importance of interoperability and will work with other vendors to ensure its solutions interface with existing software .
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FEBRUARY 2021 | International Mining 51