BEUMER’s complex systems for handling bulk materials 

A POWERFUL GLOBAL PARTNER

The BEUMER Group uses its newly created Conveying & Loading Systems (CL Systems) division to develop and implement complex system solutions throughout the world for different industries, such as mining and the cement industry. The team is made up of experienced staff from the branches distributed around the world who work together on the projects. What they all have in common is that they understand the user, which means that they can develop tailor-made solutions. This is demonstrated by three impressive completed projects.

Dr Andreas Echelmeyer, who has headed the Conveying and Loading Systems division in the BEUMER Group at its headquarters in Beckum since August 2015, stated that “We can use our comprehensive expertise in system solutions to advise our customers and provide them with complete plant systems. Each industry poses its own unique challenges.” The most important point is to listen carefully to the customer and then ask the right questions. This can only be done locally. Employees positioned around the world are therefore in close contact with the customer. They are familiar with the specific customs of the particular country, understand the language and are wise to the particular requirements of the market and the customer. They identify appropriate potential and any possible need for action. The operators for whom BEUMER has successfully commissioned conveying plants includes the TPI Polene Public Company Ltd. The third-largest cement producer in Thailand uses this complex system solution to transport crushed limestone from the quarry to the blending bed.

DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT SAFELY OVERCOME

Echelmeyer was aware that “The challenge lay in the nature of the ground between the quarry and the cement plant.” It was exceptionally demanding. We had to make allowances not only for numerous obstacles but also for a steep downhill section of the conveyor.” The team designed a complex, but above all cost-effective, integrated system comprising a total of eight belt conveyors covering a distance of 6,129m. BEUMER also supplied a PLC plant control system, transfer stations, filter systems and foreign body collectors.

The system is designed for a conveying capacity of 2,200tph (tonnes per hour). The key items in the limestone transport system are two downhill belt conveyors operating in the generator mode followed by a troughed belt conveyor with horizontal curves. The material passes from the crusher discharge belt the first two troughed belt conveyors. The material is then transferred to a long overland conveyor with a speed of 4.5m per second by an accelerator belt with a speed of 2.6m per second. Three more conveyors finally transport the material to the blending bed.

COST-EFFECTIVE OPERATION GUARANTEED

One particular feature of the downhill conveyors is their power generation. With a total of 640kW/h generated energy that is fed into the power grid, they make a substantial contribution to the cost-effective operation of the overall system. “We have a great deal of experience with conveying systems that can negotiate horizontal and vertical curves and operate in the generator mode” explained Echelmeyer. During the development it was necessary, for example, to ensure safe and carefully controlled stopping of the large belt system to avoid problems during unavoidable events, such as a power failure.

BEUMER supplied four further belt systems with a total length of 989m to deal with the discharge from the blending bed and supply the material to the raw mill feed hopper. The conveyors were all built and installed in only eleven months. The commissioning phase, lasting three months, was followed by performance tests. The team then handed over the entire plant to the customer. Echelmeyer emphasized that,“We supervised and monitored the installation and commissioning to ensure long-lasting, trouble-free, operation. This always forms part of our service.” The standard scope of supply also includes intensive training of the operating and maintenance personnel.

COMPLEX AND CURVED

Cong Thanh, the Vietnamese cement producer, also relies on the system solution expertise of the BEUMER Group for transporting crushed limestone from the quarry to the blending bed. The CL team discussed the various technical options intensively in a joint workshop held with the producer. Various routes were worked out and compared on the basis of the narrow terrain that was available. Echelmeyer explained that “We have appropriate software for this, with which we can match satellite and aerial photographs with topographical data.” One conveyor section that drops steeply in some places with numerous obstacles in the terrain and seven road crossings was particularly challenging.

A total system consisting of four conveyors with a combined length of 3.5km is now in use, BEUMER also supplied a PLC plant control system. The main component is an overland conveyor with three horizontal curves and a total drive rating of 600kW.
It is designed for a continuous conveying capacity of 2,200tph.

The heaped material is transported in trucks from the quarry face to the crusher. The limestone that has been pre-crushed to less than 100mm is then transferred by discharge conveyors to an accelerator belt that feeds the long belt conveyor.

The troughed belt conveyor for downhill transport is one meter wide, with a distance between centres of 3,200m, and drops 70m. The conveying speed is 4.5m per second. The low operating costs are a special feature. Due to the downhill section the operation of the fully loaded conveyor is virtually energy-neutral. Its consumption during continuous operation is less than 200 kilowatts, which means that not even 0.1 kilowatt is required per tonne of transported material. According to Echelmeyer, “This, together with the low maintenance and repair costs, contributes substantially towards cost-effective operation.” After the installation and commissioning his team submitted the plant to a performance test that it passed successfully on all points.

THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE RAINFOREST

The CL Systems division of the BEUMER Group has also been very successful in Indonesia. The plant construction company Sinoma International Engineering Co. Ltd. was awarded the contract by the Indonesian end customer, Cemindo Gemilang, to supply a turn-key cement plant to Java. It should reach a daily clinker production of 10,000 tonnes. Sinoma commissioned BEUMER with the design and supply of an overland conveyor between the quarry and the plant.

The challenges in this project were not only the demanding topographical routing but also the evergreen rainforest. Joint discussions were held between the BEUMER team, Sinoma and the end customer. The team worked various routes out and compared them. “The very narrow corridor of land in addition to the tropical climate required a complex and sophisticated design” explained Echelmeyer. Among other things his team designed a solution with tight horizontal curves that fitted optimally into the landscape.

The entire system now comprises six conveying plants with a total of length of 7.6km. BEUMER also supplied acceleration and discharge conveyors and a PLC plant control system.

CONTROLLED LOADING ENSURED
The system is designed for a maximum continuous conveying capacity of 3,000tph. The main component is a 7.4km-long
overland conveyor. Upstream of this troughed belt conveyor is an intermediate hopper with a capacity of about 120 tonnes. The material passes from this hopper via a variable-speed discharge conveyor to a downstream acceleration belt that feeds the overland conveyor. This controlled loading system ensures cost-effective operation of the plant, especially during the start-up phase. It also has a favourable effect in the dimensioning of drive components and the belt, and reduces the operating costs.

According to Echelmeyer “The acceleration belt with a speed of 4m per second protects the belt of the overland conveyor and increases its service life.” For further protection there are also upstream units for collecting any iron and non-ferrous metals. The limestone is then transported to the blending bed on short troughed belt conveyors.

The troughed belt conveyor has a width of 1,200mm and a distance between centres of 7,381m. One tail drive and two head drives are installed, each with a rating of 545kW. The plant conveys the material at a speed of 5m/s and negotiates a height difference of minus 188m.

PROTECTION OF PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
The conveying system also runs past villages and for long sections passes through rainforest that deserves to be protected. The CL Systems team has taken numerous design measures to reduce the noise impact on people and animals. Echelmeyer explained that “Among other things, we have used low noise idler rollers and appropriately dimensioned protective hoods at the drive station.” This means that the limestone passes through the rainforest in virtually silent mode. The construction time lasted only one year.

ABOUT BEUMER

The BEUMER Group is an international manufacturer of intralogistics systems for conveying, loading, palletizing, packaging, sortation and distribution. Together with Crisplant a/s and Enexco Teknologies India Limited, the BEUMER Group employs 4,000 people worldwide, and achieves an annual turnover of about €700 million. With its subsidiaries and sales agencies, the BEUMER Group serves customers around the globe, across a wide range of industries.