allow the boom to be raised above the stockpile when travelling.
formed by a row of steel tines fixed to wire ropes. These are
clear of the stockpile for travelling.
bridge structure.
the stockpile face providing an homogenized output to the yard
conveyor of exactly the same quality as the conventional design.
Using this system the Portal-Bridge-Reclaimer may jump over
discrete stockpiles laid down longitudinally to reclaim from any
area whilst leaving the remaining section intact, as shown above.
Using this method with one unit per run of individual
stockpiles any combination of materials form any stockpile
section in lanes 1, 2, 3 or 4 may be brought together or
reclaimed individually offering the maximum possible flexibility.
Naturally all mechanical equipment, however well engineered,
has a finite lifetime and Schade offers comprehensive support for
the re-building and upgrading the existing machines and
equipment, even if not originally built by Schade.
Typically as illustrated above a bridge reclaimer, installed at
W.D.T. Curragh in Australia, for blending coal was rebuilt and
upgraded from 1,200tph to 1,800tph including new chains,
sprockets, scraper-shovels, wear strips and chain drive unit.
However, the existing frame was re-used, and at a fraction of the
cost and disruption of a complete replacement.
Once the coal is loaded to the train and then exported from
the many dedicated coal terminals you may think that is the end
of the story of Schade and Australian coal... but it is not.
The bulk of the coal from Australia is imported as thermal
coal to power electricity generating plant throughout Asia but
particularly in China.
It is in China that Schade has been particularly successful with
the rapidly expanding power industry linked to waterborne
import generally from deep sea vessels of Capesize, typically
150,000 tonnes and over.
Hua Yang is just one example of 50 units supplied now by
Schade in China handling coal for power plants.
As can be seen above, right, coal is imported from Capesize
vessels by continuous ship dischargers and transferred by
conveyor inland to the power plant circular storage.
Within the storage dome there is a massive Schade circular
stacker and reclaimer system as illustrated below, in this case
with a holding capacity of around 250,000m3 per unit.
From the wharf coal is discharged to the stacking conveyor
which is supported to the central column with an independent
slew ring allowing full 360° rotation.
With a conveyor belt width of 2,000mm and speed of 3.5
metres per second the stacker is rated at 4,000tph continuously
with a 10% surge overload capability.
In this installation the maximum stockpile depth of 33.6
metres is attained by using an external retaining wall of depth
18.5 metres and an effective stacking radius of 40 metres.
The stockpile is generated automatically using the coneshell
method with the stacker boom operating at a pre-set discharge
height, as illustrated opposite with a typical cantilevered
reclaimer boom also all from the central column.
These enormous circular storages are at the cutting edge of
today’s coal stockpiling and reclaim technology but the principle
can be applied to smaller systems and over the last 60 years
Schade has developed a wide range of designs for all
applications.
Naturally, performance and quality are paramount in this
industry but economy and efficiency in design and construction
are also critical in the very price conscious market we operate
in today.
Responding to these pressures Schade has adopted the
Aumund Group business model combining German engineering
standards with least cost manufacturing locations, commensurate
with effective quality control, demonstrating that, with now over
600 installations worldwide, quality, reliability, performance and
economy need not be mutually exclusive demands.
Another Aumund Group success story.
Custom-engineered transfer chutes improve conveyor loading, reduce blockages
Conveyor systems are an integral and vital part of a working
bulk materials stockyards. Now a major supplier of bulk
materials handling equipment has introduced custom-engineered
transfer chutes, helping to deliver material control from the time
it leaves the conveyor discharge pulley until it reaches the
receiving belt. By managing the material speed and direction,
Martin® Inertial FlowTM transfer chutes can minimize impact and
wear on liners and belts, while containing the dust and spillage
that are often generated at transfer points.
The engineered flow chutes employ special geometries that
capture and concentrate the material stream as it travels
through the chute. Every design is tailored to suit the specific
material characteristics and conveyor systems of the individual
customer, rather than using stock products and attempting to
make them work. Inertial flow transfer chutes from Martin
Engineering provide the dual benefits of minimizing aeration and
preventing buildup within the chute, particularly important when
dealing with combustible materials.
“Transfer points should never be a production bottleneck,”
commented Martin Product development engineer Justin
Malohn. “By testing the customer’s specific bulk material and
applying those properties as the initial step in chute design, we
can develop a transfer that meets capacity while minimizing the
potential for build-up and chute plugging,” he said.
Martin inertial flow transfer chutes also incorporate
replaceable liners, allowing operators to unbolt the enclosure for
Custom-engineered transfer chutes improve conveyor loading, reduce blockages
simplified replacement of worn components without confined
space entry.
ENGINEERED FLOW TRANSFERSEngineered chutes typically employ a ‘hood and spoon’ transfer,
with the hood discharge chute at the top of the system and a
spoon receiving chute to place material onto the belt being
loaded. Martin Engineering components are custom-designed to
suit the characteristics of the conveyed product and the
materials used for chute construction.
“The hood minimizes expansion of the material stream,
directing it downward,” Malohn explained. “The spoon provides
a curved loading chute for a smooth line of descent, consistently
feeding the material at a specific speed and direction to minimize
impact in the loading zone.”
The goal is to confine the material stream and reduce air
entrainment, while directing the moving material onto the
receiving belt with minimal impact. Successful designs reduces
spillage, abrasion, dust and premature wear. This control also
helps ensure that material is center-loaded on the belt, avoiding
mistracking and fugitive material.
To achieve the optimum hood, spoon and settling area,
engineered flow chutes from Martin Engineering are designed
using 3-D computer-based flow and modeling to define the
geometry. “The direction and force of impact should maintain as
much momentum as possible, ideally with an impact angle of no
more than 8–12°,” Malohn said.
Designers use detailed information about the specific material
characteristics and the parameters of the conveyor system itself,
including the feed system, belt properties, support structure and
transfer distances. Martin Engineering also has in-house
capability to perform comprehensive bulk material testing to
obtain critical friction values, using customer-specific materials,
belt construction and liner materials.
By controlling the velocity and force of impact in the load
zone to match the belt speed and direction, the engineered
systems mitigate material splash, turbulence and dust. The lowturbulence,
low-impact loading and controlled airflow can
eliminate the need for baghouse dust collection systems, and the
stable material path contributes to improved transfer, while
minimizing belt abrasion and spillage.
Founded in 1944, Martin Engineering specializes in making
bulk materials handling cleaner, safer and more productive. The
company is headquartered in Neponset, IL (USA), with global
reach from operations in Brazil, China, France, Germany,
Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and the UK. Martin
Engineering products are available from business units and
authorized representatives around the world.
Telestack mobile stockyard solutions — complete operational flexibility
Telestack Limited has enjoyed great success when installing
mobile coal handling equipment throughout the globe. The
overriding feature of the Telestack units is operational flexibility,
which is extremely successful in terms of enhancing and
maintaining production rates within the stockyard. Most
recently has been the manufacturing of a mobile reclaiming
hopper, to feed material directly back into the belt of a
stacker/reclaimer. Currently, the customer has three lines in the
stockyard consisting of 2 x stacker/reclaimers and 1 x stacker
only. However, when unloading vessels with the two unloading
cranes onto two of the lines, this only allows for one other for
either feeding the local power plant or loading trains for inland
transportation. This presents an operational ‘bottleneck’ and
reduces the operational capabilities and flexibility of the
operation. The mobile reclaim hopper (above, right) will be fed
via two front-end loading shovels (medium capacity). The
machine can be placed in the downstream from any of the three
lines even if the stacker/reclaimer or stacker is operating. This
greatly increases operational flexibility and allows for one line to
be redundant in case of routine maintenance.
The wheeled mobile (optional crawler tracked mounted)
reclaim hopper offers maximum flexibility for the operator. The
unit also includes a trimming chute which allows the customer
to direct the material to reduce segregation/degradation and
control the flow of material onto the belt in the same direction
as the stacker/reclaimer (see below). This is further enhanced
with the design and manufacture of a mobile feed-boot which
will fit over the current reclaiming belt to direct the material
into the centre of the belt and again reduce the dust emissions
at this transfer point.
Stockpile management is key to the success and profitability
of any stockyard system, with the aim to eliminate the use of
wheel loaders on site if stockpiling/unloading and the double
handling of material. As many stockyards incorporate fixed
stacker/reclaiming units as there primary stockpiling equipment,
Telestack’s range of stockpiling equipment can be used as an
alternative to these high equity machinery, while gaining the
same results. The radial and telescopic features of the conveyors
allows for complete operational flexibility, automatically
stockpiling up to heights of 18 metres (60 ft) @ 1,500tph
(tonnes per hour) ensures the production levels can be
sustained (see below).
The site mobility options include a tracked dolly unit which
allows for easy site mobility in harsh conditions to facilitate all
areas of the stockyard. Other possible options include wheeled
or rail-mounted equipment, as well as dust extraction/
suppression, independent power options, automatic stockpiling
programs and many more depending on the requirements of the
operation. Mobile stockpiling equipment can also provide a
reliable back-up system to fixed stacker/reclaiming in the event
of maintenance/ damage to ensure that production targets are
sustained. During the maintenance of these fixed plants, this
equipment would be invaluable to ensure production targets are
met and costs are minimized.
These units are designed to work in conjunction or replace
current operations using fixed stacker/reclaiming systems, but
will enhance the flexibility and mobility of the stockyard which is
a vital part of maintaining production rates.