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F low O f Bulk S olids In C hute Design

Flow Of Bulk Solids In Chute Design

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John Rozentals
B.E. Pr Eng MSA IME MSA ICE
Ack nowle dge m e nts : The Bionic R e se arch Institute , C hute De sign C onfe re nce 1991
A cle ar unde rstanding of the flow of bulk solids within a chute is e sse ntial for rational de sign. This pape r
follows product flow within the chute from the discharge point on the fe e de r be lt to the loading point on
the re ce iving be lt.
John R oze nthals graduate d in Me chanical Engine e ring at the Unive rsity of W e st Australia. Since graduating
he has consulte d on m any m ate rials handling proje cts including Ham m e rsly Iron. Mt. Ne wm an Mining C o.
and Sishe n Iron O re . He is a partne r in BR I Te c C onsulting. an associate with Ham ilton Associate s and
Dire ctor of the Bionic R e se arch Institute .

FLOW OF BULK SOLIDS IN CHUTE DESIGN

THE DESIGN of any type of conve ying syste m m ust m e e t two basic re quire m e nts:

1.
2.

the syste m obje ctive s - in te rm s of capacity, conve ying distance , product distribution, and so on.
the characte ristics of the bulk solids product in te rm s of flow prope rtie s, de gradation lim itations,
abrasion re sistance of chute m ate rials, and so on.

To m e e t the proce ss obje ctive s the conve yor syste m will re quire a num be r of transfe r chute s.
WHY USE CHUTES?
C hute s are use d at conve yor transfe r points for a num be r of re asons:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

to control the dire ction of flow of the product

to control the shape of the flow stre am
to control spillage
to control dust and e nvironm e ntal pollution
to re duce product de gradation
to re tard or control flow
to provide surge control

The sim ple conve yor be lt to conve yor be lt transfe r of product is the single large st contributor to
atm osphe ric contam ination, and to the loss of valuable product within the plant. For this re ason we m ust
ask the que stion - why use chute s?
C urre nt tre nds in the m ining, and in the conve yor, industry have se ve re ly m agnifie d the proble m of dust
ge ne ration in bulk solids handling syste m s. De ve lopm e nts in m ining m e thods and e quipm e nt have
re sulte d in product having sm alle r top lum p size and a significant incre ase in the quantity of fine s
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transporte d.
In addition the tre nd is to use narrowe r be lts running at faste r spe e ds. Highe r spe e ds re sult in a
significant incre ase in dust ge ne ration.
It m ak e s good se nse the re fore to de sign conve yor syste m s using fe we r chute s.
LOGICA L DESIGN OF CHUTES
The prim e thrust in the First Inte rnational C hute De sign C onfe re nce is to focus on the logical de sign of
chute s. The aim is to he lp de signe rs approach chute de sign with cle are r unde rstanding of the m ain issue s.
Afte r the conve yor de sign e ngine e r has conce ive d the conve yor syste m he will go on to size critical ite m s
such as be lts, idle rs, m otors, spe e d re duce rs, and the lik e . O fte n the e ngine e r will le ave chute de tailing to
som e one e lse .
If the chute de taile r has ple nty of fie ld e x pe rie nce the re sulting transfe r point will work we ll. It not, the
re sult can be a poor syste m . The chute m ay not look radically diffe re nt from a succe ssful de sign, but
pe rform ance diffe re nce s m ay be sufficie nt to cre ate significant proble m s and loss of profit.
FLOW THROUGH THE CHUTE
Le t us conside r what happe ns as product flows through the chute . Firstly flow through a chute is a transie nt
phe nom e non happe ning in about 1 se cond. If the passage of product through the chute tak e s 2 se conds
the n it is along chute of som e 20 m .
W hat happe ns to the product com ing off the fe e d be lt?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

som e of the fine s float into the surrounding airstre am .

som e of the product stick s to the side s of the chute .
som e of the product ge ts carrie d back on the re turn be lt.
som e of the product e scape s from the chute and se ttle s on the floor.
at tim e s product will block the chute and cause ove rflow.
som e of the fine s e nd up in the he ad pulle y and be arings.
the balance of the product continue s the journe y to the ne x t transfe r point (Fig.1 ).

The e sse ntial aim of good chute de sign is to succe ssfully transfe r as m uch of the incom ing product as
possible from one be lt to the ne x t.
To assum e that 100% of the incom ing product will continue onto the ne x t be lt ignore s the re ality of
transfe r point de sign. Each of the above points ne e d to be give n se rious conside ration at the de sign
stage .
WILL THE PRODUCT LEA VE THE BELT?
How m uch of the incom ing product will actually le ave the be lt?
To answe r that que stion the chute de signe r m ust have a cle ar k nowle dge of the product characte ristic
prope rtie s. It is not sufficie nt to be give n the nam e of the product and a grading analysis down to 6 m m .
Much of the product be haviour is de te rm ine d by its fine s and powde r com pone nts. And the se are dire ctly
affe cte d by the m oisture conte nt.
C onside r a 0.1 m m thick film of iron ore on a re turn be lt, say 1200 m m wide and running at 5 m /s. The
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quantity of fine s discharge d from the re turn be lt is a 24 hour pe riod would be approx im ate ly 100 tonne s.
Be lt cle aning is an e sse ntial e le m e nt of succe ssful transfe r point de sign.
THE PRIMA RY TRA JECTORY
The sim ple st discharge from a conve yor be lt is to le t the product pass ove r an e nd pulle y and fall onto a
pile .
Air blowing through the product stre am will have a winnowing e ffe ct- ge ne rating a dust cloud which, in
m any case s, m ay trave l for hundre ds of m e te rs. Dust suppre ssion m e asure s m ay be re quire d.
By adding a suitable chute the discharge m ay be dire cte d as de sire d- to a stock pile , a bin, or to anothe r
conve yor. A fork at the discharge chute , with a gate , will pe rm it the product to flow sim ultane ously in two
dire ctions, or alte rnative ly in e ithe r dire ction.
W he ne ve r the be lt is discharge d ove r an e nd pulle y, the spe e d of the be lt and the diam e te r of the e nd
pulle y are factors which de te rm ine the path of the discharge d product. This path is calle d the prim ary
traje ctory. The shape of the discharge d product traje ctory is im portant whe n de signing chute s.
The re are se ve ral m e thods available to the de signe r for m ak ing traje ctory pre dictions. The se have be e n
studie d by Profe ssor P.C . Arnold and G.L. Hill at the Unive rsity of W ollongong, Australia. A copy of the ir
pape r is include d in the C onfe re nce Manual. The salie nt points are as follows:
The product is carrie d toward the he ad pulle y by the conve yor be lt. If the be lt is running at a high e nough
spe e d ine rtia will carry the product ove r the pulle y in the sam e dire ction, and at the sam e spe e d, as the
be lt. The diam e te r of the pulle y has no influe nce on the e je ction ve locity of the product. Form ulae which
tak e into account pulle y diam e te rs and m ate rial profile on the he ad pulle y te nd to ove re stim ate the
traje ctory.
If the be lt is running m ore slowly the product te nds to roll down the face of the pulle y. C alculation
m e thods which ignore this e ffe ct te nd to unde re stim ate the traje ctory.
The study at the Unive rsity of W ollongong conclude s that for granular product the Dunlop/Booth m e thod
for pre dicting the product traje ctory provide s the m ore re liable calculation m e thod.
Although m any products e x hibit som e de gre e of adhe sion, m ost form ulae for pre dicting traje ctorie s do not
tak e this into account. The te chnique s de scribe d by Korze n provide the m ost .thorough and de taile d
analytical m e thod of all the choice s available for pre dicting traje ctorie s for bulk solid flow.
The analysis carrie d out by Korze n strive s to tak e into account the e ffe cts of friction (both static and
dynam ic) as we ll as ine rtia and adhe sion of the product on the be lt. All of the se factors play an im portant
role in de te rm ining the se paration point and discharge ve locity of the product from the be lt.
Mate rial which e x hibits high adhe sive stre ss characte ristics, of the orde r of 0.3 k Pa and above , will start to
carry back furthe r around the he ad pulle y - significantly affe cting the final im pact are a afte r falls of m ore
than 2 m .
How m uch inform ation do we give our chute de signe rs to pre dict the prim ary traje ctory?
If the product unde r inve stigation displays a large am ount of adhe sion, te sts should be carrie d out to
de te rm ine the m agnitude of the adhe sive stre ss and the value of the friction coe fficie nt be twe e n the
product and the be lt.
SIMPLE BELT TO BELT TRA NSFER
C onside r be lt to be lt transfe r shown in Fig. 2.

The fe e d be lt com e s in from the side and should de posit product ce ntrally onto the re ce iving conve yor. If
the product traje ctory is not as originally de signe d off-ce nte r be lt fe e ding will tak e place .
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A close e x am ination of the original de signs of m any transfe r points give s the im pre ssion that the de signe r
was counting on som e form of m agic to induce the product to go in the right dire ction. Eithe r that, or it was
hope d that the last re bound of product off the chute would, just by luck , be in the right dire ction and on
the re ce iving be lt ce nte rline .
An alte rnative school of thought assum e s that no flow de fle ctors can be place d corre ctly in any case , and
the chute would re quire fie ld corre ction. This le ave s the proble m in the lap of the fie ld e ngine e r.
The trouble with m uch of this re asoning, or lack of it, is that trouble d chute s dram atically de lay syste m
com m issioning at a tim e whe n ne rve s are ragge d, and thre ats of pe naltie s are high. Possibly the
com m issioning is alre ady be hind sche dule .
Assum ing that fie ld staff, who m ay have e ve n le ss e x pe rie nce in chute de sign that the original de signe r,
are luck y e nough to position and we ld-in a flow de fle ctor plate which de als ade quate ly with the flow
proble m of the m om e nt. Any change in product flow characte ristics, due for e x am ple of m oisture
variations or flow rate , could again re sult in off-ce nte r loading and a ne w se t of proble m s. (Ask the plant
m ainte nance pe rsonne l whe n the y're trying to train the be lt to gue ss what shape and whe re the last site installe d de fle ctor plate is locate d.)
It is e sse ntial to study ve ry care fully the flow path the product m ight tak e . For this characte ristic prope rtie s
m ust be e stablishe d at de sign stage as accurate ly as practical. How m uch product inform ation do we give
our chute de signe rs? O r do the y have to look up C EMA table s, tak e a gue ss, and le ave the re st for site
m odifications?
W he n handling ve ry cohe sive product the layout of the conve yor transfe r point m ust, whe re possible , be
de signe d to use be lt-to-be lt transfe r of product with a m inim um he ight of drop. The transfe r point should
be de signe d so that the product stre am , whe re ve r possible , ce nte rs on the re ce iving be lt with little or no
im pact on the chute walls.
Should it be ne ce ssary to have a transfe r point with a re ce iving be lt at right angle s to the fe e de r be lt, it is
advisable to e nsure that the product is turne d into the dire ction of trave l of the re ce iving be lt by flow
dire ctors or k ick plate s.
THE FIRST IMPA CT
The chute de signe r can de te rm ine whe re the first im pact of product against chute wall will tak e place , and
the nature of that im pact.
Tak e a lum p of product and drop it to the ground. The pote ntial e ne rgy can be m e asure d by the he ight
above ground at point of re le ase . By the tim e the lum p re ache s ground le ve l all the pote ntial e ne rgy has
be e n conve rte d into k ine tic e ne rgy. If the lum p re bounds afte r im pact to 10% of the drop he ight, the n
90% of the k ine tic e ne rgy has be e n dissipate d at im pact.
C onside r now the que stion of de gradation. W e have all se e n e gg-throwing conte sts. Throwing the e gg is
e asy. The trick is in how you catch the e gg. If de gradation is a m ajor factor in de sign the chute m ust be
de signe d in such away that im pact e ne rgy is m inim ise d.
If de gradation is not a prim e conce rn im pact plate s, or rock box e s, m ay be use d to obtain a controllable
ve rtical ore stre am . Such de vise s should have a fine adjustm e nt -which can be adjuste d e asily e ve n unde r
ore flow conditions.
SLIDING A CROSS A N INCLINE
W he n product falls onto an incline , it will ge ne rally be com ing in on som e traje ctory. The flow will have a
horizontal ve locity com pone nt, as we ll as a ve rtical one .
C onside r first the e ffe ct of the horizontal com pone nt. Sliding across the incline will be re siste d by friction.
The force com pone nt norm al to the incline will be (se e Fig.3):

N = m g.cos Q
whe re m is the m ass of the particle
g is acce le ration due to gravity
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Q is the angle of incline to the horizontal

The sliding m otion will be re siste d by friction on the surface :
F = m .a = u.N
substituting:
m .a = u.m g.cos Q
a = g.(u.cos Q ) (1)
O nce the product starts sliding on the incline d surface of the chute bottom , the horizontal com pone nt of
ve locity will rapidly de ce lle rate in accordance with e quation (1).
Friction rapidly pre ve nts significant sliding across the surface . Thus any transve rse traje ctory e ffe cts are
lost afte r im pact. The product slide s down the incline following the line of le ast re sistance .
FLOW DOWN A N INCLINE
If product falls onto a horizontal surface flow cannot tak e place . The bulk solids accum ulate in a he ap
until, if the y are non-cohe sive , the y will re ach the angle of re pose . The n flow re sum e s. The ve locity of flow
down the incline will re m ain constant irre spe ctive of the le ngth of the chute .
If the angle of the chute bottom to the horizontal is incre ase d, the ve locity of flow will be incre ase d. W hat
happe ns if the chute angle is de cre ase d? W ill flow ce ase ? In a static case - ye s. But not ne ce ssarily in a
dynam ic case . Thus the discharge angle can be le ss than the angle of re pose if the flow has an initial
e ntry ve locity.
For ste ady , fully de ve lope d, constant ve locity flow the chute angle should be be twe e n the angle of re pose
and the dynam ic inte rnal friction angle . Studie s on m ille t se e d and polythe ne particle s have shown that
the lowe r and uppe r chute inclination bounds e x ist within which constant ve locity flow occurs. The se angle s
of inclination diffe r by about 4 de gre e s. O utside this narrow range flow is e ithe r acce le rating or slowing
down.
Flow in m ost chute s is a transie nt phe nom e non. It is ne ithe r ste ady, nor fully de ve lope d. But the sam e
basic principle s apply. The flow is e ithe r acce le rating or slowing down.
The ve locity of flow down the incline d surface will affe ct the le ve l of abrasion of the chute surface . The rate
of e rosion is approx im ate ly re late d to the square of the ve locity. Thus doubling the ve locity down the
chute incre ase s e rosion by a factor of 4. A sim ilar re lationship e x ists with re gard to product de gradation.
Most product com prise s various ble nds of fine and coarse com pone nts. The fine com pone nts usually
be have in a diffe re nt m anne r to the coarse com pone nts.
De pe nding on the sm oothne ss of the surface , m oist bulk product m ay e x hibit an adhe sive com pone nt.
Adhe sion ofte n occurs with a sm ooth surface . C ohe sion and adhe sion can cause se rious flow block age s to
occur.
W e k now that a granular particle will slide down an incline if the angle of inclination of the plane is gre ate r
than the angle of friction.
Le t the force s on the particle be re pre se nte d by Fig.4.

To obtain the ve locity down the slope we m ust first find the acce le ration. The we ight m g has be e n re solve d
into two com pone nts: m g C O S a pe rpe ndicular to the plane and m g sin a paralle l to the plane .

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Now apply Ne wton's Se cond Law, and e quate force to m ass tim e s acce le ration. Along the plane :
m g sin Q - F = m a
Pe rpe ndicular to the plane :
N = m g cos Q
F = u N = u.m g cos Q
By substitution:
a = g (sin Q - u.cos Q ) (2)
If the initial ve locity is v, the e x it ve locity V can be calculate d as follows:
V = v - at (3)
SECONDA RY TRA JECTORY
W hile a substantial am ount has be e n writte n re garding the pre diction of product traje ctory at the he ad
pulle y, ve ry little atte ntion se e m s to have be e n paid to the pre diction of se condary traje ctorie s the flow of
product within the transfe r chute s (Fig.5). The re sults of such conce ptual ne gle ct can ofte n be se e n by
watching the flow stre am path in the lowe r se ctions of the chute .

The first ste p in calculating a se condary traje ctory is to e stim ate the e x it ve locity at the point of de parture .
If the bottom plate is at the angle of re pose of the m ate rial, the e x it ve locity will be the sam e as the
ve locity at e ntry. The e ntry ve locity is de te rm ine d from the pre vious traje ctory calculations .
If the chute plate is ve rtical, product contact along the chute wall will have little e ffe ct on ve locity. The
product will acce le rate in accordance with the de m ands of gravity.
Be twe e n the se two angle s, the flow will acce le rate in accordance with form ula 2 above . This de pe nds on
the chute angle , and on the value of the friction coe fficie nt.
THE FRICTION COEFFICIENT
The friction coe fficie nt be twe e n the product and the chute lining m ate rial is not a constant, howe ve r. It
incre ase s with re duce d de pth of flow in the chute , and change s with variations in m oisture conte nt. The
friction coe fficie nt m ay also include a ve locity de pe ndant, or viscous, com pone nt. Many products also
e x hibit som e cohe sive and adhe sive prope rtie s.
Fig.6 shows that for coal at varying m oisture conte nts high friction coe fficie nts can occur at low de pths of
flow. The de cre ase in friction is conside rable as de pth of flow incre ase s.

It is the re fore not re asonable to e x pe ct chute de signe rs to gue ss the value s of friction coe fficie nts and
adhe sive stre sse s. Te sts are re lative ly ine x pe nsive and provide far be tte r guide line s to critical chute
de sign param e te rs.
In som e case s drag curtains ne e d to be provide d to incre ase friction and lim it flow surge s at the chute
fe e d point.

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CONTINUITY OF FLOW
W hile the bulk de nsity D at any se ction of the flowing stre am would show som e variation with de pth, this
variation is sm all and is usually re late d to local turbule nce at im pact points. It is conve nie nt to acce pt a
constant ave rage value . Thus:
W = D.A.v = constant
whe re W is the m ass flow rate , A the cross se ctional are a, and v the ve locity of flow.
In flowing down the incline the de pth of product will de cre ase as the product acce le rate s down the slope . If
the slope is long e nough a te rm inal ve locity m ay be re ache d whe re ste ady-state flow is achie ve d. Surge
wave s and granular jum ps m ay be form e d whe n obstructions are place d at the downstre am e nd of the
chute .
TRA NSIENT FLOW
In m ost practical chute de sign flow is ne ithe r ste ady nor fully de ve lope d. The le ngth of contact m ay be
short, so the de ce le ration m ay we ll be ne gligible . Ex it ve locitie s can the re fore be e asily calculate d using
e quations 2 and 3.
O nce the e x it ve locity has be e n e stim ate d the calculation of the se condary traje ctory is fairly straight
forward.
In som e case s the flow stre am is de fle cte d by furthe r im pact surface s - re sulting in furthe r se condary
traje ctorie s (Fig .5) .
O ne approach to side loade d chute s, whe re the fe e d be lt com e s in at an angle to the re ce iving be lt, is to
use im pact plate s to obtain a controllable ve rtical ore stre am . A lowe r k ick e r plate is the n use d to dire ct
the ve rtical ore stre am into the dire ction of the be lt trave l. Use adjustable 'V' plate s in the bottom of the
chute to ce ntralise the product on the re ce iving be lt.
In case s of fine powde rs or bulk solids containing a high pe rce ntage of fine s atte ntion ne e ds to be give n
to de sign de tails which e nsure that during flow within the chute ae ration, which le ads to flooding proble m s,
is m inim ise d. For this to be achie ve d zone s of fre e -fall and zone s of high acce le ration m ust be k e pt to a
m inim um .
CURVED CHUTES
Since im pact dissipate s k ine tic e ne rgy in a viole nt way, the re by incre asing product de gradation, it m ak e s
se nse to re dire ct the k ine tic e ne rgy in a use full m anne r. Thus the conce pt of using curve d chute s is good
whe re a ge ntle r de ce le ration of the product is warrante d. (Se e Fig.7)

VELOCITY CONTROL
From the pre vious discussion it be com e s cle ar that the chute de signe r can pre de te rm ine the ve locity of
product down the chute , and the re fore can control it.
Ve locity control le ads logically to que stions of surface friction, bottom slope angle s, chute shape s and so
on. O ne solution is to use se gm e nte d chute s. Anothe r is to use m ini rock box e s. Still anothe r is to use
cascade chute s.
It also be com e s cle ar that e ve n with straight bottom chute s, in m any case s, the chute angle should not be
a constant value but should de cre ase as the ve locity down the chute incre ase s.
DUST CONTROL

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A m ajor contributor to the dust proble m is e ne rgy dissipation. Due to the ve locity of the product and the
drop he ight, it posse sse s both k ine tic and pote ntial e ne rgy. If the se e ne rgie s are de alt with prope rly,
product de gradation and dust ge ne ration will be m inim ise d.
Kine tic e ne rgy is im parte d to the product by the carrie r be lt. The highe r the be lt spe e d, the highe r will be
the re sulting im pact force s in the chute . Gradual de ce le ration of the flowing stre am is quite difficult, and
re quire s spe cial chute s.
The usual m e thod with high spe e d be lts is to sim ply allow the stre am to collide with a de fle ctor plate , or
the back wall of the transfe r chute , in such a way that all the k ine tic e ne rgy is dissipate d quick ly and
viole ntly. The re sult is obvious dust and de qradation. The first ste p in controlling dust at the de sign stage
is to care fully look at re ducing be lt spe e ds. A sm all incre ase in be lt width can have a large e ffe ct on
re duce d be lt spe e d and re sultant dust ge ne ration.
The ne x t logical ste p in m inim ising dust ge ne ration is to m inim ise the he ight of fall (the pote ntial
e ne rgy).
It is all too e asy to spe cify, for e x am ple , a 60 de gre e m inim um slope angle on all chute s, as a m e ans of
totally avoiding product hang-ups in the chute s. For m ost case s, 60 de gre e is m uch ste e pe r than
ne ce ssary - e spe cially since the product is alm ost always in m otion in the chute s. Te sting the dynam ic
angle of friction of the product is the be st guide available . But te st at diffe re nt m oisture conte nts to allow
for we t, stick y, carryback fine s.
For e x am ple if a 50 de gre e chute angle is ade quate , incre asing this to 55 de gre e incre ase s the chute
he ight by 21%, and 60 de gre e re sults in a 45% incre ase . And the se incre ase s re late dire ctly to incre ase s
in pote ntial e ne rgy and to incre ase d dust ge ne ration.
W he n de aling with dust control at the transfe r point m ak e sure the chute has ple nty of volum e . This will
allow fre e re -circulation of air be fore the point of contact of the falling stre am with the chute wall.
THE LOA DING ZONE
Turbule nce in the stre am flow occurs at the im pact zone as the falling product strik e s the re ce iving be lt.
The re ce iving be lt is m oving m ore or le ss at right angle s to the dire ction of the falling flow stre am . The
particle s which touch the be lt are acce le rate d by it the m ost. The othe r particle s are acce le rate d by she ar.
The le ngth of the lone of turbule nce along the be lt line de pe nds on the re lative spe e d of the be lt and the
tange ntial ve locity of product in the dire ction of the be lt trave l. If the be lt and the incom ing product both
trave l in the dire ction of the be lt at the sam e spe e d the zone of turbule nce will be m inim al. The gre ate r
the diffe re nce the longe r is the zone of turbule nce , and the gre ate r the difficulty in achie ving an e fficie ntly
se ale d, cle an, loading zone .
The de pth of turbule nce de pe nds on the bulk de nsity at the im pact point, which in turn is proportional to
the am ount of pote ntial e ne rgy be ing dissipate d. The gre ate r the e ffe ctive he ight of fall of the product the
gre ate r the de gre e of turbule nce .
The de gre e of turbule nce can be gre atly re duce d by providing a curve d k ick e r plate , or adjustable gate ,
which will change the dire ction of the falling flow stre am . The gate should be adjuste d so that the ve locity
com pone nt in the dire ction of be lt trave l is e qual to the spe e d of the re ce iving be lt. This will re duce
turbule nce , re duce be lt we ar, de gradation, and e ve n powe r re quire m e nts for the drive m otor.
W ith high falls it is possible to angle the curve d k ick e r plate so sharply that the ve locity com pone nt of the
falling stre am e x ce e ds the be lt spe e d. This would cause the flow of product to push the be lt and possibly
cause the be lt to sag be twe e n idle rs, com plicating the se aling and drive powe r re quire m e nts.
LOA D CENTERING
Buildup in the chute , or changing m ate rial characte ristics, will alte r the falling stre am of product. This m ay
te nd to pile de e pe r on one side of the be lt than the othe r, as shown in Fig.8. Such off-ce nte r loading can
ofte n be se e n in practice .

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Flow training gate s should be provide d which can be adjuste d from outside the chute . Such a fe ature
allows e asy load ce nte ring during com m issioning, and during the life of the plant whe n the product and its
characte ristics change .
Alte rnative ly spe cial idle rs can be use d to form the be lt into a 'U' shape and vibrate the load back into the
ce nte r.
SKIRTING DESIGN
Sk irting de sign is an e sse ntial part of chute de sign. This im portant subje ct is discusse d in de tail by
R ichard Stahura in his writte n contribution to this C onfe re nce .
TRA NSFER CHUTE A CTING A S A HOPPER
If the transfe r chute be com e s block e d with product due to an abnorm al condition, spillage will occur whe n
the be lt is re starte d. As the re is usually no m e ans to control product flow, the be lt will be gre atly
ove rloade d.
W he n the chute plugs at shutdown - norm al or e m e rge ncy - it be com e s a hoppe r. W he n the be lt is
re starte d it draws product to the full de pth of the sk irts. W he n the product re ache s the e nd of the sk irtboards, the e x ce ss product spills ove r the e dge s of the be lt onto walk ways, floors, and be twe e n the idle rs.
But, as the be lt is still brim -full, it will continue to dribble m ate rial be twe e n carrying idle rs.
The conve yor syste m should be de signe d so that, whe n the syste m shuts down unde r norm al or
e m e rge ncy stop conditions the chute s do not plug. This can be accom plishe d during norm al shutdown by
stopping the syste m se que ntially - be ginning with the m ost upstre am be lt, and allowing sufficie nt tim e for
e ach be lt to purge itse lf be fore stopping.
Se que ntial shutdown cannot work during e m e rge ncy conditions. If at any transfe r point the re ce iving be lt
te nds to coast for a shorte r tim e than the fe e d be lt, product will pile up in the chute .
If chute plugging cannot be avoide d, the n the transfe r chute m ust be conside re d as a hoppe r, and
de signe d accordingly. De sign m ust the n m ak e allowance for plugge d chute re starts. A control gate m ay be
fitte d to m anually adjust the am ount of product fe d onto the be lt during a full chute re start.
SPILLA GE CLEA NUP DOORS
C le anup of spillage can be both difficult and, in som e case s, dange rous if atte m pte d while the conve yor is
running.
To re duce the cost of cle anup of spillage the following points should be tak e n into conside ration:

1.

R aise the tail e nd of the conve yor high e nough to allow cle anup by a front e nd loade r. Spillage
around a tail pulle y can cause se rious be lt we ar if the be lt is le ft to run through the accum ulate d
product.

2.
3.
4.

Provide a we ll draine d concre te slab unde r the transfe r are a.

Fit 45 de gre e she dde r angle s unde r the troughing idle rs at the loading points.
Fit a profile plant inside the chute to pre ve nt a floode d be lt situation occurring whe n re starting a
loade d be lt (fine m ate rial only).

A sim ple cle anup door should be locate d ne ar the tail pulle y as shown in Fig.9. If the door is corre ctly
locate d, and the tail pulle y safe ty scre e n de signe d for e asy re m oval, cle anup of loading zone spillage will
be m ade e asy.

W he re the tail pulle y is not locate d ne ar the floor, or it is im practical to re turn the spille d product to the
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tail se ction, fix e d or portable cle anup conve yors m ay be use d. It is im portant to tak e cle anup m e asure s
into conside ration whe n de signing the load transfe r point.
PROVISION FOR INSPECTION OF FLOW
Ve ry ofte n flow proble m s within chute s could be m ore e asily solve d if the flow stre am could be obse rve d.
Product flow within the chute cannot always be accurate ly calculate d. The re fore obse rvation is ne ce ssary to
e nable appropriate flow adjustm e nts to be m ade .
Many chute s have only one inspe ction door - and that usually ne ar the he ad pulle y. This doe s not pe rm it
a vie w of the actual flow path in the lowe r chute and in the sk irt are a. This is whe re proble m s usually
de ve lop.
Provide at le ast two inspe ction or acce ss doors - one in the he ad pulle y are a, and one in the loading zone .
If the chute has m ore than a 3 m drop, locate anothe r door at about the m idpoint and out of the
e x pe cte d product traje ctory. In case s whe re drops of 6 m or m ore occur, a door e ve ry 3 m is
re com m e nde d. This will gre atly sim plify any corre ctive action re quire d inside the chute - Including line r
re place m e nt, flow corre ction, re m oving tram p m ate rial, and unblock ing chute s. Such doors m ust be dust
tight and locate d on the non-we aring side of the chute . De pe nding on the ir location the y m ust also be
capable of withstanding the side pre ssure from a plugge d chute condition.
CHUTE WEA R
'R ock box e s' are one m e thod of absorbing the e ne rgy and abrasive we ar of falling ore . Howe ve r, if the
product is we t, cohe sive and/or adhe sive , or, as in the case of lignite s or sub-bitum inous coals, te nds to
ignite spontane ously, the rock box solution should not be conside re d.
W he n the rock box she lf builds up with m ate rial and the n continue s to build-up be yond the anticipate d
de sign slope , the de fle cte d product m ay re bound onto the be lt cle ane rs, affe cting the ir pe rform ance . The
re bound lum ps m ay also hit the e nd of the dribble chute , causing it to build-up and plug.
The rock box e s m ay ne e d to be cle ane d pe riodically to e lim inate e x ce ssive buildup.
Most chute de signe rs will provide for we ar by the use of abrasive re sistant m ate rial at points whe re the
product im pacts upon, and slide s on, the chute surface s.
Soone r or late r the line r m ate rial will have to be re place d. Acce ss to the inside of m any chute s and sk irt
are as is e x tre m e ly difficult, if not im possible .
C hute s with be lts 900 m m or wide r should have am ple room for m ainte nance m e n to e nte r the chute and
re place line rs. Eve n so, e x tra acce ss doors should be include d in chute s 3 m or m ore in le ngth. The se
doors should be large e nough to pass line r plate s through, and m ust be bolte d and gask e tte d. The doors
should be locate d in pairs, dire ctly opposite one anothe r, and be no sm alle r than 450 m m square . By
locating two doors opposite e ach othe r the ope nings m ak e a conve nie nt place to inse rt plank s or
scaffolding.
For sm alle r chute s on narrow be lts care ful de sign and de tailing is re quire d to m ak e ade quate provision for
line r re place m e nt. Fabricating the chute s in short le ngths for e asy disasse m bly is one approach. The non
we ar side of the chute can be flange bolte d to facilitate m ainte nance acce ss.
Good acce ss doe s not just happe n. It tak e s care ful thought during de sign. Such conside ration at the
de sign stage can be stim ulate d by appropriate spe cification by the conve yor e nd use rs.
CONCLUSION
In vie w of the ir appare nt sim plicity transfe r chute s have all too ofte n re ce ive d insufficie nt atte ntion to the ir
de sign.
The aim of this pape r has be e n to focus atte ntion on the flow of product within chute s. Flow visualisation is
only one aspe ct of chute de sign. Eve n this one -day C onfe re nce cannot do m ore than awak e n a m ore vivid
inte re st in the subje ct of chute de sign.
Many instance s can be give n whe re chute s are the we ak e st link in the bulk handling syste m . Lack of
unde rstanding and lack of atte ntion to de sign de tails have cause d proble m s of e nvironm e ntal pollution,
spillage , acce le rate d be lt we ar, and flow block age s, to nam e but a fe w.
This First Inte rnational C hute De sign C onfe re nce provide s an opportunity for de signe rs and conve yor use rs
to pool the ir k nowle dge . It is hope d this C onfe re nce has m ade a positive contribution toward m ore
succe ssful transfe r point de sign.
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A CKNOWLEDGEMENT
Although he has not be e n able to atte nd this C onfe re nce , the contribution of R ichard P. Stahura to the
succe ss of this First Inte rnational C hute De sign C onfe re nce , and to the unde rstanding of flow in transfe r
chute s, is gre atly appre ciate d.
REFERENCES
R obe rts, A.W . and Scott, O .J., "Flow of Bulk Solids through Transfe r C hute s of Variable Ge om e try and
Profile ", Bulk Solids Handling Vol 1, No 4, De c 1981.
R obe r ts , A .W ., "Mode rn Te chnological De ve lopm e nts in the Storage and Handling of Bulk Solids", The
Unive rsity of Ne wcastle , NSW , Australia, 1990.
R obe r ts , A .W ., "De sign and Application of Fe e de rs for the C ontrolle d Loading of Bulk Solids on to
C onve yor Be lts", Supple m e ntary Pape r 3.
R obe r ts , A .W ., "Transfe r C hute Pe rform ance and De sign ", Supple m e ntary Pape r 4.
R oze ntals, J.J., "R ational De sign of C onve yor C hute s", Proc. Be ltcon 2, Inte rnational C onfe re nce on
Mate rials Handling, South Africa, May 1983.
Goodwin, P.J., and R am os, C .M., "Be lt C onve yors in Bulk Te rm inal Applications", Proc. Be ltcon 3,
Inte rnational C onfe re nce on Mate rials Handling, South Africa, Se p 1985.
Korze n, Z. , "Me chanics of Be lt C onve yor Discharge Proce sse s", Bulk Solids Handling Vol. 9 (1989) No 3, p
289-297.
Sabina, W .E ., Stahura, R .P ., and Swinde m an, R .Todd "C onve yor Transfe r Stations -Proble m s and
Solutions " , Martin Engine e ring C o., (1988).
Arnold, P.C ., and Hill, G.L., "Pre dicting the Discharge Traje ctory from Be lt C onve yors", Bulk Solids Hand
ling , Vol. 10 (1990) No 4, p 379-382.
C EMA, "Be lt C onve yors for Bulk Mate rials" , C ahne rs Book s .
R obe rts, A.W ., O om s, M., and W iche , S.J., "C once pts of Boundary Friction, Adhe sion and W e ar in Bulk
Solids Handling O pe rations", Bulk Solids Handling, Vol 10 (1990), No 2, May 1990.
Be ck le y, D.E. , "Be lt C onve ying Syste m s in W e st Australian iron ore industry", Day 3, Pape r 1 .
W right, H., "Large scale handling of bulk m ate rials", Bulk Solids Handling, Vol. 10, No 2, 1990.
Mills, Mason and Agarawal, "Som e Aspe cts of Be nd Erosion in Pne um atic C onve ying Syste m Pipe line s",
First National Sym posium on Hydraulic Transportation of Solids through Pipe line s, R anchi, India, (1985).

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