Conveyor belts make sense for long distance haulage

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · World Coal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6785389

Cabrera, V

With the overland conveyor, engineers have found a mature technology that is low in cost, energy efficient, and requires few skilled operators to move large quantities of bulk material over long distances. The economic advantages of Belt conveyors over truck and rail transport arise from the following factors: because grades up to +- 30 percent may be attained by belt conveyors without loss of efficiency, haul distances are much shorter than for road or rail. By comparison, the recommended limiting grades are +-10 percent for trucks and +-2 percent for rail. Therefore, longer road and track distances are required. The overland conveyor is normally installed at ground level, which involves light foundations with a minimum of support structures; Belt conveyors easily cross roads, railways, waterways, and other obstructions on light bridge-type supports; Long single flight belt conveyors are possible with the use of high strength steel cable belting; Unlike trucks, conveyors have a relatively uniform electrical demand, which may be derived from a non-oil based power plant, such as coal, hydro, or nuclear. Downhill conveyors may produce regenerative electric power instead of dissipated heat, which is common to truck and rail haulage braking assemblies. In addition, the power requirements may be reduced by balancing uphill and downhill runs of the conveyor; and preventive maintenance which is designed to reduce equipment wear can lead to low overall maintenance costs. As a result, spare parts inventories are minimized.

• Research Organization: Mountain States Engineers, Tucson, Arizona
• OSTI ID: 6785389
• Journal Information: World Coal; (United States), Journal Name: World Coal; (United States) Vol. 8:4; ISSN WOCOD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
013000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
BELT CONVEYORS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONVEYORS
DESIGN
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HAULAGE EQUIPMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MINE HAULAGE
MINING
RAILWAYS
SURFACE MINING
TRANSPORT
TRUCKS
UNDERGROUND MINING
VEHICLES