CONCEPTS OF FEEDER DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO LOADING BULK SOLIDS ONTO CONVEYOR BELTS

A lan W. Roberts. Emeritus Professor and Director, Center for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308. A ustralia. SUMMA RY This pape r pre se nts an ove rvie w of the conce pts of fe e de r de sign in re lation to the loading of bulk solids onto be lt conve yors. The basic de sign fe ature s of be lt and apron fe e de rs is pre se nte d. The ne e d for fe e de rs and m ass-flow hoppe rs to be de signe d as an inte gral unit to prom ote uniform fe e d is e m phasise d. The e sse ntial re quire m e nt is to prom ote uniform fe e d with the whole of the hoppe r/fe e de r inte rface active . The m e thods for de te rm ining fe e de r loads and corre sponding drive torque s and powe rs are discusse d. Proce dure s for controlling fe e de r loads during start-up and running are e x plaine d. The e stim ation of loads on fe e de rs use d in conjunction with funne l-flow, e x pande d-flow bins and gravity re claim stock pile s is discusse d. The de sign of fe e d chute s for dire cting the flow of bulk solids from the fe e de r discharge onto conve yor be lts is brie fly re vie we d. 1. INTRODUCTION Fe e de rs have an im portant function in be lt conve ying ope rations. The ir function is to control the gravity flow of bulk solids from storage , such as from bins or stock pile s, and to provide a uniform fe e drate to the re ce iving be lt conve yor. W hile the re are se ve ral type s of fe e de rs com m only use d, it is im portant that the y be chose n to suit the particular bulk solid and to provide the range of fe e d rate s re quire d. It is also im portant that fe e de rs be use d in conjunction with m ass-flow hoppe rs to e nsure both re liable flow and good control ove r the fe e de r loads and drive powe rs. C orre ct inte rfacing of fe e de rs and hoppe rs is e sse ntial if pe rform ance obje ctive s such uniform draw of m ate rial ove r the whole of the hoppe r outle t is to be achie ve d. For uniform draw with a fully active hoppe r outle t, the capacity of the fe e de r m ust progre ssive ly incre ase in the dire ction of fe e d. In the case of a scre w fe e de r, for e x am ple , this is achie ve d by using com binations of variable pitch, scre w and core or shaft diam e te r. In the case of be lt and apron fe e de rs, a tape re d ope ning is re quire d as illustrate d in Figure 1. The triangular sk irtplate s in the hoppe r bottom are an e ffe ctive way to achie ve the re quire d tape r. The gate on the front of the fe e de r is a flow trim m ing de vice and not a flow rate controlle r. The he ight of the gate is adjuste d to give the re quire d re le ase angle and to achie ve uniform draw along the slot. O nce the gate is corre ctly adjuste d, it should be fix e d in position; flow rate is the n controlle d by varying the spe e d of the fe e de r. An alte rnative arrange m e nt is to use a dive rging front sk irt or brow as illustrate d in Figure 1. This has the advantage of re lie ving the pre ssure at the fe e d e nd during discharge and forward flow.

Figure 1: Be lt or Apron Fe e de r In the case of vibratory fe e de rs, the re is a te nde ncy for fe e d to occur pre fe re ntially from the front. To ove rcom e this proble m , it is re com m e nde d that the slope angle of the front face of the hoppe r be incre ase d by 50 to 80 as illustrate d in Figure 2. Alte rnative ly, the lining surface of the front face in the re gion of the outle t m ay se le cte d so as to have a highe r friction angle than the othe r face s. Apart from providing fle x ible support, the springs in the support rods or cable s assist in controlling fe e de r loads. This is discusse d late r.

Figure 2: Vibratory Fe e de r 2. FEEDER LOA DS DURING FILLING A ND FLOW

2.1 General Remarks From a de sign point of vie w, it is im portant to be able to de te rm ine the loads acting on fe e de rs in hoppe r/fe e de r com binations and the corre sponding powe r re quire m e nts. Figure 3 illustrate s the loads acting in a hoppe r and fe e de r.

Figure 3. Fe e de r Loads in Hoppe r/Fe e de r C om bination Fe e de r loads are influe nce d by se ve ral factors including Hoppe r/fe e de r flow patte rn Flow prope rtie s of the bulk solid The chose n hoppe r shape for m ass-flow. That is, whe the r conical, plane -flow or transition (com bination of conical and plane -flow). W all friction characte ristics be twe e n the bulk solid and hoppe r walls and sk irtplate s The type of fe e de r and its ge om e trical proportions The stre ss fie ld e stablishe d in the hoppe r. That is the initial filling condition whe n the hop-pe r is fille d from the e m pty condition and the flow condition whe n discharge has occurre d. For the initial filling condition in the case of a m ass-flow hoppe r, the load is influe nce d by the surcharge pre ssure ps acting at the hoppe r transition. For the flow condition, the load on the fe e de r is virtually inde pe nde nt of the surcharge he ad. This give s rise to a significant de cre ase in the fe e de r load Q once flow has be e n initiate d. R e isne r [1] indicate d that the initial load on a fe e de r m ay be 2 to 4 tim e s the flow load. Howe ve r, re se arch has shown that variations be twe e n the initial and flow loads can be m uch gre ate r than those indicate d by R e isne r. 2.2 Measurement of Feeder Loads Ex pe rim e nts we re conducte d by R obe rts e t al [2] and Manjunath e t al [3] using a laboratory scale plane flow bin and be lt fe e de r. The be lt fe e de r was suspe nde d by ve rtical wire s attache d to load ce lls to pe rm it m e asure m e nt of the fe e de r loads. The ve rtical wire s we re adjustable to pe rm it se tting the fe e de r to a chose n inclination or de clination angle . Horizontal re straining wire s, also attache d to load ce lls, pe rm itte d m e asure m e nt of the tange ntial force to m ove the bulk solid by m e ans of the be lt. The fe e de r was drive n by a variable spe e d hydraulic m otor, the m otor be ing m ounte d for torque m e asure m e nt. A typical se t of fe e de r load re sults for the filling and discharge conditions is shown in Figure 4. The graphs show the ve rtical initial and flow loads and the corre sponding tange ntial loads. The variation be twe e n the initial filling and flow loads is quite significant, the flow load be ing only 18% of the initial load.

Figure 4. Fe e de r loads for Be lt Fe e de r Te st R ig Bin: D = 0.53 m . B = 0.06 m ; = 15; L = 0.69 m & H = 0.5 m Mate rial: Plastic Pe lle ts = 42; = 20; = 0.485 t/m 3
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

It is also im portant to note that once flow has be e n initiate d and the n the fe e de r is stoppe d while the bin is still full, the load on the fe e de r doe s not re ve rt to the original initial load. R athe r, the load re m ains e sse ntially at the flow load Q f. The re sults of Figure 4 indicate s a sm all incre ase in the load shown by the 'dotte d' graph., this be ing no doubt due to a re distribution of the stre ss fie ld in the re gion of the hoppe r outle t. O fte n, e ve n this sm all incre ase doe s not occur. The re duction in the tange ntial load from the initial value Fi to the flow value Ff in this case is about 60%. It is also note d that Fi/Q i = 0.27 and Ff/ Q f = 0.5. 3. STRESS FIELDS IN HOPPER - INFLUENCE ON FEEDER LOA DS 3.1 Pressures generated in a Mass-Flow Bin In hoppe r and fe e de r com binations, the loads acting on the fe e de rs are re late d to the pre ssure s acting in the m ass-flow hoppe rs. The ve rtical pre ssure p vo at the outle t is of particular inte re st since this pre ssure dire ctly influe nce s the load on the fe e de r. This is illustrate d in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Pre ssure s Acting in Hoppe r and Fe e de r The stre ss fie lds are de picte d in Figure 6 whe re p n re pre se nts the norm al wall pre ssure and p v the ave rage ve rtical pre ssure at the cross-se ction conside re d. Unde r initial filling conditions, a pe ak e d stre ss fie ld is ge ne rate d throughout the e ntire bin as illustrate d in Figure 6 (a). O nce flow is initiate d, an arche d stre ss fie ld is ge ne rate d in the hoppe r and a m uch gre ate r proportion of the bulk solid load is supporte d by the uppe r se ction of the hoppe r walls. C onse que ntly, the load acting on the fe e de r substantially re duce s. The variation of fe e de r loads illustrate d in Figure 4 is e x plaine d by the change in pre ssure p vo from the 'initial filling' to the 'flow' case by re fe re nce to Figure 6. It is note d that the pre ssure s p vo de picte d in Figure 6 are influe nce d by a re -distribution of the stre ss fie ld at the hoppe r outle t in the re gion of the fe e de r. It is also note d that the arche d stre ss fie ld in the hoppe r, once ge ne rate d, is quite stable and is re taine d e ve n whe n the fe e de r is stoppe d. This e x plains why whe n flow is initiate d and the n the fe e de r is stoppe d while the bin is still full, the arche d stre ss fie ld is re taine d and the load on the fe e de r re m ains at the re duce d value . 3.2 Expressions for Pressures A cting in Mass-Flow Hopper Since the de sign e quations for fe e de r loads are re late d to the e x pre ssions for bin wall loads, notably the pre ssure s ge ne rate d in hoppe rs, the basic e quations for m ass-flow hoppe rs are brie fly re vie we d. (a) General Expression The ve rtical pre ssure

hh - zh p vh = [ j- 1 ] + [(p s -

hh (j-1) )(

hh - zh hh ) j] (1)

p nf = k hf p vf

(2)

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

whe re j = (m +1) {k h (1 +

tan w tan

) -1}

(3)

= hoppe r half angle p s = surcharge pre ssure at datum transition h h = distance from ape x to transition
w

= bulk spe cific we ight = wall friction angle = 1 for ax i-sym m e tric or conical hoppe rs = 0 for plane -flow hoppe rs

m = sym m e try factor

Figure 6. Pre ssure s Acting in Mass-Flow Bin (b) Hopper Pressures - Initial Filling Case For the initial filling case , the m inim um value O f k h (that is, k hi), is use d. For this case , j = 0 and the ve rtical pre ssure p vhi is hydrostatic. From e quation (1), with j = 0, p vhi = p s + z h and the norm al pre ssure p nhi is p nhi = k hi p vhi = k hi (p s + z h) and from (3) with j = 0, (5) (4)

k hi =

tan tan w + tan

(6)

(c) Hopper Pressures - Flow Case Equations (1) and (2) apply. That is

hh - zh p vhf = [ h h - z h ] + [(p s - h h )( ) j] hh j- 1 (j-1)

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(7)
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

p nhi = k hi p vhf

(8)

whe re j = (m +1) {k hf (1 +

tan w tan

) -1}

(9)

k hf =

2(1 + sincos2) 2 - sin(1 + cos2( + ))

(10)

Figure 7. Stre ss or Pre ssure C onditions in Hoppe r during Flow The stre ss or pre ssure conditions acting in the flow channe l and corre sponding Mohr circle re pre se ntation are shown in Figure 7. The stre ss ratio k hf re late s the ave rage ve rtical stre ss across the horizontal 'slice ' to the norm al pre ssure at the wall. As shown in R e f.[5], re com m e nde d value of k hf is give n by. 4. DETERMINA TION OF FEEDER LOA DS - DESIGN EQUA TIONS 4.1 General Case C onside r the m ass-flow hoppe r and fe e de r of Figure 12. The de sign e quations use d to de te rm ine the fe e de r loads are sum m arise d be low:

Figure 8 - Loads on Fe e de r The loads acting on the fe e de r and corre sponding powe r re quire m e nts vary according to the stre ss condition in the store d bulk m ass. The ge ne ral e x pre ssion for the load Q is Q = p vo Ao (11)

W he re p vo = Ve rtical pre ssure on fe e de r surface

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Ao = Are a of hoppe r outle t For conve nie nce , following the proce dure e stablishe d by Arnold e t al [4], the load m ay be e x pre sse d in te rm s of a non-dim e nsional surcharge factor as follows: Q = q B(2+m) L (1+m) (12)

W he re q = non-dim e nsional surcharge factor = g = bulk spe cific we ight = bulk de nsity L = le ngth of slotte d ope ning B = width of slot or diam e te r of circular ope ning m = hoppe r sym m e try factor m m = 0 for plane -flow hoppe r = 1 for conical hoppe r

It follows from (11) and (12) that

q =(

m p vo ) 4 g B

(13)

Base d on an analysis of the pre ssure distribution in the hoppe r, it m ay be shown that the ve rtical pre ssure acting at the hoppe r outle t is

p vo =

B 2(j-1)tan

+ [ ps -

D 2(j-1)tan

][

B j ]

(14)

whe re p s = surcharge pre ssure acting at the transition The e x pone nt 'j' in e quation (20) is give n by

j = (m + 1) [k h (1 +

tan w tan

- 1]

(15)

whe re k h is the ratio of norm al pre ssure at the hoppe r wall to the corre sponding ave rage ve rtical pre ssure . From (19) and (20) a ge ne ral e x pre ssion for the non-dim e nsional surcharge pre ssure m ay be obtaine d. That is,

q =(

ps m 1 1 B j-1 +[ ][ ) { ] } 4 2(j-1)tan D 2(j-1)tan D

(16)

Two case s are of im portance , the initial filling condition and the flow condition. 4.2 Initial Filling Condition This applie s whe n the fe e d bin is initially e m pty and the n fille d while the fe e de r is not ope rating. R e se arch has shown that the initial filling loads can vary substantially according to such factors as

1/2/13

i. R ate of filling and he ight of drop of solids as m ay produce im pact e ffe cts. ii. Uniform ity of filling ove r the le ngth and bre adth of the fe e d bin; asym m e tric loading will produce a
non-uniform pre ssure distribution along the fe e de r.

iii. C le arance be twe e n the hoppe r bottom and fe e de r surface . iv. De gre e of com pre ssibility of bulk solid v. R igidity of fe e de r surface
For the initial filling condition, the stre ss fie ld in the hoppe r is pe ak e d; that is, the m ajor principal stre ss is alm ost ve rtical at any location. The de te rm ination of the initial surcharge factor q i can be m ade by using an appropriate value of 'j' in e quation (16). The following case s are conside re d:

a. For a totally incom pre ssible bulk solid and a rigid fe e de r with m inim um cle arance , the uppe r bound
pre ssure in the hoppe r is 'hydrostatic'. In this case the ratio of norm al pre ssure to ve rtical pre ssure is give n by

value of q i m ay be approache d. The uppe r bound value corre sponds to j = 0 for which the ve rtical

k hi =

tan tan + tan w

(17)

W ith j = 0, the uppe r bound value of q i is obtaine d from e quation (6) which be com e s

qi = (

2p s tan m 1 D [ + - 1]} ) { 4 2tan B B

(18)

This e quation corre sponds to the pre ssure at the outle t be ing 'hydrostatic'.

b. For a ve ry incom pre ssible bulk solid and a stiff fe e de r, j = 0.1 c. For a ve ry com pre ssible bulk solid and a fle x ibly supporte d fe e de r, j = 0.9 d. For a m ode rate ly com pre ssible bulk solid store d above a fle x ibly supporte d fe e de r, j = 0.45
W hile the value of q i m ay be de te rm ine d using an appropriate value of j in e quation (22), from a practical point of vie w, it has be e n e stablishe d that a satisfactory pre diction of q i m ay be obtaine d from

qi = (

2p s tan m 1 D [ + -1]} ) { 4 2tan B D

(19)

The ve rtical load Q i is give n by Q i = q i g L (1-m) B(2+m) 4.3 Flow Condition O nce flow has be e n initiate d, an arche d stre ss fie ld is se t up in the hoppe r. Eve n if the fe e de r is starte d and the n stoppe d, the arche d stre ss fie ld in the hoppe r is pre se rve d. In this case , the hoppe r is able to provide gre ate r wall support and the load on the fe e de r, toge the r with the corre sponding drive powe r, is significantly re duce d. W hile e quation (16) m ay be applie d by choosing an appropriate value of 'j', som e difficulty arise s due to the re distribution of stre ss that occurs at the hoppe r/fe e de r inte rface . A we ll e stablishe d proce dure , base d on Je nik e 's radial stre ss the ory has be e n pre se nte d in R e fs.[2,3,5]. This proce dure has som e shortcom ings inasm uch as the influe nce of the surcharge pre ssure p s, although sm all, is ignore d and while the hoppe r half-angle is include d in the analysis, the aspe ct ratio B/D of the hoppe r is not tak e n into account. An alte rnative approach is now pre se nte d. The re distribution of the stre ss fie ld in the cle arance space be twe e n the hoppe r and the fe e de r is illustrate d in Figure 9. (20)

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1/2/13

Figure 9. Stre ss Fie lds at Hoppe r and Fe e de r Inte rface In this case the stre ss fie ld in the she ar zone is assum e d to be pe ak e d with the ve rtical de sign pre ssure p vod be ing e qual to the m ajor consolidation pre ssure 1 de te rm ine d by assum ing that the ave rage ve rtical pre ssure p vhf at the hoppe r outle t is e qual to m e an principal consolidation pre ssure . This give s rise to the pre ssure m ultiplie r k Fm de fine d as follows: k Fm = (m + 1) (1 + sin) m = 0 for plane -flow m = 1 for ax i-sym m e tric or conical hoppe rs He nce p vod = k Fm p vhf p vhfo is give n by e quation (14). He nce (22) (21)

p vod = k Fm {

B 2(j - 1)tan

+ [ ps -

D 2(j - 1)tan

][

B j ]}

(23)

whe re tan w tan

j = (m + 1) { k hf ( 1 +

) - 1 }

(24)

and k hf = 2 (1 + sin cos2) 2 - (sin (1 + cos2( + ))

(25)

The force acting at the outle t and is Q f = P vod Ao (26) (27)

whe re Ao = Are a of outle t = (/4) m D(m+1) L (1-m)

Alte rnative ly, the non-dim e nsional surcharge factor q f is obtaine d from e quation (13)

qf = (

p m p vod ) 4 B

(28)

C om bining (23) and (28)

q - k Fm (
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) {

+[

ps

][

B j-1 ] }

(29)
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

2(j - 1)tan

2(j - 1)tan

D (30)

Q f = q f g L (1-m) B(2+m) 4.4 Experimental Results

Figure 10 shows a com parison be twe e n the pre dicte d and e x pe rim e ntal re sults for the fe e de r te st rig de scribe d in R e fs.[2,3]. The flow load has be e n adjuste d to allow for the we ight of bulk m ate rial in the she ar and e x te nde d sk irtplate zone s. In ge ne ral, the re sults are in re asonable agre e m e nt.

Figure 10: C om parison be twe e n Pre dicte d and Ex pe rim e ntal R e sults - Fe e de r Te st R ig Bulk Mate rial: Plastic Pe lle ts 5. BELT A ND A PRON FEEDERS 5.1 Shear Zone The ge om e try of the she ar zone of a be lt or apron fe e de r is quite difficult to pre dict pre cise ly. According to Schulze and Schwe de s [6], the she ar zone m ay be divide d into thre e re gions as illustrate d in Figure 11. In the ir work the le ngths of the re gions we re pre dicte d on the basis of the 'C oulom b principle of sm alle st safe ty' which assum e s that the rupture surface in a consolidate d bulk solid will de ve lop in such a way that the be aring capacity of the solid is m inim ise d.

Figure 11. She ar Zone s in Be lt Fe e de r - Schulze e t al [6] It is also note d that the re will be a ve locity gradie nt de ve lope d in the she ar zone , as indicate d in Figure 12. The characte ristic shape of this profile de pe nds on the prope rtie s of the bulk solid, the fe e de r spe e d and the ge om e try of the hoppe r/fe e de r inte rface . In the e x te nde d sk irtplate zone the ve locity distribution is m ore uniform .

Figure 12. Ve locity Profile in She ar Zone The 'ide alise d' she ar zone and ve locity profile s are shown in Figure 13. For sim plicity, it is re asonable to assum e that the she ar zone is line ar and is de fine d by the re le ase angle y. It is also assum e d that in the she ar zone the ve locity profile is line ar as illustrate d in Figure 13. In the e x te nde d sk irtplate zone , the ve locity profile is substantially constant with the bulk solid m oving at a ave rage ve locity e qual to the be lt ve locity. Since the ave rage bulk solid ve locity in the hoppe r sk irtplate zone is le ss than the ave rage ve locity in the e x te nde d sk irtplate zone , the re will be a 've na contracta' e ffe ct with the be d de pth Ye le ss than the be d de pth H at the e x it e nd of the fe e de r.
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5.2 Release A ngle The he ight of the ope ning at the fe e d e nd should be sufficie nt to give an acce ptable re le ase angle W for controlle d draw-down in the hoppe r and to avoid slip be twe e n the bulk solid and the be lt or apron surface . At the sam e tim e the be d de pth in the sk irtplate zone should be se le cte d to e nsure uniform fe e d. It is re com m e nd that

H B

1.0

(31)

Figure 13. Be lt/Apron Fe e de r - Assum e d She ar Zone and Ve locity Profile R e fe rring to Figure 13,

H =

L cos

tan + yc

(32)

or H B and the ave rage ratio yc/B is yh B 1 L tan 2 B cos yc B L tan B cos yc B

(33)

(34)

Norm all H/B 1.0. For a give n H/B and L/B, the re le ase angle is obtaine d from (34). That is,

H B

B = tan -1 [ ______ cos ] L B

yc (35)

The re le ase angle s as a functions of the ratios H/B for various L/B ratios are give n in Figure 14.

Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

Figure 14. Variation of R e le ase Angle with H/B and L/B As shown in Se ction 7, the re le ase angle has a significant e ffe ct on the pote ntial for slip to occur be twe e n the bulk solid in contact with the be lt. The large r the re le ase angle , the le ss lik e ly will slip occur. 5.3 Distribution of Throughput in Feeder R e fe rring to Figure 12, the m ass throughput of the fe e de r will vary along the fe e d zone . At any location x , the throughput Q m(x ) is give n by Q m(x ) = A(x ) vb v(x ) (36)

whe re A(x ) = C ross-se ctional are a at location x vb = Ve locity of the be lt or apron = Bulk de nsity (assum e d constant)

v(x ) = Volum e tric e fficie ncy at location x

From the ge om e try of Figure 13, A(x ) = (Bi + 2 x tan )(yc + x tan ) (37)

The volum e tric e fficie ncy v(x ) re late s the actual throughput to the m ax im um the ore tical throughput which is the bulk solid m oving forward with the be lt or apron without slip. Thus v(x ) is give n by

v(x ) =

vf(x ) vb

(38)

whe re

vf(x ) = Ave rage fe e d ve locity at location x .

vf(x ) = (1 + C )

v 2

(39)

v = ve locity of bulk solid at be lt surface Assum ing that the re is no slip at the be lt surface , the n v = vb. He nce (50) be com e s

vf(x ) = (1 + C )

vb 2

(40)

R e fe rring to Figure 12, it is assum e d that

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

C = 1 - (1 - C e)(

x + xo Lh + x o

(41)

v(x ) = 1 -

(1 - C e) x o 2(L h + x o)

(1 - C e) x 2(L h + x o)

(42)

Substituting for A(x ) and v(x ) in e quation (47) Q m(x ) = vb [-a 2 a 4 x + (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) x + (a 1 a 3 - a 0 a 4)] + Q mi (43)

whe re a 0 = yc Bi a 1 = 2 yc tan + Bi tan a 2 = 2 tan tan a3 = 1 a4 = xo = (1 - C e) x o 2 (L h + x o) (1 - C e) 2 (L h + x o) yc tan (44)

Q mi = Bi yc vi vb = Initial throughput

5.4 Feeder Throughput At the discharge or fe e d e nd of the hoppe r the throughput is give n by Q m = B H vb v(L) (45)

W he re v(L) =

1 + Ce 2

(46)

v(L) = volum e tric e fficie ncy at e x it Also, Q m = e B ye vb whe re e = bulk de nsity in e x te nde d zone It is note d that e < since the consolidation pre ssure s are lowe r in the e x te nde d zone (47)

He nce ye = H(

1 + Ce 2

)(

(48)

The throughput is give n by

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

Q m = e B ye vb 5.5 Hopper Draw-Down

(49)

For conve nie nce , the distribution of the throughput along the fe e de r, give n by e quation (43), m ay be e x pre sse d in non-dim e nsional form as

NQ(x ) =

Q m(x ) vb B H

1 H B

[-a 2 a 4 x + (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) x + (a 1 a 3 - a 0 a 4) x + a 0 a 3] +

B i yc v i B H vL

(50)

NQ(x ) m ay be norm alise d by choosing H = B = 1 He nce

NQ(x ) =

Q m(x ) vb

= -a 2 a 4 x + (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) x + (a 1 a 3 - a 0 a 4) x + a 0 a 3 +

B i yc v i vL

(51)

The draw-down characte ristics in the hoppe r are gove rne d by the gradie nt of the throughput

Q m'(x ) =

dQ m(x ) dx Q m'(x ) B H vb

O r NQ'(x ) =

Again norm alising with H = B = 1, Q m'(x ) = vb [-3 a 2 a 4 x + 2 (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) x + (a 1 a 3 - a 0 a 4)] (52)

For be st pe rform ance , uniform draw-down in the hoppe r is re quire d. For this to be achie ve d,

Q m'(x ) =

dQ m(x ) dx

constant

(53)

or NQ'(x ) = -3 a 2 a 4 x + 2 (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) x + (a 1 a 3 - a 0 a 4) 5.6 Optimum Hopper Geometry Since e quation (54) is se cond orde r, it is not possible , the ore tically, to achie ve uniform draw down. Howe ve r, it is possible to achie ve approx im ate ly constant draw-down by care fully se le cting the fe e de r ge om e try. To do this, the re com m e nde d approach is to choose the fe e de r ge om e try so that the m ax im um value of NQ'(x ) occurs at the ce nte r of the fe e de r, that is, whe n x = L/2 . In this way, distribution of NQ'(x ) is approx im ate ly sym m e trical. (54)

For m ax im um
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dNQ'(x )

=0

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

NQ'(x ), NQ"(x ) = He nce NQ"(x ) = -6 a 2

dx a 4 x + 2 (a 2 a 3 - a 1 a 4) = 0

Or

x =

a2 a3 - a1 a4 -a 2 a 4

Base d on the assum ptions e m bodie d in Figure 17, it m ay be shown that the optim um hoppe r ge om e try is gove rne d by the dive rge nce angle l and is inde pe nde nt of the of the re le ase angle y. Se tting x = L/2 and substituting for a 1 to a 4 from e quation (55), it m ay be shown that the optim um dive rge nce angle l is give n by

tan =

B 2L { 2 1 yc H

1 ---------------------------[ 1 1 - Ce yc H ] - 0.5 } (55)

O ptim um value s of com pute d using e quation (55) are illustrate d in Figure s 15 and 16. In Figure 15, optim um l value s are plotte d against the volum e tric e fficie ncy, v(L) = 1 + C e / 2 which applie s at the fe e d e nd of the hoppe r. The plotte d re sults apply to L/B = 5.0 and for yc/H value s ranging from 0 to 0.5. For the the ore tical spe cial case O f C e = 1.0 for which v(L) = 1.0, the dive rge nce angle = 0. For the case whe n C e = 0 for which v(L) = 0.5, the dive rge nce angle = 3.85, this value of be ing the sam e for all cle arance ratios yc/B. The influe nce of the fe e de r L/B ratio on the optim um value s of for a range of cle arance ratios is illustrate d in Figure 16. The optim um dive rge nce angle for uniform draw-down is shown to de cre ase with incre ase in L/B ratio, the rate of de cre ase be ing quite rapid at first but le sse ning as the L/B ratio incre ase s towards the value L/B = 10. As shown, the optim um dive rge nce angle incre ase s with de cre ase in cle arance ratio. The volum e tric e fficie ncy variation is the sam e for both fe e de rs, de cre asing from 0.98 at the re ar of the fe e de r to 0.75 At the fe e d e nd.

Figure 15. O ptim um Dive rge nce Angle ve rsus Volum e tric Efficie ncy at Fe e d End for a R ange of C le arance R atios

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1/2/13

Figure 16. O ptim um Dive rge nce Angle ve rsus L/B R atio for a R ange of C le arance R atios v = 0.75; C e = 0.5 5.7 Belt Feeder Example Figure 17 shows the volum e tric e fficie ncy h v(x ), throughput param e te r NQ(x ) and gradie nt NQ'(x ) for two fe e de r ge om e trie s for the case of L/B = 5 and C e = 0.5. The full line s for NQ(x ) and NQ'(x ) corre spond to the optim um dive rge nce angle = 1.54 and as shown, the gradie nt NQ'(x ) is virtually constant indicating uniform draw-down in the hoppe r. For com parison purpose s, the pe rform ance of a fe e de r having the sam e fe e d rate as the optim um fe e de r but with a large r dive rge nce angle of 3 is also pre se nte d. The re le vant graphs are shown by dotte d line s. As shown, the gradie nt NQ'(x ) for this case incre ase s toward the fe e d e nd which indicate s that the hoppe r will draw down pre fe re ntially from the front.

Figure 17. Throughput C haracte ristics of Be lt Fe e de r - v = 0.75 C e = 0.5 C ase 1: O ptim um = 1.54 C ase 2: = 3 6. DRIVE RESISTA NCES - BELT A ND A PRON FEEDERS The ge ne ral layout of a be lt or apron fe e de r is shown in Figure 18. The various re sistance s to be ove rcom e , which are analyse d in R e fs.[7,8], are :

i. Force to she ar bulk solid ii. Force to ove rcom e sk irtplate friction in the hoppe r zone and in the e x te nde d zone be yond the
hoppe r

iii. Force to m ove be lt or apron against support idle rs iv. Force to e le vate the bulk solid

Figure 18. Hoppe r Ge om e try for Fe e de r Load De te rm ination

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

6.1 Tangential Load The force s acting in the fe e d zone are illustrate d diagram m atically in Figure 18. The tange ntial force to she ar the m ate rial m ay be com pute d from F =EQ whe re
E

(56)

= Equivale nt friction coe fficie nt

The following friction coe fficie nts have be e n sugge ste d: R e isne r: E = 0.4, Je nik e : E = 0.45

The inte rnal friction coe fficie nt at the surface of the she ar plane is norm ally tak e n to be
s

= sin

(57)

Allowing for the dive rging we dge shape of the assum e d she ar zone , a sim ple , e m pirical e x pre ssion for the e quivale nt friction coe fficie nt E is
E

= K sin

(58)

Ex pe rie nce has shown that K = 0.8 give s a satisfactory pre diction in m ost case s. Howe ve r an alte rnative e x pre ssion base d on the ge om e try of the fe e d zone m ay be de te rm ine d as indicate d in R e f.[9]

cos - sin

cos( + )[1 + s wi] + sin( + )[ s - wi]

(59)

whe re = fe e de r inclination angle = re le ase angle

s wi

= friction at she ar surface = e nd wall friction

In e ffe ct, wi se rve s to re duce the load Q acting on the fe e de r. The m ore conse rvative approach is to assum e that wi = 0. He nce ,

cos - sin

cos( + ) + s sin( + )

(60)

By way of e x am ple , a se t of de sign curve s base d on e quation (60) is shown in Figure 19.

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

Figure 19. Equivale nt Friction for Be lt and Apron Fe e de r - =10 6.2 Skirtplate Resistance Assum ing ste ady flow, the sk irtplate re sistance is de te rm ine d for the hoppe r and e x te nde d se ctions (se e Figure 18). The pre ssure distributions for the sk irtplate se ctions are assum e d to be hydrostatic as illustrate d in Figure 20.

Figure 20. Pre ssure Distributions for Sk irtplate Zone s Ne gle cting the ve rtical support Vh and Ve due to the sk irtplate s, the sk irtplate re sistance is give n by

i. Hopper Section
Fsph = sp Kv (2 NQ + g B L h yh) yh B (61)

ii. Extended Section (Se ction be yond hoppe r)

Fspe = sph Kv g B L e ye (62)

whe re NQ = Fe e de r load norm al to be lt or apron surface = Q cos q = Bulk de nsity yh = Ave rage he ight of m ate rial against sk irtplate s for hoppe r se ction ye = Ave rage he ight of m ate rial against sk irtplate s for e x te nde d se ction Kv = R atio of late ral to ve rtical pre ssure at sk irtplate s g B
sph

= Acce le ration due to gravity = 9.81 (m /s) = W idth be twe e n sk irtplate s = Equivale nt sk irtplate friction coe fficie nt

L e = Le ngth of sk irtplate s for e x te nde d se ction It should be note d that in the hoppe r zone , the sk irtplate s are dive rging. He nce the frictional re sistance will be le ss than in the case of paralle l sk irts. R e fe rring Figure 20, sph m ay be e stim ate d from

sph

sph

- tan

1 + sph tan

(63)

whe re
sph

= Half dive rge nce angle of sk irtplate s = Friction coe fficie nt for sk irtplate s
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

The pre ssure ratio Kv is such that 0.4 < Kv < 1.0. The lowe r lim it m ay be approache d for the static case and the uppe r lim it for ste ady flow. In the case of slow fe e d ve locitie s, as in the case of apron fe e de rs, the value of Kv for flow m ay be in the m iddle range . 6.3 Load Slope Resistance Fslope = (W + W e) sin W = W e ight of m ate rial in sk irtplate zone of hoppe r W e = W e ight of m ate rial in e x te nde d sk irtplate zone of hoppe r 6.4 Belt or A pron Load Resistance (64)

i. Hopper Section
Fbh = (NQ + g B L yh ) yh b (65)

ii. Extended Section

Fbe = NQ + g B L e ye b (66)

W he re b = Idle r friction. 6.5 Empty Belt or A pron Resistance Fb = wb L B b (67)

W he re wb = Be lt or apron we ight pe r unit le ngth L B = Total le ngth of be lt > 2 (L h +L e) 6.6 Force to A ccelerate Material onto Belt or A pron F A = Q m vb (68)

W he re Q m = Mass flow rate vb It is assum e d that Q m = B ye vb Usually the force FA is ne gligible . It should be note d that for good pe rform ance , be lt and apron spe e ds should be k e pt low. Ge ne rally vb 0.5 m /S. 6.7 Drive Powers The fore going loads and re sistance s are de te rm ine d for the initial and flow conditions using the appropriate value s of the variable s involve d. The powe r is com pute d from (69) = Be lt or apron spe e d

P = ( R e sistance s)

vb

(70)

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

whe re = e fficie ncy and vb = ave rage be lt or apron spe e d. For start-up, vb m ay be approx im ate d as half the actual spe e d. For the flow condition, vb will be the actual be lt or apron spe e d during running. 7. CONDITION FOR NON-SLIP The condition for non-slip be twe e n the be lt and bulk solid unde r ste ady m otion can be de te rm ine d as follows:
B

(Q f + W T) (Ff + Fsp + Fslope + Fa) W he re B = b cos - sin

(71) (72)

= C oe fficie nt of friction be twe e n be lt or apron and bulk solid

Q f = Flow surcharge load on she ar plane at hoppe r outle t W T = Total we ight of bulk m ate rial in sk irtplate zone s Ff = Force to she ar m ate rial at hoppe r outle t Fsp = Sk irtplate re sistance . A m ore de taile d analysis of the condition for non slip is give n in R e f.[8] The e sse ntial re lationships are sum m arise d be low. The ge ne ral re lationship for no slip is shown to be

= tan b = tan b

R sin ( s - ) + W sin + Fsp + Fa R cos ( s - ) + W cos Fsb + W sin + Fsp + Fa Fsb cos ( s - ) + W cos

(73)

Or
b

(74)

W he re Fsb = E Q 7.1 Case When F a 0 and End Wall Friction 0 In m ost case s, the be lt or apron spe e d is low e nough to re nde r Fa 0.

= tan b

R sin ( s - ) + W sin + Fsp R cos ( s - ) + W cos

(75)

Ex pre ssing R in te rm s of the fe e de r load Q le ads to

Q sin ( s - ) + (W sin + Fsp) Q cos ( s - ) + W cos

(76)

whe re = cos ( s - - ) = fe e de r slope = re le ase angle

s

(77)

= friction angle at she ar surface

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1/2/13

Sk irtplate re sistance Fsp = Fsph + Fspe

Fsp = Kv cos [ sph

yh B

(2 Q + W ) + sp W e

ye B

(78)

whe re W

= W e ight of bulk solid in she ar zone of hoppe r

W e = W e ight of bulk solid in e x te nde d zone Generalised Equation for b Le t and C Q = W /Q C Qe = W e/Q (79) (80)

From Figure 20, for a sm all cle arance yc, yh/B = ye/2B He nce , e quation (78) be com e s

sin ( s - ) + {C Q sin + Kv cos

b =

ye B

[0.5 m sph (2 + C Q) + sp C Qe]} (81)

------------------------------------------------------------------------cos ( s - ) + C Q cos

7.2 NUMERICA L EXA MPLE Figure 21 illustrate s the m inim um be lt /apron friction angle as a function of re le ase angle to pre ve nt slip for the case whe n L B yc B 0; = 50; s = sin = 0.76; s = tan -1 0.76 = 37; C = C e = 0.05

= 5;

The graphs have be e n plotte d for the fe e de r slope angle s, -10, 0, and 10.

In this case , v(L) =

(1 + C e) H and C e = 1 - 0.5 2 B

As indicate d, the m inim um be lt friction angle b is le ss se nsitive to change s in fe e de r slope , but is m ore se nsitive to the re le ase angle , de cre asing with incre ase in as indicate d.

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

Figure 21. Minim um Be lt/Apron Friction Angle to Pre ve nt Slip L/B = 5; Yc/B = 0.1; = 50; s = sin = 0.76; s = tan -1 0.76 = 37; C Q = C Qe = 0.05 O ptim um = 1.54; C e = 0.5 8. CONTROLLING FEEDER LOA DS A ND POWER The loads on fe e de rs and the torque during start-up m ay be controlle d by e nsuring that an arche d stre ss fie ld fully or partially e x ists in the hoppe r just prior to starting. This m ay be achie ve d by such proce dure s as: C ushioning in the hoppe r, that is le aving a quantity of m ate rial in the hoppe r as buffe r storage . R aising the fe e de r up against the hoppe r bottom during filling and the n cowe ring the fe e de r to the ope rating condition prior to starting. In this way an arche d stre ss fie ld m ay be partially e stablishe d. Starting the fe e de r unde r the e m pty hoppe r be fore filling com m e nce s. Using transve rse , triangular-shape d inse rts 8.1 Load Cushioning The high initial loads which m ay act on fe e de rs are a m atte r of som e conce rn and, whe re possible , ste ps should be tak e n to re duce the m agnitude of the se loads. Be aring in m ind the ne e d to m aintain a fully active hoppe r outle t, it is possible to control or lim it the load on the fe e de r by always re taining a cushion of m ate rial in the hoppe r. The advantage of this practice with re spe ct to fe e de r loads is illustrate d in Figure 22. From a practical point of vie w, the practice of m aintaining a cushion of m ate rial in the hoppe r is m ost de sirable in orde r to prote ct the hoppe r surface from im pact dam age during filling. Howe ve r the re is a furthe r advantage ; the m ate rial le ft in the hoppe r as a cushion, having pre viously be e n in m otion, will pre se rve the arche d stre ss fie ld. This will provide a surcharge load on the arch fie ld, but the load at the outle t will be of lowe r orde r than if the bin is totally fille d from the e m pty condition. From Figure 22, the substantial re duction in the initial fe e de r load as the cushion he ad incre ase s is cle arly e vide nt.

Figure 22. C ushioning in the Hoppe r to C ontrol Fe e de r Loads 8.2 Raising and lowering the Feeder It ne e ds to be note d that the choice of m ounting arrange m e nt for a fe e de r can assist in ge ne rating a pre lim inary arche d stre ss fie ld ne ar the outle t sufficie nt to m ode rate both the initial fe e de r load and starting powe r. In the case of vibratory fe e de rs, for e x am ple , it is com m on to suspe nd the fe e de rs on springs supporte d off the bin structure as illustrate d in Figure 23. The initial de fle ction of the springs during filling of the bin can assist in ge ne rating an arche d pre ssure fie ld ne ar the outle t and re duce the initial load. For a be lt fe e de r, it m ay be thought use ful to incorporate a jack ing arrange m e nt to lift the fe e de r up against the bottom of the hoppe r during filling. Be fore starting, the fe e de r is re le ase d to its ope rating position sufficie nt to cause som e m ove m e nt of the bulk solid in orde r to ge ne rate a cushion e ffe ct. The use of a slide gate or valve above the fe e de r is anothe r way of lim iting the initial load and powe r. The gate is close d during filling and ope ne d afte r the fe e de r has be e n starte d.
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For 'e m e rge ncy' purpose s, the provision of jack ing scre ws as illustrate d in Figure 23 can be use d to lowe r the fe e de r should a pe ak e d stre ss fie ld be e stablishe d on filling and the re is insufficie nt powe r to start the fe e de r. Lowe ring the fe e de r can induce , e ithe r fully or partially, an arche d stre ss fie ld and allow the fe e de r to be starte d.

Figure 23. Use of Jack ing Scre ws to Lowe r the Fe e de r 8.3 Starting the Feeder Before Filling Commences Starting the fe e de r unde r the e m pty hoppe r be fore filling com m e nce s can also allow the arche d stre ss fie ld to be e stablishe d. O nce the hoppe r is fille d, the fe e de r m ay be stoppe d if de sire d and the filling proce ss continue d. 8.4 Use of Transverse Inserts In the case of fe e de rs e m ploying long ope ning slots, the use of transve rse inse rts can assist in the re ducing the initial load, as we ll as prom oting uniform draw of bulk solid from the hoppe r along the le ngth of the fe e de r. The use d of transve rse inse rts is illustrate d in Figure 24. A difficulty associate d with long narrow slots is the lim itation in re le ase angle s which can give rise to be lt slip.

Figure 24. Use of Transve rse Inse rts to C ontrol both Load and Flow Patte rn 9. SURCHA RGE LOA D ON FEEDER - INITIA L FILLING CONDITION The com putation of the initial ve rtical load acting on a fe e de r re quire s a k nowle dge of the surcharge pre ssure ps acting at the transition of the fe e d hoppe r. It is to be note d the flow load acting on a fe e de r is inde pe nde nt of the surcharge he ad. The de te rm ination of the initial surcharge pre ssure ps de pe nds on the type of storage syste m e m ploye d. The following case s are conside re d: 9.1 Mass-Flow and Expanded Flow Bins R e fe rring to Figure 25, the surcharge he ad is give n by the Jansse n e quation:

hc =

R Kj tan

[1 - e -Kj tan H/R ] + h s e -Kj tan H/R

(82)

The corre sponding pre ssure p c is pc = hc whe re R = 'Hydraulic' R adius de fine d as (83)

R =

D 2 (1 + m c)

(84)

m c 0 for long re ctangular cylinde r m c 1 for square or circular cylinde r

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

He ight of bulk solid in contact with cylinde r walls

Kj p n/p v for cylinde r. Norm ally Kj = 0.4 W all friction angle for cylinde r

Figure 25. Mass-Flow and Ex pande d-Flow Bins The e ffe ctive surcharge he ad is give n by

hs =

Hs ms + 2

(85)

whe re H s = Surcharge he ad m s = 1 for conical surcharge m s = 0 for triangular surcharge 9.2 Gravity Reclaim Stockpile The use of m ass-flow re claim hoppe rs and fe e de rs unde r stock pile s is illustrate d in Figure 26. The initial load Q i on the re claim fe e de r is de pe nde nt on the e ffe ctive surcharge he ad, while the flow load Q f is inde pe nde nt of the he ad as illustrate d. The de te rm ination of surcharge he ad and pre ssure in the case of stock pile s is som e what unce rtain owing to the significant variations that can occur in the consolidation conditions e x isting within the store d bulk solid. The state of consolidation of the bulk solid is influe nce d by such factors as Stock pile m anage m e nt and loading history Loading and unloading cycle tim e s and le ngth of undisturbe d storage tim e Variations in m oisture conte nt De gre e of se gre gation Variations in the quality of bulk solid ove r long pe riods of tim e C om paction e ffe cts of he avy m obile e quipm e nt that m ay ope rate on the surface of the stock pile

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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

Figure 26: Gravity R e claim Stock pile As a re sult of re ce nt re se arch and fie ld studie s, proce dure s are re com m e nde d for the following two case s:

a. Case 1 - Freshly Formed or Uniformly Consolidated Stockpile in which withdrawal occurs at regular
intervals. hc = H (86)

That is the e ffe ctive he ad is e qual to the actual he ad. This is the m ost conse rvative solution. In som e case s, a le ss conse rvative solution m ay be applie d through the use of the R ank ine pre ssure or he ad. That is h c = H cos r (87)

whe re r = Angle of re pose

b. Case 2 - Well Consolidated Stockpile in which the rathole above the feeder is well formed and
stable. In this case the rathole se rve s as a pse udo-bin and the e ffe ctive he ad m ay be e stim ate d using the Jansse n e quation following the proce dure s de scribe d in Se ction 9.1 for an e x pande d flow bin. In this case the cylinde r diam e te r is the actual rathole diam e te r Df, and the wall friction angle be com e s the static angle of inte rnal friction t. In re ality, the shape of rathole s is not cylindrical so the Jansse n approach is an approx im ation. 10. FEEDER LOA DS FOR FUNNEL-FLOW In the case of fe e de rs unde r funne l-flow bins, the load Q on the fe e de r will be the total e ffe ctive he ad of bulk solid com pute d on the basis of Jansse n or the 'hydrostatic' he ad as m ay be re le vant. The e x iste nce of a 'flow stre ss fie ld' situation as applie s unde r m ass-flow doe s not apply in the funne l-flow case . 11. FEEDING ONTO BELT CONVEYORS The e fficie nt ope ration of be lt conve yors de pe nds on a m any factors, not the le ast of which is e ffe ctive loading or fe e ding of bulk solids onto the be lts at the fe e d or intak e e nd. The fact that be lt or apron fe e de rs are norm ally lim ite d to spe e ds of up to 0.5 m /s, the bulk solid has to be acce le rate d to e nte r the conve yor be lt at a spe e d m atching, as close as possible , that of the be lt. Two m e thods of achie ving this are possible the use of acce le rator be lts e m ploying gravity to acce le rate the bulk solid in association with a fe e d chute

Acce le rator be lts are the m ore costly of the above two m e thods and are subje ct to significant be lt we ar. Gravity fe e d chute s, which re quire the ne ce ssary he ad room to acce le rate the bulk solid to be lt spe e d, are the be tte r option. The obje ctive s of chute de sign are to e nsure stre am line d flow without spillage and with m inim um chute and be lt we ar. This, in turn, re quire s the corre ct choice of lining m ate rials to suit the bulk solid and chute ge om e try. 11.1 A spects of Chute Design

a. Free Fall of Bulk Solid

Figure 28 illustrate s the application of a gravity fe e d chute to dire ct the discharge from a be lt or apron fe e de r to a conve yor be lt. The bulk solid is assum e d to fall ve rtically through a he ight 'h' be fore m ak ing contact with the curve d se ction of the fe e d chute . Since , norm ally, the be lt or apron
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spe e d v 0.5 m /s, the ve locity of im pact vi with the curve d se ction of the fe e d chute will be ,

Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

spe e d vf 0.5 m /s, the ve locity of im pact vi with the curve d se ction of the fe e d chute will be , e sse ntially, in the ve rtical dire ction. For the fre e fall se ction, the ve locity vi m ay be e stim ate d from

vi =

_________

vfo + 2 g h

(88)

Equation (88) ne gle cts air re sistance , which in the case of a chute , is lik e ly to be sm all. If air re sistance is tak e n into account, the re lationship be twe e n he ight of drop and ve locity vi (Figure 28) is,

1 h = v log e g

vfo v (89) vi v g

[ ------- ] - ( vi - vo ) v
1 -

whe re v = te rm inal ve locity vfo = ve rtical com pone nt of ve locity of bulk solid discharging from fe e de r vi = ve locity corre sponding to drop he ight 'h' at point of im pact with chute .

Figure 28. Fe e d C hute C onfiguration

b. Flow of Bulk Solid around Curved Chute

If the curve d se ction of the chute is of constant radius R , the ve locity at any location m ay be com pute d from the e quation give n be low (R e f.[9]),

________________________________________________________ v =

2 g R
e

+1

[sin (1 - 2 e) + 3 e cos] + e -2 e [vj -

6 e R g 4 e +1

(90)

whe re e = e quivale nt friction which tak e s into account the friction coe fficie nt be twe e n the bulk solid and the chute surface and the chute cross-se ction. The obje ctive s are to m atch the horizontal com pone nt of the e x it ve locity ve x as close as possible to the be lt spe e d to re duce the ve rtical com pone nt of the e x it ve locity ve y so that abrasive we ar due to im pact m ay be k e pt within acce ptable lim its. The abrasive we ar of the be lt m ay be e stim ate d as follows: Im pact pre ssure p vi = vey (k Pa)
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

whe re

= bulk de nsity, t/m

vey = ve rtical com pone nt of the e x it ve locity, m /s Abrasive we ar W he re

b

W a = b vey (vb - vex)

(91)

= friction coe fficie nt be twe e n the bulk solid and conve yor be lt be lt we ar, it is also im portant to m inim ise the we ar of the chute lining in Figure 28, the curve d chute is divide d into two zone s, the im pact re gion angle s re quire the use of a hard lining surface , and the othe r, the whe re low friction and low abrasive we ar is a ne ce ssity.

Apart from m inim ising surface s. As illustrate d whe re the low im pact stre am line d flow re gion 11.2 Example

The following e x am ple is conside re d: R e fe rring to Figure 28, Q m = 1000 t/h, h = 1.0 m , R = 3.0 m , = 1 t/m . It is assum e d that e = 0.5 Base d on a te rm inal ve locity v = 30 m /s and ze ro initial ve locity, vfo = 0, the im pact ve locity is e stim ate d to be , vi = 4.4 m /s. Utilising e quation (90), the variation in ve locity 'v' around the chute m ay be com pute d as we ll as the ve locity com pone nts vex and vey. The se ve locitie s are plotte d, toge the r with the chute profile in Figure 29.

Figure 29. C urve d C hute Pe rform ance R = 3 m ; vi = 4.4 m /s ; e = 0.5; Q m= 1000 t/h; = 1 t/m The m ax im um ve locitie s are

vmax

= 5.56 m /s at = 40

vx,max = 4.43 m /s at = 60 vy,max = 5.06 m /s at = 20 O f particular inte re st is vex = vx,max = 4.43 m /s for = 60, the corre sponding value s of x and y be ing x e = 1.5 m and ye = 2.6 m . The total he ight of drop = h + ye = 3.6 m Also, the corre sponding value of vy = vey = 2.56 m /s. Assum ing the be lt spe e d is vb = 4.5 m /s and b = 0.6 From e quation (89), the abrasive we ar factor W a = 0.6 x 1.0 x 2.56 x (4.5 - 4.43) = 0.28 k pa m /s. Note that it is not ne ce ssary to choose the condition for m ax im um vex. Lowe r value s of W a m ay be obtaine d by choosing othe r value s of vex and vey. It ne e ds to be note d that, for a give n he ad he ight, be st pe rform ance is ge ne rally obtaine d by se le cting a large radius 'R ' re lative to the he ight 'h'. 12. CONCLUDING REMA RKS The conce pts of fe e de r de sign in re lation to loading of bulk solids onto be lt conve yors has be e n pre se nte d. The ne e d for fe e de rs and m ass-flow hoppe rs to be de signe d as an inte gral unit to prom ote uniform fe e d has be e n e m phasise d and the ge ne ral e x pre ssions for fe e de r loads have be e n pre se nte d.
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Design 1/2/13 and Perf ormance in Relation to Loading Bulk Solids onto Conv ey or Belts

R e com m e ndations for optim ising the ge om e try of the hoppe r and fe e de r inte rface have be e n give n. Tak ing account of the hoppe r and fe e de r ge om e try, toge the r with the prope rtie s of the bulk solid, the proce dure s for de te rm ining the tange ntial driving loads and corre sponding drive powe rs have be e n discusse d. The significance of the arche d stre ss fie ld in the hoppe r for controlling fe e de r loads has be e n e x plaine d. The e stim ation of loads on fe e de rs use d in conjunction with funne l-flow, e x pande d- flow bins and gravity re claim stock pile s has be e n outline d. The de sign of fe e d chute s for dire cting the flow of bulk solids from the fe e de r discharge onto conve yor be lts is brie fly re vie we d. 13. REFERENCES

1. R e isne r, W . and Eise nhart R othe , M.v. "Bins and Bunk e rs for Handling Bulk Mate rials", Trans Te ch
Publications, Ge rm any, 1971

2. R obe rts A.W ., O om s M. and Manjunath K.S. "Fe e de r Load and Powe r R e quire m e nts in the
C ontrolle d Gravity Flow of Bulk Solids from Mass-Flow Bins" Engine e ring, Vol. ME9, No.1, April 1984 (pp. 49 - 61) Trans. I.E.Aust.,

Me chanical

3. Manjunath K.S.

and R obe rts, A.W . "W all Pre ssure -Fe e de r Load Inte ractions in Mass-Flow Hoppe r/Fe e de r C om binations". Intl. Jnl. of Bulk Solids Handling, Part I- Vol 6 No. 4, August 1986. Part II - Vol. 6 No,5 O ctobe r 1986. The Unive rsity of Ne wcastle , 1982

4. Arnold, P.C ., Mcle an, A.G. and R obe rts, A.W . "Bulk Solids: Storage , Flow and Handling", TUNR A, 5. R obe rts, A.W . "Basic Principle s of Bulk Solids Storage , Flow and Handling", Institute for Bulk
Mate rials Handling R e se arch, The Unive rsity of Ne wcastle , Australia, 1992.

6. Schulze , D. and Schwe de s, J. "Bulk Solids Flow in the Hoppe r/Fe e de r Inte rface ", Proc. Sym posium
on R e liable r Flow of Particulate Solids (R ELPO W FLO II), O slo, Norway, 23-25 August, 1993 Intl. Jnl. of Bulk Solids Handling, Vol. 2, No. 2, June 1982

7. R ade m ache r, F.J.C . "R e claim Powe r and Ge om e try of Bin Inte rface s in Be lt and Apron Fe e de rs". 8. R obe rts, A.W . "Fe e ding of Bulk Solids - De sign C onside rations, loads and Powe r'. C ourse note s,
Bulk Solids Handling (Syste m s and De sign). C e nte r for Bulk Solids and Particulate Te chnologie s, The Unive rsity of Ne wcastle , May, 1997. Discharge C hute s". Transactions ASME, Jni. of Engng. in Industry, Vol 91, Se rie s B, No. 2, May 1969.

9. R obe rts, A.W . "An Inve stigation of the Gravity Flow of Non-cohe sive Granular Mate rials through

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