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ChE 132
Materials
Handling
Prepared by
Engr. Sandra Enn Bahinting

Section 21
Pages 21-4 to 21-27
Tables
21-4 : Material Classes & Bulk Densities
21-5 & 21-6 : Screw Conveyor Capacities & Loading
Conditions
21-7 : Belt Conveyor Data
21-8 & 21-9 : Bucket Elevator Specifications
21-10 : Flight Conveyor Capacities
21-11 : Apron Conveyor Capacities
21-12 : Approximate Pneumatic Conveyor Costs
21- 13 : Air Velocities Needed to Convey Solids of
Various Bulk Densities
Figure 21-13 : Nomographs for Determining Conveyor
Design Parameters

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HANDLING OF SOLIDS
Handling

of Materials:

Deals with the transfer of materials over

relatively short distances.
-

Art and science involving the moving,

packaging and storing of substances in
any form

The creation of time and place utility in

material

Materials handling are broken down into

specific disciplines
Conveying deals with movement of bulk solids in fixed path
Feeding accurate control of material flow necessary for
effiecient conveying and processing
Unit handling deals with moving objects both in fixed and
nonfixed path
Packaging science of controlled portioning of bulk materials
and unit objects
Storing - accumulaionon and storage of large quantities of a bulk
solid
Warehousing -covers receiving, storing, shipping and scheduling
of unit loads
Carrier handling and transport concerns the loading, securing
and transporting and unloading of bulk materials and unit loads

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Bucket Elevators
Designed for the primary purpose of
elevating material

used for lifting (maximum incline of

10 degrees), and are composed of
a conveyor belt equipped with buckets and stretched vertically
between two pulleys

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Types of Bucket Elevators

Centrifugal discharge best suited for handling loose, freeflowing, fine, or small lump material.

Continuous bucket elevators - designed to handle friable,

fragile materials to minimize product degradation or damage.
They are also ideal for handling sluggish or abrasive materials.

Positive discharge - elevator design where the buckets are used

to elevate commodities such as popcorn, candy and potato
chips where the utmost concern is on gentle handling and
finished food grade applications.

Internal discharge - a type of continuous bucket elevator. The

difference being an internal discharge elevator is designed to
discharge material along the buckets' internal path

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Power Requirement for Bucket

Elevator
HP

2T Z
1000

HP

0 .4

0 . 00345 L

100

power required to
move the load
horizontally

T = material handled, tons/hr.

Z = increase in elevation of material, ft.
L is distance between conveyor centers, in f

Note: To allow for satisfactory loading of the bulk material, the elevator length
is usually increased by about 5 ft (1.5 m)

Example:

Choose a bucket elevator to handle 150 tons/h (136.1 tonnes/h)

of abrasive material weighing 50 lb/ft3 (800.5 kg/m3) through a
vertical distance of 75 ft (22.9 m) at a speed of 100 ft/min (30.5
m/min).

a. What horsepower input is required to drive the elevator?

b. The bucket elevator discharges onto a horizontal conveyor
which must transport the material 1400 ft (426.7 m).
i.
Determine the required power input needed to drive it.
ii.
Total hp input for the conveyor installation
The power input to a conveyor is composed of two portions:
(a)the power required to move the empty belt conveyor
(b) the power required to move the load horizontally.

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Flight Conveyor

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Capacities of Flight Conveyors (at 80% Efficiency):

BDS b
6000

T= Capacity tons/hr
B= Width of flight, in.
D = Depth of flight, in.
S= Speed of Conveyor, fpm
b = Bulb density of material being
handled, lb/ft3

Screw

Conveyor

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SCREW CONVEYORS
Horsepower Requirements Of Screw Conveyors and
all Conveyors Operating with a Scraping Action.

Horsepower

Coefficien

t Capacity,
33,000

lb./min

Length,

ft

ft lbf
hp min

where: Coefficients = 4.0 (Ashes)

= 2.5 (Coal)
= 1.3 (grain)

Horsepower Required to Drive Flight Conveyors:

HP

a T

L b W L S 10

1000
where:
HP = Total horsepower of conveyor shaft
T = Material handled, tons/hr
L = Length of conveyor from center to center of sprocket, ft.
W = Total weight of chain and flights per foot of distance
between centers (both runs), lb. Usually equal to T max.
S = Speed, fpm
a = Constant for material
b = Constant for Conveyor

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Belt conveyors

Power Requirement for Belt Conveyors:

For empty belt conveyor (minimum value)

HP 1

0 . 03 WS

990
For material (not considering belt) conveyed horizontally.

HP 2

F L Lo

F ( L Lo ) T

For lifting material:

HP 3

990

TZ
990

10

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Total horsepower required:

F L L o T 0 . 03 WS

TZ

990
HP = horsepower required
F = friction factor, 0.05 for plain bearings; 0.03 for anti friction
bearing depending
upon the installation maintenance
L = length of conveyor between terminal pulleys, ft.
Lo = 100 for plain bearing; 150 for anti friction bearing
S = speed of belt, fpm.
T = material handled, tons/hr.
Z = increase in elevation of material, ft.
W = mass of moving parts, including belt and idlers per foot of
distance between
center of terminal pulleys (both/runs), lb.

Approximate Weights of Conveyors

Flight Conveyors:
4 x 10 to 6 x 18
use W = 0.5 lb/in of width per running foot
8 x 18 to 10 x 24
use W = 1.0 lb/in of width per running
foot
Belt Conveyors:
use W = 1.0 lb/in of width per running
foot

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Example:
A

belt conveyor is required to deliver crushed

limestone having a bulk density of 75 lb/cu ft
at the rate of 200 tons/hr. The conveyor is to
be 200 ft between centers of pulleys with a
rise of 25ft. The largest lumps are 4 in an and
constitute 15% of the total. The conveyor will
discharge over the end. For a belt speed of
200 fpm, what is the minimum width of belt
that can be used? Calculate the horsepower
for the drive motor. (F = 0.03 , Lo=150)

Example
What is the capacity of a fight conveyor of 12 by
24 in traveling at 100 fpm and handling the
crushed limestone. These materials are to be
moved horizontally a distance of 100 ft. Weight of
light conveyor is 1.0 lb/in of width per running foot
. 10 x 24 in flight conveyor calculate the h.p
required.
Constant for material = 0.6 " conveyor = 0.04 bulk
density of wheat = 75 lb /ft3

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Example:
A screw conveyors is to be installed to convey
800 bushels is of wheat per hour over a distance
of 80 ft.Determine the horsepower requirements
for the installation ( 1 bushel = 8 gallons, bulk
density of wheat = 48 lb/ft3 )

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