Preventing material build-up and spillage key to well-performing transfer point

2nd October 2015 By: Bruce Montiea - Creamer Media Reporter

Preventing material build-up and spillage key to well-performing transfer point

EFFECTIVE CONVEYOR EDEM BulkSim software was developed specifically for conveyor transfer equipment design

Preventing excessive material build-up and spillage is a necessity for a well-performing transfer point, as blockages and plugging can lead to a process line running below capacity, or even being stopped completely, says simulation software and services company DEM Solutions.

“Spillage of material is not desirable as it impacts on the life span of equipment and also the safety of an operation,” says DEM Solutions marketing manager Corinne Bossy.

She adds that, to prevent these conditions, any potential adverse material behaviour has to be identified and addressed during the design phase of the process line.

DEM Solutions’ EDEM BulkSim software, released in 2011 and developed specifically for conveyor transfer equipment design, allows for the performance verification of proposed conveyor transfer equipment designs and increases the productivity of bulk materials handling design teams, says Bossy.

The software facilitates bulk materials flow simulation using DEM Solutions’ Discrete Element Method modelling.

Bossy adds that EDEM BulkSim simulation allows for qualitative and quantitative analyses of conveyor transfer point designs to explore design scenarios and verify performance.

She says the simulation provides engineers with the insight to make design decisions concerning key areas such as preventing plugging and spillage, identifying excessive material velocities and dispersed flow, ensuring the appropriate delivery of material onto conveyor belts and optimising conveyor-wear protection.

The pricing of the software depends on the number of licensed users and the number of processors used, Bossy says.

She notes that DEM Solutions provides full training and support services for clients who use the EDEM BulkSim simulation system – such as minerals processing plants, mining services company DRA and minerals industry bulk materials handling systems supplier Martin Engineering.