Good Day Rudy,

Although I can guess at your meanings, to give a better response please clarify the term with respect to "fine ore spills" and "back spills". Are these conditions produced at the loading station?

I thought Freeport installed the Overland Conveyor designed curved chutes to bring the rock and fines to near belt speed. Had this been done correctly, the large, sharp rock would not tear apart the belt surface that would then allow fines to hide in the gouged areas and inhibit proper cleaning.

Scraper type belt cleaners are not effective with rough and damaged top covers. THere are other cleaning methods that can remove the fines. To opt for this concept more information needs to be known.

We can provide references on the Palabora installation which does have effective belt cleaning and did not have top cover damage even though the belt was loaded at 6500 t/h, on a 16 degree incline, at 4.1 m/s, with > 250 mm primary crushed copper. After 8 years, there was barely any wear and the belt was smooth and without discernable cuts.

Visit our website for details on Palabora, Los Pelambres, Collahuasi, and many other large copper and iron ore installations.

Lawrence Nordell

email: nordell@conveyor-dynamics.com

website: www.conveyor-dynamics.com ■

Hello Rudy

I own a company called Oakpoint based in Western Australia.

We have been maintaining all belt scapers at a large diamond mine here in WA for many years.

We have developed a non contact belt cleaner that works very well with worn belt top covers and belt clips.

Please visit my website www.oakpoint.biz for further info on the sevices we offer.

regards

Robin Sayles ■

Dear Rudy,

I do not think there is a simple answer to your problem. Looking at a cleaning solution for what seems to be a design issue is asking a lot of any cleaning system. Looking at the transfer chutes not necessarily from a re-design point of view but in ways that will mitigate the spillage seems to be a starting point, looking at the skirt system if spillage is getting onto the return strand of the belt. The maintenance problems you are having may not all be because of spillage as some of the issues you raise suggest other causes. For instance high wear on the pulley face is not usually a cause of carryback or spillage and if spillage is a factor then it is usually only part of the problem. Having said this, I believe that installation and maintenance are the keys for scraper selection as most manufacturers make a reasonable product. Oakpoint have replied and they have done quite a bit of work on Air Knife technology and this technology does has its applications. I would not be recommending however that you look straight away to different cleaners but do more work on the root cause issues. If you can send some photos on the issues especially showing the type of wear you are getting I may be able to be more specific in my recommendations.

All the best

Col Benjamin

colin.benjamin@gcsm.com.au ■

Dear Rudy Seba,

My experience is that you can find some very efficient scrapers which solve the problem but with the risk of creating some new problems. You must be aware of some risks of shortening the life time of the belt through increasing the wear of the top cover of the belt or creating rips in the belt.

Maybe the following company can help you to solve this problem :

InduTechnik® GmbH

Am Wiesenbusch 30

D-45966 Gladbeck

Telefon +49 - 20 43 - 20 82 - 0

Fax +49 - 20 43 - 20 82 - 29

eMail info@indutechnik.com

Internet www.indutechnik.com

Contact: Mr. Schulmeisterath, Technical Manager

Mr. Schulmeisterath works in the field of scrapers since more than 30 years and have a long experience with all differents scrapers existing worldwide (Hoesch, Martin Engineering etc.). Maybe he can provide a good advice. ■

Dear Mr. Seba

I am author of Foundations series of belt conveyor books and have over 30 years of solving spillage problems around belt conveyors. I may be coming to Indonesia later this year and could visit your site to view conveyor spillage problems. I have not finalized the trip. Our contact in Indonesia is Martin Supra Engineering in Jakarta. Contact is Arief Firdaus. Phone 62-815-898-2453. E-mail is martineng@indo.net.id. ■

Dear Mr. Seba,

we are sure your problem could be solved by using our scrapers type ST-K and optionally as secondary scraper ST-FB100A. Just have a look at our homepage www.buwip.de and let us know your specific inquiry.

Best regards,

B+W Ges. für Innovative Produkte mbH

Elke Dierkes ■

We have had great success with our Sterling scraper in the mining industry. From Gold mining to Nickel/copper mining.

Drop me an email at pfournier@sterlingbeltcleaners.com ■

Mr Seba,

Our company has been involved in the design and manufacture of Belt Cleaners for many years and generally find that the main operational problems associated with belt cleaners is the maintenance of these units. Many of the replies to your forum thread have been trying to sell you different brands and methods of cleaning. With no disrespect to any of these replies I believe that there is probably not one single answer that can solve all your belt cleaning problems.

As a number of my learned colleagues have advised there are countless systems and brands available to suit the many problems associated with belt cleaning, that alone should alert you to the fact that belt cleaning is not a simple process.

Our company is very familiar with your site and have seen first hand the problems you are encountering. Your best solution to these concerns may be to work with both your maintenance service providers and belt scraper providers to resolving this issue at source rather than looking for a “magic solution” to all your belt cleaning issues. For further assistance please feel free to contact Sandvik at one of our on site facilities. ■