Air-powered innovation
THERE are a number of advantages to using air supported conveyor systems over a conventional roller conveyor, and many of these are derived from the low belt friction and smooth movement of product inherent in air-supported belt design.
Aerobelt Australia is an Australian-owned business, and its engineers have extensive experience on all types of Aerobelt design, installation and maintenance.
They have extensive backgrounds in design, mining and industrial engineering.
Aerobelt mechanical engineer Simon Kutassy says that air-supported conveyors are the only product his company makes, and this gives them the advantage of a fully dedicated team of experts working on customisable designs for clients.
“We’re a one product company, its all we do,” he said.
Aerobelt conveyors can transport product at inclines of up to 27 degrees, they are reversible, and they are prefabricated in sections which means they can be rapidly installed and transported.
In an air cushion conveyor system, the belt is carried on a film of air.
Air is blown into the air box or plenum under the conveyor belt by a small fan – with one fan being sufficient for over 200 metres of belt conveyor.
The number of air holes in the trough, the air pressure and volume depend on the material being transported.
Belt widths vary from 300mm to 1800mm.
Aerobelt conveyors can deliver tonnage of about 10t/hour to 2000t/hour.
Galvanised steel is used as the standard construction material, although many installations have used stainless steel for part or almost all components to meet food or corrosive/abrasive environment needs.
Because of the low friction, power consumption is reduced significantly, and belt construction is able to be much lighter due to reduced working tension.
Aerobelt conveyors can be retrofitted to reuse existing roller conveyor galleries and steelwork, including concave and convex profile curves.
Operationally, Aerobelt conveyors emit less noise, the fully-covered design enhances product integrity and operator safety, and the stream of air keeps the trough clean.
But perhaps the biggest advantage of an Aerobelt conveyor is the minimal costs in maintenance and repairs compared with conventional conveyor systems.
Quite often, conveyors can be installed in the air without walkways around them because access is not necessary for maintenance, as it can be carried out from underneath.
Mr Kutassy says that while they are not ultra-heavy duty in the context of mining, they are invaluable for many different purposes, especially to one of Aerobelt’s main clients, Rio Tinto.
“Rio Tinto has about 40 in the Pilbara,” Mr Kutassy said.
“They use them for dust conveyors and also for their specialised sampling system.
“The conveyors are suitable for a number of different types of products, minerals and even food.
“We’ve done a number of MOP plants, so we can construct the conveyors out of stainless steel to make them food grade, and we’ve got roughly 50:50 food and minerals products, like mineral sands.”
Streamlined design
Low maintenance, low power consumption, smaller drives and drive motors, much smaller gear boxes and lightweight structures separate the Aerobelt from its conventional competitors.
Because friction is so minimal, less power is used, even in starting the idlers.
And, because the conveyors don’t vibrate, or go up and down on idler sets, Aerobelt conveyors can go steeper than roller conveyers – up to 27 degrees.
Because there’s no need to access the top side of the conveyor, it can generally be left covered and closed, and return rollers are lightweight – they can be made from PVC – and so they are easy, light and simple to change.
The design also means that no walkway is needed for elevated structures; instead a boom lift could be used to replace the rollers once every two to three years when necessary.
This lower cost in maintenance is the key saving that Aerobelt customers have found, and the other major saving has been the reduced power needed to operate the belt.
The results
When Rio Tinto is happy with your product, you know you’re doing something right.
Rio has had a repeat order with Aerobelt for a number of years, on a number of different mine sites for many different applications.