High wear at transfer points; collieries dramatically escalates
maintenance expenditure, and yet, according to Weba Chute Systems
MD Werner Baller, this is one of the areas where solutions are
readily available.
Baller, managing director and developer of the Weba chute system,
spoke to Mining Weekly about the advantages offered by the
locally-manufactured system.
“Use of a Weba chute will dramatically reduce maintenance
costs and decrease material degradation by up to 80%. This, coupled
with greatly-reduced dust and noise emissions, as well as the
virtual elimination of spillage, can translate into major cost
savings for a colliery,” Baller says.
The first Weba chute system was installed at Iscor Vanderbijlpark
in 1992, and it is significant to note that, some ten years and
30-million tons later, this transfer point is still operating
successfully with few maintenance requirements.
Baller explains that most Weba systems are designed around the
principle of conveyed material impacting on surfaces that already
contain like material. This has been achieved by using a cascade
system to create a ‘super flow‘ effect. Depending on
the product and in difficult situations the ‘super
flow’ effect can also be achieved using different types of
lines.
This innovative ‘super flow’ design overcomes the
common disadvantages of conventional chutes such as unwanted fines
being generated, excessive wear and tear, noise and dust pollution,
spillage and excessive impact on the receiving conveyor belt or
equipment.At present there are more than 1 000 custom-designed Weba
chute systems operating successfully in South Africa handling a
total of 480-million t/m. Particle sizes vary from lumps bigger
than 900 mm to 50-micrometre super fines.
Baller says that the obvious financial and operating advantages of
the Weba chute system make it a necessity on mines today.