Mitigating the costs and dangers of plugging chutes

Lost production and downtime for cleaning fines build-up in chutes can severely hamper the bottom line and production rates. There is even the risk of catastrophic failure as screen box runs in the built-up fines or the dangers of engulfment with cleaning overhead plugging. 

Fortunately there is a simple, effective and affordable solution to solve this troublesome problem.

Nepean Rubber?s self-cleaning wear liner systems can keep chutes, transfer points, feeders and hoppers free from build-up where sticky damp fines had previously required regular stoppages for cleaning.

Key to the effectiveness and durability of the Nepean self-cleaning liner system is the unique custom-moulded rubber compound. A proprietary high slip additive is blended through the rubber providing a low friction surface that prevents sticky fines clinging to the liner surface.

Self-cleaning and shedding is further enhanced by inflating the rubber liners with low pressure compressed air. As the liner expands and contracts throughout the inflation cycle, the bond between the sticky fines and liner surface is broken, releasing the fines to pass through the chute.

The self-cleaning liners are custom-designed for each application?s specific requirements and budgets, ranging from basic manually inflated single liners to complex fully automated computer operated systems with multiple liners and inflation sequences. Liners are supplied in sizes and shapes with mounting points to suit your chutes, not just an off-the-shelf item that you have to work around.

Inflation and deflation of the multi-liner system is controlled via a sophisticated computer operated control panel, pre-programmed with six different inflation sequences.

Fully automated computerised liner systems require 240 volts of power source and a reliable supply of low volume low pressure compressed air. For a manual system all the customer needs is the air.

The self-cleaning wear liners are part of a suit of innovative wear resistant lining materials. Other liners include steel-backed, T-track and clip-on rubber liners, rubber ceramic composites custom-moulded with a variety of ceramic inserts, a chromium carbide clad plate and high carbon steel plate.

{{image2-A:R-w:220}}

One nationally recognised quarry operator was experiencing problems in their primary feeder. Consistent build-up of fines required regular cleaning and clearing by a rock breaker. This led to 100mm thick low friction self-cleaning liners being installed in the impact zone under the apron feeder. 

Due to extreme impact from the very large feed material dropping on to the self-cleaning liners, it was extremely important to ensure liner inflation only occurred when the feeder was stationary or during periods on no feed.

The material build-up was reduced to a minimal level and the stand-by rock breaker was no longer required for clearing away the build-up. 

With no lost production or paying workers overtime for cleaning, Nepean Rubber?s self-cleaning liners proved cost-effective.

Plugging and rat-holing was also a constant problem in a hopper at a heap leach copper mine. Some 50mm thick self-cleaning rubber liners were fitted to the lower half of the hopper.