Bulk Handling Technologies says while hoppers for front-end loader (FEL) feeding are a familiar sight across mine sites and quarries, larger hoppers can cause downtime and restrict throughput.
Standard proprietary designs often perform adequately for common bulk materials, scaling these up without considering material flow behaviour can result in costly inefficiencies.
“With a long hopper it is important to take account of the material properties to not only ensure mass flow but also promote uniform draw-down along the full length,” Bulk Handling Technologies (BHT) senior mechanical design engineer Sebastien Poulinet said.
“Without proper design, long hoppers can suffer hang-ups and bridging or preferentially feed from one end. This can cause delays in re-loading and lead to premature wear of the belt.”
BHT recently applied its expertise to a lithium project in Western Australia, designing and supplying a heavy-duty, large-capacity hopper and belt feeder to ensure uninterrupted ore feed. Properly matching the feeder to the hopper was critical, particularly given the challenging flow characteristics of lithium ore.
“An important criterion for both projects was full recovery of the stored volume over a range of moisture contents,” Poulinet said.
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“Uniform draw-down from the hopper was necessary to ensure capacity was created along the full-length during discharge, allowing the FEL operator to tip a full bucket without spillage. An uneven level in the hopper can create delays in re-filling or spillage when the operator attempts to re-load.”
For this installation, BHT incorporated polished, bolted replaceable Arcoplate liners, a single offset baffle, and 70-degree wall angles to achieve mass flow discharge.
A 19-metre belt feeder, installed on an 8-degree incline, was designed to feed 225 tonnes per hour of crushed ore.
Additional features such as hungry boards and a provision for a spillage control plate ensured both reliable operation and extended wear life.