High-tensile steel-cord Conti® MegaPipes enable commercial development of underground and open cast mines. They allow for steeper conveyor angles than conventional troughed conveyor belts and can transport larger mass flow rates of up to 9,500m³/h (12,400yd³/h), and lump sizes of up to 350mm (14in).
The maximum diameter of the Conti® MegaPipe is as large as 900mm (36in). By comparison, conventional pipe systems have a maximum outside diameter of 700mm or 27in. The larger MegaPipe diameter offers two distinct advantages, including a larger belt width of up to 3,200mm (126in) that surpasses the conveying capacity of conventional pipe belts by more than 100%. With this latest development, the ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group also provides an ideal product solution for transporting coarse-grained material. MegaPipes can handle material with a lump size that is up to 50% greater than what conventional pipe belts can manage.
The larger belt widths do not have an impact on the centre distance of the pipe conveyor system. MegaPipes are available as both textile and steel cord conveyor belts. The flexibility of reinforcements allow MegaPipes to meet the requirements of the material being transported while ensuring optimum adaptation to overland conveyors involving both horizontal and vertical curve sections. Use of these reinforcements ensures optimum adaptation to overland conveyor stretches involving lots of curves while meeting the requirements of the material being transported.
Considerable potential for reducing costs
Conti® MegaPipes open up new possibilities and areas of application for pipe conveyors. While crushed mineral ore, rock or coal have to be reduced in size at considerable expense for transportation via standard pipe belts, MegaPipes allow for transport immediately after the primary crusher. Transport after a secondary crusher is, of course, also possible with a MegaPipe. Mining operations can even discontinue the use of trucks in transporting material for further processing.
If the goods being hauled do not need to be crushed again after the primary crusher to prepare them for further processing, use of the MegaPipe at this stage can considerably reduce investment costs. By eliminating the secondary crusher, mining companies eliminate the cost of wear parts and regular maintenance and repair, together with costly downtime.
ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group sales manager for Eastern Europe Thomas Neumann said: "Over a time span of 25 years, being able to do away with a second crushing process saves a sum totaling tens of millions.
"As far as I know, no other product to date delivers comparable possibilities."
With their high-strength, dimensionally stable carcasses, Conti® MegaPipes can also be used in other areas of industry. In these sectors, they allow for the transport of coarse-grained materials at steeper angles and with higher flow rates of up to approx. 9,500m³/h (12,400yd³/h).
In its high-tensile steel-cord version, the Conti® MegaPipe creates new opportunities for underground and opencast mining.
ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group application engineer Dr Andrey Minkin pointed out: "In both of these areas, belts often have to deal with steep inclines and tight bends due to space restrictions as well as high mass flow rates."
"To date, conventional trough conveyors are not up to meeting any of the requirements involved here. MegaPipe conveyor systems include few or no transfer points, no material contamination along the conveyor line, tight 3D bends allowing for perfect adaptation to the landscape, smaller space requirements thanks to a compact design, steep conveying angles of up to 35° and separation of conveyed material from the environment."
Conti® MegaPipe technology also makes it possible to dispense with discontinuous material transport via heavy-duty trucks. This offers a considerable saving in energy consumption and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
In theory, a steel cord Conti® MegaPipe can achieve a centre distance, and therefore a total length, of more than 10km. This distance is the same as conventional long-distance installations. MegaPipe technology thus offers an interesting solution for achieving large flow rates over complicated routes and relatively long distances. The steel-cord MegaPipe remains compact and adapts perfectly to the contour of the route. Thanks to these properties, MegaPipes are particularly suited to the removal of solid rock, which entails the negotiation of steep pit embankments. This is no longer a problem for the new technology.
Conti® MegaPipes protect both the environment and personnel from dangerous, contaminated, dusty and strong-smelling materials such as chemicals, waste, ash, and rubble. In addition, the material conveyed is protected from atmospheric influences such as wind, snow, and rain and is thus shielded from contamination emanating from the surroundings.