Chemical Engineering April 2020 - 35

Cover Story
Part 2
Improving Bulk-Solids
Conveyor Maintenance
Designing easier access to mechanical components in solids-conveying systems reduces
maintenance costs and improves safety
Martin Engineering
V
irtually every vehicle on the road
today is designed with an engine
hood that can be easily opened for
access to the engine, so mechanics
can perform routine service and diagnose
and address problems that arise during
its lifespan. Without that access, cars
and trucks would be nearly impossible to
maintain, and service life would be short.
Bulk-solids conveyor systems should be
designed in much the same way, with convenient
points along the length of the belt
to allow technicians to inspect its condition,
perform service as needed and help
prevent catastrophic failure.
After nearly a century of working with bulk
handlers all over the world, experts have
discovered that " maintenance access " is a
common element for both safety and productivity
across all industries (Figure 1). By
adding safe, easy access and monitoring in
the design phase, equipment can be better
maintained using less labor, leading to reduced
downtime. This is reflected in the cost
of operation, offering a better overall return
on investment.
Unfortunately, this type of access is often
overlooked when engineering conveyor systems
- until a pressing need arises. The
failure to recognize the importance of access
on mechanical conveying systems increases
the difficulty of ongoing inspection
that could have allowed technicians to observe
and service critical components before
a crisis develops. As a result, lifecycle costs
of the conveying system increase while productivity
goes down. This is particularly true
in a company culture that emphasizes a
low-bid process, which encourages bidders
to follow a belt-conveyor design methodology
based on maximizing the load on the
conveyor belt, while meeting the minimum
regulatory compliance goals, often using
FIGURE 1. Transfer point " access " can mean observation
points, entry doors and workspace for service
the lowest price materials, components and
manufacturing processes available.
This article describes best practices and
design tips for maintenance access on mechanical
conveying systems.
Lifecycle costs
Often when companies make purchasing
decisions based primarily on price, the
benefits are short-lived, and costs actually
increase, resulting in a net loss over time.
In contrast, when purchases are made
based on lowest longterm cost (lifecycle
cost), benefits usually continue to accrue
and costs go down, delivering a net savings
over the life of the system. In order to
win the bid on price, suppliers only have to
meet minimum quality and safety requirements,
when a little additional investment
for safer and more reliable equipment will
usually result in an operation that is safer
and more sustainable: easier to service,
longer life, with lower costs to maintain.
Conveyor technology manufacturers have
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
APRIL 2020
35
Daniel Marshall
Martin Engineering
IN BRIEF
LIFECYCLE COSTS
CONVEYOR
MAINTENANCE ACCESS
LOADING-ZONE
INNOVATIONS
DISCHARGE-ZONE
MAINTENANCE
INSPECTION DOORS
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES
http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering April 2020
