Conveying Equipment
In the fertilizer production line, the supply of raw materials, the transfer of semi-finished products and the transportation of finished products, packaging, etc. all require corresponding conveying equipment.
Conveying equipment and systems may not seem like the main production equipment, but they play a vital role in the operation of the production line. Conveying equipment and systems can be the main obstacle to a production line’s uptime, and when properly designed, it can also be its most valuable asset.
In the process of pre-sales communication, EMCC will fully communicate with the user, and better integrate with other buildings of the factory through 3D modeling.
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Belt conveyor
In the fertilizer granulation production line, the belt conveyor is the key conveying equipment, which is responsible for efficiently and smoothly conveying raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products between various process links. Its main components include conveyor belts, drive devices, rollers, redirecting rollers and tensioning devices.
The conveyor belt is usually made of wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials to adapt to the acidity, alkalinity and friction in the fertilizer production environment. The drive device consists of an electric motor and a reducer to drive the conveyor belt to ensure the stability of the material during the conveying process. The roller supports the conveyor belt to reduce the running resistance, the redirecting roller is used to change the direction of the conveyor belt, and the tensioning device maintains the appropriate tension of the conveyor belt to prevent slipping and deviation.
On the production line, the raw materials enter the conveyor belt through the feed end, and after granulation, drying, screening and other links, the finished products and unqualified particles are transported to different positions respectively. The unqualified particles enter the granulation link again through the recycling belt conveyor to form a closed-loop production.
In short, the belt conveyor ensures the smooth flow of materials and the continuity of production in the fertilizer granulation production line, which is the basis for the stable operation of the production line.
Bucket elevator
In the fertilizer granulation production line, bucket elevator is an important vertical conveying equipment used to lift materials from a lower position to a higher position and connect different process links. Its main components include hopper, conveyor belt or chain, drive device, head wheel, bottom wheel and frame, etc.
The bucket of the bucket elevator is fixed on the conveyor belt or chain, and is driven by the drive device to form a continuous cycle. The material is loaded at the bottom, and is continuously lifted by the bucket elevator, transported to the top and unloaded, and enters the next process link, such as granulation equipment or drying equipment.
This elevator has the advantages of large conveying capacity, high lifting height, stable operation and good sealing. It is suitable for conveying powder, small particles and small blocks of non-abrasive or semi-abrasive bulk materials, which can effectively avoid the scattering and contamination of materials during the conveying process.
In fertilizer production, bucket elevators are used to transport powder or granular raw materials from low positions to high-position granulation equipment, or to lift finished granules to packaging equipment. Its efficient and reliable performance ensures the continuous operation of the production line and the improvement of production efficiency.
Screw conveyor
In the fertilizer granulation production line, the screw conveyor is an important horizontal or small angle conveying equipment used to convey powdered, granular or small block materials between different process links. Its main components include screw body (spiral blade), conveying trough, drive device and bracket, etc.
The screw body of the screw conveyor is driven to rotate by the drive device to push the material along the conveying trough. According to the different conveying directions, the screw conveyor can be divided into horizontal screw conveyor and vertical screw conveyor, which are used for horizontal conveying and short-distance vertical lifting of materials respectively.
In the fertilizer granulation production line, the screw conveyor is usually used in the following links:
- Raw material conveying: conveying raw materials from the storage bin to the pretreatment equipment.
- Material mixing: uniformly mixing raw materials of different components and conveying them to the granulation equipment.
- Finished product conveying: conveying the granulated fertilizer to the drying, cooling or screening equipment.
The screw conveyor has the advantages of simple structure, good sealing performance, multi-point feeding and discharging, safe operation, etc. It can effectively reduce the dust pollution and energy consumption of materials in the fertilizer production process and improve production efficiency.
WE NOT ONLY PROVIDE RELIABLE PRODUCTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WE PROVIDE RELIABLE PROCESS DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTATION
When to Choose a Belt Conveyor Over a Screw Conveyor
Efficient and effective bulk material handling is a critical component of any production line and often means the difference between a smooth operation with minimal downtime and constant upsets.
Those looking for a conveyor system are often faced with a choice: belt conveyor or screw conveyor. And while screw conveyors offer a cost-effective option for many settings, they are not a fit for all applications. In selecting the best fit for the job at hand, it’s important to understand the key differences between these two types of handling equipment, and where belt conveyors provide a better handling option.
HOW BELT CONVEYORS WORK
The belt conveyor is a time-tested material handling device; it has become the standard for moving bulk solids in and around mines, processing facilities, and ports. Its flexible design and many available configurations make the belt conveyor adaptable to an endless number of settings, part of the reason why its use has become so widespread.
A belt conveyor consists of a belt resting on angled idlers mounted between a head pulley and tail pulley. A drive arrangement provides energy to rotate the pulleys, which moves the belt. Material is carried on the surface of the belt as it travels between the pulleys. The material is discharged at the end of the conveyor, or at any point along the length of the conveyor if a belt tripper or plow is employed.
Belt conveyors can convey material at angles up to 18°, or 30° with cleated belting; beyond this, a steep incline or pocket conveyor, which allows material to be conveyed anywhere from 30°-90°, provides vertical handling.
KEY BENEFITS OF BELT CONVEYORS OVER SCREW CONVEYORS
Belt conveyors are the material-moving standard for good reason, bringing several benefits to bulk material handling systems. In comparing belt conveyors and screw conveyors, the best fit is not always immediately clear, leading many buyers to opt for the less costly screw conveyor. However, they often discover later that a belt conveyor is much more suited to the job.
There are several situations in which the belt conveyor provides a better handling option:
WHEN MATERIAL DEGRADATION IS A CONCERN
Belt conveyors promote gentle handling with very little material degradation; once loaded onto the belt, material is contained in the trough, with minimal agitation between loading and discharge. This keeps friable or fragile materials intact and ensures material or product arrives at its next stop in the precise condition intended.
In contrast, since screw conveyors utilize a helical screw inside a trough or tube to advance material forward through contact with the blades, screw conveyors cause some friction and therefore degradation. As such, they are not a fit for materials requiring gentle handling or where friability is concerned, such as with granular fertilizers.
WHEN HANDLING HIGH THROUGHPUT
Capable of handling material at up to 8,000 TPH, belt conveyors can handle much higher capacities than screw conveyors. Belt conveyors are available up to 72” wide and can operate at speeds up to 600 feet per minute (FPM), making them the preferred choice for any type of high-capacity setting.
WHEN HANDLING STRINGY MATERIALS
Both belt conveyors and screw conveyors are capable of handling a wide range of materials. Screw conveyors, however, are generally not a fit for conveying materials that are long and/or stringy, as they are likely to become tangled and cause blockages as a result of the horizontal screw motion. Materials that typically do not do well in a screw conveyor include:
- Wood chips
- Forest product residuals
- Some crop residues, such as bagasse
WHEN LOOKING TO MINIMIZE ENERGY COSTS
Because of the torque necessary to advance materials by force, screw conveyors require more horsepower compared to belt conveyors, especially if they will be operated on any sort of incline.
When conveying at an incline, belt conveyors have an advantage, as they are more efficient at conveying on an incline than screw conveyors. This is because some material in the screw conveyor tends to fall backward over the blades.
Vertical screw conveyors are an option, but efficiency is reduced as the incline increases. Therefore steep incline belt conveyors are more efficient in scenarios working with a steep angle of incline. Steep incline conveyors can also offer the benefit of being able to combine horizontal and vertical conveying into a single unit.
WHEN CONVEYING LONG DISTANCES
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the belt conveyor is that it can convey material for both short and long distances. FEECO conveyors can carry material for distances anywhere from 10’ to 1500’ with a single conveyor. Screw conveyors are limited to much shorter distances – typically around 30m maximum.
WHEN WORKING WITH AN ABRASIVE MATERIAL
Belt conveyors are also a better option for handling abrasive materials. The friction that occurs in a screw conveyor accelerates abrasive wear on the unit, unlike with the belt conveyor where material is not moving over the carrying surface. And while screw conveyors can be fitted with abrasion-resistant liners, belt conveyors still require less protection from abrasive materials, only requiring added protection at discharge hoppers and skirtboards.
WHEN CLEANING AND ACCESSIBILITY ARE IMPORTANT
Belt conveyors are generally easier to clean than screw conveyors. Their open design allows for maximum accessibility and the use of belt cleaners are often enough to manage cleaning requirements.
In contrast, screw conveyors do not allow for self cleaning and since they are contained, must be shut down and dismantled in order to fully clean out the trough and shaft. This can be especially problematic when working with wet and/or sticky materials that tend to cake and build up, requiring more frequent cleaning.
WHEN MATERIAL CANNOT BE PACKED
Screw conveyors can cause material to pack together as it moves through the unit. This can cause buildup, blockages, and may even result in packed material eventually dislodging and discharging with the material.
Such problems often translate to increased upset conditions and downtime for cleaning and maintenance, additional screening or conditioning of the material, and product sizing irregularities. As such, screw conveyors are typically unfit for materials prone to packing, such as clays and composts.
CONCLUSION
While belt conveyors and screw conveyors are often compared, their differing capabilities do not make them a comparable fit for all settings. Belt conveyors provide a more suitable bulk material handling option for a variety of settings, such as when material degradation is a concern, when working with high capacities, when handling stringy materials, and more.
EMCC is a leading provider of custom bulk material handling systems and equipment, relied upon throughout industries ranging from fertilizers and chemicals, to minerals and aggregates for efficient and reliable equipment. For more information on our custom belt conveyors or other bulk handling equipment, contact us today!
How to Keep a Belt Conveyor Running Smoothly
No matter what equipment you’re working with, your preventative maintenance program should require a routine, thorough inspection of the equipment at hand. The same holds true for belt conveyors. The following belt conveyor components should be regularly inspected to ensure ideal operation, and to extend the life of the equipment:
- Straying belts- make sure belts are secure; check for premature damage.
- Material build-up- look for any trouble spots of material build-up, which may bring about accelerated wear on all components.
- Idler wear- can appear as roll wear or excessive roll end play. Adjustment can usually be made by a nut at one end of the roll shaft. Inspection should also be carried out for wear to the brackets and bases.
- Lubrication- the proper amount will be evidenced by a thin head of grease appearing around the pressure relief fitting at the last roll, but not in an excessive amount.
- Extended grease fittings- pressure fittings and pressure relief fittings should be inspected.
- Roll freeze- can be caused by the use of incorrect grease or material build-up on the deck. Frozen rolls should be replaced, since a belt can wear through a frozen roll in a few hours and form a sharp, knife-like edge which will cut the belt.
- Scrapers- the wiper medium on all scraper mechanisms should be kept in good adjustment to keep the return belt clean, and to prevent build-up on snub pulleys and return idlers.
- Drive sprocket and chain- each must have the exact same pitch. The sprockets must be mounted squarely and securely on the shafts. New chains should never be run over worn sprockets. This rapidly reduces the chain life by increasing internal chain loads; excessive wear and breakage results.
For more information on belt conveyor maintenance, contact our Parts Team today!
WE NOT ONLY PROVIDE RELIABLE PRODUCTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WE PROVIDE RELIABLE PROCESS DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTATION
Bucket Elevator Basics
Bucket Elevator is a device used for vertical material transportation, which is widely used in various industrial fields, including agriculture, chemical industry, mining, building materials, etc.
Working Principle
Bucket elevator lifts materials vertically from low to high through continuous bucket chain or belt. After the bucket is filled with materials, the elevator starts, and the bucket runs along the lifting path to lift the materials from the bottom loading point to the top unloading point.
Main Structure
Bucket elevator mainly consists of the following parts:
Bucket
The bucket is a container for loading materials. There are many types, such as deep bucket, shallow bucket and pointed bucket. The choice depends on the characteristics of the conveyed materials and the application of the elevator.
Transmission
The transmission includes a motor, a reducer and a drive sprocket or a drive belt to drive the bucket chain or belt to run.
Casing
The casing is the external structure of the bucket elevator, which is used to protect the internal mechanical components and prevent material leakage.
Head wheel and bottom wheel
The head wheel is located at the top of the elevator and is responsible for turning the bucket chain or belt to the unloading direction. The bottom wheel is located at the bottom of the elevator and is responsible for turning the bucket chain or belt to the loading direction.
Bucket elevator head wheel
Bucket elevator bottom wheel
Guide rails and tensioning devices
The guide rails are used to guide the running path of the bucket, and the tensioning device is used to adjust the tension of the bucket chain or belt to ensure its normal operation.
Classification
Bucket elevators can be classified according to different standards:
Classification by transmission method
Belt elevator: driven by belt, suitable for light materials.
Chain elevator: driven by chain, suitable for heavy materials and high-temperature materials.
Classification by unloading method
Centrifugal unloading: materials are thrown out by centrifugal force, suitable for small particles.
Gravity unloading: natural unloading by gravity, suitable for large particles and sticky materials.
Mixed unloading: combined with centrifugal force and gravity unloading, suitable for a variety of materials.
Classification by structural form
Vertical bucket elevator: a common upright structure used to lift materials vertically.
Inclined bucket elevator: has a certain inclination angle, used to lift materials obliquely.
COMMON BUCKET ELEVATOR MATERIALS
Bucket elevators can handle a wide range of free-flowing materials with varying characteristics. Light, fragile, heavy, and abrasive materials can all be transferred using a bucket elevator. Examples of materials conveyed via bucket elevator include:
- Aggregates
- Animal Feeds
- Calcined Coke
- Fertilizer
- Fly Ash
- Frac Sand
- Lime
- Minerals
- Potash
- Woodchips
- Coal
Pet coke in a bucket elevator
Bucket elevators are not recommended for use with material that is wet, sticky, or has a sludge-like consistency. These types of materials tend to create discharge issues, with build-up being a common problem.
After building custom bucket elevators for more than 10 years, EMCC bucket elevators are able to meet even the toughest of challenges. Whether a customer is looking to transport a dry, dusty material, or a heavy, more challenging product, EMCC can custom engineer a bucket elevator solution to meet the needs of any bulk material handling application. For more information on bucket elevators or other bulk material handling equipment, contact us today!
WE NOT ONLY PROVIDE RELIABLE PRODUCTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WE PROVIDE RELIABLE PROCESS DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTATION
Application of screw conveyor in fertilizer granulation production line
Screw conveyors play an important role in fertilizer granulation production lines, mainly used for conveying, mixing and batching.
The role of screw conveyors in fertilizer granulation production lines
Screw conveyors are used to convey raw materials from one processing step to the next. For example, the powdered raw materials are conveyed from the storage bin to the mixer, the mixed materials are conveyed to the granulator, and the granulated fertilizer is conveyed to the dryer, etc.
In some cases, screw conveyors are not only used to convey materials, but also to perform preliminary mixing of materials during the conveying process. For example, multiple raw materials are conveyed at the same time, and the materials are mixed evenly during the conveying process through the rotational motion of the spiral blades.
Screw conveyors can be used as part of the batching system to accurately control the conveying amount of different raw materials to achieve accurate proportions. For example, when producing compound fertilizers, raw materials such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium need to be mixed in a certain proportion, and screw conveyors can convey different raw materials according to the set proportions.
Screw conveyors can be combined with weighing devices as quantitative feeding equipment to ensure that each batch of materials is conveyed and processed according to the set amount to ensure the consistency of product quality.
Fertilizers suitable for transportation
Screw conveyors are particularly suitable for conveying powdered fertilizers, including but not limited to:
- Nitrogen fertilizers: such as urea, ammonium nitrate, etc.
- Phosphorus fertilizers: such as superphosphate, monoammonium phosphate, etc.
- Potassium fertilizers: such as potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, etc.
Screw conveyors are also suitable for conveying granular fertilizers, including:
- Compound fertilizers: granular fertilizers made from a mixture of multiple nutrients, such as NPK.
- Biological fertilizers: granular fertilizers processed by biotechnology.
For some sticky fertilizers, screw conveyors can prevent material adhesion and blockage during transportation. Such fertilizers include:
- Organic fertilizers: such as compost, manure, etc.
- Wet fertilizers: fertilizers containing a certain amount of water.
Application examples of screw conveyors in fertilizer granulation production lines
A typical fertilizer granulation production line process is as follows:
Raw material reception and storage: Raw materials (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers) are transported to storage bins by belt conveyors or bucket elevators.
Raw material transportation and batching: Raw materials are transported from the storage bin to the batching system through a screw conveyor and mixed according to the set ratio.
Mixing: The mixer mixes different raw materials evenly, and the mixed materials are transported to the granulator through a screw conveyor.
Granulation: The granulator makes the mixed materials into granular fertilizer.
Drying and cooling: The granulated fertilizer is transported to the dryer and cooler through a screw conveyor for drying and cooling.
Screening and packaging: The dried and cooled fertilizer is transported to the screening machine through a screw conveyor, and qualified granular fertilizer is screened out and packaged.
Advantages
Efficient transportation: The screw conveyor can efficiently transport materials from one process to the next, reduce manual operations, and improve production efficiency.
Uniform mixing: During the conveying process, the rotating motion of the spiral blade can make the materials get preliminary mixing to ensure uniform materials.
Accurate batching: Combined with the weighing device, the screw conveyor can achieve accurate batching and ensure the consistency of product quality.
Space saving: The screw conveyor has a compact structure and occupies little space, which is suitable for use in limited production space.
Conclusion
Screw conveyors play an important role in conveying, mixing and batching in fertilizer granulation production lines and are suitable for many types of fertilizers. Through reasonable selection and maintenance, production efficiency can be improved and product quality can be ensured.
WHY CHOOSE EMCC AS YOUR PARTNER?
Shanghai Exceed Industry Co., Ltd (China EMCC) is a manufacturing enterprise specializing in high-tech fertilizer machinery. For many years, we have devoted to producing inorganic and organic fertilizers granulator equipments. By consistently creating values for our customers around the world, we have become one of the leading suppliers in global agricultural fertilizers industry. With China EMCC, you may get comprehensive services of consulting, design, equipment, installation, training, emergency assistance, field assistance, spare parts and routine maintenance to save fertilizer plants cost.
