The Challenge

The client is a coal port operation located in North Queensland, which exports high quality coal to international customers from around the world. The site operates six ‘Stacker and Bucket Reclaimer’ conveyors systems, that stack and reclaim up to 6,000-6,500tph of coal.

Surges in coal while reclaiming often result in spillage were ending up on the return side of the belt, bouncing past ploughs and safe guards. These lumps of coal were being dragged into the pulley nip points resulting in multiple punctures and holes through the belt, causing cord breaks and needing vulcanised repairs. These repairs forced unscheduled maintenance and down-time, impacting on system availability and increasing costs.

The Port was originally using standard M grade belt, which was constantly being repaired and only lasting 18 months to 2 years on average.

Key Benefits

• More than Double Belt Life on Site
• Increased Cut & Gouge Resistance
• Minimised Cord Repairs or Breaks
• Reduced Total Belt Life Costs by 33%

The Solution

• Fenner Conveyors recommended the customer move to an Ultra Tuff high abrasion resistant top cover, and a ArmorShield impact and gouge resistant bottom cover, with a load sharing breaker fabric in the bottom cover.
• Utilising ArmorShield for bottom covers was unusual for this application. The compound is normally used in top covers of conveyor belt for systems where large quantities of product is loaded. However, due to this customer experiencing product caught in bottom cover of belt and pulleys, a more impact resistant cover was selected with ArmorShield.
• The combination of high elongation (650%) ArmorShield compound and breaker fabric prevented point loading on the cords and consequent breaks or tears in the covers.

The Results

• As of September 2022, the ArmorShield belt has been installed for over four years and is still running, more than doubling belt life when compared with the original M grade belt.
• During this time, minimal repairs have been required. The ArmorShield compound reduced the number of cord repairs.
• The significantly reduced down-time required for repairs reduced total belt life costs by at least 1/3, compared to the original M grade belt.
• The combination of covers provided superior carcass protection and reduced the risk of premature belt failure.
• Overall, the site experienced reduced down-time and has had less belt change-outs, increasing system availability and overall site productivity.