The ability to engineer transfer points for individual application requirements within a plant is a major differentiator for Weba Chute Systems, and it is this capability that enabled the South African OEM to supply a total of 13 custom chute systems to a diamond mine in Botswana.

The 13 new Weba Chute Systems, which will replace existing aging transfer points, have been designed taking all operational factors into account.

According to Werner Baller, founder and ceo of Weba Chute Systems, these transfer points are engineered for optimum material throughput as well as reliability. “The replacement chutes form part of an upgrade being done to the plant and will assist the operation to increase production,” he says.

“When designing the new Weba Chute Systems, our engineers placed emphasis on the longevity of the transfer points which are operating in harsh wet conditions,” Baller explains. All the chutes will be manufactured from 3CR12 stainless steel.

Weba Chute Systems specialises in the custom design of transfer point solutions and regardless of belt speed, belt width, material size, shape or throughput, the final chute system solution eliminates problems associated with conventional transfer chutes. The optimum design is created and tested using a combination of sound engineering tools, substantial practical knowledge and Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) simulation as a verification tool.

Of the 13 chutes, six will be installed in the screening house where these transfer points will handle the oversize material at a rate of between 1 200 to 1 500 tph. The undersize product reports via conveyor from the screening house to a 600 t bin which feeds the DMS plant. This minus 30 mm product is transferred at a rate of 600 tph.

The final three chutes feed the tailings plant; two of which are split chutes allowing material to be fed either to the tailing plant or to a pilot plant on the mine. The third chute feeds only the tailings plant.

Locally manufactured under stringent quality control conditions in Weba Chute Systems’ ISO accredited facility in Gauteng, South Africa, the chutes will be transported to the mine for installation and commissioning.