The primary requirement in transfer point design is the ability to guide and control the flow of product from the moment it enters the system until it exits. Unfortunately, many existing chutes on brownfield projects often fail due to a combination of an initial disregard for the design criteria, changes in the system parameters, or a lack of maintenance.

It is critical to consider the basic chute specifications when addressing a material transfer problem. This calls for a thorough knowledge of transfer point design as well as the ability to determine best practice for an application and the willingness to customise each design to these specific requirements.

All of these factors are catered for by the Weba Chute System concept that incorporates a supertube or cascade effect which results in material running on material at all times. Weba Chute Systems’ managing director, Mark Baller, explains that during the development stages of this locally manufactured and patented product, specific attention was paid to minimising the abrasive wear induced on the chute’s wearing components.

“We have proved through numerous successful installations of Weba Chute Systems that the correct use of our streamlined scientific approach to the dynamics of bulk materials handling completely eliminates the problems associated with conventional transfer chutes and results in significant cost savings,” he continues.

Baller points out that the Weba Chute System is not an alternative to conventional chute systems. “It is rather a completely different and unique approach towards the control and handling of bulk materials. “When viewed in slow motion one can see that the bottom layer of particles in the product stream moves in a tumbling motion rather than gliding down the chute.

This motion results in significantly reduced wear and, in many cases, one finds that the lip remains completely covered by material, which results in it never needing replacement.”

Conventional chute design is often associated with the uncontrolled discharge of bulk materials, which is linked to escalated maintenance and replacement costs. In addition to this, the presence of dust with conventional transfer points is an aggravating factor where products such as coal and mineral ores are handled or processed. With stringent environmental regulations in place to prevent excessive dust emissions, government organisations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are tasked with closely monitoring dust levels at all materials handling facilities.
The Weba Chute System takes material movement control to a new level with the design of the internal angle of the transfer chute matching the belt speed and in so doing spillage is either completely eliminated or greatly reduced. As an added benefit, the presence of dust is also greatly decreased.

By custom designing each transfer point, individual Weba Chute Systems are configured to control the direction, flow and velocity of the calculated volume and type of material processed in a particular application. The end result is a transfer point that substantially reduces maintenance expenditure in minerals processing, through increased productivity, decreased replacement and maintenance costs and increased adherence to environmental regulations.