DEM study on investigation of wet particle conveying efficiency in an inclined belt conveyor system
Yuki Tsunazawa, Yoshihiro Kosaku, R. Kamo, Ryo Miyazawa, Yoshiaki Nishina, Chiharu Tokoro
Abstract
A belt conveyor, which is a common transportation system, offers many advantages such as efficiency, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. During the conveying process, the falling of raw materials from the conveyor belt significantly decreases the conveying efficiency. However, understanding of overall particle behavior in belt conveying systems, which affects conveying efficiency, remains limited. In this study, we conduct experiments and discrete element method simulation to evaluate the conveying efficiency in a belt conveying system consisted of a horizontal conveyor and an inclined conveyor. Experimental results demonstrate that while more than 90% of the particles are successfully conveyed on the inclined conveyor, some particles fall from the back and sides. Through the DEM simulations, the effects of water content, inclination angle of the inclined conveyor, and belt speed on conveying efficiency were systematically investigated. Simulation results reveal that most of the fallen particles occur immediately after the particles are conveyed from the horizontal conveyor to the inclined conveyor, as the fallen particles had a velocity opposite to the direction of the inclined conveyor. As the inclination angle increases, the final ratio of successfully conveyed particles significantly decreases, while the amount of particles falling from the back and sides of the inclined conveyor increases, regardless of water content and belt speed. Consequently, this study provides fundamental insight into the effects of operating conditions on conveying efficiency of belt conveyor systems.