ALL ABOUT CHUTE FLOW DESIGN

 Publicado el 12 de enero de 2016

Stewart Fernandez

Flow of Bulk Solids in Chute Design

A clear understanding of the flow of bulk solids within a chute is essential for rational design.
This paper follows product flow within the chute from the discharge point on the feeder belt to
the loading point on the receiving belt.

FLOW OF BULK SOLIDS IN CHUTE DESIGN

THE DESIGN of any type of conveying system must meet two basic requirements:

1. The system objectives - in terms of capacity, conveying distance, product distribution, and
so on.
2. The characteristics of the bulk solids product in terms of flow properties, degradation
limitations, abrasion resistance of chute materials, and so on. WHY USE CHUTES?
3. Chutes are used at conveyor transfer points for a number of reasons:
4. To meet the process objectives the conveyor system will require a number of transfer
chutes.
1. to control the direction of flow of the product
2. to control the shape of the flow stream
3. to control spillage
4. to control dust and environmental pollution
5. to reduce product degradation
6. to retard or control flow
7. to provide surge control Current trends in the mining, and in the conveyor, industry have
severely magnified the problem of dust generation in bulk solids handling systems.

Developments in mining methods and equipment have resulted in product having smaller top
lump size and a significant increase in the quantity of fines transported. It makes good sense
therefore to design conveyor systems using fewer chutes.

The aim is to help design chutes with a clearer understanding of the main issues. If the chute
detailer has plenty of field experience the resulting transfer point will work well. It not, the
result can be a poor system. The chute may not look radically different from a successful design,
but performance differences may be sufficient to create significant problems and loss of profit.
Let us consider what happens as product flows through the chute. Firstly flow through a chute is
a transient phenomenon happening in about 1 second. If the passage of product through the
chute takes 2 seconds then it is along chute of some 20 m.

1. What happens to the product coming off the feed belt?

2. FLOW THROUGH THE CHUTE
3. After the conveyor design engineer has conceived the conveyor system he will go on to size
critical items such as belts, idlers, motors, speed reducers, and the like. Often the engineer
will leave chute detailing to someone else.
4. LOGICAL DESIGN OF CHUTES
5. In addition the trend is to use narrower belts running at faster speeds. Higher speeds result
in a significant increase in dust generation.
 6. The simple conveyor belt to conveyor belt transfer of product is the single largest
contributor to atmospheric contamination, and to the loss of valuable product within the
plant. For this reason we must ask the question - why use chutes?
2. Some of the fines float into the surrounding airstream.
3. Some of the product sticks to the sides of the chute.
4. Some of the product gets carried back on the return belt.
5. Some of the product escapes from the chute and settles on the floor.
6. at times product will block the chute and cause overflow.
7. Some of the fines end up in the head pulley and bearings.
8. The balance of the product continues the journey to the next transfer point .

To assume that 100% of the incoming product will continue onto the next belt ignores the
reality of transfer point design.

THE PRIMARY TRAJECTORY Air blowing through the product stream will have a
winnowing effect- generating a dust cloud which, in many cases, may travel for hundreds of
meters. Dust suppression measures may be required. Whenever the belt is discharged over an
end pulley, the speed of the belt and the diameter of the end pulley are factors which determine
the path of the discharged product. This path is called the primary trajectory.

The shape of the discharged product trajectory is important when designing chutes.

The salient points are as follows:

If the belt is running more slowly the product tends to roll down the face of the pulley.
Calculation methods which ignore this effect tend to underestimate the trajectory. Although
many products exhibit some degree of adhesion, most formulae for predicting trajectories do not
take this into account. There are techniques that provide the most thorough and detailed
analytical method of all the choices available for predicting trajectories for bulk solid flow.

Material which exhibits high adhesive stress characteristics, of the order of 0.3 kPa and above,
will start to carry back further around the head pulley - significantly affecting the final impact
area after falls of more than 2 m. If the product under investigation displays a large amount of
adhesion, tests should be carried out to determine the magnitude of the adhesive stress and the
value of the friction coefficient between the product and the belt. Consider belt to belt transfer.
A close examination of the original designs of many transfer points gives the impression that the
designer was counting on some form of magic to induce the product to go in the right direction.
Either that or it was hoped that the last rebound of product off the chute would, just by luck, be
in the right direction and on the receiving belt centerline.

The trouble with much of this reasoning, or lack of it, is that troubled chutes dramatically delay
system commissioning at a time when nerves are ragged, and threats of penalties are high.
Possibly the commissioning is already behind schedule.

It is essential to study very carefully the flow path the product might take. For this characteristic
properties must be established at design stage as accurately as practical. How much product
information do we give our chute designers? Or do they have to look up CEMA tables, take a
guess, and leave the rest for site modifications? Should it be necessary to have a transfer point
with a receiving belt at right angles to the feeder belt, it is advisable to ensure that the product is
turned into the direction of travel of the receiving belt by flow directors or kick plates. The
chute designer can determine where the first impact of product against chute wall will take
place, and the nature of that impact.
Consider now the question of degradation. We have all seen egg-throwing contests. Throwing
the egg is easy. The trick is in how you catch the egg. If degradation is a major factor in design
the chute must be designed in such away that impact energy is minimised.

SLIDING ACROSS AN INCLINE Consider first the effect of the horizontal component.
Sliding across the incline will be resisted by friction. .

FLOW DOWN AN INCLINE If the angle of the chute bottom to the horizontal is increased,
the velocity of flow will be increased. What happens if the chute angle is decreased? Will flow
cease? For steady, fully developed, constant velocity flow the chute angle should be between the
angle of repose and the dynamic internal friction angle. Studies on millet seed and polythene
particles have shown that the lower and upper chute inclination bounds exist within which
constant velocity flow occurs. These angles of inclination differ by about 4 degrees. Outside this
narrow range flow is either accelerating or slowing down. The velocity of flow down the
inclined surface will affect the level of abrasion of the chute surface. The rate of erosion is
approximately related to the square of the velocity. Thus doubling the velocity down the chute
increases erosion by a factor of 4.

A similar relationship exists with regard to product degradation. Depending on the smoothness
of the surface, moist bulk product may exhibit an adhesive component. Adhesion often occurs
with a smooth surface. Cohesion and adhesion can cause serious flow blockages to
occur. While a substantial amount has been written regarding the prediction of product
trajectory at the head pulley, very little attention seems to have been paid to the prediction of
secondary trajectories the flow of product within the transfer chutes .

The results of such conceptual neglect can often be seen by watching the flow stream path in the
lower sections of the chute. If the chute plate is vertical, product contact along the chute wall
will have little effect on velocity. The product will accelerate in accordance with the demands of
gravity.

THE FRICTION COEFFICIENT - for coal at varying moisture contents high friction
coefficients can occur at low depths of flow. The decrease in friction is considerable as depth of
flow increases. In some cases drag curtains need to be provided to increase friction and limit
flow surges at the chute feed point.

TRANSIENT FLOW Once the exit velocity has been estimated the calculation of the
secondary trajectory is fairly straight forward. One approach to side loaded chutes, where the
feed belt comes in at an angle to the receiving belt, is to use impact plates to obtain a
controllable vertical ore stream. A lower kicker plate is then used to direct the vertical ore
stream into the direction of the belt travel. Use adjustable 'V' plates in the bottom of the chute to
centralise the product on the receiving belt.

CURVED CHUTES VELOCITY CONTROL Velocity control leads logically to questions of

surface friction, bottom slope angles, chute shapes and so on. One solution is to use segmented
chutes. Another is to use mini rock boxes. Still another is to use cascade chutes.

DUST CONTROL Kinetic energy is imparted to the product by the carrier belt. The higher the
belt speed, the higher will be the resulting impact forces in the chute. Gradual deceleration of
the flowing stream is quite difficult, and requires special chutes. The first step in controlling
dust at the design stage is to carefully look at reducing belt speeds. A small increase in belt
width can have a large effect on reduced belt speed and resultant dust generation.

Testing the dynamic angle of friction of the product is the best guide available. But test at
different moisture contents to allow for wet, sticky, carry back fines. When dealing with dust
control at the transfer point make sure the chute has plenty of volume. This will allow free re-
circulation of air before the point of contact of the falling stream with the chute wall.

Turbulence in the stream flow occurs at the impact zone as the falling product strikes the
receiving belt. The receiving belt is moving more or less at right angles to the direction of the
falling flow stream. The particles which touch the belt are accelerated by it the most. The other
particles are accelerated by shear.

The depth of turbulence depends on the bulk density at the impact point, which in turn is
proportional to the amount of potential energy being dissipated. The greater the effective height
of fall of the product the greater the degree of turbulence. With high falls it is possible to angle
the curved kicker plate so sharply that the velocity component of the falling stream exceeds the
belt speed. This would cause the flow of product to push the belt and possibly cause the belt to
sag between idlers, complicating the sealing and drive power requirements. Buildup in the
chute, or changing material characteristics, will alter the falling stream of product. This may
tend to pile deeper on one side of the belt than the other.

Skirting design is an essential part of chute design. If the transfer chute becomes blocked with
product due to an abnormal condition, spillage will occur when the belt is restarted. As there is
usually no means to control product flow, the belt will be greatly overloaded. The conveyor
system should be designed so that, when the system shuts down under normal or emergency
stop conditions the chutes do not plug. This can be accomplished during normal shutdown by
stopping the system sequentially - beginning with the most upstream belt, and allowing
sufficient time for each belt to purge itself before stopping. If chute plugging cannot be avoided,
then the transfer chute must be considered as a hopper, and designed accordingly. Design must
then make allowance for plugged chute restarts. A control gate may be fitted to manually adjust
the amount of product fed onto the belt during a full chute restart. Cleanup of spillage can be
both difficult and, in some cases, dangerous if attempted while the conveyor is running.

1. To reduce the cost of cleanup of spillage the following points should be taken into
consideration:
2. SPILLAGE CLEANUP DOORS
3. Sequential shutdown cannot work during emergency conditions. If at any transfer point
the receiving belt tends to coast for a shorter time than the feed belt, product will pile up
in the chute.
4. When the chute plugs at shutdown - normal or emergency - it becomes a hopper. When
the belt is restarted it draws product to the full depth of the skirts. When the product
reaches the end of the skirt-boards, the excess product spills over the edges of the belt
onto walkways, floors, and between the idlers. But, as the belt is still brim-full, it will
continue to dribble material between carrying idlers.
5. TRANSFER CHUTE ACTING AS A HOPPER , SKIRTING DESIGN
6. Flow training gates should be provided which can be adjusted from outside the chute.
Such a feature allows easy load centering during commissioning and during the life of
the plant when the product and its characteristics change.
7. LOAD CENTERING
8. The degree of turbulence can be greatly reduced by providing a curved kicker plate, or
adjustable gate, which will change the direction of the falling flow stream. The gate
should be adjusted so that the velocity component in the direction of belt travel is equal
to the speed of the receiving belt. This will reduce turbulence, reduce belt wear,
degradation, and even power requirements for the drive motor.
9. The length of the lone of turbulence along the belt line depends on the relative speed of
the belt and the tangential velocity of product in the direction of the belt travel. If the
belt and the incoming product both travel in the direction of the belt at the same speed
the zone of turbulence will be minimal. The greater the difference the longer is the zone
 of turbulence and the greater the difficulty in achieving an efficiently sealed, cleans,
loading zone.
10. THE LOADING ZONE
11. For example if a 50 degree chute angle is adequate, increasing this to 55 degree
increases the chute height by 21%, and 60 degree results in a 45% increase. And these
increases relate directly to increases in potential energy and to increased dust
generation.
12. The next logical step in minimising dust generation is to minimise the height of fall (the
potential energy).
13. The usual method with high speed belts is to simply allow the stream to collide with a
deflector plate, or the back wall of the transfer chute, in such a way that all the kinetic
energy is dissipated quickly and violently. The result is obvious dust and degradation.
14. A major contributor to the dust problem is energy dissipation. Due to the velocity of the
product and the drop height, it possesses both kinetic and potential energy. If these
energies are dealt with properly, product degradation and dust generation will be
minimised.
15. It also becomes clear that even with straight bottom chutes, in many cases, the chute
angle should not be a constant value but should decrease as the velocity down the chute
increases.
16. From the previous discussion it becomes clear that the chute designer can predetermine
the velocity of product down the chute, and therefore can control it.
17. Since impact dissipates kinetic energy in a violent way, thereby increasing product
degradation, it makes sense to redirect the kinetic energy in a usefull manner. Thus the
concept of using curved chutes is good where a gentler deceleration of the product is
warranted.
18. In cases of fine powders or bulk solids containing a high percentage of fines attention
needs to be given to design details which ensure that during flow within the chute
aeration, which leads to flooding problems, is minimised. For this to be achieved zones
of free-fall and zones of high acceleration must be kept to a minimum.
19. In some cases the flow stream is deflected by further impact surfaces - resulting in
further secondary trajectories
20. In most practical chute design flow is neither steady nor fully developed. The length of
contact may be short, so the deceleration may well be negligible. Exit velocities can
therefore be easily calculated
21. In flowing down the incline the depth of product will decrease as the product
accelerates down the slope. If the slope is long enough a terminal velocity may be
reached where steady-state flow is achieved. Surge waves and granular jumps may be
formed when obstructions are placed at the downstream end of the chute.
22. CONTINUITY OF FLOW
23. It is therefore not reasonable to expect chute designers to guess the values of friction
coefficients and adhesive stresses. Tests are relatively inexpensive and provide far
better guidelines to critical chute design parameters.
24. The friction coefficient between the product and the chute lining material is not a
constant, however. It increases with reduced depth of flow in the chute, and changes
with variations in moisture content. The friction coefficient may also include a velocity
dependant, or viscous, component. Many products also exhibit some cohesive and
adhesive properties.
25. The first step in calculating a secondary trajectory is to estimate the exit velocity at the
point of departure. If the bottom plate is at the angle of repose of the material, the exit
velocity will be the same as the velocity at entry. The entry velocity is determined from
the previous trajectory calculations.
26. SECONDARY TRAJECTORY
27. We know that a granular particle will slide down an incline if the angle of inclination of
the plane is greater than the angle of friction.
28. Most products comprise of various blends of fine and coarse components. The fine
components usually behave in a different manner to the coarse components.
29. Flow in most chutes is a transient phenomenon. It is neither steady, nor fully developed.
But the same basic principles apply. The flow is either accelerating or slowing down.
30. In a static case – yes, but not necessarily in a dynamic case. Thus the discharge angle
can be less than the angle of repose if the flow has an initial entry velocity.
31. If product falls onto a horizontal surface flow cannot take place. The bulk solids
accumulate in a heap until, if they are non-cohesive, they will reach the angle of repose.
Then flow resumes. The velocity of flow down the incline will remain constant
irrespective of the length of the chute.
32. Friction rapidly prevents significant sliding across the surface. Thus any transverse
trajectory effects are lost after impact. The product slides down the incline following the
line of least resistance.
33. When product falls onto an incline, it will generally be coming in on some trajectory.
The flow will have a horizontal velocity component, as well as a vertical one.
34. If degradation is not a prime concern impact plates, or rock boxes, may be used to
obtain a controllable vertical ore stream. Such devises should have a fine adjustment -
which can be adjusted easily even under ore flow conditions.
35. Take a lump of product and drop it to the ground. The potential energy can be measured
by the height above ground at point of release. By the time the lump reaches ground
level all the potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy. If the lump
rebounds after impact to 10% of the drop height, then 90% of the kinetic energy has
been dissipated at impact.
36. THE FIRST IMPACT
37. When handling very cohesive product the layout of the conveyor transfer point must,
where possible, be designed to use belt-to-belt transfer of product with a minimum
height of drop. The transfer point should be designed so that the product stream,
wherever possible, centres on the receiving belt with little or no impact on the chute
walls.
38. Assuming that field staff, who may have even less experience in chute design that the
original designer, are lucky enough to position and weld-in a flow deflector plate which
deals adequately with the flow problem of the moment. Any change in product flow
characteristics, due for example of moisture variations or flow rate, could again result in
off-centre loading and a new set of problems. (Ask the plant maintenance
personnel when they're trying to train the belt to guess what shape and where the last
site-installed deflector plate is located.)
39. An alternative school of thought assumes that no flow deflectors can be placed correctly
in any case, and the chute would require field correction. This leaves the problem in the
lap of the field engineer.
40. The feed belt comes in from the side and should deposit product centrally onto the
receiving conveyor. If the product trajectory is not as originally designed off-center belt
feeding will take place.
41. SIMPLE BELT TO BELT TRANSFER
42. How much information do we give our chute designers to predict the primary
trajectory?
43. The analysis of the material transported strives to take into account the effects of
friction (both static and dynamic) as well as inertia and adhesion of the product on the
belt. All of these factors play an important role in determining the separation point and
discharge velocity of the product from the belt.
44. It is agreed that the Dunlop/Booth method for predicting the product trajectory provides
the more reliable calculation method.
45. The product is carried toward the head pulley by the conveyor belt. If the belt is running
at a high enough speed inertia will carry the product over the pulley in the same
direction, and at the same speed, as the belt. The diameter of the pulley has no influence
 on the ejection velocity of the product. Formulae which take into account pulley
diameters and material profile on the head pulley tend to overestimate the trajectory.
46. There are several methods available to the designer for making trajectory predictions.
47. By adding a suitable chute the discharge may be directed as desired- to a stockpile, a
bin, or to another conveyor. A fork at the discharge chute, with a gate, will permit the
product to flow simultaneously in two directions, or alternatively in either direction.
48. The simplest discharge from a conveyor belt is to let the product pass over an end
pulley and fall onto a pile.
49. Belt cleaning is an essential element of successful transfer point design.
50. To answer that question the chute designer must have a clear knowledge of the product
characteristic properties. It is not sufficient to be given the name of the product and a
grading analysis down to 6 mm. Much of the product behaviour is determined by its
fines and powder components. And these are directly affected by the moisture content.
51. WILL THE PRODUCT LEAVE THE BELT?
52. The essential aim of good chute design is to successfully transfer as much of the
incoming product as possible from one belt to the next.
53. Raise the tail end of the conveyor high enough to allow cleanup by a front end loader.
Spillage around a tail pulley can cause serious belt wear if the belt is left to run through
the accumulated product.
54. Provide a well drained concrete slab under the transfer area.
55. Fit 45 degree shedder angles under the troughing idlers at the loading points.
56. Fit a profile plant inside the chute to prevent a flooded belt situation occurring when
restarting a loaded belt (fine material only). Where the tail pulley is not located near the
floor, or it is impractical to return the spilled product to the tail section, fixed or portable
cleanup conveyors may be used. It is important to take cleanup measures into
consideration when designing the load transfer point. Very often flow problems within
chutes could be more easily solved if the flow stream could be observed. Product flow
within the chute cannot always be accurately calculated. Therefore observation is
necessary to enable appropriate flow adjustments to be made. Provide at least two
inspection or access doors - one in the head pulley area, and one in the loading zone. If
the chute has more than a 3 m drop, locate another door at about the midpoint and out of
the expected product trajectory. In cases where drops of 6 m or more occur, a door
every 3 m is recommended. This will greatly simplify any corrective action required
inside the chute - Including liner replacement, flow correction, removing tramp
material, and unblocking chutes. Such doors must be dust tight and located on the non-
wearing side of the chute. Depending on their location they must also be capable of
withstanding the side pressure from a plugged chute condition. 'Rock boxes' are one
method of absorbing the energy and abrasive wear of falling ore. However, if the
product is wet, cohesive and/or adhesive, or, as in the case of lignites or sub-bituminous
coals, tends to ignite spontaneously, the rock box solution should not be considered.
The rock boxes may need to be cleaned periodically to eliminate excessive buildup.
Sooner or later the liner material will have to be replaced. Access to the inside of many
chutes and skirt areas is extremely difficult, if not impossible. For smaller chutes on
narrow belts careful design and detailing is required to make adequate provision for
liner replacement. Fabricating the chutes in short lengths for easy disassembly is one
approach. The non wear side of the chute can be flange bolted to facilitate maintenance
access.
57. Many instances can be given where chutes are the weakest link in the bulk handling
system. Lack of understanding and lack of attention to design details have caused
problems of environmental pollution, spillage, accelerated belt wear, and flow
blockages, to name but a few.
58. In view of their apparent simplicity transfer chutes have all too often received
insufficient attention to their design
59. Good access does not just happen. It takes careful thought during design. Such
consideration at the design stage can be stimulated by appropriate specification by the
conveyor end users.
60. Chutes with belts 900 mm or wider should have ample room for maintenance men to
enter the chute and replace liners. Even so, extra access doors should be included in
chutes 3 m or more in length. These doors should be large enough to pass liner plates
through, and must be bolted and gasketted. The doors should be located in pairs,
directly opposite one another, and be no smaller than 450 mm square. By locating two
doors opposite each other the openings make a convenient place to insert planks or
scaffolding.
61. Most chute designers will provide for wear by the use of abrasive resistant material at
points where the product impacts upon, and slides on, the chute surfaces.
62. When the rock box shelf builds up with material and then continues to build-up beyond
the anticipated design slope, the deflected product may rebound onto the belt cleaners,
affecting their performance. The rebound lumps may also hit the end of the dribble
chute, causing it to build-up and plug.
63. CHUTE WEAR
64. Many chutes have only one inspection door - and that usually near the head pulley. This
does not permit a view of the actual flow path in the lower chute and in the skirt area.
This is where problems usually develop.
65. PROVISION FOR INSPECTION OF FLOW
66. A simple cleanup door should be located near the tail pulley as shown below. If the
door is correctly located, and the tail pulley safety screen designed for easy removal,
cleanup of loading zone spillage will be made easy.
67. conclude- that In view of their apparent simplicity transfer chutes have all too often
received insufficient attention to their design.

Flow visualisation is only one aspect of chute design.

Many instances can be given where chutes are the weakest link in the bulk handling
system. Lack of understanding and lack of attention to design details have caused
problems of environmental pollution, spillage, accelerated belt wear, and flow
blockages, to name but a few.

1. REFERENCES
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Variable Geometry and Profile", Bulk Solids Handling Vol 1, No 4, Dec 1981.
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Loading of Bulk Solids on to Conveyor Belts", Supplementary Paper 3.
Rozentals, J.J., "Rational Design of Conveyor Chutes", Proc. Beltcon 2,
International Conference on Materials Handling, South Africa, May 1983.
Korzen, Z. , "Mechanics of Belt Conveyor Discharge Processes", Bulk Solids
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S.J., "Concepts of Boundary Friction, Adhesion and Wear in Bulk Solids
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Day 3, Paper 1 .
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Stations -Problems and Solutions " , Martin Engineering Co., (1988).
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Applications", Proc. Beltcon 3, International Conference on Materials
Handling, South Africa, Sep 1985.
8. Roberts , A .W ., "Transfer Chute Performance and Design ", Supplementary
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9. Roberts , A .W ., "Modern Technological Developments in the Storage and
Handling of Bulk Solids", The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, 1990.
10.