OVERVIEW

AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PIPE

CONVEYOR SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS
A literature study for Transport Engineering & Logistics

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

D. HAAK, 4207580
Supervisor: Dr. Ir. Y. Pang
Cover photo courtesy: Continental. Tube Conveyor Belts, the fully closed belt. Retrieved on September
25, 2017 from
http://www.contitech.ru/pages/produkte/transportbaender/cbgindustry/rollgurtfoerderer_en.ht
ml
 FACULTY MECHANICAL, MARITIME AND
Delft University of MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Technology Department Maritime and Transport Technology

Mekelweg 2
2628 CD Delft
the Netherlands
Phone +31 (0)15-2782889
Fax +31 (0)15-2781397
www.mtt.tudelft.nl

Specialization: Transport Engineering and Logistics

Report number: 2017.TEL.8181

Title: Overview and Characteristics of Pipe

Conveyor Systems and Applications

Author: D. Haak

Title (in Dutch) Een overzicht en de karakteristieken van buisvormige transportbanden en de

toepassing daarvan

Assignment: Literature

Confidential: No

Supervisor: Dr. Ir. Y. Pang

Date: November 28, 2017

 TUDelft
Delft University of
FACULTY OF MECHANICAL, MARITIME
AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Technology Department of Marine and Transport Technology

Mekelweg 2
2628 CD Delft
the Netherlands
Phone + 3 1 (0)15-2782889
Fax -1-31 (0)15-2781397
www.mtt.tudelft.nl

Student: D. Haak Assignment type Literature Assignment

Supervisor: Dr. ir. Y.Pang Report number: 2017.TEL.8181
Specialization: TEL Confidential: No
Creditpoints (EC) 10

Subject: Overview and Characteristics o f Pipe Conveyor Systems and Applications

Belt conveyor systems find applications all over the world. I n the past decade the development o f
conveyor technology has enabled the design and application o f longer, faster and more efficient
conveyors with higher capacity and less environmental impact. Pipe conveyors are more and more used
in various industrial production fields.

This assignment is to provide an overview o f the characteristics and applications o f pipe conveyor
systems based on worldwide literature sources. Both existing and the most recent under-construction
projects w i l l be surveyed. The survey o f this literature assignment should cover the following:

• A n overview of the configurations and characteristics o f pipe conveyor systems

• A summary of the application fields o f pipe conveyor systems

• The trend o f development with respect to the scale o f pipe conveyor systems

• The innovation and sustainability aspects in pipe conveyor design and applications

This report should be arranged in such a way that all data is structurally presented in graphs, tables, and
lists with belonging descriptions and explanations in text.

The report should comply with the guidelines o f the section. Details can be found on the website.

The mentor.

Dr. Ir. Y . Pang

 Preface
This literature study covers the subject of pipe conveyor systems, with the main
focus on the characteristics, configurations and trend of development. The goal
of the literature study is to provide a bundled overview of the wide spread
information about the characteristics, configurations and trend of development of
these systems. Besides that, a summary of application fields will be provided and
innovativeness, sustainability and future challenges will be discussed. The
underlying perspective of this study is based on intelligent control for transport
technology, which will appear in the elaboration on future challenges.

I would like to thank Dr. Ir. Y. Pang for the provided support and availability
during this literature study.

2017.TEL.8181 I
 Summary
The well-known belt conveyor is a transport system that is already known for more than a century.
However, the disadvantage of emerging dust and material spillage triggered thoughts to adapt the system
to one that completely encloses the transported material. As result the first ideas for a pipe conveyor
system, where the belt totally closes in the shape of a pipe, arose in the late nineteen-seventies (Brands).
Over the years the concept of the pipe conveyor developed allowing for an increase in length from the
first 28m-long pipe conveyor to the currently longest pipe conveyor of 16.4km (Phoenix). Still, the
research and development of these pipe conveyor systems is not yet that much evolved and new
technologies continuously create opportunities for future improvements.

The pipe conveyor belt has a tubular shape except for the head and tail section where it has the
conventional U- or V-shape. Just past these loading and discharge sections the belt is folded into a pipe
shape by impact idlers and then maintained by supporting idlers. The belt type can be divided in fabric
belts and steel cord belts, both with a specific carcass construction to accommodate the required shape.
Currently, the most common pipe conveyor configuration is the so-called Japan pipe conveyor where
the belt is shaped into the tubular shape with the edges slightly overlapping. This setup was preceded
by the zipper concept, with moulded teeth, and the solitude concept, with spring clips. The supporting
structure of the Japan pipe conveyor can be divided in an inline arrangement, with six idlers on one side
and the offline arrangement, with three idlers on either side of the support frame (Swain et al., 2011).
Returning of the pipe conveyor belt can be done as a flat belt or in the same pipe shape, allowing for
two-way conveying. Besides that, the pipe conveyor concept allows for multiple feeding and discharging
points along the conveying path. All these above described features result in positive as well as negative
characteristics of pipe conveyor system which are shown in table 1.

Table 1: Characteristics pipe conveyor systems

Positive
No material spillage
Less environmental issues
Curved transportation
Steeper inclination angle
Two-way transportation
Low investment costs
Low maintenance costs
High operational safety
Negative
High energy consumption
Large required belt width
Overload sensitivity
Oversize sensitivity
Difficult to repair
Backed-up heat

The above briefly described system developed over the last years allowing for increasing conveying
lengths. The first ideas of a pipe conveyor were thought through by Mr. S. Hasimoto (Buchanan, 1985)
resulting in a first patent application in 1965. In 1979 the first commercial pipe conveyor system,
consisting of two conveyors of 20 and 28 metres, was installed. Shortly afterwards a dedicated research
and development department was established in 1982 (Staples, 2002). Recently, Phoenix Extreme
Conveyor Belt Solutions (Phoenix) installed a pipe conveyor of 16.4km length. This increase in scale is
a result of certain developments over the last years. First of all, the carcass structure, material balance
and outer layers of the belt have been adapted with stronger, lighter and lower resistance materials. The
pipe conveyor belt has a much greater influence on the system performance that a conventional through
belt does (Zhang et al., 2012), which makes these improvements of significant importance. Secondly,
the idler and panel design changed over the years. Nowadays the offset idler arrangement is more often
used as it better prevents belt trapping and allows for higher belt tension. The idlers themselves have
also been altered resulting in larger diameters and outer layers of less cohesive material. Lastly, the drive

2017.TEL.8181 II
systems also developed over the years. Application of multi drive combinations and more efficient and
powerful engines allowed for longer pipe conveyors. The recent development of fluid couplings offered
an even better perspective for the increase of the conveyor lengths as it could improve especially the
start and stop dynamics.

These developments ensured broadening of the application fields. The most common application fields
according to Elecon (Elecon) are the port bulk handling, mining, cement and power plant industries.
The chemical and food industry are relatively new with the concept of pipe conveyors. The advantages
that these systems can offer in these businesses are of added value and can facilitate better operations.
However, advanced systems like pneumatic conveyors are already partly expelling the increasing
influence of pipe conveyor in these last two industries. It is expected that the most considerable influence
of the pipe conveyor will remain in those first four industries where the particle size distribution is
significant.

As can be deduced from the above described and is being affirmed by environment related groups
(GreenPort) the pipe conveyor concept underlines innovation and sustainability. The innovative aspects
are mostly related to the characteristics of the pipe conveyor. The closed belt setup was an innovative
idea with respect to the concept present during its initial years. The closed conveying also allowed for
easy conveyance of environmentally sensitive materials. Furthermore, the allowance of tight curves and
steep inclination angles in combination with long conveyor system can be considered to be innovative
as well. Lastly, the possibility of two-way conveying offered an ingenious option to increase the
capacity. The sustainability advantage of the pipe conveyor mainly comes forward in the energy
consumption of systems with complex conveyor paths (Brands) and the enclosure of the conveyed
material. Pipe conveyors for complex paths can eliminate the much energy consuming transfer points
while the material enclosure prevents direct, polluting, contact of the material with the environment.

Although the pipe conveyor has been developed for decade the future still holds plenty of opportunities
to further improve the concept. New magnetic guidance techniques could offer benefits in the coming
years resulting in even longer conveyors. Besides that, new structures that require less moving parts
have already been developed but not tested extensively enough. Furthermore, the application of artificial
intelligence in intelligent pipe conveyor control could result in more efficient systems and thus options
to further increase the path lengths. Still, a lot of research is required to apply these new technologies in
the pipe conveyor concepts for each application field.

Thus, the pipe conveyor has specific characteristics and multiple configurations that distinguish the
concept from other conveyor solutions. Developments over the years regarding pipe belts, idlers, panel
designs and drive systems have resulted in an increase in scale of the systems. The pipe conveyors are
applicable in multiple businesses with the port bulk handling, mining, cement and power plants as main
industries (Elecon) and the chemical and food industry as secondary fields. The total concept is still
innovative and especially complex systems can be considered as sustainable with respect to other
available conveying options. Moreover, the prevention of direct contact of the material with the
environment is an important sustainability aspect of pipe conveyors. The future still holds challenges,
but recent ideas and more research will potentially grant a continues increase in system scale and more
efficient pipe conveyor systems.

2017.TEL.8181 III
 Table of Contents
PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................ I
SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... II
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION AND RELEVANCE .................................................................................... 1
1.2 AIM AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................... 1
1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT .......................................................................................................... 1
2. CONFIGURATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................. 2
2.1 PIPE CONVEYOR ASPECTS .............................................................................................................. 2
2.1.1 Basic concept ......................................................................................................................... 2
2.1.2 Pipe shape .............................................................................................................................. 2
2.1.3 Idlers ...................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.4 Pipe conveyor loading............................................................................................................ 4
2.2 CONFIGURATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.1 Belt type .................................................................................................................................. 4
2.2.2 Closing mechanism ................................................................................................................ 4
2.2.3 Idler configuration ................................................................................................................. 5
2.2.4 Returning of belt ..................................................................................................................... 6
2.2.5 Feeding and discharge ........................................................................................................... 6
2.3 CHARACTERISTICS ......................................................................................................................... 6
3. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PIPE CONVEYOR ....................................................................... 9
3.1 FIRST IDEAS AND CONCEPTS .......................................................................................................... 9
3.2 IMPROVEMENTS OF PIPE CONVEYOR ............................................................................................ 10
3.2.1 Pipe conveyor belt ................................................................................................................ 10
3.2.2 Idler and panel design .......................................................................................................... 11
3.2.3 Drive systems ....................................................................................................................... 12
3.3 DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 13
4. APPLICATION FIELDS ........................................................................................................... 14
4.1 PORT BULK HANDLING ................................................................................................................. 14
4.2 MINING INDUSTRY ....................................................................................................................... 14
4.3 CEMENT INDUSTRY ...................................................................................................................... 15
4.4 POWER PLANT INDUSTRY ............................................................................................................. 16
4.5 CHEMICAL INDUSTRY .................................................................................................................. 16
4.6 FOOD INDUSTRY ........................................................................................................................... 17
5. INNOVATIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY ...................................................................... 19
5.1 INNOVATIVENESS ......................................................................................................................... 19
5.2 SUSTAINABILITY .......................................................................................................................... 19
6. FUTURE CHALLENGES.......................................................................................................... 21
6.1 POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................................................ 21
6.2 INTELLIGENT CONTROL................................................................................................................ 22
6.2.1 Measurements ...................................................................................................................... 22
6.2.2 Artificial intelligence ............................................................................................................ 23
7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 24
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................ 26
APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................... 30
APPENDIX A: PIPE CONVEYOR PATENT ............................................................................................ 30
APPENDIX B: PIPE CONVEYOR APPLICATION EXAMPLES................................................................... 35

2017.TEL.8181
1. Introduction
1.1 General information and relevance
The belt conveyor is a transport system that has been in use for more than a century. This system is a
well known transport structure that developed in a remarkable rate over the years. However, the
disadvantage of emerging dust and material spillage triggered the thought to comprise the transported
material completely. As a result, the first worldwide functional pipe conveyor was developed and
operated by Japan Pipe Conveyor in the late nineteen-seventies (Brands). This first and basic concept
led to extended and improved designs through the years resulting in for example expansion of length,
capacity but also increasing energy consumption and more technical difficulties. Although the pipe
conveyor is a promising concept, it is still less well known than the traditional belt conveyor. Major
industries like the mining, port bulk, power plant and cement industry are increasingly implementing
the pipe conveyor concept, but still encounter difficulties in the specific application Therefore, it is of
relevance for a large part of the transport industry to gain more insight in the concept of pipe conveyors
and the advantages it can offer in the near and long term future. To carry out new detailed studies to
improve pipe conveyor systems background knowledge is essential. This report will provide that
necessary knowledge to initiate such a study.

1.2 Aim and scope of the study

The main aim of this literature study is to provide a bundled overview of the wide spread information
about the characteristics and configurations together with the the trend of development of pipe conveyor
systems. Additional to this main purpose, the application fields, innovativeness and sustainability of the
system are included. The scope of the literature study covers all technical aspects, development of those
and applications of the pipe conveying systems, but does not include the dynamics of material and
equipment interaction, finite element analyses of belt behaviour and mathematical models regarding the
pipe conveyor functioning and behaviour. The main question for this literature study is defined as
follows: “What are the characteristics and configurations of pipe conveyor systems and how did the
concept develop during the operational years with respect to its scale”. As the underlying perspective of
the study is intelligent control for transport technology a sub-question is defined as: “What are the future
challenges and how can intelligent control help to tackle these for pipe conveyor systems”.

1.3 Structure of the report

The report starts with obtaining insight in the configurations and characteristics of pipe conveyor
systems in chapter 2. Thereafter, the development of pipe conveyors is discussed in chapter 3.
Subsequently, chapter 4 elaborates on the application fields of the transport system and chapter 5 on
the innovativeness and sustainability of the concept. Finally, future challenges are debated in chapter 6
and a conclusion is made in chapter 7. In this way the acquired knowledge builds up towards a full
understanding of the pipe conveyor system and the possibilities this concept can offer in combination
with intelligent control.

2017.TEL.8181 1
2. Configurations and Characteristics
This chapter elaborates on the basics, configurations and specific characteristics of pipe conveyor
systems and the difference regarding the conventional belt conveyor. At the end of this chapter
insight in the configurations and characteristics is obtained and a distinction can be made between
the common belt conveyor and the pipe conveyor. First of all, section 2.1 describes the elemental
technical aspects of the pipe conveyor. With the knowledge of section 2.1 different configurations
currently available will be discussed in section 2.2. Finally, an overview of the specific
characteristics of pipe conveyors is given in section 2.3.

2.1 Pipe Conveyor aspects

2.1.1 Basic concept

The pipe conveyor has, as can be deduced from the name, the shape of a pipe surrounded by a certain
amount of idlers for most part of the system. Only at the head and tail sections of the transport system
the belt has an open U- or V-shape. The loading and discharge of a pipe conveyor is done in the same
way as a conventional belt conveyor as the material is dropped on the belt at the tail pulley and
discharged by dropping it of at the head pulley. Just past the loading section the belt is folded into a pipe
shape. This is often done for the material carrying part as well as the returning part. The above described
process is shown in figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1: Belt conveyor system (Probelt Global Limited)

2.1.2 Pipe shape

Essential part of the pipe conveyor system is the
transition of the belt from a flat surface to a
closed one. Multiple configurations are available
to close the belt, but the most common is the
circular so-called Japan pipe conveyor
(Woodcock et al. 1987). Section 2.2.2 elaborates
more on the possible configurations of belt
closing while this section continues with the
most common “Japan” configuration. Impact
idlers or impact bars support and direct the flat
belt into the circular shape till both edges have a
slight overlap, which should always be on the Figure 2.2: Belt transition (Fedorko et al., 2012)
top side of the tube. A configuration of these

2017.TEL.8181 2
idlers is shown in figure 2.2. Often these impact idlers are able to alter their position to adjust the so-
called transition length based on belt speed and material properties. The interpretation and calculation
of this transition length vary a lot in literature and technical documents regarding the pipe conveyor
systems. According to Muhammad E. Fayed and Thomas Skocir in Mechanical Conveyors Selection
and Operation (Fayed et al., 1997) a transition length of thirty times the pipe diameter is required to
obtain the circular form or to return to the flat belt shape. In the paper Pipe/Tube Conveyors a Modern
Method of Coal and Ash Transportation by Frank J. Loeffler (Loeffler, 1995) from the Loeffler
Engineering Group a table is provided, partially shown in table 2.1, with transition lengths with respect
to the pipe diameter resulting in an average transition length factor of 25 for fabric belts and 50 for steel
belts. Continental Conveyor Belt Group (Continental, 2015) stated in a technical document that the
minimum transition length requires a factor 30 and 60 for respectively fabric belts and steel-cord belts
with respect to the pipe diameter. Lastly, IBT (Brands) provides transition length factors for different
material ranging from a factor 25 to 50. Based on these data it is assumed that a transition length factor
ranging from 25-35 for fabric belts and 40-60 for steel cord belts is required for a smooth transition to
a pipe body.

Table 2.1: Transition factor (Loeffler, 1995)

Fabric belt Steel cord belt
Pipe diameter [in] Transition length [ft] Transition Transition length Transition
factor [ft] factor
6 13 26,00 25 50,00
8 17 25,50 34 51,00
10 21 25,20 42 50,40
12 25 25,00 50 50,00
14 29 24,86 58 49,71
16 34 25,50 67 50,25
Average 25,34 50,23

As can be seen above a second important aspect for the transition to the tubular shape of the belt is the
material structure of the belt. The belt requires enough cross rigid stiffness to adapt to and maintain the
circular shape but also needs flexibility in the longitudinal direction to follow the shape of the pulleys.
To accommodate this specific behaviour for fabric belts, the carcass construction is used. This implies
that layers of rubber compound have been aligned between every fabric ply. To prevent spillage of
material around the overlapping belt edges, the plies at those edges are often a rearranged in a less stiff
alignment for better closure. For the steel cord belts the steel cords are arranged in longitudinal direction
with transverse reinforcements on top and below those cords. The top en bottom layer of these belts are
both made from rubber compound. The fabric belt is shown in figure 2.3a and the steel cord belt in
figure 2.3b.

Figure 2.3a: Fabric belt (Technical Hub) Figure 2.3b: Steel cord belt (Minkin)

2017.TEL.8181 3
2.1.3 Idlers
The idlers are the supporting rolls of the pipe and are present 360 degrees around the pipe. The amount
of idlers surrounding the pipe at each side of the supporting frame differs per system and depend on
multiple factors, which are later discussed in section 2.2.3. The diameter and spacing of these idlers is
calculated based on the size of the pipe conveyor and the material that is being conveyed according to
G.A Vaka (Vaka, 1998). They also state that occurrence of belt sagging is partially restrained by the
rigidity of the pipe shape allowing for an increased idler spacing and that curvatures and static and
dynamic tension conditions influence the spacing too. This determined idler arrangement plays an
important role in the stability of the system, which is necessary for flawless functioning. Furthermore,
the idlers should support the belt in such a way that the overlap of both edges is maintained as close to
the top side of the circular shape to prevent small gaps. Figure 2.1 shows three sections with tubular
bars around the pipe that represent these idlers.

2.1.4 Pipe conveyor loading

Correct loading of a pipe conveyor is essential for correct operation. To obtain the right alignment of
the overlap of belt edges central line loading is important. Besides that, it is crucial to have a constant
filling rate as the capacity of the pipe conveyor is determined by the transported volume and not the
weight according to IBT (Brands). Contrary to only spillage for a conventional conveyor a pipe conveyor
can also jam when the loading capacity is exceeded. Therefore, adequate loading control is necessary
for proper functioning of the pipe conveyor. Intelligent control can play an important role to achieve
this loading requirements. Based on measurements of alignment and belt speed, the loading chute should
could adapt to the right location and speed. Chapter 7 elaborates more on this potential implementation.

2.2 Configurations
The pipe conveyor system functions according to the previously described aspects. However, within this
main structure different configurations are possible. Based on technical descriptions and previous
studies it is deduced that the main configuration differences of the pipe conveyor system are related to
the belt type, belt closing mechanism, idlers configuration, belt return structure and feed and discharge
points.

2.2.1 Belt type

Based on the specifications of the system a fabric or steel-cord belt is used to transport the material, both
are shown in figure 2.3a,b. The transverse layer structure of both of these belt type ensures the stiffness
that is required to maintain the tubular shape and can differ per application. Besides that, the rubber
layers of these belts can alter too. For example, in The evolution of the pipe-conveyor it is described that
IBT (Brands) can supply rubber belts in:

- High abrasion resistant (grade 1)

- Heat resistant
- Flame retardant
- Oil resistant
- High oil resistant
- White rubber

This allows for belt configurations that are suitable for abrasive materials, hot materials, flammable
products, oil- and fat containing products and food industry. Without these varying belt type
configurations the range of products allowed for conveyance would be limited.

2.2.2 Closing mechanism

In Bulk Solid Handling, An Introduction to the Practice and Technology (Woodcock et al., 1987) three
different types of closing mechanisms are described that relate to the idea of the pipe conveyor. The first
and as stated in Mechanical Conveyors, Selection and Operation (Fayed et al., 1997) first successful
closed belt ever is the zipper conveyor designed and manufactured by Stephens-Adamson in the 1950s.
This mechanism uses moulded teeth on the belt edges that are meshed and unmeshed by rollers.

2017.TEL.8181 4
However, limited size and problems with nesting and locking of the teeth led to demise of this closing
mechanism. During the first years it was only used for complex conveying paths as the lock of both
edges was very tight, but nowadays the zipper conveyor can not compete with other configurations.

The second design of a closing mechanism is the

“Solitude conveyor”. In this configuration the belt
edges assembled with spring clips, that hold the belt
closed in a tear-drop shape. The tube is supported by
outriggers connected to twin independent driving
belts, which also support the belt. Idlers can support
the bottom of the belt and provide extra guidance. A
cross section of the solitude conveyor is shown in
figure 2.4. Similar to this closing principle is the
flexible Sicon conveyor system described in Sicon®
Enclosed Belt Conveyor System (Continental, 2014).
Both edges of the belt have vulcanized rubber strips
that are folded together by horizontal and vertical Figure 2.4: Solitude conveyor (Woodcock et
guide rollers creating a comparable tear-drop shape. al., 1987)

The third, most common and modern design according to Bulk Solid Handling, An Introduction to the
Practice and Technology (Woodcock et al., 1987) is the Japan Pipe conveyor. Contrary to the previous
described mechanisms, this configuration passes the loading and unloading section as a flat, U- or V-
shaped belt. After the loading and unloading the belt is folded into a tubular shape as mentioned in
section 2.1.2 by a set of impact idlers. This Japan Pipe Conveyor is usually seen as the first real pipe
conveyor system and will therefore be taken as starting point of the pipe conveyor development in
chapter 3.

2.2.3 Idler configuration

The setup and amount of idlers can vary based on the design and purpose of the pipe conveyor. As the
Solitude and Zipper conveyor both do not need idlers or only for support of heavy material transport the
idler configurations will be discussed for the Japan Pipe Conveyor system. The most common options
are six or three idlers, called the inline and offset arrangement as stated in Mechanical Operations
(Swain et al., 2011) and shown in figure 2.5a,b.

Figure 2.5a: Inline Figure 2.5b: Offset

arrangement (Swain et arrangement (Swain
al., 2011) et al., 2011)

For the inline arrangement six idlers are mounted on the same side of the frame to prevent any gaps in
which the belt could be trapped. The inline arrangement was generally used for long conveyors with
thick belts according to the HA200 Idlers design manual (Sandvik, 2008) in the early days of the pipe
conveyor. The offset arrangement has three idlers that are placed on either side of the supporting frame

2017.TEL.8181 5
allowing for larger rolls and brackets. Nowadays the offset arrangement is more often used for longer
conveyors.

2.2.4 Returning of belt

The belt of the pipe conveyor can be returned as a flat belt or in the similar pipe shape. A flat return of
the belt could safe space in vertical direction and investment costs for total construction. However, a
pipe shaped return belt is often used as it prevents cohesive material spillage and it allows for a more
compact supporting frame according to G. Boumans in Grain Handling and Storage and IBT (Boumans,
1985), (Brands). In case of a closed returning belt, the cohesive material can only drop op at the tail
pulley where it can be collected and returned to the loading chute. Besides these advantages, IBT
(Brands) also states that due to the pipe shaped return part conveying of products is possible in two ways
resulting in a potentially higher capacity.

2.2.5 Feeding and discharge

The basic configuration for a pipe conveyor system consist of one feeding point and one discharge point.
However, the pipe shaped belt allows for more than one feed point along the conveying line. A two-way
simultaneous conveyance of material is described in The Coal Handbook (Osborne, 2013) with two
feeding point and two discharge points. As no transfer stations are required for a pipe conveyor system
material can also be loaded into the pipe shaped returning belt to be discharged just before loading the
top line again. To be able to implement this return transport of material the return belt has to pass a Z-
shaped point as shown in figure 2.6 at the return belt discharge point.

Figure 2.6: Two-way pipe conveying (Osborne, 2013)

2.3 Characteristics
The first and most straightforward characteristic of the pipe conveyor in comparison to the conventional
conveyor is the closed belt. As result the material can not shatter or drop of the belt preventing spillage
and environmental issues. Besides this main characteristic, Rulmega (Rulmeca) states that curved and
inclined transportation are two more important characteristics of the pipe conveyor. As the pipe
conveyor systems in general have much smaller idler spacing than the conventional open conveyors, the
radius of a curve in a pipe conveyor is primarily determined by the admissible belt stretch as described
by G. Lodewijks (Lodewijks, 2001). Besides that, it is stated the pipe conveyor can not run of the idlers
since it is locked up in the idlers, but that the restricting factor for the allowable radius is the preservation
of the typical cross section to stabilize the pipe within the idlers. As result the required radius for a pipe
conveyor system can be only half or one third of the radius for an open belt conveyor system. Important

2017.TEL.8181 6
to keep in mind is that buckling of the pipe conveyor due to small radii should always be prevented as
it reduces the capacity and could damage the load carrying components of the system. So to implement
the horizontal and vertical angle curves the system should have enough strength to withstand this
buckling. But if the above described is properly applied, the curved transportation can rule out transfer
stations allowing for flexible lay-outs that fit smaller areas. Additional to this curved transportation
steeper inclined transportation was stated to be advantageous. Figure 2.7, from the Modern Belt
Conveyor Systems by G. Lodewijks (Lodewijks, 2001), shows the conveyor suitability area for
inclination degrees in relation to the lump size and capacity at a belt speed of 1m/s. It is shown that a
steeper inclination angle of at maximum 30° is possible with a pipe conveyor with respect to the troughed
conveyor. This is due to the load distribution of the pipe conveyor and the resulting contact area of the
material and belt (Buchanan, 1985). However, this steeper angle in combination with the closed volume
is at the expense of the possible lump size. Thus depending on the material that has to be conveyed the
steeper allowable inclination angle can be ruled out. If even steeper angles need to be achieved pouch
and pocket belts are more suitable as the pipe conveyor can not support the material enough at higher
angles.

Figure 2.7: Suitability area at 1m/s (Lodewijks, 2001)

2017.TEL.8181 7
As described before, the possibility of two-way transportation of materials is also a characteristic of the
pipe conveyor which grants an option for extra capacity and less space utilization. Furthermore, it is
stated by Beumer Group (Beumer Group) that pipe conveyors have low investment and maintenance
costs and a high operational safety. These three advantages are also confirmed by Babcock & Wilcox
(Babcock & Wilcox) and Dimatteo (Dimatteo) in their description of pipe conveyors. Therefore, these
advantages could be seen as characteristics of the pipe conveyor system. Lastly, a high energy
consumption, a larger required belt width, overload and oversize sensitivity, more difficult repairs and
backed-up heat in the case of hot bulk material are disadvantages or negative characteristics as stated
by Franz Kessler (Kessler, 2003).

To have an overview of the above described characteristics both the positive and negative ones are
shown in table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Characteristics pipe conveyor systems

Characteristics Pipe Conveyor Systems
Positive Negative
No material spillage High energy consumption
Less environmental issues Large required belt width
Curved transportation Overload sensitivity
Steeper inclination angle Oversize sensitivity
Two-way transportation Difficult to repair
Low investment costs Backed-up heat
Low maintenance costs
High operational safety

2017.TEL.8181 8
3. Development of the pipe conveyor
This chapter describes the trend of development of the pipe conveyor with respect to the
increasing scale. It starts with an elaboration on the first ideas and concepts of these systems in
section 3.1. Then section 3.2 continues with the improvements over the years that resulted in the
longer systems present today. Lastly, section 3.3 summarizes the factors that resulted in these
improvements with a brief time line showing an overview of some major milestones.

3.1 First ideas and concepts

According to C. Buchanan (Buchanan, 1985) the first ideas to form a flat belt into a pipe shape were
already under investigation by Mr. S. Hasimoto in 1959. Mr. Hasimoto started this evolution of closed
conveyor systems based on the zipper and tear drop shape ideas described in section 2.2.2. This resulted
in a basic design and patent application in 1965. The basis for this patent was the ability to form a
through belt conveyor into a pipe shape using a unique belt construction and special pipe forming idlers
according to P. Staples (Staples, 2002). Figure 3.1 shows the patent with different configurations that
was already requested in 1965 by Kunio Hashimoto (Hashimoto, 1967). These figures are enlarged in
Appendix A: First pipe conveyor patent.

Figure 3.1: JPC Patent first pipe conveyor (Hashimoto, 1967)

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It can be seen in figure 3.1 that the basic components, as described in section 2.1, are present in this first
patent. Remarkable is the presence of the zipper closing mechanism that was invented and used by
Stephens-Adamson in the 1950s but also partly rejected shortly afterwards. Besides that, the illustrated
idler configurations do not fit the modern inline and offline configuration. The first pilots with this
concept were only done in 1970 because the details to maintain a pipe shape were not yet understood
well enough.

Mr. Hashimoto persisted on his basic idea and drew the Bridgestone Rubber Company into the
development of a suitable pipe conveyor system in exchange for manufacturing rights. A second and
third trial took place in respectively 1975 and 1976 resulting in a successful straight level pipe conveyor.
In 1977 a concept was developed that allowed for steep inclined transportation. The first three major
difficulties that were overcome with this development in these first seven years were the following
according to C. Buchanan (Buchanan, 1985):

- Developing a belt with relative rigidity to allow a flat belt to be formed and maintained in a pipe
shape.
- Developing a technique for correcting misalignment and twisting.
- Developing the best arrangement of carrying and controlling the pipe belt.

After these successful trials the first commercial pipe conveyor system was installed at Kitakyushu Sand
Co-op in Japan in 1979. It consisted of two 300mm diameter conveyors of 20 and 28 meters in length,
which are still in operation. Shortly after this first application the Japan Pipe Conveyor Company was
formed in 1982, which also resulted in a dedicated research and development department for pipe
conveyor systems (Staples, 2002).

3.2 Improvements of pipe conveyor

As stated above, the first working commercial pipe conveyor had a maximum length of 28m. Currently,
the longest pipe conveyor already reaches up to a length of 16.4km with 8,172m centre distance
according to Phoenix Extreme Conveyor Belt Solutions (Phoenix). Although research and development
in pipe conveyor systems has only been been carried out for a few decades, significant improvements
have been established to allow for this increase in length and capacity. Each of these advancements will
be discussed in the continuation of this section.

3.2.1 Pipe conveyor belt

A critical development resulting in the increasing length of the pipe conveyor is the adaption of the belt.
As stated by Y. Zhang and R. Steven (Zhang et al., 2012) the pipe conveyor belt has much greater
influence on the system performance than through belt does with leading factor for this performance
being the belt stiffness. When the belt is rolled into the pipe shape the intrinsic bending stiffness turns
into the contact pressure on the surrounding idler rolls. As the higher belt stiffness results in higher
contact pressure the stability of the pipe belt increases with better resistance against twisting and
collapsing. However, this goes of the expense of increased power consumption and higher belt tension.
Therefore, it is essential to design a belt based on a balance of these factors for each application
individually. The research in pipe conveyors resulted in experimental and numerical ways to determine
this best fitting stiffness. During the first years of the pipe conveyor these methods for stiffness
determination were not available or based on analytical simplifications and basic experiments resulting
in not optimal stiffness calculations. Consequently, these first pipe conveyors had less stability and could
therefore not be as long and fast moving as the better adjusted belts of the present days.

The ways to obtain this mentioned, balanced stiffness also developed during the years. According to
Teijin (Teijin, 2016) the first reinforcements of belts consisted of aligned cotton fibres, followed up by
polyester and polyamide fibres. However, these reinforcing fibres have the serious drawback of a low
stiffness module. This low stiffness module led to too much elongation of the belt for longer pipe
conveyors. Teijin illustrates this with showing that for a 5km conveyor installation, 10km looped, an
elongation of 3% already results in 300m of excess belt that has to be taken up.

2017.TEL.8181 10
The alternative reinforcement, allowing for longer belts, was the implementation of steel chords. These
chords were first equally aligned in longitudinal direction over the total belt width permitting for longer
belts relative to the fibre reinforced belts. However, research in these steel chords structures showed that
specific orientations could accomplish an even better stiffness balance. Conveyor Dynamics Inc. and
Veyance Technologies Inc. (Zhang et al., 2012) developed a belt with three zones; a centre tension
carrying zone with steel cords, an overlap zone with reduced number of steel cords and a junction zone
with no steel cords. Another example is provided by Phoenix Extreme Conveyor Belt Solutions with the
Phoenopipe steel cord belt (Phoenix). In this belt the separate, non-interwoven cords are spaced
optimally satisfying the specific requirements of a pipe conveyor system. Due to this optimally spaced
cords the belt greatly ups the restoring force and thus the trackability. These improved characteristics of
the belt repeatedly allowed for longer belt conveyors and higher belt speed resulting in more capacity.

Although the steel-cord belts granted a remarkable increase in conveyor length it also required required
a higher energy consumption due to its high mass. Solution for this high mass steel cords could be the
aramid fibres as stated by Teijin and G. Lodewijks (Teijin, 2016), (Lodewijks, 2011). Aramid fibres are
almost as strong as steel, but a lot lighter. Therefore, the mentioned balanced stiffness could be achieved
with a large decrease of required power. Lodewijks verified this weight reduction with a case-study of
belt installation in South-Africa. Replacing this steel-cord belt with an aramid reinforced belt resulted
in approximately 15% less moving mass.

To compare the above described materials that allowed for longer pipe conveyor belts over the years
figure 3.2 shows the belt elongation and recommended take-up percentage of centre distance with
different reinforcement materials.

Figure 3.2: Reinforcement comparison (Arts, 2009)

A last improvement in the belt design is not in the carcass structure but in the running layer of the belt.
These rolling layers cause resistance when rolling over the idlers resulting in a loss of up to 60% driving
energy for long conveyors according to Teijin (Teijin, 2016). Over the years the outer layer of the belt
has been replaced by low rolling resistance rubbers and even super low rolling resistance compounds.
A recently implemented running layer compound is sulfron, an aramid-based rubber ingredient produced
by Teijin that reduces hysteresis. In the same case-study as mentioned above Lodewijks (Lodewijks,
2011) showed that a combination of aramid reinforced fibres with sulfron in the running layer could
reduce the belt power consumption by 25% again allowing for longer pipe conveyor systems and higher
belt speed.

3.2.2 Idler and panel design

Besides the belt improvements, the panel and idler design have also been subject to changes. The
original design of the pipe conveyor started with a panel that had six idlers on one side, called the inline
arrangement as described in section 2.2.3. As a result, the belt often got trapped between the idlers

2017.TEL.8181 11
causing belt damage. This complication limited the length of the pipe conveyor significantly. Nowadays,
the configuration of three idlers on either side of the panel, the offset arrangement, is used more and
more. Although the inline arrangement was considered better suited for longer conveyors, the offset
arrangement is now taking over. As trapping of the belt happens less often with the offset arrangement
higher belt tension can be taken up, which comes with longer pipe conveyors. The current longest pipe
conveyor in the world of 16.4km supports this statement as it uses the offset arrangement.

In addition to the panel design, the idler design itself is also a length restricting factor. Due to the inline
arrangement and the consideration that pipe conveyors were for low capacity and short lengths, the idler
diameters were in the range of 60 to 80mm (Staples, 2002). However, research of L.K. Nordell (Nordell,
1989) showed that the power drawn by a conveyor is related to the idler diameter, with less required
power for larger diameters. Therefore, now larger diameter idlers are tending to be used to increase the
maximum length of the pipe conveyor. Furthermore, the bearings of the idlers improved over the years
and the material of which the idlers are made became less cohesive with the belt material. These
improvements both resulted in less energy consumption allowing for longer belts and higher capacities.

3.2.3 Drive systems

Another development for pipe conveyor systems has taken place in the drive system design and selection
of the drive itself. The most conventional drive system has a drive pulley and a tensioning pulley, but
as described by G. Lodewijks (Lodewijks, 2001) the addition of an intermediate drive can save up to
30% in belt tension allowing for longer systems. Disadvantage of this multiple drive configuration is
the required exact coupling of the individual drives. This conventional and multiple drive configuration
are shown in figure 3.3.

Figure 3.3: Conventional and multiple drive system (Lodewijks, 2001)

The pulleys have also been adapted over the years with small shape changes and improved cover
material. Most of the pulleys are now completely covered with vulcanized rubber to prevent slipping of
the belt. Furthermore, Cisco-Eagle (Cisco-Eagle) states that a drive pulley that is larger in the middle
helps to keep the belt in the centre, which improves the performance of the drive. Lastly, pulley selection
for certain systems has became more accurate as result of improved system simulations. A better suited
pulley improves the system performance and thus extends the maximum conveyor length and capacity.

At last, the engines and couplings have also been improved over the years. More efficient engines with
variable frequency drives have been developed resulting in more available power to drive longer pipe
conveyors and allow higher belt speed. Besides the more efficient use of the power, the available power
itself also increased with the same result. A more recent development that contributed to longer pipe
conveyor systems is the voith fluid coupling, which is able to transmit rotating mechanical power with
high efficiency. According to Voith Engineered Reliability (Voith) no other component contributes more
to smooth belt operation. It is also stated that extremely long and heavily loaded belt conveyors can start
up and accelerate reliably when equipped with these voith fluid couplings. These same couplings also
enable for better cooperation of multiple drive pulleys, providing a solution for the required exact
alignment of the individual engines with active load sharing.

Thus, better combinations of drive pulleys, improved engines and advanced couplings contribute to the
possibility to further upscale pipe conveyors over the years.

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3.3 Development overview
Thus although the pipe conveyor system concept is relatively new, it has already been subjected to a lot
of development resulting in the increase of conveyor length from an initial 28m to 16.4km recently. The
first ideas of troughed conveying originated back to 1959 by Mr. S. Hasimoto. Shortly after the
installation of the first commercial pipe conveyor system in 1979, JPC established a research &
development department that led to the first improvements to increase the possible conveyor length. In
the subsequent years developments have taken place in the areas of conveyor belts, idler and panel
design and drive systems. Together these advancements allowed a gradual increase in conveyor length.
Figure 3.4 shows a brief timeline with the most important milestones in the development of the pipe
conveyor systems with respect to conveyor length. Figure 3.5 shows the amount pipe conveyors sorted
per length from 1978 till 2002, with the striking observation that short pipe conveyors have still been
installed much more than longer ones. Although more recent specific data is not available about pipe
conveyor length, it is expected that the amount of long conveyors increased as result of the above
described developments.

Figure 3.4: Timeline major milestones pipe conveyor development (Conveyor Dynamics Inc.)

Figure 3.5: Pipe conveyor length (Staples, 2002)

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4. Application fields
This chapter will further elaborate on most of the different application fields of pipe conveyor
systems. For each field the corresponding characteristics will be mentioned. Furthermore, two
examples for every field will be provided. An overview with more examples ordered based on
length scale is provided in Appendix B Pipe conveyor application examples. As according to Elecon
(Elecon) and Beumer Press Releases (Beumer Press Releases) the port bulk handling, mining in
combination with steel, cement and power plant industries are the most common application fields
these will be discussed in section 4.1 till section 4.4 respectively. The chemical and food industry
are two application fields that are relatively new with the pipe conveyor concept and will be both
be discussed in section 4.5 and section 4.6 respectively.

4.1 Port bulk handling

Bulk handling and container handling are two of the major activities that take place in the port industry.
Pipe conveyor systems are applied on big scale in the bulk handling industry. Only the port of Rotterdam
already had a throughput of 461.2 million tonnes of bulk in 2016 of which 82.3 million tonnes were dry
bulk (Port of Rotterdam Authority, 2017). The pipe conveyor system is mainly useful to transport this
dry bulk. The two most important characteristics of the pipe conveyor that provide an advantage in port
dry bulk handling are the ability to contain material dust and spillage and the flexibility of the system.
Port areas are often close to populated areas resulting in restricting rules with respect to diffusion of
materials. Especially the handling of dry bulk encounters considerable dust dissipation during transport
with conveyors. As described before in section 2.3 the closed conveyor can prevent this scattering of
dust during the transport except for the loading and unloading area. Furthermore, the curved
transportation eliminates transfer points, which are significant contributors to the arise of dust. Besides
that, material spillage is also prevented resulting in less waste and higher capacity. Lastly, the flexibility
of pipe conveyors can be convenient as the port areas are often closely spaced and bulk storage fields
are often not perfectly aligned. So again the allowance for curved transportation is a useful characteristic
of the pipe conveyor systems.

An example of a pipe conveyor system specific for transportation within the port area is the second pipe
conveyor installed in the Netherlands. Swarttouw Stevedoring Company in Rotterdam installed a 120m
long pipe conveyor that could transport phosphate and petroleum cokes. It provided a transport system
in which contact of the material with the environment around Rotterdam and material spillage was
minimized (Brands). Still, most of the ports use open belt conveyors to transport their bulk within the
bulk terminal areas and only pipe conveyors to transport their bulk immediately to plants or warehouses
located inland.

Example of a longer inland pipe conveyor that connects to a harbour is the 3km pipe conveyor in the
port of Callao transporting zinc, copper and lead concentrates from warehouses to the terminal
(BulkInside). However, stricter environmental rules and increasing shortage of space due to bulk
handling growth push harbours to examine the possibilities for pipe conveyors within their bulk handling
areas (GreenPort).

4.2 Mining industry

The second industry in which the pipe conveyor plays a role is the mining industry, which also includes
the steel industry as those are most of the times combined. Most of the mines or excavation sites are not
located next to the processing plant or storage area. To transport the material from the mines to these
secondary locations pipe conveyors can be of great use. Different from the conveyors in the port areas,
these pipe conveyors often have to bridge longer distances with horizontal inclinations or curves as
result of the mine locations. Similar advantage is the protection of environmental sensitive areas and
material spillage reduction. The material spillage prevention is of even larger importance as the pipe
conveyors cover longer distances (BulkInside). Besides that, the pipe conveyor most of the times
replaces material transport by trucks. This results in less occupation of the roads by these trucks and

2017.TEL.8181 14
relative emission reduction if the pipe conveyor is long enough. Though, one will only find the pipe
conveyors in mining industries with limited lump size particles. According to R. A. Carter (Carter, 2015)
pipe conveyors are hardly applied in for example hard rock mines as they can not convey the particle
size that is often present. Therefore, the pipe conveyors will be more suitable for mineral sand or metal
concentrate mines.

A first remarkable example is the skyline mine pipe conveyor of 3.4km in Utah. This pipe conveyor
transports 1270 tonnes of crushed coal from the mine site to the train loading facilities. The total system
has 22 horizontal and 45 vertical turns while overcoming an elevation drop of 172m. Upon initial
installation this pipe conveyor was the highest capacity and second longest steel cord pipe conveyor in
the world. Research showed that the replacing the conventional truck transport by this pipe conveyor
improved the efficiency for maintenance and operations by a factor 9 (Minkin et al.). Although longer
and higher capacity pipe conveyors have been installed afterwards it still remains as remarkable material
handling system.

Another example of a pipe conveyor in the mining industry is the 5.3km long conveyor in Papua New
Guinea (FLSmidth). It transports gold ore from the mine site to the process plant. All curves of the
system together add up to 719 degrees, being two full turns of a circle. Besides that, the system first
overcomes an elevation drop of 520m to the river valley continued by a rise of 300m to the discharge
point at the end. To overcome these height differences, it was chosen to install four motor of 630kW in
twin configuration on both the tail and head end. This resulted in a capacity of 7800 tonnes of ore per
hour with a pipe diameter of only 300mm and belt speed of 4m/s.

4.3 Cement industry

The third major industry, the cement industry, uses the two-way transfer and dust suppression
characteristic of the pipe conveyor the most. Often the cement plants are fed with limestone and
aluminosilicate material via the upper run of the pipe conveyor, while clinker, a cement product, is fed
back via the lower run of the pipe conveyor. This clinker consists of larger particles but also of a lot of
small particles that are sensitive to vibration. Therefore, the closed surface of the pipe conveyor is
necessary for the confinement of this dust in the two-way system or the single way system when only
clinker is transported to the cement mills. Another difference of the pipe conveyors in this industry is
that often a heat resistant belt is required as the clinker is transported immediately after the sintering of
the raw materials as mentioned by Sempertrans (Sempertrans) and Dunlop Conveyor Belting (Dunlop).

A first example that shows the use of the two-way transfer option and heat resistance of the pipe
conveyor is the earlier described, currently longest pipe conveyor in the world of 16.4km (Phoenix).
The lower run of this pipe conveyor, designed by Phoenix, transports raw coal and limestone from the
ship unloading station to the cement plant, while the upper run transports the clinker at 80º Celsius back
to the ship loading station. This belt is built underneath the streets of Lima and overcomes an altitude
drop of 164m with the smallest curve radius being 300m. Figure 4.1 shows the remarkable setup of the
PHOENOPIPE® pipe conveyor.

Figure 4.1: PHOENOPIPE® pipe conveyor (Phoenix)

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As second example of the application of pipe conveyor systems in the cement industry can be found at
the cement factory Portlandzementwerk Wotan H. Schneider. For this cement factory Beumer Group
designed a 213m-long pipe conveying system to transport the clinker to the cement mill (Beumer Group
II). Since the pipe conveyor was completely enclosed, preventing drop of material, and small radius
curves were possible it could be build above the working area of the plant crossing roads and walking
paths. Besides that, the standard characteristic of dust suppression was important for the employees and
people living in the vicinity. As additional, innovative feature low-noise bearings and electric motor
were used in this design to limit the noise to a minimum to create an even more pleasant environment
for these employees and close living people.

4.4 Power plant industry

In this last major pipe conveyor industry, the conveyor systems are mainly used to transport fuel to the
power plants. However, in this industry the two-way option can also be used to transport the residue of
the power plant, like fly or bottom ash, back to storage areas or other transport commodities. To keep
these toxic residues away from contact with the surrounding environment the closed conveying option
of the pipe conveyor plays again an important role. But besides this pollution prevention the closed
conveyor also prevents the flammable ashes as stated by Powermag (Douberly, 2007) to spread in the
air and ignite. A last advantage of the pipe conveyor in the power plant industry is the ability to easily
control the feed and discharge of the plant.

A first example of this application of the pipe conveyor is the 6.9km-long pipe conveyor that supplies
the Jindal Super Thermal Power Plant in India with coal from the mines (Jindal Power Limited, 2009).
This pipe conveyor is build on an elevated structure, which in combination with the closed conveying
does not affect the existent roads and nature too much.

As second example the pipe conveyor of 475m centre distance that supplies the Linz AG power station
with fuel shows an even more inventive use of the pipe conveyor (Beumer Group I). Instead of the
common fuel like coal it transports household and industrial waste as well as sewage sludge from the
treatment plant to the power station. Both stations are located within a public area, which makes the
closed design of the pipe conveyor important. The tubular closed shape prevents drop of the waste,
unpleasant smells and pollution of the environment. Besides that, a height difference of 24 metres is
bridged from the feeding to the discharge point. Similar to the pipe conveyor at the Portlandzementwerk
cement factory special idlers, low-noise bearings and correct conveying speed are used to improve the
environment of the employees and people living in that area.

4.5 Chemical industry

More recent application field of the pipe conveyor is the chemical industry. The closed transport belt
ensures that the chemicals do not degrade as they do not come in contact with the environment.
Furthermore, the systems can not be dangerous for employees that work in the same area due to the
closed belt. Based on the chemicals that need to be transported the belt and supporting structure need
treatment with chemical resistant material to prevent corrosion or with heat resistant material to prevent
ignition of the chemicals or belt damage. As stated by Continental Belting (Continental Belting) the
chemicals are often very effective in their nature and therefore their transport need a high level of
automation and accurate processing. As a result, the pipe conveyors in this industry are mostly of small
scale with very precise loading and unloading stations. An even newer development in the chemical
industry that challenges the implementation of pipe conveyors is the vacuum conveyor. Because vacuum
conveyors are not suitable for particles with varying size distribution it is not yet really suitable to apply
in the previously described industries, but in the chemical industry it already offers a valuable
replacement for the short pipe conveyors (Powder Bulk Solids).

2017.TEL.8181 16
Good examples are the two parallel pipe conveyors of
6.2km with 102m height difference used by Kailin
Fertilizer Co. in China (Sichuan Zigong Conveying
Machine Group). A low rolling resistant belt was
installed in these configurations to safe energy and
enable the relative long length of the system. According
to research described by Yijun Zhang (Zhang et al., 2012)
this low rolling resistance belt saves about 4 million kWh
per year compared to a conventional pipe belt based on
3.2 million metric ton annual tonnage. The pipe
conveyors were introduced as a pro-environment project Figure 4.2: Parallel pipe conveyors Kailin
in 2012 as the discharge of phosphogypsum residue project (Conveyor Dynamics Inc.)
could now be taken from wet, being discharged in the
Wujiang river, to dry, being discharged in a dedicated storage. The closed transportation of the material
was of importance as the residue has some weak radioactivity and contact with the environment was
therefore harmful.

A second example described by Conveyor Dynamics (Conveyor Dynamics, 2016 May) is the
combination of two pipe conveyors that transport raw calcium sulphate to the same processing plant.
Both pipe conveyors cover a length of 1.2km and transport the sulphate 205m upwards with a 300m
horizontal curve just after the inclination, shown in figure 4.2. The advantage of the pipe conveyor for
this particular transport is mainly the shielding of the material of different kinds of weather and the
allowance for the steep inclination of the belt.

4.6 Food industry

The food industry has already known and used belt conveyors for a relatively long time. However, the
application of pipe conveyors is promising for situations in which the conventional belt conveyor is not
competent. The closed pipe conveyor concept is particularly useful in the raw food industry where
temperatures, humidity or contamination of product are concerned. When products that form the basis
of food are transported from their agricultural site to a processing plant the pipe conveyor can be a useful
asset. Different from the other application areas it is very important that the belt remains hygienic, which
requires extra cleaning systems. Furthermore, the belt material should not influence the taste and
structure of the product. Pipe conveyors can in that sense be beneficial for the hygiene as material is
contained within the belt and cannot end up between the system components. Road Engineering (Road
Engineering) introduces the wrap conveyor as a more advanced pipe conveyor concept that fits the food
industry better. It combines the concept of the enclosed pipe conveyor with a resin material belt that is
hygienic, easy to clean and allows for inclination angles up to 78° if small tooth-shaped baffles are
implemented. They state that the wrap conveyor is the best for direct transportation of raw products like
sake race, coffee beans, grain and fruit in food manufacturing processes. Remarkable is the application
of more and smaller idlers in their wrap conveyors to support and guide the pipe, an example can be
seen in figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3: Road Engineering wrap conveyor (Road Engineering)

2017.TEL.8181 17
Still, similar as for the chemical industry more innovative systems as pneumatic conveyors or tubular
drag or screw conveyors are already partly expelling the increasing influence of the pipe conveyor in
this application field. Steeper angles and faster transportation within the processing plant can be
achieved with these concepts, resulting is a higher performance of the overall system. Besides that, the
conventional open belt conveyor, most of the time with standing baffles, is often sufficient to transport
solid foods within the plants. So the application of pipe conveyors will mainly be limited to materials
that easily scatter or have to be transported via outside environment.

Despite that IBT, FFE Minerals and Boumans in Grain handling and storage (Brands), (FFE Minerals,
2013), (Boumans, 1985) mention the application of their pipe conveyors in the food industry, no detailed
illustrative cases can be found in affiliated literature with enough technical details. However, the
Liftvrac lifting conveyor (Liftvrac) is a system based on the pipe conveyor concept that is specific for
the food industry. This system is a small scale pipe conveyor that can transport the products under a
high inclination angle. Using a polyurethane conveyor belt the texture of the product can not be damaged
and the high hygienic standards can be met. The setup of the system is shown in figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4: Liftvrac pipe conveyor lifting equipment (Liftvrac)

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5. Innovativeness and Sustainability
This chapter briefly outlines the innovative and sustainable aspects of the pipe conveyor systems.
Most of these aspects have already been disguisedly introduced before, but will be now be restated
in the context of these terms. Both innovativeness and sustainability will be elaborated on in
section 5.1 and section 5.2 respectively. In each section a comparison will be made with the
conventional belt conveyor. However, due to the novelty of the pipe conveyor concept limited data
is available resulting in only restricted proclamations.

5.1 Innovativeness
The innovative aspects of the pipe conveyor are mostly the same as the characteristics described in
section 2.3. Although closed conveying was already tried out with moulded teeth and closing
mechanisms the pipe conveyor was the first widely applicable alternative that was more environmental
acceptable than the conventional belt conveyor. The pipe conveyor concept obviated the need for
enclosure structures of the belt and diminished the spillage of material and environmental damage that
the transport could cause. However, as the transition parts of the pipe conveyor are still open it does not
differ from the conventional belt for that part of the system.

Besides the spillage and environmental damage reduction, the closed conveying also offered an option
to implement conveyor technology in the transportation of environmentally sensitive materials as food
and degradable raw materials allowing for faster transportation with higher capacity.

Furthermore, the flexibility of the pipe conveyor is an innovative aspect with respect to longer conveyor
technologies. As shown by figure 2.7 the pipe conveyor permits steeper inclination angles with respect
to the belt conveyor. Pouch and pocket belts and pneumatic systems do allow for even much steeper
angles, but in conveying length these systems stay behind the pipe conveyor. Therefore, the possibility
to implement steeper inclination angles in combination with long length belts can be seen as an
innovative. Likewise, the small radii for curves in the pipe conveyor system signifies innovativeness as
the systems does not require transfer stations anymore and thus reduces space utilization. The
combination of this tight curves with the allowed inclination makes the pipe conveyor system even more
innovative in the field of long conveyor systems.

A last innovation that particularly resulted from the adaption of conventional belt conveyor concept to
that of the pipe conveyor is the two-way transportation option. The return part of the belt can also be
used to transport the same, processed or completely different material back to any discharging place
along the belt. The fact that in this way the capacity of the belt system can be raised or even doubled
without extending the system or adding a supplemental one can be considered as innovative.

5.2 Sustainability
Sustainability has multiple definitions, but for this section the description of the World Commission on
Environment and Development is used: “Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the
present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” (World
Commission on Environment and Developments, 1987)

First of all, the pipe conveyor belt does not surpass the life of a conventional belt according to IBT
(Brands) with a possible average lifetime of 10 to 15 years if no mechanical damage occurs. However,
advantage of the pipe conveyor is that this damage does occur less often then with the conventional
systems. For the conventional systems misalignment of the belt can result in contact with supports and
beams leading to mechanical damage. For the pipe conveyor this will not occur as long as the pipe shape
is maintained. At the transition of the belt this mechanical damage is also not usual as the belt will enter
and leave the hexagon configurations on the centreline of the pulley. However, as the belt lifetime is
strongly dependent on the material conveyed, its abrasiveness, hardness, size and shape, impact at
loading point and flow velocity (Chandrasekaran, 2017) it is not possible to make an exact numerical

2017.TEL.8181 19
comparison. Therefore, the belt of a pipe conveyor is considered slightly less sustainable than the belts
of conventional conveyors. Still it is expected that the continues developments of the belts, as for
example implementation of aramid fibres as described in section 3.2.1, will grant increasing lifetime.
As then less belts will be amortised the environment will be less contaminated increasing the
sustainability.

Secondly, the energy consumption of pipe conveyors is directly related to the sustainability of these
systems. As stated by amongst others IBT, Franz Kessler and G. Vaka (Brands), (Kessler, 2003), (Vaka,
1998) the energy consumption of the pipe conveyor system by itself is a bit higher. Due to the extra
amount of idlers, bigger load on these idlers, transformation of the belt into the pipe shape and product
filled pipe while negotiating the hexagon configuration extra energy is required. However, the flexible
curve and inclination characteristics of the pipe conveyor can result in better energy performance for
the overall system. Due to these curve and steeper inclination allowance the normally transfer points
can be eliminated. This could result in less energy consumption then when the system is build with
multiple conventional conveyors with transfer constructions in between. As accessory the need for
maintenance also decreases when these transfer points are eliminated. Therefore, as expressed by IBT
(Brands) the larger the number of conveyors needed to cover the trajectory, the better and more
sustainable the position of the pipe conveyor will become with respect to the energy consumption and
maintenance.

Lastly, a directly related aspect of the pipe conveyor system to sustainability is the totally enclosed
system. GreenPort (GreenPort) also mentions the implementation of pipe conveyors in their article
about bulk cargo handling cleaning up their act to achieve more sustainable operation. Although the
pipe conveyor prevents only material spillage in the local environment at the moment of conveying, in
the long term spreading to the global environment is also precluded. As continuation of the above
described, the elimination of transfer points also plays a role in the environmental pollution. These
transfer points are major contributors to material spillage into the environment of belt conveyor systems.
Therefore, the possibility of curved pipe conveyor paths and thus the phasing out of transfer points
creates a more sustainable system. Especially for the transport of environmentally dangerous materials
as radioactive products like the example in section 4.5 the pipe conveyor is offering a sustainable
solution that takes into account the environment for future generations.

2017.TEL.8181 20
6. Future challenges
This chapter elaborates on some of the challenges that still remain for the development of the pipe
conveyor concept. Although relatively much improvements have been made in a short period time,
there are still ways to advance these systems. Implementation of intelligent control for this
transport technology could be an option to further enhance these systems. Section 6.1 will first
describe potential developments that are currently under investigation. Subsequently, section 6.2
elaborates on the possibilities to implement intelligent control based on the findings of this study.

6.1 Potential developments

As stated before and confirmed by Shuang Wang et al. (Wang et al., 2016) in their paper about a low
resistance permanent magnet pipe belt conveyor the pipe conveyor has numerous advantages but also a
lot of drawbacks. It is stated that the large number of movement parts, high maintenance costs, large
operation resistance and increased friction between the idlers and the belt may cause problems. Besides
that, the conveyor system on its own still uses more energy than the conventional conveyor belts.
Therefore, conveying without idlers is currently the focus of the low resistant belt conveyor studies as
that could reduce these drawbacks the most. Magnetic guidance of the pipe belt could offer a suitable
setup to reduce mechanical friction and operation resistance of the belt. An applicable concept provided
by Shuang Wang et al. with 6 permanent magnets and a pipe magnetic conveyor belt is shown in figure
6.1 (Wang et al., 2016).

Figure 6.1: Magnetic pipe conveyor

support structure (Wang et al., 2016)

Simulation models and analyses showed that the under the right air gap conditions the magnetic system
could achieve the required stability with very low resistance. However, it is also stated that fluctuating
magnetic flux densities could result in deviation of the conveyor belt running. Therefore, anti-deviation
devices should be installed to accommodate the functioning of the system. Overall the magnetic
guidance is a promising concept, but further research is required to acquire exact knowledge of system
behaviour in different environments with varying products.

A second option to eliminate movement components and thus reduce the operational drawbacks is to
integrate the delivery and return belt if the commercial application does not need a two-way
transportation system. In 2013 the Bosmin Coaxial Pipe Conveyor concept was proposed incorporating
the delivery and return conveyor into a single bi-directional pipe (Hastie et al., 2013). This was achieved
by using flexible helical idler springs to support and contain the belt sections as shown in figure 6.2. It
appeared that this system could negotiate curves down to 25:1 curve radius/pipe diameter, had a
relatively light structure, low full load running resistance and short transition sections. However, Bosmin
did not progress a detailed design beyond their standard coal demonstration model resulting in the
disruption of the concept.

2017.TEL.8181 21
 Figure 6.2: Bosmin Coaxial Pipe
Conveyor (Hastie et al., 2013)

Still, this system could constitute a concept that allows for increase in conveyor length in the future. As
the belt is tightly guided misalignment and twisting of the belt is better prevented resulting in less
complications with high belt tension for long pipe conveyors. Besides that, the compact structure in
combination with the possible tight curves requires less space utilization. Future improvements on the
existing frame could be achieved by implementing the low rolling resistance bearings and belts as
previously described in section 3.2.2. Similar to the magnetic guidance concept further research of the
application of this concept in different fields is required to gain the necessary knowledge to determine
whether this could be a promising system in the future.

6.2 Intelligent control

The concept of intelligent control is already known in the conveying industry with different applications
as speed, force and alignment monitoring. These monitoring operations have separately been combined
with basic software that could improve the functioning of the pipe conveyor. However, if a combination
of speed, force and alignment monitoring could be integrated with artificial intelligence, the operation
and loading of pipe conveyor systems could potentially be improved. If the speed of the belt is not
correct, too much belt tension and misalignment could be a result and vice versa. The system should
acquire data and then identify, localize and solve abnormalities. Depending on the combination of the
acquired measurements the system should decide what appropriate actions to carry out. This kind of
intelligent belt conveyor monitoring and control has already been proven to have a high success potential
for conventional belt conveyors (Pang, 2010) and could therefore be beneficial for pipe conveyor
systems too.

6.2.1 Measurements
New methods are developed to carry out the above described measurements. Gates (Gates) established
a laser device that is capable of measuring the alignment of a V-shaped belt. The same technique could
be used to obtain data about the pipe conveyor alignment in all directions for the total length of the
system. The belt tension can be obtained using load cells installed in between the belt supporting idlers
(Pang, 2010). The deflection of the belt could also be related to belt tension, but for longer pipe
conveyors that becomes relatively complicated with respect to load cell measurements. The last
important facet of the intelligent control system is the speed monitoring. According to Lodewijks
(Lodewijks et al., 1998) the belt speed is not only necessary to confirm the desired operating speed, but
also to verify the starting and stopping dynamics of the overall conveyor system. To obtain the right belt
velocity the rotational speed of the pulleys or engine could be measured, but also the belt speed directly.
The most popular methods to carry out these measurements are magnetic pickup sensors or optical
encoders according to Lodewijks (Lodewijks et al., 1998). As magnetic pickup sensors can yield

2017.TEL.8181 22
significant errors due to inaccuracy at low speeds, the optical encoder could be more suitable for long
pipe conveyor systems. These optical encoders are attached to a measuring device that is in touch with
the belt surface as shown in figure 6.3. A combination of optical encoders can even be used to measure
possible belt slippage, which is relatable to the tension or misalignment. Combining the measurement
of actual belt speed with measurement of the angular speed of the drive pulley a difference in speed
indicates slippage.

Figure 6.3: Belt speed measurement (Dynapar)

6.2.2 Artificial intelligence

Intelligent control of a pipe conveyor system can only be carried when automated decisions are made
based on the above described measurements. The relatively new concept of artificial intelligence
presents a pertinent opportunity to combine the data in a comprehensive intelligent system. Although
many divergent definitions are present, artificial intelligence can be described as the ability of machines
to simulate human intelligence processes including learning, reasoning, correcting, making decisions
and ordering executive assignments. Difficulty in the development of a suitable intelligent system is the
wide variation of pipe conveyor arrangements and applications. Each artificial intelligence system
should have their precisely adjusted algorithms to properly adapt to the operating circumstances. The
implementation of the learning curve in the intelligent control system could be an option to allow for
wide application. As then a basic artificial intelligence system could be developed for pipe conveyors,
which is adaptable for each specific application. With this fully functioning integrated intelligent control
system in combination with the previously described achieved developments the pipe conveyor could
even be further scaled up. However, the research and development of artificial intelligence and even
more the learning curve feature is relatively in its infancy. Therefore, it is of importance that a lot more
research is done in the application of artificial intelligence in combination with a pipe conveyor system.
Until then the basic feedback computer control of speed, tension and alignment will remain the most
convenient option to enhance the operation of the pipe conveyor systems.

2017.TEL.8181 23
7. Conclusion
So, the characteristics and configurations of the pipe conveyor are distinguishing the concept from other
conveyor systems and various improvements enhanced the allowable system scales during the last years.
The idea of the pipe conveyor originated from adaption of the conventional belt conveyor, but continued
to develop as a self-contained concept. From the first commercial installation of 28m in 1979 the system
grew to a low rolling resistant pipe conveyor of 16.4km transporting material in two ways. However,
still a number of challenges remain for future enhancement of the concept of which implementation of
intelligent control could be one. Further increasing system length, decreasing resistances and allowing
for even more flexible structures are challenges that still have to be overcome. Intelligent control based
on the relatively new concept of artificial intelligence could ameliorate the system performance, which
contributes to overcoming future obstacles.

The main positive characteristics of the pipe conveyor were the totally enclosed belt, which prevented
material spillage and environment pollution, allowance for tight curves, inclination angles up to 30° and
two-way transportation. Besides that, low investment cost, low maintenance costs and high operational
safety were also mentioned as typical for pipe conveyor systems. On the other side remarks were made
about the high energy consumption, larger required belt width, overload sensitivity, oversize sensitivity,
difficult repair and backed-up heat. Thus, it can be stated that the characteristics of the pipe conveyor
are certainly not only positive, but that the positive characteristics can provide remarkable advantages
for the right application fields. Furthermore, it is shown that pipe conveyor systems can be constructed
in different configurations. Differences in belt type, closing mechanism, idler configuration, belt
returning and feeding and discharge sections accommodate the necessary requirements for each
application field of the pipe conveyor.

Remarkable in this literature study is also the noted development of the pipe conveyor systems with
regard to the scale. From the first ideas and patent in 1967 especially the belt, panel and idler design and
drive systems were subjected to developments resulting in longer systems with higher capacities. More
advanced belt carcasses and materials in combination with improved panel and idlers designs reduced
operational resistances. Moreover, the drive system design and drive itself improved over the years. In
combination with for example the described progressive voith couplings longer pipe conveyors with
higher capacities became possible.

Amongst others these developments resulted in a wide variation of application fields. The most common
are the port bulk handling, mining, cement and power plant industries. But the chemical and food
industry also use pipe conveyor systems increasingly. However, the development of systems like
pneumatic or drag chain conveyors is catching up and possibly overtaking that of the pipe conveyor in
application fields with small particles that do not vary much in size.

It was also shown that the pipe conveyor could certainly be seen as innovative within the range of
conveyors. Particularly the advantages of closed conveying, while still allowing for a flexible and long
system that is able to carry out two-way transport, validate the innovative aspect. Besides this assertion
of innovativeness, the sustainability of the system was also discussed. Based on the belt and energy
consumption the pipe conveyor might not be as sustainable as a conventional belt conveyor. However,
depending on the path and the amount of required transfer points for a conventional belt the pipe
conveyor could surpass the conventional belt in terms of sustainability. Furthermore, looking at the
prevented direct contact of potentially pollution material with the surroundings the concept of pipe
conveyor can be considered as decidedly sustainable.

Lastly, it should be acknowledged that there are still challenges in the design of the pipe conveyor
systems. Currently, magnetic guidance support systems and systems with less movement components
could offer new opportunities to extend the current and future pipe conveyor systems. Perhaps even
more promising is the implementation of intelligent control to enhance the operation of the complete

2017.TEL.8181 24
system. Artificial intelligence could play a vital role in establishing these intelligent control systems for
pipe conveyors. The learning curve aspect of artificial intelligence could be of benefit for the wide
application of the system. Yet, more research is required to develop suitable algorithms that fit every
possible pipe conveyor utilization.

Now that this report has presented more insight in the concept of the pipe conveyor, follow-up studies
could use this study as basis for their research. The widespread and limited information about pipe
conveyors has been bundled as much as possible in this study providing an appropriate overview.
However, detailed analysis of the performance of the system based on mathematical or finite and
discrete element models is still open for research. These kind of researches could clarify even more
profound how the pipe conveyor can be characterised and developed with respect to its scale.

2017.TEL.8181 25
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2017.TEL.8181 29
Appendix
Appendix A: Pipe Conveyor Patent

Figure A.1: Pipe conveyor patent - Part I (Hashimoto, 1967)

2017.TEL.8181 30
 Figure A.2: Pipe conveyor patent – Part II (Hashimoto, 1967)

2017.TEL.8181 31
 Figure A.3: Pipe conveyor patent – Part III (Hashimoto, 1967)

2017.TEL.8181 32
 Figure A.4: Pipe conveyor patent – Part IV (Hashimoto, 1967)

2017.TEL.8181 33
 Figure A.5: Pipe conveyor patent – Part V (Hashimoto, 1967)

2017.TEL.8181 34
Appendix B: Pipe conveyor application examples

This list consists of some pipe conveyor examples of which the length and conveyed material were
described in literature.

1. Phoenopipe® conceyor belt of 16.4km transporting hot clinker, coal and limestone - Lima,
Peru
2. Hongyan pipe conveyor of 10km transporting coal – Hongyuan, China
3. Yangquan pipe conveyor of 8.1km transporting coal – Yangquan China
4. Rizhao pipe conveyor of 8km transporting iron ore – Rizhao, China
5. NCCPPL pipe conveyor of 7.5km transporting coal [UNDER CONSTRUCTION] –
Krishnapatnam, India
6. Nayong power plant pipe conveyor of 7km transporting coal – Nayong, China
7. Jindal power plant pipe conveyor of 6.9km transporting coal – Jindal, India
8. Kailin 2 pipe conveyor of 6.2km transporting phosphogypsum residue – Kailin, China
9. PECEM pipe conveyor of 5.7km transporting coal – Pecam, Brazil
10. FLSmidth pipe conveyor of 5.4km transporting gold ore – Morobe, Papua New Guinea
11. Plomin power plant pipe conveyor of 5.2km transporting coal – Plomin, Croatia
12. MBE pipe conveyor of 4.7km transporting coal – Budawada, India
13. Changshu pipe conveyor of 4.6km transporting iron ore – Changshu, China
14. AES Martiza pipe conveyor of 4.5km transporting coal ash – Galabovo, Bulgaria
15. Reftinskaya GRES pipe conveyor of 4.4km transporting coal ash – Yekaterinburg, Russia
16. Vallur power plant pipe conveyor of 4.4km transporting coal – Athipattu Pundunagar, India
17. Itaqui pipe conveyor of 4.4km transporting coal – Itaqui, Brazil
18. Yong steel pipe conveyor of 4km transporting iron ore – Shanghai, China
19. Indian oil company pipe conveyor of 3.6km transporting pet coke – Thane, India
20. Skyline mine pipe conveyor of 3.4km transporting crushed coal – Utah, United States of
America
21. Birla copper pipe conveyor of 3.2km transporting copper concentrate, rock phosphate and coal
– Dahej, India
22. Indian oil company pipe conveyor of 3.2km transporting pet coke – Thane, India
23. Callao pipe conveyor of 3km transporting zinc, copper and lead concentrates – Callao, Peru
24. Maritsa power plant pipe conveyor of 2.7km transporting coal – Galabovo, Bulgaria
25. CNOOC pipe conveyor of 2.2km transporting coke – Huizhou, China
26. Zhenghai pipe conveyor of 1.8km transport coal – Zhenghai, China
27. Salobo pipe conveyor of 1.8km transporting copper concentrate – Para, Brazil
28. Sostanj power plant pipe conveyor of 1.7km transporting rea-gypsum – Sostanj, Slovenia
29. Itabo power plant pipe conveyor of 1.7km transporting coal – San Cristobal, Dominican
Republic
30. Wearmouth Colliery pipe conveyor of 1.65km transporting coal – Sunderland, United
Kingdom
31. Shree cement pipe conveyor of 1.5km transporting limestone – Balodabazar, India
32. Itabo power plant pipe conveyor of 1.5km transporting coal – San Cristobal, Dominican
Republic
33. Nucor Louisiana pipe conveyor of 1.4km transporting iron ore and reduced iron – Convent,
United States of America
34. Wangting power plant pipe conveyor of 1.4km transporting coal – Wangting, China
35. Kailin pipe conveyor of 1.2km transporting calcium sulphate – Kailin, China
36. IPMOMI pipe conveyor of 1.15km transporting coal – Probolinggo, Indonesia
37. PHB Weserhütte pipe conveyor of 1km transporting calcined coke – Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates
38. Vigier Cement plant pipe conveyor of 944m transporting clinker – Bern Switserland
39. HKM Steel Mill pipe conveyor of 736m transporting coal – Duisburg, Germany

2017.TEL.8181 35
 40. Biomass pipe conveyor of 730m transporting sludge and paperpulp – Rotterdam, The
Netherlands
41. SPIC fertilizer pipe conveyor of 682m transporting urea prills – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
42. Sostanj power plant pipe conveyor of 623m transporting rea-gypsum – Sostanj, Slovenia
43. Richards bay pipe conveyor of 600m transporting coal, sulphur, anthracite and phosphate rock
– Richards bay, South-Africa
44. Linz AG pipe conveyor of 475m transporting household and industrial waste and sewage
sludge – Linz, Austria
45. Nucor Decatur pipe conveyor of 380m transporting iron ore – Decatur, United States of
America
46. LKAB pipe conveyor of 341m transporting olivine and quartzite – Narvik, Norway
47. Moorburg Power Plant pipe conveyor of 260m transporting coal – Hamburg, Germany
48. Vikram Ispat pipe conveyor of 250m transporting hot briquetted iron – Mumbai, India
49. Portlandzementwerk pipe conveyor of 213m transporting clinker – Üxheim, Germany
50. Sterlite pipe conveyor of 190m transporting copper concentrate – Tuticorin, India
51. Cemij pipe conveyor of 165m transporting gypsum, clinker and anhydrate – IJmuiden, The
Netherlands
52. Neptune terminal pipe conveyor of 160m transporting potash – Vancouver, Canada
53. Coromandel Fertilisers pipe conveyor of 140m transporting ground rock phosphate –
Visakhapatnam, India
54. Vagron pipe conveyor of 139m transporting waste – Groningen, The Netherlands
55. Nyrstar pipe conveyor of 135m transporting zinc ore – Budel, The Netherlands
56. Swarttouw pipe conveyor of 120m transporting phosphate and petroleum cokes - Rotterdam,
The Netherland
57. Nyrstart pipe conveyor of 70m transporting zinc oxide – Budel, The Netherlands
58. PPG pipe conveyor of 62m transporting glass – Westerbroek, The Netherlands
59. Madras Cement pipe conveyor of 60m transporting wet fly ash and gypsum –
Thammanayakkanpatti, India

2017.TEL.8181 36