Conveyor transports limestone from India to Bangladesh
Munich, January 2007. The longest conveyor belt without intermediate drives transports limestone to Bangladesh over more than 17 kilometers of swampy terrain. In doing so, the Phoenocord belt made by Phoenix traverses not only national borders but also mountains, rivers, country roads and rice paddies. To ensure that it is protected from spring flooding and vegetation and that it has no negative impact on humans and animals, it operates five to ten meters above the ground. In order to carry out maintenance work at this height, a maintenance vehicle is used in each of the countries.
The 34-kilometer-long conveyor belt was pieced together on-site in just 80 days, with about one hundred reliable splices being fabricated. The belt was sent to India rolled up in 500-meter-long segments and to Bangladesh in 300-meter pieces.
The conveyor, constructed by Larsen & Toubro, transports 800 tons of limestone and slate each hour in a cement plant belonging to the Lafarge Group. In order to cover the long distance, the support pillars were positioned as far apart from each other as possible. In addition, twelve bridges were built from which the conveyor belt and the maintenance vehicle can be reached in dizzying heights. Along the way, the conveyor belt crosses 1.5 kilometers of mountains, taking inclines of up to 14 percent, and is exposed to winds speeds approaching 200 km/h. And each day during the monsoon, nearly a meter of rain can fall.
Phoenix developed Phoenocord half a century ago, and the belt made its debut at Rheinische Braunkohle in 1956. Its most prominent properties are high breaking load and minimal elongation when used in high-capacity conveying. These characteristics have made for its market success ever since.
The introduction of steel cord conveyor belts made it possible to bridge distances of several kilometers. To prevent foreign objects from becoming lodged in the belt and then wedged in the conveyor system, ripping up the belt for kilometers on end, Phoenix designed the Phoenotec protection system. It is what distinguishes the Phoenocord. It consists of high-stretch lateral cords vulcanized into cover rubber at right angles to the tensile cords. They effect a threefold increase in resistance to impact damage and slitting. "Thanks to corrosion-resistant zinc coating and core-rubber that entirely fills out the steel cable, a service life of over twenty years is no longer a rarity," reports Bernd Küsel, who is in charge of sales at Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systems.
With conveyor distances increasing, demand is growing for thicker cords arranged closer together. Back in 1970, the strongest steel cord conveyor belt was an St 4000 (breaking load 4000 N/mm belt width). The record is currently held by a Phoenocord St 7800. "We are already at work on realizing steel cord conveyor belts in the St 9000 to St 10000 range," says Küsel.
Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systems will be showcasing its products at the world's largest construction fair, the bauma, from April 23 to 29 in Munich at booth 235 in hall C2.
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The Phoenocord belt traverses not only the border between India and Bangladesh but also mountains, rivers, country roads and rice paddies.
Photo: Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systems
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