The Vital and Missing "C" in IPCC - The Lost Opportunity of High Angle Conveying in IPCC
Joseph Dos Santos, Dos Santos International, LLC
The high angle conveyor offers the link to optimization of any IPCC system, yet that industry continues to struggle with the use of conventional conveyors and haul trucks to achieve the high angle function. The results are sluggish, low angle conveyor systems of limited flexibility, requiring excessive maneuvering time, excessive excavation and fill, re-handling and grading in order to accommodate the low angle limitations. The current alternative to conveyors is the fall back position of using even larger haul trucks at great operating and environmental costs. Recent studies have represented resurgence in interest in high angle conveying. Though the primary purpose is to demonstrate suitability for open pit mining applications, this presentation will first recap the early development of the latest sandwich belt high angle conveyors and their commercialization over the last 30 years. It will highlight the features that make Dos Santos Sandwich belt high angle conveyors particularly energy efficient and suitable for use in the harsh requirements of the IPCC systems. A brief comparison with pipe conveyor systems will be discussed.
