Belt conveyor booster drives

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 75, No. 845, 1982

J.A. STEWART, Mechanical Engineer, Cape Breton Development Corporation, Sydney, Nova Scotia

A common problem in the mining industry involves the overloading of established conveyor systems. This overloading can have a number of causes, such as new production technology or a changing market condition which increases demand. An overloaded system usually spells disaster and leads to clean-up problems, equipment failures and lost production. The Cape Breton Development Corporation's Lingan Mine had a serious overloading situation on its underground coal clearance system, and equipment was being damaged and production was being lost. It was rectified, in part, by increasing the coal clearance capacity through the use of booster conveyors. This paper discusses the problems which led to this situation, the booster concept and the installation of the first unit at the Lingan Mine.

Keywords: Conveyors, Belt conveyors, Booster drives, Lingan Mine, Underground mining, Drive units.