Tag: <span>conveyor technology</span>

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Introduction

The US has one of the largest mining industries in the world – an industry closely linked with the economy. In the past, the discovery of resources such as gold and oil resulted in a major population shift and rapid growth for formerly remote regions of the country, such as California, Texas, and Alaska. Extraction of these resources, and finding new deposits, continues to provide the foundation for local economies in some regions.

Some of the minerals mined in the US are coal, uranium, copper, gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc and others. Most of the mines in the US are highly automated and thus energy intensive. To provide an example, even in the last decade of the 20th century, iron ore mining alone consumed 62.3 trillion Btu of energy across a calendar year. Because mining is such a large industry and makes a sizable contribution to the national income, mines must have a dependable source of power – a crucial resource for mining processes.

The mining and mineral extraction sector both in the US and worldwide relies heavily on energy to harness natural resources such as aggregates, precious metals, iron ore, oil, gas, and coal. This energy is used to power shovels and drills for excavating these products, loading them into enormous mining trucks or onto conveyer belts, sorting, sifting and crushing ores, heating, and a hundred other functions. Both surface and underground mining operations rely on powered equipment to extract materials and load trucks. Overall, the mining sector could not flourish without the use of vast amounts of energy.

The Role of Transformers

Mine ‘Power Centers’ or ‘Load Centers’ are an essential system for underground and surface mining. Their primary function is to convert distribution voltage into utilization voltage for equipment operation, thus placing power transformers at the heart of the load center. Proper selection of transformers is imperative, and must fulfill safety, reliability, and efficiency requirements. Determining capacity rating is among the first steps for selection of a power transformer for a mining load center. A rule of thumb here is to allow 1 kVA for every horsepower of connected load. Most mining processes, however, do not produce constant loads – all machinery is not connected all the time – and therefore the 1 kVA per horsepower thumb rule will typically result in transformer oversizing. According to the SME Mining Engineering Handbook by Howard L. Hartmann, “Past experience and demand factors established by manufacturers and operators, along with the horsepower of the connected load, are essential for determining transformer capacity. For typical underground mining sections, the kVA rating may lie within the range of 50 to 80% of the connected horsepower.”

Transformer Losses

Standard transformers while under full load operate at 90 to 95% efficiency, with this figure dropping as the load lightens. This is due to inefficiencies in the transformer’s core, a main component of the transformer. The losses in the core remain the same throughout the transformer’s operating range. At 100% load, the amount of comparative loss is negligible. However, at reduced loads, the same amount of energy loss represents a higher percentage of energy being wasted. Unfortunately, average transformer loads run between 34 and 50% of the transformer’s total capacity. With the majority of the electricity used

in the US being run through transformers at these lower loads, massive amounts of energy are being wasted. This issue is of special relevance to the mining industry, simply because of its high energy usage. Mining operations also involve hostile environments full of dust, dirt, chemicals, moisture and airborne contaminants. Load center transformers need to function reliably and efficiently in these environments over a long term.

Without electric power at mining facilities, the natural materials extracted from the earth in the mining process would be much more costly than they are today. Thus, power transformers provide a lot of muscle, capacity, and stability to an essential industry. From drilling trenches to busting up rock, carting out huge loads of materials and pulling up heavy amounts of minerals, power transformers provide the strength and capability needed.

Liquid Filled and Dry Transformers: Performance Characteristics

1.Liquid-Filled Transformers

While there is still debate on the relative advantages of the available types of transformers, there are some performance characteristics that have been accepted: • Liquid-filled transformers are more efficient, have greater overload capability and longer life expectancy. • Liquid-filled units are better at reducing hot-spot coil temperatures, but have higher risk of flammability than dry types. • Liquid-filled transformers sometimes require containment troughs to guard against fluid leaks. • Liquid filled transformers are smaller in size than dry-type units for the same power rating capacity and have lower losses because of their better thermal dissipation characteristics.

2.Dry Type Transformers

Dry type Transformers are usually used for lower ratings (the changeover point being 500kVA to 2.5MVA). They are usually placed indoors, serving an office building/apartment. Dry type units typically come in enclosures with louvers, or sealed.

Dry type transformers use almost no flammable materials and therefore do not constitute a fire hazard when used underground in both coal and other mines.

Dry type transformers in the mining industry are housed in a steel tank and the core and windings are cooled by air circulating within the tank, transferring heat to the steel tank which is in turn cooled by the external air. In some compact designs for mounting on mining machines water cooling is added to further improve the performance of the transformers.

Correct choice of insulating materials and an understanding of the cooling system is imperative if the transformer is to be correctly designed. For example, a temperature rise test conducted on a transformer manufactured and sold as continuously rated, can reveal that the transformer only had a continuous rating of 65% of the nameplate rating.

The Need for Energy-Efficient Mining

With the current focus on climate change and reduction of environmental impact, government agencies around the world are making increasingly stringent demands on industries to reduce energy consumption and manage waste more effectively, among others. It is surprising how many mining operations still use twenty-year-old technology.

Regulatory pressures are already beginning to affect the mining industry – according to an article on ‘US Environmental Regulations and the Mining Industry’ on the International Development Research Center (IDRC) website, “Environmental regulations have had an effect on the US mining industry’s profitability. Companies have been forced to retrofit or renovate installations or leave the market. Increasing operational costs have affected their international competitiveness, and to some extent, this may be changing the world allocation of mining investment. Employment levels have fallen substantially, and local economies have borne part of this cost.”

Mining companies in the US are thus feeling the pressing need to be energy-efficient, simply to stay competitive. Reducing energy consumption by adopting customized, cost-effective solutions like NEMA-approved transformers and harnessing solar or wind energy to meet their future energy needs can be good ideas in the long run, especially since the alternate energy option will help mining companies keep away from fluctuating international fuel prices. Alternate sources of energy are still a very small blip on the graph, in terms of actual power provided for industries like mining, and thus the sector as a whole needs to come up with more immediate ways to conserve energy.

Various types of transformers for the mining industry:

Transformers can be used in various open pit and hard rock (subterranean) applications that range from auxiliary lighting loads to power for cranes, drag lines, conveyor belts and other miscellaneous dedicated variable speed drive applications.

Benefits of energy-efficient mining

• Reduced cost of production

• Opening up of new reserves for Conclusion

On one hand the mining industry is all set to grow to keep up with increasing demand; on the other it has to stay competitive as fuel prices zoom upwards. For an energy intensive industry, keeping a check on fuel consumption and cost is critical. Thus the mining industry as a whole is looking for energy efficient technology, including power transformers.

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Source by Mike Dickinson

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There’s a war going on: It’s the war on scheduling. Often times, your lifestyle is its own unique battleground. You’re constantly on the defensive against time, you’re only ally is quick wits and a bit of luck, which in itself won’t work without you. Your weapons include a calendar, your laptop and planning skills. But times are changing, from the language you speak, to the way that you learn. You’re constantly on the prowl for knowledge, except that there are road-bumps and unexpected challenges, holding you back. In fact, these days, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a student or an investment banker: the ability to schedule flexibly is your priority.

How about this: Yohana is a young entrepreneur currently experiencing her first days in career mode. She lives just outside of town – away from the city center, but not too far out. Much like any other woman, Yohana has duties to fulfill: she has a husband, works a full time job, takes care of her parents and looks after her kids every day of the week. Then all of a sudden, career kicks in. She’s in charge of clients, not just in Germany, but almost the entire European continent and like many international people; she struggles with adapting to cultures, learning new languages and keeping in touch with her clients. However, she is also part of a growing trend that’s catching on. As much as she loves face-to-face learning, she also embraces online learning.

Flexibility is a must for most young adults. Another growing trend is “work-life-balance”. This of course is easier said that done. Most people know or at the least have heard of it, however if it was as easy as flicking on a light switch, we’d all be resting on our sofa beds, or learning how to cook better or learning a new language. Before online learning was even considered, it was simply a catch-phrase. Busy people took night classes after work, hopping on their bikes, cycling through the windy night as they sit in crammed classes and begin the exciting journey of learning.

Now, we find ourselves at a time where learning can be achieved anywhere through means of technology and while technology changes, our lifestyles and flexibility often don’t. 50 years ago, you’d organize everything with a pager that was marketed as an alarm clock plus belt and jeans. But these days, scheduling and flexibility has never been more important, especially for those that work beyond borders. To the average adult, that flexibility is becoming more and more of a requirement. But flexibility isn’t something that can be bought at your local gas station, or touched and be seen. Students have to make flexibility.

Our girl, Yohana, works and is a daughter to someone as well as a friend and a sister. Right off the bat, she is already working multiple jobs at once. She has commitments to her family and dedication to her job and a passion for her career. She has no choice. Online learning however, has provided students like Yohana with an alternative to accessing education. We live at a time where 18 -20 year olds or even 14-16 year olds require flexibility that a Banker in the 70s would need. Much like Yohana, many boys and girls want work life balance. Where activities such as athletics, language skills and further education can be accessed through institutions, online learning allows these students to access them with the much needed flexible scheduling and low cost alternative.

Working and Studying

The Germany Trade and Invest center suggested that, at least in Germany, the working hour exceeds no more that 40 hours per week. Thus, maintaining a work life balance is not a steep learning curve and our girl, Yohana, could sure use that extra time to better communicate with her clients. In the sense of both, having the freedom to enjoy speaking in the same language and clear-cut audio.

Information from Diana G. Oblinger, author “Education and Information technology”, stated that at least 5.6 million students are enrolled in an online class as of 2009. Now, that number is 6.3 million and that’s only in the US. In fact, a study done by UNESCO in their IDEAL project (Impact of Distance Education on Adult Learning) states that the most active online learning countries in Europe were Greece, United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.

If we translated these statistics, we would get the answer that the education industry is shaping and changing. Traditional adults like Yohana, studied at a traditional university and now that she’s in the real world, it’s time for her to take a step further. Adults, like Yohana, require flexible scheduling and need a non-traditional method to fulfill her family and career expectations. Authors such as Oblinger, suggested that adults can ease up their scheduling and not murder their calendars via online learning means.

The word “classroom” will soon have a different meaning. When you first hear the word, you’d think back to your old high school, with rows and rows of seats as far as the eye can see, filled with students docked down with hoodies and sweatshirts. The word “classroom” will mean nothing when adults can learn and access whatever class they’re taking at home, in a café, in a holiday home and more or less any part of the Earth.

Like Yohana, these adults aren’t concerned with prestige, labels, branding, what exotic town their learning institute is in, or whether or not the business is associated with social status. These are people who are concerned with solving real world problems, whilst battling time constraints and schedule issues and she recently had clients who speak multiple languages from different parts of Europe. But that doesn’t matter; she takes language classes through online learning to help her with that. What she needs is flexibility.

Live Online Learning

Choosing an online learning platform is like finding night classes, only the process is simpler. Much simpler. You screen out the shady, untrusted ones that are too far from your house or office and pick the ones that are close. Except that you don’t even have to do that anymore with online learning. You can join a session held in Belgrade, while you are in Hamburg. That one step already eliminated. There are plenty of platforms to choose from, one of the most noteworthy is Live Online Learning, or the abbreviated LOL. The first thing you’ll notice is how incredibly easy it is to sign up. No paperwork or tedious application process. You fill in the details and in 5 minutes, you’re set and ready.

Yohana, like most adults out there, has international clients and wants to learn English. The nearest language school is a 5 km bike ride away and she has other priorities, such as university classes at 8 in the morning and preparing meals for the weekend. She can go through the process of reading thick phone books and cold-calling teachers to tutor her at home, adding transport costs which will be out of Yohana’s expense and given her finances, she’s not in the mood to borrow from the bank any time soon. So, she turns to online learning. She goes back home, turns on her laptop, arranges a meeting with her teacher and on the knowledge train she goes.

The beauty of online classes is that it’s repeatable anywhere and at anytime. She can be learning English while she’s visiting her family in Spain and afterwards take guitar lessons while on her USA trip.

Let’s be honest, most of us avoid commuting like the flu. What better way to wind down from a stressful day at work than to sit in a traffic jam and endure more stress. Students and professional workers have priorities, and sitting in traffic is most likely not one of them. The weather isn’t exactly helpful as well, as snowstorms and blizzards are not only dangerous, it is also unproductive. The economic costs of canceling classes is devastating, for both students and teachers and is highly inefficient. No more time is wasted and days gone without learning won’t be a problem.

Not to mention the cost of accommodation in som extreme examples. With traditional night classes, you’d probably spend hours on end, searching for close dorms and accommodation, because like the average college student, you’d try to find the sweet spot, only to find out that all the rooms have been taken. You’re not exactly keen on spending half your budget on transport and accommodation, so you’ll have to make decisions.

At this point, Live Online Learning is the Band-Aid to your open wounds. You sit at home, on a futon or your work desk and dive straight into class. After all, why buy a cow when you can buy milk from the grocery store? We are in the midst of a global transport-pocalypse. Except that this isn’t the fun kind where you can fantasize about saving the day. The only apocalypse that’s going to happen is to your wallet as you cash out euros after euros just on transport and commuting alone.

The focus of online learning is flexibility. To say that online learning will grant you flexibility is an understatement. You earn it by default once you’ve registered for a class. You’re flexible class-wise as well. Some offer classes from plasma physics to learning how to speak Indonesian. We’re talking about an institution that offers traditional classes and taught in a modern way. It’s not every day that you can wake up and take any class you’d like, but with online learning, students like Yohana can easily decide to learn painting in the morning and study coding in the evening.

Online Learning – Available in a local shop near you!

Don’t be mislead, Live Online Learning is a tool for teachers as much as it is for students. In fact, Online learning has paved way for new industries and a way for small businesses to reach their customers. Moving away from textbook studies and theories, there are of course real life examples. Interact! is a language school situated in Hamburg and it offers online learning as an alternative for its students. Business is as usual, but every dog has its days – sometimes, customers are overwhelmed and their available times don’t match with the teacher’s time. The result is a schedule-organizer’s worst nightmare. The solution was simple: what if teachers and students were taught using video cameras, so students can stay at home and teachers can stay at home and communicate through the internet.

It doesn’t stop at language schools. Several multinational corporations organize meetings via web cam and online platforms. This example is not strictly “learning”, it is however a useful concept to know. Back in the day, you’d have to send emails to each other back and forth, organize phone calls and possibly flights. Now, from Mumbai to Sydney, you can discuss business.

Online learning is a part of a new era of simplicity. We used to listen to music through CDs, now we YouTube it. We used to watch movies on DVD and now we stream it. Online learning is next on the conveyor belt. Educators have been asking the wrong question. It’s not about the what, or the whys or the whos. Rather it’s all about the how. How is it helping the students and how is it helping the teachers. Textbooks, for example might not even be necessary. 20 or so years ago, if you were to say. “I think textbooks are useless and will die out”, people would immediately think you’re some kind of hippie weirdo who’s only job is to wake up in the morning and blame the government for everyone’s problems. Books have been a part of human culture since the dawn of time and there’s no way people will ever stop using books.

But now, with online learning, it’s perfectly logical to ask “will we need textbooks anymore?” Of course, textbooks will always be part of education and learning, however with Live Online Learning, how we use textbooks could be entirely different. For one, it’s important to note that no matter who you are, student or adult, you’re probably sick and tired of having to travel around everywhere carrying tons of thick books, when it could all be traveling light weight and have everything in a laptop. Online learning and e-textbooks go hand-in-hand. When Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, first proposed the idea of streaming movies and TV Shows through the internet, traditional retail giants of entertainment laughed the idea off and passed it on as “frivolous”. However, much like online learning, Hastings believed that what people want is to stay at home and achieve their needs without having to leave their front door. Think of online learning in the same light. You’re achieving the same output with fewer resources.

Online Learning – It’s for Everybody

So far we’ve covered Online Learning for adults, students but as a matter of fact, online learning is accessible by just about anyone. Even the youngest pupil can learn their favourite subjects at home. This also gives them more useful and productive activities to do, rather than increasing their high score on candy crush. Here’s an idea, why not increase their IQ scores instead and with online learning, children can stay at home and access videos and catch up on last week’s Math homework. Sharing information has never been easier and only today has online learning been put on the spotlight.

Inspiration from Online Learning

As human beings, our imagination virtually knows no limits. If everyone could be astronauts, then we probably would. So why aren’t there more astronauts in our society? A possible explanation is interest and motivation. Going back to our girl, Yohana, she spends most of her weekends lying around in bed, possibly meandering back and forth between the student lounge in her dorm and back into her room. All the while, the time she spent pondering about what movie she should watch next, she could have learned a new language, or a new instrument or any set of skill. But to figure out our question “Why aren’t there more astronauts?” we’d have to understand how we get inspiration. As most of us know, an inspiration is like having an epiphany. It’s not something that can be switched on and off like a light switch and if we want inspiration, we’d automatically get it. Inspiration comes from sources and there are plenty of ways that you can find inspiration, from books, education sites, TV shows and given today’s demographic, most of us would get it online. Let’s face it, most of us wanted to learn French because we heard that one robust, thick and exotic French accent from a scene in a Hollywood movie. But given that signing up for a French class means more energy spent, more phone calls to make and more French people to respond to, most of us forget about it and continue with more important activities, like seeing if a millionaire YouTube vlogger’s baby is a boy or girl.

As mentioned earlier, instead of asking the “what”, we should all be asking the “how”. How do we keep finding sources of inspiration and how do we apply ourselves, so we don’t forget about it after 5 minutes? The answer to that is to put yourself in an environment that’s comfortable to you. Whether it’d be your home or a café, you’d want knowledge to come to you and not the other way around. You don’t want to pursue your ideas, because you make a mental calculation that you’d have to splash out resources such as transport, time and energy. But now we have everything in our laptops. YouTube, Online Learning, Google, the works.

Should you sign up for online classes?

All your friends seem to be signing up for online classes, like there’s no tomorrow and there’s a good reason why. A lot of the times, it’s because of flexible scheduling and time constraints. A study done by the Economics and Education Review revealed that distance between home, the workplace and university is the underlying factor of enrollment. Why was online learning invented in the first place? The same reason why anyone would want to start a business or sell a product or idea: because it solves an underlying need. People want knowledge, so you give it to them. You can either do this the traditional way, through stores and shopping malls. Or you can sell it through an online platform. Amazon tried this, and it worked. Netflix tried this and it worked. Online learning was first created by colleges in North America, who’d like to allow their students to engage in classes, even through those tough blizzards and long distance travels. Absent days may not seem like much on paper, but in reality it costs a lot when thought about. Knowledge is actually a valuable asset and people are willing to pay more to those that have more. Instead of knowing how to play no instruments, why not start learning or learn 3 languages instead of 2. Take private lessons without having to leave your front door.

The fact that we have access to education with the click of a few buttons is one of the greatest miracles of the modern age. For most of human history, knowledge was kept jealously at the affluent level of society and it was one of the unfair realities of living at that time. That’s right, what family you were born to could influence whether or not you’d be educated or not. But times are drastically changing and we no longer live in an age where those that can afford to buy a car can have easier access to education. You can simply, sit at home and enjoy a long list of subjects to learn and pitch in seminars. Thus, busy adults like our girl, Yohana, can educate herself and it might not take much paperwork or her time and energy. So should you subscribe to the idea of online courses? Why shouldn’t you? For all we know, it might be up your alley. We learn in different ways and who’s to say that through digital means isn’t a way to learn. These days, there are plenty of businesses and institutes that offer online learning as an alternative to traditional means and that’s the beauty of it all. You can still learn through traditional means and if the timing isn’t right, you no longer have to sacrifice days and can learn through websites.

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Source by Fahry Maulana Slatter

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You know when they say get to the airport three hours early? You know how we all laugh and think ‘yeah sure?’  If you are going to visit Aruba, they really mean it at Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix that’s Queen Beatrix International Airport.

If your flight is during peak flight times, generally between 11 am and 4 pm, or during holidays the official recommendation is three hours and you should heed the warning. Seriously. I probably would add a half hour, I know we will next time.

The first line you will meet in a long line of lines will be your airline’s check in line, this can be an almost walk through process or be a tedious long wait as your boarding passes are issued and they take your checked luggage (don’t worry you will meet up with your bags again soon). If you can check in online I highly recommend this. If you can travel light and only do carry on this is a time saver too (we don’t because my husband refuses to).

I cannot stress this enough. There were people very unhappy who got to the airport two hours before their flight and had no chance of making it. One family paid another family $100 to take their place in line. I kid you not. Hey, a way to make money if you did not budget!

After you complete your airline check in, you will then meet all of your fellow passengers in an even longer line, sometimes snaking around the airport terminal, to have your passport and boarding passes reviewed by Aruban Security. This line can take upwards of an hour.

From this point you are approved for processing through Aruban Immigration (Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero or DIMAS). After DIMAS you will go through Aruban security screening and into the terminal.

In the terminal you will find duty free shopping and food courts. I found them to be expensive – expensive even in Aruban term and definitely for any other airport. We went to Sbarro and spent $40 for pizza for three people.

You will also find more lines. Oh you just only completed Aruban processing now you are in the hands of the US Customs. You will have to find your checked baggage, each airline is kept separate so there should not be an issue. You and your bags will then join a line for US Customs processing. The one great thing about this is there is no customs once you get back into the United States.

After clearing customs you, your carry on bags and your checked bags will go down a hallway and at this point you will deposit your checked bags onto a conveyor belt to meet you in your airplane. The conveyor belt has, you guessed it a line!

Your lines are not done because you then have to go through US security screening. This is your final processing line.

So to review you have the following lines:

* Airline check in for you and your bags

* Aruban passport and boarding pass review

* Aruban Immigration

* Aruban Security Screening

* United States Customs

* United States Security Screening

I am tired just typing it out.

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Source by Jodie Strait

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LECA production process features

The raw material for LECA production is mostly sedimentary clay materials, less frequently – metamorphic rocks (argillite, clay slate and other stone-like materials).

Their composition is complex and they include both clay minerals (hydrous micas, kaolinite, etc.) and field spar, quartz, carbonates, organic and iron admixtures.

So what is the raw material for production of this construction material? Clays containing no more than 30% of quartz are the best material for production of LECA.

Special research is conducted to determine if a particular material is suitable for production. The main requirements for the raw materials:

1. ability to swell up during baking;

2. high fusibility;

3. a specific swelling-up interval.

Sometimes special additives are introduced into raw materials to increase the swelling-up coefficient. Organic (diesel fuel, fuel oil residue, etc.), ferruginous substances, geological materials (perlite, alunite) or artificial substances can be used as additives.

The product of the raw material processing is raw granules of a specific size and composition. Such granules are subjected to heat treatment: they are dried, baked and cooled. At the net stage the produced material is sorted in terms of density, and is chipped into smaller particles. After sorting LECA is ready for storage or shipment to the point of use.

The main LECA production stages:

• delivery of the raw material;

• clay drying;

• raw material cooling;

• cooling of granules;

• fractionation;

• transportation and storage.

Methods of LECA granule production

There are four main LECA production methods which are different in terms of their technology:

1. dry;

2. wet;

3. powder and plastic;

4. plastic.

The choice of a particular method depends on the raw material quality.

Dry LECA production method

This is the simplest method. It is used for stone-like raw material. First it is chipped and then charged into the rotary furnace. Such a method is most efficient if the rock is uniform, without harmful inclusions. It is characterised by modest costs and low power consumption.

The process flow diagram of a typical LECA gravel production shop with the capacity of 100 thous. m3 per year consists of three rooms:

• preparatory forming room;

• furnace room;

• finished product storage area

The process consists of the following stages:

• feeding, preparation and forming of the raw material;

• clay drying;

• clay baking;

• LECA cooling;

• feeding of the finished product to the storage area.

LECA granule cooling

After baking LECA should be cooled. The cooling begins back in the rotary furnace due to the incoming air. Then it continues on airslide conveyors and in drum coolers, etc.

The material strength depends on the granule cooling rate. If cooling was too fast, granules may crack. In case of slow cooling the material quality may decrease as a result of softening and crumpling of granules.

That is why LECA is cooled to 800 to 900 degrees immediately after swelling up. Then it is cooled to 600 to 700 degrees for 20 minutes.

This is required so that the hardening proceeds without significant thermal stress and that crystal minerals form, which increase the strength properties of the material. Ffurther cooling may be performed relatively quickly.

LECA fractionation and transportation

Fractionation is performed using drum screens of a cylindrical or multifaceted shape.

LECA is transported within the plant using compressed air or a belt conveyor. The conveyor method is more popular as transportation via pipes using air flow results in damage of the sheath and crushing of granules.

The finished material is stored in silo- or bin-type storage. Before storage LECA is preliminarily packaged into special moisture-proof sacks of varying volume.

LECA production equipment

The LECA production line consists of:

• ripping devices;

• perforated rollers;

• clay mixer;

• drying drums;

• baking furnace;

• bins;

• air-slide conveyors;

• belt- or other types of conveyors;

• trays;

• gravel sorters, etc.

A spacial crusher is used for primary processing of the raw material. It consists of a chipping unit which comprises such components as

1. bladed counterrotating shafts;

2. rigid frame;

3. gear drive;

4. receiving bin.

When the shafts start to rotate, the raw material is chipped to the necessary size. A mixer is used for the inclusion of necessary additives.

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Source by Aleksandr Nikolaevich Nesterov

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Today, a lot of things that people use daily are contained in bottles, whether it be drinking water or shampoo used in bathing every day. Seldom do people know that these daily conveniences are produced through a large scale process with the help of the technology of a filler machine.

The demand for products contained in bottles is constant that is why businesses must produce at an efficient pace to accommodate people’s needs. Companies that manufacture beverages like sodas and beer, condiments such as vinegar and soy sauce, and other cooking and food ingredients have all benefitted from using filling equipments in their respective factories. The same goes for manufacturers of cosmetic products, such as shampoo, cream, lotion, and more.

Liquid packaging solutions like cosmetic filling equipment are efficient means of producing products today. In plants and warehouses, filling operations of bottles average around 80 to 100 per minute. This speed in production cannot possibly be achieved by simple manual operations.

Since filling equipment are purely machine operated, only a few personnel are needed to operate it. This helps the company save money for expenses since there will be no need to hire a lot of laborers. The operations can be done through a push of a button since most liquid filling machines are automatic. With a mix of conveyor belts and sequential and symmetrical filling of bottles at a very fast pace, liquid filling equipment have proven to be a big benefit to bottling companies today.

The one difference with using filling machines in liquid packaging from doing manual filling is consistency. Filling machines are capable of filling bottles in constant amounts depending on how it is programmed, unlike with hard labor which is prone to error or miscalculations on the operator’s part. It is not that manual liquid filling labor cannot make the same quality of bottled products as machines, but machines are more capable of producing faster and more consistent.

In a time when the consumer industry is prospering, bottling procedures of companies must be able to provide for the demands of the public. Cosmetics, beverages, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, and such businesses will need the efficiency of filler liquid equipment. The fastest way to reach consumers in the market is to produce quickly and effectively, and the way to do that is through the use of liquid filling technology. So, improve your business’s competitiveness in the market, and get the latest liquid filling technology suitable for your products.

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Source by Rob Feckler

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Technology has indeed made life quite easy. With the use of a telescopic chute, A lot of things can be done which previously could not have been done. Stricter regulations have come in the recent past that must be complied with. These regard the control of emissions that come from the loading of different products. As such, it is very important to make good use of the chute so as to comply with government regulation and to be in the forefront of environmental conservation.

There are different designs of telescopic chute available in the market. This means that it is very easy to make good use of the chute irrespective of the product that is desired to be loaded. Among the most popular chutes include sand loading chute, cement loading chute, grains loading chute, chemicals loading chute to even a feeds loading chute.

Depending on what is being loaded, the material for a chute is recommended. As you would expect, the chute design for loading sand and that for chemicals will not be the same. This is because chemicals will be mainly corrosive and there must be safeguards instituted in the making of the chute. The robust make of a loading spout factors in the type of work that the chute will be doing. A common construction chute will be retractable so as to allow for lower environmental pollution while at the same time, ensure that the truck is loaded evenly and with the right amount of product.

In cases where no environmental pollution is desired the loading chute is attached to the container where loading is taking place. This telescopic chute is most common in cases where cement, fertilizer or chemicals are being loaded. To ensure that the right amount is transferred and the chute does not overfill, it comes with sensors that detect the level of content. When it is full, the sensor automatically stops further transfer of content.

Among the advantages of these telescopic chutes include a dust free working area which means that you not only comply with government regulations, but also work in a clean and very pleasant area. Another benefit of the loading spout is that it is easy to maintain and is easily serviceable. These chutes have been designed with very simple technology pars, meaning that it is very easy to change a part which might be faulty or work out. Due to the simplicity in technology, the loading chute is affordable and can be designed depending on client specifications.

The loading spout can also be adapted for loading of multiple items including silos, conveyors, hopper or even a screw feeder. The telescopic chute can also be made as per the needs. This means that it can be adapted for whatever needs that may be there, large or small. When it comes to waste, the loading spout achieves maximum efficiency with no waste whatsoever recorded. The conical flask of the loading spout is also adaptable to a wide range of tanker inlets. If hot materials need to be loaded, the loading spout is adapted to withstand temperatures of up to 250oC at a time.

Choose the telescopic chute today for all heavy loading needs for materials in granular form or even liquid. They make work easy and ensure that a safe working environment is achieved. Among items recommended to be loaded with the loading spout include polyurethane, sugar, sand, cement, seed, salt, corn, gypsum, perlite, wheat flour, polyurethane, coal dust and ceramic powders.

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Source by Jack Athwani

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A worm, in industrial parlance, is a shaft with a helical thread. It is commonly a part of a gear that meshes with a toothed wheel. Worm gears on the other hand, are those known as worm wheels. Sometime many people are confused with the terms worm, worm gear and worm drive, thinking that these three mean the same thing.

Worm gears are important especially when there is a need to reduce the gear size. It is the worm that has the capacity to make the gear rotate and not the other way around. With the shallow angle on the worm, the gear does not have the capacity to rotate it.

Types of worm gear

There are basically three different kinds of worm wheels: the non-throated; single throated; and double throated. Non-throated worm wheels are those that do not have throats in both the worms and the gear. Single throated categories are those whose gears are throated. Lastly, double throated ones are those with throated worms and gears.

Worm gear characteristics

There are notable traits of a worm wheel. First, it has the capacity to transfer and carry load with utmost accuracy. It is also best for large speed reductions. The efficiency of the worm gear, however, depends upon installation conditions, the worm’s lead angle, sliding speed, surface quality and lubricant selection.

Making worm gears become effective

A process known as double enveloping makes worm gearing become more efficient. This technology enhances the existing features of the worm wheel. This leads to better accuracy and increased torque. What makes the technique so special is the fact that it may be used to produce better lubrication and design while loads are divided in each of the gear’s teeth.

Worm gear applications

Worm wheels make conveyor systems do its function. Conveyors are tools to transfer one material from one location to another. Aside from conveyor systems though, the worm wheel may also be used in high performance vehicles.

Worm gears are manufactured by way of milling its teeth through the help of a special machine. The entire output is completed according to the size needed by the particular industry. Whenever reducing friction is a concern, lubricants may be used. Examples are compounded mineral oils, extreme pressure mineral gear oils and synthetic worm gear oils. The lubricants will make the work of the machine faster and easier at the same time more efficient.

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Source by Richard C. Milton

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Effective recycling relies heavily on effective sorting. There are a wide range of sorting techniques on the market and here we review the five most common. But before we look at the different technologies, let us take a look at the different legislation controlling this growing industry. Organisations that are operating in the EU are bound by EU rules and regulations relating to the environment.

Legislation states that 50% of all household waste and 70% of all construction waste must be re-used or recycled by the year 2020. This looked like a huge challenge when first introduced, but as the introduction of new technology has aided this industry, so commentators believe it is achievable.

The industry consensus is that efficient separation of the different elements found in waste is essential for enabling the recovery of useful recyclable materials, This minimizes the amount of waste sent to landfill and allowing recyclable materials to be re used. Companies sort and recycle materials in order to extract value, so the need to make sure sorting processes are as effective and economical as possible is of huge importance.

Waste disposal companies involved with dealing with the sorting of waste materials will commonly use one of these five methods:

• Trommel screens or drum screens: These machines separate materials according to their particulate size. Raw waste material is fed into a large rotating drum which is perforated with holes of a certain size. Materials smaller than the diameter of the holes will be able to fall through, but larger particles will remain in the drum. Changing drum sizes can further separate the waste.

• Induction sorting: material is sent along a conveyor belt with a series of sensors underneath. These sensors locate different types of metal which are then separated by a system of fast air jets which are linked to the sensors.

• Eddy current separation: this method is used for the separation of metal types. An ‘eddy current’ occurs when a conductor is exposed to a changing magnetic field. Basically, it is a magnetic way of dividing ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

• Near infrared sensors: When materials are illuminated they mostly reflect light in the near infrared wavelength spectrum. The NIR sensor can tell the difference between different materials by the way they reflect light.

• X-ray technology X-rays can be used to distinguish between different types of waste based on their density.

Manual Sorting: It should also be mentioned that manual sorting of waste is still very much a technique that is used in the world today.

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Source by Gaz Hutchings

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Healthy Vending Machines and the Vending Business

Vending machines have been a part of the landscape for decades and they haven’t changed much in appearance. The average junk food vending machine is a brown-colored behemoth full of chocolate, chips, soda, and not much in the way of nutritional value. Thankfully, there are rogue vendors who have a new frame of thought for the vending business: Why not offer a vending machine that provides good, nutritional food to the masses instead of slowly trying to kill them? These companies are poised to revolutionize the vending business.

1. Cutting Fat, Not Contributing to It

The history of vending machines might be a varied one, but one thing that has been consistent is the health value of the product offered. Generally, a vending machine is full of high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and sodas. While renowned for their ability to provide a quick snack, vending machines are partially responsible for the growing obesity epidemic in America, especially due to the unhealthy nature of the vending machines that are placed in schools.

While the thought of our children getting pumped up with fat, sugar and calories while they’re away at school is a terrifying thought, there’s reason to breathe a sigh of relief. There are vending machine providers that care about the health of our children and are intent on providing healthy snacks and beverages with the same convenience the public has grown accustomed to. Not only do these machines provide food that end your hunger, they will give you energy, taste great and make you feel amazing-and not at the expense of your pant size, not to mention your heart. These healthy vending machines will aid in trimming off fat, and not contribute it.

2. Providing Value

My Dad has never been afraid to pay a little extra for something he perceived valuable in the long run. He said it was a better investment to pay more in the beginning for something that will last longer, and be more beneficial, even if there is a cheaper alternative. His reasoning is simple, having to buy several inexpensive items will inevitably be more costly than paying a bit more for something that will last longer and ultimately provide more satisfaction. This same attitude can be applied to the new era of healthy vending machines.

Americans love a bargain, there’s no doubt about that. But Americans also love a well-made, enduring product, and will pay more for it, especially when it combines a great product and great service. Healthy vending machines are offering these things to the public right now. They offer nutritional drinks and snacks that are satisfying immediately and healthy in the long run. Coupled with the right-here, right-now attitude of a vending machine, and it’s easy to see how these machines will revolutionize the industry. Sure, their products might cost a quarter more, but isn’t your health and well-being worth more than a couple of quarters?

3. Getting Organic

The organic foods market is one of the fastest growing sectors in agriculture, so it seems only natural that vending machines would find a way to distribute them. Sadly, there are only a few vending companies that are interested in providing customers access to this billion dollar industry. For the most part, vendors have turned a blind eye to health foods and organic foods in their vending machines. Instead they continue to fill them with junk foods that are quickly becoming known as health hazards to our youth and the population at large.

Organic food is beginning to catch on in America, especially with reports detailing the potentially-harmful side effects pesticides, preservatives and growth hormones provide. Still, most vendors ignore this, in likely an attempt to keep their profit margins up, and this is a shame-and short-sighted-because a higher-priced product doesn’t necessarily mean less profitability. For the vending machines that do provide these healthy, organic options, the future looks bright as many Americans begin to search for convenient, nutritional snacks to tide them over between meals.

4. Not Just Selling-Educating

In order for people to make educated decisions on what they consume, the information they need has to be easily accessible. A few companies market themselves as “healthy vendors,” and while it is true that they are selling a healthier product than traditional machines, they still are providing them the same old way-right next to the junk foods in a big, brown behemoth. Not only do these products not stand out as a healthy alternative, they provide no nutritional education as to why a person should choose this healthy item over their beloved candy bar. They seem to be after the healthy profit, instead of the healthy consumer.

A few companies with a healthy outlook exist, and these companies want to educate you, as well as satisfy your hunger. If they provide you with the reason why you should buy a clif bar instead of the candy bar, you are more likely to do it repeatedly. If they can prove to you that there are more outcomes than just a sugar rush to your decision, they can still make a profit and feel good about what they deliver to the general public. Forward-thinking companies supply their vending machines with LCD screens that educate their consumers with short videos and nutritional facts about what their products contain. You won’t see that on the traditional vending machine — Why? Because if you knew what was in their products you wouldn’t buy them! These LCD screens are educational, entertaining and a great way to teach the youth about health.

5. Going Green

Green is all the rage these days. From automotive manufacturers to dog walkers, everyone is trying to be more environmentally conscious. Everyone except traditional vending machine operators that is. Traditional vending machines not only distribute unhealthy snacks and beverages, they are also incredible energy hogs

While the DOE is intent on imposing new regulations on the energy consumption of vending machines, it seems that only the biggest names in the industry, such as Coke and Pepsi, are taking it seriously, even though the proposed bill would save $250 million over 30 years for vending machine operators. Perhaps it’s a bit too much to say that traditional vendors don’t care about your health or the environment, but with the means to aid both, it seems truer now than ever before.

6. A Soft Touch

We’ve all be there: we are thirsty, find a traditional vending machine, order our favorite soda, watch it free-fall three feet to the dispenser door, and open it only to have it explode all over our shirt. Annoying and wasteful. This is the traditional vending machine experience, but the good news is that certain vending machine companies are taking notice.

The old brown vending machine is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Now some vending companies are bringing high technology to their machines. They are employing soft-drop and conveyor technology that allows them to vend such things as fruit and glass bottles, therefore being more health and environmentally conscious. But not all healthy vending companies employ this technology-some are still using the same outdated machines that our parents bought from-and this could actually do the healthy-vending business a disservice as they continue to offer a damaged or inferior product.

7. A Feel Good Business

The days of the purely for-profit vending business are a thing of the past. With the arrival of healthy vending machines finally here, vending operators can take pride knowing that they are in a business that is growing and making a difference in how people perceive and enjoy vending machines. The vending business has been in decline for years, but is starting to see resurgence, and this is due in part to the introduction of healthier options.

Profitability is an important aspect of any successful business for obvious reasons. Sadly, this used to be the only driving point for a vending machine, and it was at the expense of the customer’s long-term health. Now vending machines are operated with the consumer and the environment in mind, and the owners of these machines can reap the benefits of a successful enterprise and not feel ashamed about what they are contributing to society.

8. Aiding in the Fight Against Fat

The vending machine business has been a faceless one for quite a long time. Healthy vending machines are bringing the owners out of the shadows and into the center of the ring in the fight against obesity by donating a portion of their profits to fight this and other health-related issues.

This is another reason for a healthy vending operator to feel good about himself and his business. Finally, good, nutritional food can be provided to the public, and on top of that, money is funneled to charity to aid in the fight against obesity and diabetes which are two of the greatest health scares affecting ourselves and our children. Not every vending company does this, but you can be assured the ones that do are providing an honest investment in their community’s health.

9. Investing in the Future

Healthy vending machines are set to change the way the general public looks at food. By having their products available for healthy, inexpensive sampling, they are in effect creating a domino effect. Parents will find these machines, purchase something and enjoy it. They will then purchase a larger amount of it at the local grocery store and encourage their children to eat it. The children will have their lives affected in a way that will change their perception of foods forever.

While this is a small step, it can positively influence people in a large way. Children will know that there are tasty, healthy alternatives to junk food that will not only keep them fit, but keep them full and happy, and that is something that they will pass on to their kids. Changing the mentality of food is the first step in truly making a difference in how it is consumed, and healthy vending machines could very well be an important part of a good foundation. Ushering in a healthy era of educated children is important, and healthy vending could be a cornerstone of this.

The new era of healthy vending is here, and it is poised to make a positive impact on generations to come. These healthy machines will revolutionize the vending business as a whole, and in effect, change the way we see snacking. No longer will our hunger be dominated by sweets and sodas, but will be squashed by products that are nutritional and beneficial. Not only will we look and feel better, we will take comfort in knowing we are doing the best for ourselves, and the generations to follow.

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Source by Jonathan T

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Proper cargo van storage is critical for someone who has a cable installation technician job. You need to keep up with technology, find the parts and components you need fast, and get systems up and working quickly. An organized cargo van is an essential element of effective installation work.

As a cable installer, you need to deal with many sizes of ladders, cable spools, converter boxes, cable taps, drills, saws, monitors, scopes, traffic cones, and more. Concentrate on three areas of your technician van to store all this cable stuff, and the organization will help keep you safe and efficient.

Organize Cable Reels in a Holder for Optimal Cargo Van Storage

One of the easiest ways of inviting a trip hazard inside your work van is to leave all the spools of cable lying around on the floor. Eventually, they can unravel, get caught on other tools or equipment, and create a tripping point as you move around inside your van.

An easy solution is to store your spools of cable in a cable reel holder, which will also help you get the cable out for the job. Cable spools nest inside conveyor rollers or across adjustable bars, allowing you to reel out the amount of cable you need. The spools are easily secured with tie down chains to eliminate loose cable while traveling. And, cable reel holders can be installed near the doors of your van, making your work more efficient.

Ladder Racks Maximize Your Cargo Van Storage

Safety is a priority in cable TV service, and it begins with properly loading and unloading the equipment from your van, especially the ladders you will need for each job. Injuries occur because of unsafe lifting and loading movements. When you have to unload and load a ladder from your van repeatedly throughout the day, it can potentially cause back strain, if not done correctly.

There are ladder racks designed to make unloading easier, especially the newer drop-down ladder racks that lower the ladder from the top of your vehicle. This type is becoming popular for cable technicians because of the numerous times they use a ladder throughout the day. A drop-down ladder rack reduces the potential for injury, and increases efficiency because it brings the ladder down to a position where it can be grasped and moved from the vehicle safer and quicker.

Cargo Van Storage Should Include Safety Equipment

First aid equipment, a fire extinguisher, reflective flares, and hard hats – all of these are necessary for on-the-job accessibility. The trouble is, sometimes these are kicked around inside the van, locked inside the cab, or not stored where they can be found quickly. Planning your cargo van storage areas will ensure these items are always accessible.

Modularizing the design of your cargo van can eliminate clutter and confusion when an emergency happens and you need to find the right equipment. If your fire extinguisher or flares are stored in a designated place designed to house specifically that item, you will know where to retrieve them when you’re in a hurry.

Small items can be safely stored inside drawer units, on designated shelves, and organized in a way that keeps you efficient.

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Source by Naomi J Lolley