Modern Mining August 2016

PRODUCT News

New technology generates power from conveyor belts

Martin Engineering has introduced an innovative technology that uses the kinetic energy from a moving conveyor belt to generate enough power to run a wide vari- ety of electronic systems. The company has designed the Martin® Roll Gen™ system to create a self-contained mini power station that allows operators to run electrical mon- itoring systems and safety mechanisms. Able to be retrofitted on existing idler support structures, operators are not required to maintain a special stock of conveyor rollers, as the generator can be employed on virtually any steel roller. The device is considered a first step toward eliminating power production obstacles,

systems are more advantageous. Options such as solar power are not well suited to the general conditions of a conveyor system, as monitoring devices are often required in an enclosed structure without access to sunlight, or for continu- ous operation during both day and night. “We found that we could draw energy from a moving belt by attach- ing an independent generator directly to one of the rollers,” said Paul Harrison, Martin Engineering’s Global Engineering Manager. “This way, the conveyor could produce power without altering the struc- ture of the system or affecting its physical configuration.” Being able to add a generator to a roller delivers the benefit of utilising the proven reliability of existing roller designs, while drawing power from the belt for a wide variety of electronic devices. Product engineers developed a design to accom- plish this through the use of a magnetic coupling that attaches to the end of an existing roller. The outside diameter of the genera- tor matches the diameter of the roll, but places the generator outside the material path to avoid the heavy loads and fugitive material that tends to damage existing design attempts. The roll generator is held in a fixed position by the roll support sys- tem, but is not normally required to bear any of the material load. In the new, patent-pending design, a ‘drive dog’ is attached to the end face of the roll that is resting on the generator, using magnets. The drive dog engages the generator through the outer housing’s machined drive tabs. The magnetic attach- ment ensures that electrical or mechanical overload does not force the roll to stop; instead the magnets will slip on the roll face. The conveyor roll loads are carried by the large support shaft in the genera- tor, which does not rotate and is rigidly mounted to the idler support structure. The generator forms a lightweight driven unit that does not affect the existing roll in any way, except to be rotationally engaged via the magnets, and so draw a small amount of mechanical power in order to

in width than one of our standard 1 250 A rated AMV12 units. This translates into a space saving of between 14 and 18 % for a typical switchboard, depending on the busbar rating and mix of compact versus standard units making up the com- plete switchboard,” commented Greg Whyte, ACTOM MV Switchgear’s Design & Development Manager. The new compact unit has been type- tested and certified in accordance with the IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical and Electronic Components, Equipment and Products Certification Bodies Scheme. The type-tests on the compact AMV12 panel assembly, complete with circuit- breaker, earthing switch and cable-side voltage transformer, were carried out over- seas through the well-known international certification body TUV Rheinland in January this year. GregWhyte, ACTOM MV Switchgear, tel (+27 11) 820-5140 as conveyors move into the next genera- tion of ‘smart systems’ that are predicted to be more sustainable and autonomous. Running auxiliary power can be both complicated and costly, says Martin Engineering, requiring expensive labour and oversized cables to accommodate the inevitable voltage drop over long runs, as well as transformers, conduit, junction boxes and other components. Using even a small conventional generator to provide power introduces a different set of issues, including flammable fuels. In many operations, this lack of avail- able power means that any monitoring of the conveyor must be done by techni- cians physically walking the length of the structure, which can be a difficult and time-consuming task when the systems are long and span difficult terrain. A more efficient approach is to employ sensors to transmit important data from remote points to a central location where it can be monitored in real time and recorded for later analysis. But intelligent monitoring systems for any conveyor system require power for extended opera- tion. Due to the distances involved, cabled communication systems are not ideal, and therefore wireless communication

The Martin® Roll Gen™ system is a self-contained mini power station.

Compact version of switchgear introduced ACTOM MV Switchgear has recently devel- oped and introduced a compact version of its new generation AMV12 air-insulated indoor switchgear.

The AMV12 range, rated for 12 kV with current ratings of 1 250 A and 2 500 A at 31,5 kA in accordance with IEC 62271-200, has reportedly proven to be highly suc- cessful since its launch into the market in January 2015. Over 300 panels have already been sold and supplied to numerous cus- tomers, which include Johannesburg’s City Power, the City of Windhoek, Hessequa Municipality (Stilbaai), CONCO and DRA. The supplementary compact version now on offer has been developed spe- cifically for use in instances where space constraints apply. The width of a compact panel, which has a current rating of 800 A, is 650 mm, while individual standard AMV12 panels are available in widths of 800 mm and 1 000 mm. “A single compact unit is 18 % smaller

generate the electrical energy. Martin Engineering, tel (+27 13) 656-5135, website: www.martin-eng.co.za

74  MODERN MINING  August 2016