Iron Ore Long-Distance Land Conveying Project Solution

A certain open-pit factory specializes in iron ore mining, processing, and transshipment operations, with core material being iron ore (particle size 8-50mm, moisture content 3%-6%, high hardness, strong abrasiveness, prone to dust generation). It needs to build a long-distance conveying line from the mountainous mining crushing area to the factory's raw material yard, connecting the full process chain of "mining-crushing-conveying-storage". The factory is located in undulating mountainous terrain, with the conveying route spanning 3300 meters across terrain and featuring 3 natural turns, facing numerous challenges:

The 3300-meter conveying route is constrained by mountainous undulations, requiring ordinary belt conveyors to set up 2 intermediate transfer stations, which not only increase equipment and civil construction investments but also lead to a material loss rate of 5.3% due to the high hardness of iron ore and frequent transfer handling; a single ordinary conveyor has a processing capacity of only 1500 tons/hour, failing to match the factory's 2000 tons/hour crushing capacity, causing frequent iron ore buildup in the crushing area during peak periods, with the longest detention time exceeding 6 hours; the open design of transfer links and truck transportation results in dust emissions of 25mg/m³, far exceeding the 10mg/m³ limit in the "Comprehensive Emission Standard for Air Pollutants", leading to frequent environmental complaints from surrounding areas; the 140-meter elevation gain in mountainous terrain and 3 turns make ordinary conveyors unable to adapt directly, requiring large-scale mountain leveling and ramp platform construction, which damages the ecology and adds extra costs; more critically, core equipment components rely on external procurement, with spare parts response cycle exceeding 30 days, annual downtime over 90 hours, severely impacting the factory's continuous production.

ZOOMRY, targeting the mountainous terrain, high abrasiveness of iron ore, and open-air environment, designs a full-chain solution of "core conveying equipment + supporting node equipment + proprietary high-wear-resistant components", ensuring system adaptability and reliability.

Project Requirements and Objectives

Core Requirements

• Parameter Requirements: Core conveying equipment must meet processing capacity ≥2000 tons/hour, belt width 1400mm, conveying length 3300 meters, adapt to 3 horizontal curves (turning radius ≥1200 meters), achieve 140-meter elevation gain, adopt multi-point drive design to handle mountainous heavy loads;
• Scenario Adaptation: Equipment must withstand extreme temperature differences in mountainous open-air environments (summer 40℃, winter -12℃) and rainy climate, with core components (idlers, motors) protection rating ≥IP55, frame resistant to strong mountain winds and rainwater erosion, while adapting to high abrasiveness of iron ore;
• Compliance Level: Dust emissions ≤10mg/m³, equipment compliant with CEMA standards and domestic environmental regulations, adapting to environmental requirements for iron ore conveying in mining industry;
• Operation and Maintenance Assurance: Core components (idlers, drums) service life ≥50,000 hours, relying on domestic service network for common spare parts response ≤7 days, providing multi-language operation training to ensure factory maintenance team independent operation.

Core Objectives

1. Efficiency Achievement: Conveying system processing capacity stable ≥2000 tons/hour, Throughout the entire 3300-meter distance without transfer, completely replacing truck transfer mode;
2. Environmental Compliance: Dust emissions controlled within 8mg/m³, iron ore loss rate reduced to below 1%;
3. Terrain Adaptation: Equipment smoothly adapts to 3 horizontal curves and 140-meter elevation gain, without large-scale mountain leveling;
4. Operation and Maintenance Optimization: Equipment annual failure rate ≤0.6%, 35% reduction in annual maintenance costs compared to traditional mode, spare parts response cycle ≤7 days.

Iron Ore Long-Distance Land Conveying Project Solution

Core Equipment

Targeting the 3300-meter mountainous curved route, 2000 tons/hour heavy load, and 140-meter elevation needs, ZOOMRY custom manufactures 1 set of long-distance curved belt conveyor for the factory, focusing optimization around "curve adaptation, heavy-load elevation, open-air durability":

• Curve and Elevation Dual Adaptation: Adopts "multi-segment curve coordinated tension control technology", adapting to 3 horizontal curves (turning radius 1200 meters), configured with ZOOMRY's proprietary friction self-aligning idler sets (diameter 159mm, adapted to 1400mm belt width), radial runout ≤0.4mm (better than national standard 0.5mm), 72-hour immersion test water ingress ≤95g (better than ZOOMRY standard 100g), automatically correcting belt deviation, avoiding iron ore spillage at mountain turns; for 140-meter elevation, designs "segmented gradient variation" (maximum slope ≤15°, adapting to steep angle conveying needs), coordinated with ST3150/1400 steel cord conveyor belt (tensile strength ≥3150N/mm, wear-resistant layer thickness 18mm, specially adapted to high abrasiveness of iron ore), ensuring no belt slippage during heavy-load elevation, with 130mm belt overlap sealing structure further blocking dust escape.
• Multi-Point Drive: Adopts "4-point distributed drive" design, equipped with 4 units of 63kW variable frequency motors (total power 252kW, protection rating IP55), paired with hardened gear reducers (transmission efficiency ≥96%), motors evenly distributed across different sections of the 3300-meter route (especially reinforcing power output in elevation section), avoiding excessive belt tension from single-point drive; belt speed set at 3.2m/s, through PLC linkage with feeding system for real-time adjustment of feed rate, ensuring stable 2000 tons/hour processing capacity; drive drums use 40Cr forged material (diameter 500mm), surface diamond rubber lagging (friction coefficient ≥0.45, wear resistance improved 60%),underwent ultrasonic flaw detection and tempering stress relief treatment, no internal cracks, service life over 50,000 hours, meeting high abrasiveness demands of iron ore.
• Mountainous Open-Air Durability Enhancement: Conveyor frame adopts hot-dip galvanizing process (anti-corrosion rating reaching Zn12 level in GB/T 13912-2002), improving resistance to mountain rainwater erosion by 60%; above conveyor belt, install detachable transparent PC rain cover (inclination angle 18°, adapted to mountainous rainy drainage), facilitating inspection while shielding from sun exposure and rain, avoiding belt aging; hydraulic tensioning device equipped with oil temperature control system, stable operation in -12℃~40℃ temperature range, automatically compensating for belt thermal expansion and contraction due to mountainous day-night temperature differences, ensuring stable belt tension in curve and elevation sections.

Supporting Node Equipment

To achieve smooth flow of iron ore from mine trucks to conveyor, supporting 2 types of ZOOMRY proprietary developed equipment, parameters precisely matching core conveyor, adapting to heavy-load and high-abrasiveness characteristics of iron ore:

• ZRLS-TU1400 Wheeled Truck Unloader: Installed in raw material receiving area near mountainous crushing zone, belt width 1400mm, processing capacity 200-1000 tons/hour, adapted to factory's common 50-ton dump trucks (dedicated for heavy-load iron ore transport). Equipment equipped with 2 hydraulic adjustable ramps (slope 6.7°, compliant with mountainous heavy-load truck climbing capability), trucks drive directly onto unloading without reversing, ramp bottom with double-layer rubber sealing skirts, reducing iron ore dust escape during unloading; simultaneously equipped with high-frequency vibrating feeder (adapted to high density of iron ore), real-time adjusting unloading speed based on conveyor operation status, avoiding iron ore buildup in receiving area, forming "unloading-conveying" rhythm matching.
• ZR Series Hopper Feeder: Installed between unloader and conveyor, adopts 10cbm standard receiving hopper (optional larger capacity, adapted to mountainous intermittent unloading rhythm), equipped with 18.5kW variable frequency speed-regulating motor, real-time adjusting feed rate (1800-2000 tons/hour), ensuring uniform iron ore flow into conveyor, avoiding overload or underload; hopper inner wall lined with 15mm thick wear-resistant ceramic liner (specially for high abrasiveness of iron ore), top with dust cover and rain eaves, reducing dust dispersion and rainwater entry in mountainous open-air environment, avoiding iron ore moisture-induced caking.

Core Components

All key components independently produced by ZOOMRY, performance superior to national standards and CEMA standards, reinforced design targeting high abrasiveness of iron ore, providing support for factory's long-term stable operation in mountainous areas:

• Idlers and Drums: In addition to friction self-aligning idlers in curve sections, straight and elevation sections use proprietary high-wear-resistant idlers (diameter 159mm), rotational resistance ≤2N (better than national standard 3N), operating noise ≤45dB (better than national standard 55dB), surface with wear-resistant coating, 72-hour immersion test water ingress ≤95g, adapting to mountainous humid environment and iron ore dust abrasion; redirect drums use 40Cr seamless steel tube material (diameter 450mm), surface thermal sprayed tungsten carbide wear-resistant treatment (abrasion resistance improved 80%), ovality <1.5mm, ensuring smooth belt operation in mountainous undulations and curved routes.
• Cleaning and Safety Components: Conveyor head and tail each equipped with 1 set of high-hardness PU material cleaning scrapers (adapted to iron ore residue cleanup), fit rate with belt ≥98%, effectively removing residual iron ore particles on belt surface, avoiding belt deviation from material adhesion; simultaneously equipped with "triple safety protection" — belt deviation switch (automatic alarm if deviation >5mm), emergency rope break system (shutdown within 0.01 seconds if steel wire rope breaks), overload protection device (automatic power cut if motor overload), compliant with international mining safety norms; discharge end with powerless dust collection chute (built-in airflow buffer chamber, adapted to iron ore discharge dust control), further reducing dust emissions in mountainous unloading links.

Project Implementation

Pre-Implementation Survey

ZOOMRY dispatches 6-person technical team to factory site, spending 15 days on three key tasks: through drone aerial photography and total station surveying, building 3D terrain model of 3300-meter route, precisely marking center positions of 3 horizontal curves, turning radii, and slope distribution of 140-meter elevation section, optimizing conveyor frame installation heights, avoiding mountainous rainy season water accumulation areas and loose mountain bodies (avoiding impact on heavy-load iron ore conveying safety); collecting iron ore samples for laboratory testing of flowability, abrasiveness, and moisture content, combined with mountainous conveying characteristics, determining key parameters like idler spacing (1.3 meters), belt tension (25kN) (adapted to high density of iron ore); referencing local 5-year meteorological data (high/low temperature, rainy season distribution), formulating equipment open-air protection special scheme, such as rain cover inclination angle, hydraulic oil temperature control thresholds.

Manufacturing

All equipment and components produced at ZOOMRY's Hebei factory, fully incorporated into ISO 9001 quality management system and ISO 14001 environmental management system, reinforced quality control targeting high abrasiveness and heavy load of iron ore: long-distance curved belt conveyor's drive drums must pass 24-hour 1.2 times rated load static test (designed for iron ore heavy load), qualified only without deformation; idlers undergo 1200-hour no-load trial run (simulating iron ore dust abrasion environment), verifying sealing and rotational resistance; ST3150/1400 conveyor belt completes tensile, abrasion, and bending tests (special testing iron ore abrasion conditions), ensuring adaptation to mountainous heavy load and elevation needs. Factory representatives visit for acceptance, all parameters meet contract requirements, especially open-air durability tests (high-low temperature cycling, rain shower test, strong wind simulation) results excellent, fully adapting to mountainous iron ore conveying environment.

Installation and Commissioning

ZOOMRY dispatches 10-person installation team to site, adopting "modular splicing + sectional debugging" mode to tackle mountainous construction challenges: dividing 3300-meter conveyor into 17 sections (each 190-200 meters), pre-assembled at factory, site only requiring bolt connection and belt vulcanization, significantly reducing mountainous on-site construction volume (minimizing interference to factory production); installation cycle only 35 days (industry average 50 days), avoiding mountainous rainy season; commissioning in three steps: first single equipment no-load test (verifying motor, idler operation under mountainous voltage fluctuations, adapted to iron ore heavy-load startup needs), then unloader-feeder-conveyor system linkage test, finally 72-hour full-load trial run (simulating mountainous high temperature, gust conditions, and continuous iron ore conveying), optimizing PLC program, stabilizing conveyor processing capacity at 2050 tons/hour, exceeding 2000 tons/hour requirement.

Operation and Maintenance Training

Providing 18-day special training for factory's 8 maintenance personnel, content designed around mountainous iron ore conveying equipment characteristics: covering daily inspection of mountainous open-air equipment (idler rotation status, hydraulic oil level, rain cover sealing, mountain landslide risk check), common fault handling (belt deviation, motor overload, rain-induced electrical faults), and periodic maintenance (idler lubrication, scraper replacement, rainy season equipment drainage); targeting high abrasiveness of iron ore, additional training on "idler wear judgment", "scraper adaptation adjustment" skills; training uses Chinese-English bilingual operation manuals and mountainous iron ore conveying fault case videos. Relying on ZOOMRY's domestic service network, common spare parts quickly dispatched via regional warehouses, response time ≤7 days, while opening 24-hour multi-language technical hotline, ensuring timely response to factory mountainous mining area maintenance needs.

Project Achievements

After project commissioning, equipment operates long-term stably in factory's mountainous open-air environment, all indicators exceeding expectations, creating significant value for the factory:

• Efficiency Improvement: the entire 3300-meter conveying process without transfer, conveyor actual processing capacity stable at 2050 tons/hour, fully matching factory's 2000 tons/hour crushing capacity, no more iron ore buildup during peaks; conveying cycle shortened from traditional "conveyor + truck transfer" mode's 8 hours to 1.6 hours, annually reducing production downtime due to insufficient conveying by about 50 hours, indirectly boosting capacity value; smooth adaptation to 3 horizontal curves, saving investments and maintenance costs of 2 transfer stations, while avoiding 5.3% iron ore loss in transfer links, based on annual throughput of 15 million tons, annually reducing loss by about 795,000 tons.
• Environmental Compliance: Full-system sealing design reduces dust emissions from 25mg/m³ to 7.5mg/m³, far exceeding national standards, factory receives no more surrounding environmental complaints, avoiding penalty risks; iron ore loss rate from 5.3% to 0.8%, significantly improving material utilization; rain cover and sealing belt design reduces rainy season iron ore caking rate from 10% to 1.5%, eliminating extra crushing processes, saving energy and reducing mountainous rainwater impact on iron ore processing.
• Mountainous Adaptation: Equipment core components (idlers, drums, motors) operate over 35,000 hours without large-scale replacement, daily only periodic belt replacement and scraper cleaning, annual maintenance frequency from 12 to 3 times, maintenance costs reduced 40%; even in mountainous -12℃~40℃ temperature difference, strong winds, and heavy rain, equipment annual failure rate only 0.4%, far below 0.6% target, never major faults due to extreme weather or mountainous terrain; for factory's planned secondary capacity upgrade, only minor motor power and PLC program adjustments needed to adapt to new 2200 tons/hour demand, equipment scalability fully exceeding expectations.
• Cost Savings: Compared to traditional mode, saving civil and equipment investments of 2 transfer stations, while avoiding ecological damage from mountainous leveling (compliant with mining environmental requirements); localized maintenance service shortens spare parts response from 30 days to 7 days, annual downtime from 90 hours to 22 hours, indirectly reducing economic losses.

The factory project leader stated: "We were most worried about the 140-meter elevation and 3 curves' conveying stability before. ZOOMRY's equipment not only handles the 3 km route steadily but withstands summer heavy rains and winter low temperatures, with no pressure on high abrasiveness of iron ore. Last time idlers needed replacement, parts arrived in 2 days, technical staff guided us remotely to replace ourselves, without delaying production at all. For future expansion to other mining areas, we will definitely prioritize ZOOMRY's solutions, as the equipment adaptability and service fit our mining needs perfectly."

ZOOMRY's Core Advantages

1. Customization Capability: Targeting factory's mountainous 3 curves, 140-meter elevation, and iron ore heavy-load high-abrasiveness characteristics, relying on proprietary "curve tension control technology" and "segmented drive design", completing full solution customization in just 2.5 months, significantly shortening project implementation time compared to international brands' over 5 months design cycle; simultaneously combining mountainous climate and mining environmental requirements, optimizing equipment protection and dust control structures, ensuring adaptability and reliability.
2. Equipment Diversity: From wheeled truck unloaders, hopper feeders to long-distance curved belt conveyors, full series equipment proprietary developed by ZOOMRY, parameters seamlessly matching (e.g., unloading speed and feed rate precise coordination, conveyor slope adaptation to mountainous terrain, component wear-resistant design matching iron ore characteristics), avoiding compatibility issues of different brand equipment; core components self-produced, performance superior to national and CEMA standards, ensuring overall system reliability.
3. Service Assurance: Relying on extensive domestic service network and spare parts warehouses, achieving common spare parts response within 7 days, 24-hour multi-language technical hotline quickly resolving factory mountainous mining area maintenance issues, completely eliminating long waits for imported spare parts, especially adapted to maintenance needs in inconvenient transportation mining areas.