Key Benefits
- High availability, easy maintenance, long operating life
- Environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective
- Adaptable to curves to follow tight routes and terrain
Reliable and eco-friendly high-performance overland conveyors
High-capacity overland conveyors are the ideal solution for mines and plants to transport large quantities of bulk material efficiently. And we should know. With over 180 conveyor references since 1971, FLS engineers have the expertise and skill required to make your material handling project a success.
What we offer
Expert design, engineering and services for high-performance conveyor projects
FLS provides a wide range of services for all phases of a conveyor project. Our primary focus is on designing and supplying high-performance conveyor equipment. We also offer budget studies, feasibility studies, technology comparisons, conceptual design evaluations, system surveys, operation and maintenance evaluations, and system failure analyses to ensure comprehensive support for our clients.
Belt conveying systems have been proven around the world in mining and materials handling applications over many decades. FLS recognizes that conveyors are not all the same. High Performance Conveyors have a different design from traditional (more standardized) conveyors because they are systematically designed to achieve the highest reliability and efficiency for a project. High performance conveyor projects require expert design optimization, which results in a superior, more cost-effective solution, customized to address project specific risks. At FLS, we work closely with our clients to apply a comprehensive approach to the use of a conveyor for their project.
Our high-performance overland conveyor systems have opened new horizons when it comes to the transportation of bulk materials. Each system is custom-designed and made to meet the unique requirements of your application, considering factors such as the type and volume of materials to be handled, the specific topography of the route, and the prevailing climatic conditions. This ensures we design and deliver the most efficient, effective and reliable overland conveying solution for your particular needs.
Here at FLS, we have designed high-performance conveyor systems capable of throughputs up to 37,500 tonnes per hour and up to distances of 100 km, moving a range of materials including overburden and ores. These conveyors provide significantly higher efficiencies and lower energy consumption compared to manually operated equipment, such as haul trucks. A look at the numbers makes the point: while a truck uses more than 60% of its consumed energy to move itself, overland belt conveyors use more than 80% of their consumed energy on average to do the job they are designed for – move material! And there are no empty trips with a belt conveyor as there are with trucks.
Our overland conveyors are also electrically driven, eliminating the emissions and fuel costs associated with diesel-powered trucks. A variety of electric drive solutions is available, including gearless conveyor drives for power demands in excess of 3MW per pulley, and regenerative drives for downhill conveyors, which have been shown to achieve transportation efficiency almost double that of heavy haul trucks.
Key benefits
Why conveyors?
Moving material from A to B may not be glamorous, but it's essential for mine or mineral processing operations. It must be done safely and reliably to prevent halting the entire operation. Since material transportation is a significant part of operating costs and environmental impact, choosing a solution with the best transport efficiency, like our high-performance belt conveyors, is crucial.
- High availability, easy maintenance, long operating life
- Belt conveyors are a robust and durable material transportation solution, offering availability of up to 99% per flight. Maintenance requirements are also less than truck-based systems – and they don’t require refuelling or empty return trips! FLS high-performance overland conveyors are regularly demonstrating best in class availability and ease of maintenance, designed for decades of operation.
- Environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective
- Overland belt conveyors, powered by electric drives, are a crucial component of our MissionZero Mine vision, as they eliminate the greenhouse gas and particulate emissions that come with truck-based systems. They also enhance safety by reducing the number of interactions between vehicles and between vehicles and people. With benefits that increase with longer transport distances, overland conveyors lower operating costs related to labour, power, and maintenance. In summary, FLS high-performance overland conveyors provide the most cost-effective solution for transporting bulk materials over long distances.
- Adaptable to curves to follow tight routes and terrain
- Our overland conveyors can bend to follow tight routing and terrain requirements. We adapt our overland conveyors to the specific topography of the route, over distances of up to 100 km and a variety of slopes. Each system is customised and tailored to the individual needs of your application, taking into account aspects such as the type and quantity of materials to be transported and the specific topography of the route.
Product features
An overland conveyor from the experts
We have designed overland conveyor systems with throughputs up to 37,500 tonnes per hour, single flights up to 21 km, up to 11 remote drive locations, and up to 11 horizontal curves. FLS has unrivalled domain expertise in the implementation of high-performance overland conveyor systems. This results in the skill and knowledge to stay at the cutting edge of innovation in conveyor technology.
Our toolbox of innovations, including the application of high-power gearless conveyor drives, data driven analysis of conveyors with our digital twin technology, complex horizontal curve implementation, expert consulting services through our overland conveyor company brand, or our exclusive rail running conveyor technology allow us to uniquely meet the modern demands of mine development and bulk material handling projects.
Gearless Conveyor Drives
As ore grades decline, new mines are being developed in more remote areas, pits are getting deeper, and underground mines are becoming larger. This means an ever increasing amount of materials must be transported over longer distances and across steeper inclines.
Horizontal curves
Modern mine development is pushing mining areas further and further away from processing plant locations. This is creating longer and longer transport distances for both ore and waste handling systems. The longer the transport distance, the less likely the material can be moved in a perfectly straight line.
Conveyor system health checks by conveyor digital twin
Modern mine development is pushing mining areas further and further away from processing plant locations. This is creating longer and longer transport distances for both ore and waste handling systems. The longer the transport distance, the less likely the material can be moved in a perfectly straight line.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an overland conveyor?
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Overland conveyors are a continuous system for transporting large quantities of bulk materials over long distances. They offer a more efficient, economic and sustainable solution than truck-based systems by reducing operating, maintenance and labour costs, while also eliminating emissions of greenhouse gases and particulate matter.
- How does an overland conveyor work?
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Belt conveyors comprise the belt, rollers and the drive system. The belt carries the material along the length of the conveyor, while the rollers support the belt and prevent sagging. The drive system provides power to the system and includes one or more electric motors. The motor turns a large drum called the drive pulley, around which the belt is wrapped under tension. When the pulley rotates, it causes the belt to move.
- What benefits does a digital twin offer to conveyor operations?
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An effective digital twin creates a useful link between the design and operation of an overland conveyor, as well as concrete insight into real-world operating conditions. For example: when upgrading or retrofitting a conveyor, the digital twin enables the designers to see the impact of any prospective change on the operating characteristics.
When analysing operating conditions, a digital twin can also help identify key operating metrics, such as what components are drawing the most friction and how this changes over time, how many kW-hr are being spent per tonne delivered (and how this might be improved), what the availability and utilization of the conveyor are, and what components require the most maintenance.
- What overland conveying services does FLS offer?
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We offer a broad range of services for all phases of the an overland conveyor project including:
• Engineering and design:
1. Mechanical calculations.
2. Structural engineering.
3. Electrical engineering and instrumentation.
4. Detailed design of machine components.
5. System layouts.
6. Material flow simulations.• Sales, service and R&D support.
• Installation and maintenance procedures.
• Engineering automation (software).We also offer consulting services including:
• Budgetary studies.
• Prefeasibility and feasibility studies.
• Conceptual designs.
• Basic design.
• Design audits.
• Bid document preparation and evaluation.
• Survey and assessments.
• Operating and maintenance evaluations.
• Failure analysis.
• Mine simulation.
•OPEX/CAPEX estimates. - What is FLS conveyor design process?
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Our generalised conveyor design process comprises nine steps:
1. Point A to point B route analysis.
2. Establish required throughput.
3. Evaluate belt width and speed options.
4. Select idler arrangement and spacing.
5. Calculate power and belt tensions.
6. Tension-based component selection:
a. Locate/select drives.
b. Select belt.
7. Locate/select take-up.
8. Evaluate curves, structure, earthworks.
9. Pulley arrangement and design.
10. Dynamic analysis and the design of conveyor controls.
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