Engineered Transfer Chute Design | Conveyor Chute Design

Overview

Transfer Chutes

Transfer chutes are used in many industries to facilitate bulk material transfer from one conveyor belt to another or for redirecting flow from a delivery point (e.g., feeder, screw conveyor) into a process or equipment (e.g., centrifuge, dryer, screener, etc.). Though the transfer chute itself may appear to be only a small or low-cost part of the equipment train, it can easily become a costly bottleneck and maintenance nightmare due to:

Plugging or buildup
Abrasive wear of chute or liner
Spillage and dust emission
Belt off-tracking
Segregation
Particle attrition (breakage)

Jenike & Johanson specializes in evaluating your chute applications, whether troubleshooting complex problems or developing new chute designs. Review our solution approach below, which is based on proven bulk material theories, cutting-edge proprietary discrete element modeling (DEM) analyses, material flow properties, and decades of experience designing and implementing transfer chutes that work from the start and operate trouble-free for years.

Iron ore transfer chute hood.

DEM analysis of a chute stream stagnation.

Chute wear

Our Approach

How Do We Design Transfer Chutes?

Jenike & Johanson provides effective functional engineering for transfer chutes considering:

Configuration that meets your needs (e.g., throughput, spatial constraints)
Critical bulk material flow properties that help specify key chute design features
Internal chute surfaces (liners to resist wear or reduce sticking/buildup)
Flow controlling geometry required to prevent material plugging, stream spillage, belt off-tracking, and reduce dusting
Use of hood and spoon stream control technology maintain reliable material flow from head pulley discharge to receiving belt delivery – our technology innovation developed nearly 30 years ago! (US patent #4646910) – check out this video of abrasion resistant hood in action with iron ore
DEM analysis with OUR proprietary in-house developed model that uses key bulk material flow properties and model calibration

Our Expertise

Experience Highlights

Design for highly abrasive iron ore that is either cohesive and at times saturated, or bone dry and dusty – transfer rate of 24000 MTPH (3 cubic meters per second!)
Anti-segregation hopper/transfer chute design for feeding highly segregating powdered metal to a multi-ton compaction press for making PM green compacts
Chute redesign at cement plant import terminal that must handle abrasive clinker, dusty bituminous coal, and highly cohesive synthetic gypsum
Transfer chute design for handling highly interlocking agriculture products (green hay and dry straw) at truck dump receiving station
Abrasion resistant chute design with unique hood with rock-box feature for minimizing damage when handling iron ore
Abrasive wear analysis with accurate DEM analysis to assess liner longevity

Next Steps

What's Next?

After completion of the chute’s functional design, Jenike & Johanson can provide mechanical and structural design services that result in drawings needed for fabrication. This additional engineering task is a vital step for achieving successful chute implementation.

Ask an Engineer Ask an Engineer