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Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing

Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing

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CarrybackMaterial that sticks or clings to a conveyor belt after passing over the head pulley is calledcarryback. Carryback tends to fall from the belt as it passes over return idlers. This creates pilesof material that require clean-up, which can increase worker dust exposure. Also, respirableportions of carryback can become airborne <strong>and</strong> increase fugitive dust exposure levels. The goalis to remove carryback be<strong>for</strong>e it is released into the air <strong>and</strong> becomes a source of contamination tothe workers or creates piles of material that require clean-up.The primary means of controlling carryback is to clean the belt as it passes over or past the headpulley (i.e. shortly after material is discharged from the belt). The two most common means ofcleaning a conveyor belt of carryback are to mechanically "scrape" the belt via scrapers orbrushes or to wash the belt.Belt ScrapersThere are a myriad of different types <strong>and</strong> configurations of scrapers <strong>and</strong> addressing them all isbeyond the scope of this h<strong>and</strong>book. Instead, the basic principles <strong>and</strong> types of scrapers will beaddressed. Although belt cleaner systems come in many different styles, types, <strong>and</strong> trade namessold by numerous commercial manufacturers, their function remains the same: to reduce theamount of carryback on the belt once the ore is discharged.Material can be either scraped or peeled from a belt. When material is scraped from a belt, thescraper is angled with the direction of belt travel (Figure 5.12).Figure 5.12. Typical method <strong>for</strong> scraping material from a belt.Multiple scraper belt cleaner systems provide a way to address carryback, with the use of aprecleaner on the face of the head pulley to remove most of the material, followed by secondarycleaners to per<strong>for</strong>m final cleaning. The secondary scrapers can be installed either where the beltleaves the head pulley or further along the conveyor return. To be effective as well as to reducebelt wear, multiple cleaners should be incorporated with low blade-to-belt pressure [Goldbeck<strong>and</strong> Marti 2010]. When dust levels are high, it is not uncommon to use two or three belt scrapersConveying <strong>and</strong> Transport 141

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