PARTICULATE CONTROL FOR WOOD DRYER APPLICATIONS For the separation of particulate matter from dryer emissions, wet electrostatic precipitators represent the best available technology. Our extensive expe-rience in wood processing applications ensures the most reliable design and economical operation. • SENA -single and multi-fi eld wet ESPs • Energy Recovery Systems • Dust Collection and Conveying Systems Working together with our customers, we keep technology on the move and offer complete solu-tions that are extremely reliable and cost effective. Biological Scrubbers | Wet and dry Electrostatic Precipitators | Press Exhaust Systems | Dust Col-lection and Conveying Systems | Sifters Scheuch Inc. 2351 Huron Street, Unit 1 London, Ontario, N5VU 0A8, Canada Phone: 519 951-7700U I Fax: 519 951-U7711 offi [email protected] www.scheuch.ca • • them much more effective. Plus, a dirt-free cleaner is much easier to inspect. Inspect it: A simple visual inspec-tion can do wonders for a cleaner. You can check to see that everything is in working order and replace any damaged components. When it comes to your blades, inspect the visual wear lines to ensure that the blades have not reached the end of their life. As you inspect the blades, make a note of how close they are to complete wear and the approxi-mate amount of time it took to get to that point. Tension it: Tension the blade to accommodate the blade wear. This is done quickly and easily by ref-erencing the tension check decal and measuring the tension spring to ensure the blade is properly tensioned. a complete maintenance plan It’s important to think of cleaner mainte-nance as a plan, instead of a specific task. In addition to regular maintenance, there are two other aspects that can enhance the performance of your belt conveyor system: quality of products and quality of replacement parts. Choosing the right products and re-placement parts is integral not only to your cleaning system, but to your entire convey-or operation. Taking the time to consider factors like blade life, the material path of your product, and the ease of a tension check will save you time and money. Look for a blade with a long wear life. Oftentimes, this is determined by tak-ing note of the material from which the blade is made. In the case of urethane, the quality of the urethane and the vol-ume of urethane found on the blade are key to long wear life. Keeping an eye on the path the material actually takes on the belt can also save the cleaner. A blade that follows the material path is the most efficient because it wears evenly, instead of wearing in the centre. Using a blade that covers only the material path boosts cleaning performance and extends the life of the blade. When it comes to visual tension checks, the philosophy is simple. The easier it is to check the tension, the more the crew will inspect it. Over-or under-tensioning the blade can shorten the blade life by as much as 20%. Improperly ten-sioned blades compromise cleaning ef-ficiency and blade life, putting a dent in the budget. a complete system In a belt conveyor system, a myriad of products are working together towards a common goal: keeping things moving and getting the job done. Though belt cleaners are a small part of a much larger system, a healthy conveyor system begins and ends with cleaning and maintenance. Consider your entire system when putting your belt cleaner maintenance plan into effect. It’s a good general rule to inspect and perform maintenance on all of your conveyor system compo-nents as part of an overall maintenance plan. After all, being proactive can save you time, money, and a headache down the road. • Ryan Grevenstuk is product manager for Flexco. To find out how to turn maintenance challenges into cost savings, visit the Flexco Trade-In Trade-Up website at www.tradeupand-save.com and download the belt maintenance brochure. Canadian BIOMASS 27
Canadian Biomass July/August 2011: Page 27
