Among the main operations of technological lines in grain processing industries, the vertical movement of grain using bucket elevators should be highlighted. Existing bucket elevators, despite their advantages, have a number of drawbacks that reduce the efficiency of grain storage and processing enterprises.
Long-term research by SKIF specialists in cooperation with leading engineers from STIF has identified the main drawbacks of modern bucket elevators, including:
- Grain crushing by the bucket edges;
- Insufficient reliability of structures;
- High maintenance and operational costs;
- Exceeding the maximum allowable concentrations of explosive dust in the structural elements of the elevators.
Modern requirements for transport equipment demand a balance between the quality of technological processes, maintaining the integrity of the grain, energy efficiency, reliability, operating and maintenance costs, explosion safety, and environmental friendliness.
The integrated approach implemented by the specialists of SKIF TECHNOLOGY GROUP and STIF includes a method of compromise in the level of limitations and technological requirements for grain integrity, productivity, energy efficiency, and reliability. This has led to several improvements in the design of the ECOTRU bucket elevators manufactured by SKIF TECHNOLOGY GROUP.
Grain Damage Elimination
Measures to minimize grain damage were taken after a detailed analysis of the causes of destructive stress in the grain mass during transport flows in the elevator, such as:
- Lack of synchronization of the grain flow speed with the traction element;
- Bucket geometry;
- Geometry of the discharge devices;
- Reverse product discharge.
Due to the continuous filling of the elevator buckets, grain damage occurs due to impulses caused by the difference in the direction vectors of the grain particles and the buckets when they collide. The implementation of a patented grain feeding system into the working zone of the equipment allows for a 1.5% reduction in grain damage. The synchronization of loading flows is achieved by the use of flow stabilizers in the elevator’s receiving device, which reduces destructive stresses.
The reduction of destructive impacts is also supported by the use of STIF-made ECOTRU buckets with rounded edges that follow the trajectory of the dense product flow.
The elimination of destructive effects in the elevator head is achieved through the optimal geometry of the upper wall and unloading hopper, which minimizes the damping of the grain's kinetic energy by the flat areas of the body.
Reducing Equipment Costs
Some manufacturers of bucket elevators, in order to reduce equipment costs, reduce the diameter of the drive and tension drums. This leads to a decrease in the centrifugal force during bucket discharge and an increase in grain damage. According to research, when transporting grain products using an elevator with a productivity of 100 tons per hour and a drive drum diameter of 530 mm, the grain damage coefficient increases by 1.5% compared to a similar elevator with a drum diameter of 720 mm.
Reliability and Safety
The next-generation ECOTRU bucket elevators are equipped with a self-diagnosis and equipment performance management system. This system allows monitoring all parameters, energy consumption, and the technical condition of the equipment in real-time. The system consists of four levels:
- Monitoring the technical condition of equipment components.
- Managing the transportation process.
- Optimizing energy consumption.
- Creating a maintenance and repair schedule for the equipment.
The system continuously collects and accumulates data on the condition of the main elevator components, eliminating human error.
Thus, the combination of all the advantages and technical features of ECOTRU elevators provides customers with a fundamentally new technological system with the highest efficiency, reliability, and safety indicators. ECOTRU elevators are currently unrivaled, as no other manufacturer even comes close to providing similar energy efficiency and reliability levels.