hen a new plant is being planned, considerable care needs to be taken in the design and placement of the transfer chutes, argues Mark Baller, managing director of Weba Chute Systems.
“In our experience, there has been considerable disruption caused to plant operations by transfer chutes which are not optimally designed or properly located in the flowsheet,” says Baller. “This is a concern, as this disruption can cause financial loss that is not commensurate with the value of the equipment.”
He says the relatively low cost of a chute compared to the high value items like crushers and screens may be one reason why they are not taken as seriously as they should be. For example, the chute supplier is often engaged quite late in the plant design process.
“The plant layout has then already been decided, and the chutes are just expected to be slotted in as and where the space is available. We request our clients to talk to us earlier, so that we can give the necessary valuable input on where chutes would be best placed. It is costly and time consuming to try and adjust plant designs further down the line,” he says.