FUNDAMENTALS OF CONVEYOR SYSTEMS

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FUNDAMENTALS OF CONVEYOR SYSTEMS

• Presented by
• Laura Hoggan, Rubber Plastics

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Topics to be Covered

• System Maintenance
• Belt Maintenance
• Anatomy of a belt
• Common Frac Sand belt specifications and designs

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Section I System Maintenance
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System Square

• A conveyor system frame is like a car frame, if
  your frame is not square it will throw off other
  components, creating wear and tear.
• The Dragon Tail is the most susceptible area for
  being out of square, check it often!

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Cleaning

• Good system maintenance can be summed up in two
  words, Good Housekeeping.
• Check pulleys and rollers for material build-up.

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Loading Area

• Having the right equipment and a good transaction
  area is a key component in system life and belt
  life.
• Bad Loading can result in
• Catastrophic failure
• Damage to belt
• Tracking issues

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TO-DO LIST!

• Follow OEM guide for lubrication schedule
• Visually inspect
• Rollers, Pulleys, Return rollers belt guides
  for excessive wear, built up material and damage.
• Belt Splice for wear on lace, cracks, missing
  components.
• Sidewall for damage and missing sections
• Inspect belts
• Tracking properly
• Tension

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Section II Belt Maintenance
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Belt Tracking/Training Considerations

• Conveyor belt moves toward the end of the
  roller/idler it contacts first
• Check conveyor system for structural
  misalignments
• Check pulleys and idlers for misalignment and
  material build-up
• Check belt splice for accuracy and straightness
• Observe belt in operation empty and loaded for
  tracking tendencies
• Eliminate Spillage, Off-center loading and
  build-up of materials, factors that cause
  tracking issues

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Splice Failures

• Inspect lace to ensure all parts are still
  present
• Inspect Vulcanized splices for cracking,
  splitting and loose sidewall sections

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Belt Repair

• Flexco offers a variety of rip repair fasteners.
  With these you can patch soft spots before they
  become rips or a cut or tear in your belt to
  extend your belt life
• Eli-Flex rubber repair kits for holes, tears,
  splits, gouges and excess wear areas
• SuperScrew patch kits for holes and tears.
  Provides water tight

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What happens if I install the wrong belt spec?

• Belt will wear faster than expected
• Belt may potentially fail
• Cleats and/or Sidewall may separate from belt

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Section III Anatomy of a belt
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Belt Specification Breakdown
CR 32/330 1/8 x 1/16 Grd II or MOR

• 3 Number of Tension Plies
• 2 Number of Cross Rigid Plies

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What is a Ply?

• A rubber coated layer of fabric
• Each fabric layer is a ply
• Commonly a Polyester/Nylon material
• Are the strength member of the belt

How do you know how many plies you have?

• Count the number of layers of fabric visible in
  the belt

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CROSS RIGID BELT

• Engineered for applications that take a sharp
  upturn, with a heavy cleat and/or corrugated
  sidewall.
• Cross Rigid belts are rigid across the belt (fill
  or weft direction)
• Provides lateral reinforcement that keeps the
  belting rigid
• Cross Rigid belting will withstand deflection
  from horizontal to incline without bowing or
  sagging during operations.

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Belt Specification Breakdown
CR 32/330 1/8 x 1/16

• 3 Number of Tension Plies
• 2 Number of Cross Rigid Plies
• 330 Working tension per inch width

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Working Tension

• Working tension is a factor of the fabric/ply
• Rated on a per inch width
• Fabric strength has a direct impact on minimum
  pulley diameter requirements

Why does it matter?

• Belt can snap in operation if not rated for the
  tension of the system

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Belt Specification Breakdown
CR 32/330 1/8 x 1/16

• 3 Number of Tension Plies
• 2 Number of Cross Rigid Plies
• 330 Working tension per inch width
• 1/8 Thickness of Rubber top cover

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Top Cover Thickness

• Provides an impact and abrasion resistance layer,
  protecting the belt fabric
• There are standard cover thicknesses which vary
  based on the plies and tension rating of the belt
• Custom thicknesses are available but usually
  require a minimum quantity purchase

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Belt Specification Breakdown
CR 32/330 1/8 x 1/16

• 3 Number of Tension Plies
• 2 Number of Cross Rigid Plies
• 330 Working tension per inch width
• 1/8 Thickness of Rubber top cover
• 1/16 Thickness of Rubber bottom cover

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Bottom Cover of a Conveyor Belt

• May have a rubber bottom or a bare-back bottom
• PVC belts are
• COS Cover one Side
• CBS Cover both sides
• Rubber Belts are
• Called out by actual thickness of cover materials

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What is a Bare-Back?

• A conveyor belt with no bottom rubber cover
• Bottom of conveyor belt is the fabric from the
  bottom ply

Why use a Bare-Back?

• Slider Bed Applications
• Fabric bottom has a lower coefficient of friction
  than a Rubber bottom

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Belt Specification Breakdown
CR 32/330 1/8 x 1/16

• 3 Number of Tension Plies
• 2 Number of Cross Rigid Plies
• 330 Working tension per inch width
• 1/8 Thickness of Rubber top cover
• 1/16 Thickness of Rubber bottom cover
• MOR / Grd II The type of Rubber Material used
  in the belt

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What Rubber Compounds are common?

• MOR
• Mainly for any application where oils will be
  present. Is moderately resistant to oils and
  solvents

• RMA Grade 1
• Mainly for HIGH impact, cutting and abrasion
  Applications
• More natural rubber
• Best impact, abrasion and gouge resistance

• RMA Grade 2
• Most common compound
• great for all general materials and products
• Good impact and abrasion resistance

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Section IV Common Belt Specifications and
Designs in Fracking
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Profile Belts

• Why use a profile belt?
• Inclines greater than 20
• To prevent roll back of material
• Common Profiles
• Herringbone
• Chevron
• V-Cleat
• MaxClimb
• MegaClimb

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Frac Sand Belt Configurations

• Sidewall Belt No cleats

• Typically on Sand Delivery Units
• Sand Delivery Units receive sand transported to
  the well site.
• Uses a combination of hoppers and conveyor belts
  to move frac sand to the T-Belt during fracking
  operations.
• Operates on Troughing Idlers
• Details
• Sidewall height
• from 2 to 4
• Available on any
• belt specification

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Frac Sand Belt Configurations

• Narrow Width MaxClimb w/ Sidewall

• Typically on the T-Belt (Dual Belt Units)
• Takes discharge from multiple Sand Delivery Units
  and delivers to the blenders.
• Compartmented belt allows for high angle
  discharge of materials.
• Details
• 30 and Narrower belts
• 1-1/4 tall cleats
• Sidewall heights of 2 to 6

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Frac Sand Belt Configurations

• MaxClimb w/ Sidewall

• Typically on the T-Belt (Single Belt Units)
• Takes discharge from multiple Sand Delivery Units
  and delivers to the blenders.
• Compartmented belt allows for high angle
  discharge of materials.
• Details
• 30 and Wider belts
• 1-1/4 tall cleats
• Sidewall heights of 2 to 6

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Frac Sand Belt Configurations

• 3 Peg Belt w/ Sidewall

• Peg or Finger Belt
• Conveys continuous flow of material
• Powder to moderate lump sizes
• Up to 45 Angles
• High material capacity
• Can be on Delivery Units or T-Belt Units
• Details
• 24 or 30 Wide (Peg pattern is 20)
• Available on any belt specification
• Pegs are 70 durometer

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Belt End Preparation

• Super Screw

• Hot Vulcanized

• Mechanically fastened to belt
• Can be installed on one end to expedite field
  installation
• Reduces the installation time and tools required

• Provides 5x greater adhesion than chemical bonds
• Prevents product spillage through the splice

• Mechanical Splice

• Installed in Factory, no tools needed in field

Frack Sand can corrode and wear down metal
fasteners that are not protected with a rubber
cover. Inspect often to prevent failure!
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How do I know what belt to use?

• Belt selection is based on
• Minimum pulley diameter
• The configuration of the conveyor system
  including
• Type Style of return
• Incline
• Changes in incline
• Slider bed or troughed rollers
• Overall length
• Height of incline
• Weight of material

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Can I change Styles of Frac Belts?

• For the most part, Yes.
• Ensure new belt configuration fits the system,
  checking the following
• Sidewall Height
• Cleat clearances (recess, height, etc.)
• Belt configuration may alter the speed at which a
  belt operates to deliver the same tonnage per
  minute.

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Frac Sand Environmental Concerns

• Small Pulley Diameters
• Small pulley diameters put chemical bonds under
  stress, causing pre-mature failure
• Extreme Environments
• Extreme cold in South Dakota, Pennsylvania,
  Canadian markets
• Cold temperatures degrade the chemical bond,
  causing pre-mature failure
• Hot vulcanized sidewall is lasting 5x longer than
  Chemical bonds
• Field Location Difficulties
• Timeliness to get to breakdown area
• Exposure to environment
• Potential lack of equipment / power sources

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How to determine quality of a belt

• Import vs. Domestic
• Location of manufacturing doesnt matter, the
  quality does.
• Safety Factors
• Ply Adhesion
• Elongation
• Quality of Value-Add Process
• Key term Hot Vulcanization