Air Supported Belt Conveyors For Dry Phosphate Concentrate

Jetbelt is the trade name for the air supported belt conveyor. It does not use troughing rollers. Jetbelt conveyors support the conveyor belt on a thin film of air. The belt rides in a steel trough which has small holes equally spaced along the bottom of the trough. Air comes through the holes under the belt, thereby supporting the belt. The air pressure is provided by a single centrifugal blower that creates very low pressure, between 249 Pa and747 Pa [10" and 30" water column], depending upon the tonnage being conveyed. The volume of air required ranges between .001415 m3/S and .00283 m3/S [3 and 6 CFM] per lineal foot of conveyor. Therefore, depending on tonnage being conveyed, a 304.8m[1000'] conveyor might require as little as 1.415m3/S [3000 CFM] or as much as 2.83m3/S [6000 CFM.]. (See Figure 1) Horsepower requirements can be less than troughing idler conveyors and considerably less than some other forms of bulk conveying. Savings are most significant in horizontal and down hill (regenerative) conveyor designs. Horsepower to lift material, of course, does not change.