What Is A Bucket Conveyor Used For? Everything You Need To Know

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How do you think thousands of pounds of materials are hauled every day? A task that at first looks intimidating and difficult can be easily performed using material handling machines. This equipment is specifically designed to safely transport heavy materials.

This includes the conveyor system that helps in increasing the speed of production. One such type of conveyor, a bucket conveyor, is created to move materials vertically and thus is widely used in different industries. To understand more about the bucket conveyor system, continue reading this article.

What are bucket conveyors?

Bucket conveyors haul heavy products vertically through reciprocating buckets, and the materials are usually in bulk. This bucket conveyor consists of an interconnected loop of buckets, which stay level even when moving, thus preventing the spilling of contents inside. The material is loaded in the conveyor at the boot and deposited automatically at the end of the cycle in a process known as discharge.

This is an automatic and fast process of conveying material vertically. In terms of the design of these conveyors, they vary depending on the material to be moved as well as the height needed for them to be moved. The correct design will ensure efficient and effective movements.

They come in S, C, Z, or vertical arrangements depending on the type you want. Bucket conveyors work best with light, dry, or powder substances and are usually not used for moving wet or semi-solid materials. This is because the wet substance will adhere to the buckets leading to other problems like discharging issues.

This conveyor can keep material in separate units, which is not achieved by other conveyors like the screw conveyor that integrates the materials and thus is best in moving running mass.

So bucket conveyors are mostly used in glass, mining, cement, biomass, paper, and power generation industries. Some applications of bucket conveyors include sugar or grain conveyors and ash and coal handling machines.

Different types of bucket conveyors

There are three fundamental types of bucket conveyors: continuous, centrifugal, and positive discharge conveyors.

So let’s look into the details of each type of bucket conveyor to better understand how they work.

1) Continuous bucket conveyor

Continuous bucket conveyors are different from other types of bucket conveyors as they are for transporting light and fragile materials. These conveyors do not have gaps between the buckets, and they move at slower speeds of 3-5 feet/second.

The buckets of this conveyor are filled with material one at a time by the inlet, and the buckets are unloaded, so the gravity acts on the material.

This system handles fragile materials, as it minimizes damage by preventing aeration. Continuous bucket conveyors have applications in the mining and plastic industries and other areas where there is little agitation.

2) Centrifugal bucket conveyor

Centrifugal bucket conveyors use centrifugal force to haul free-flowing materials. The conveyor consists of evenly spaced buckets that take up by digging material at the inlet and discharge them at the discharge throat after making a top turn to maximize centrifugal force.

This type of conveyor bucket is inside a metal housing, which prevents material from spilling and only moves at the discharge throat. The leftover material falls back and is picked up again when the cycle repeats.

Centrifugal bucket conveyors work at both low and high speeds and can move 100 lbs/ cubic feet of material up to 350 feet/minute. You can also get centrifugal conveyors that transport at a higher speed of up to 100 feet/minute, but only lighter material can be used in this.

Due to this, they have good applications for higher speeds and work well with materials like sugar, grain, minerals, and chemicals.

3) Positive discharge conveyor

Positive discharge conveyors are a special type of centrifugal conveyor in which the buckets move over another cogwheel, thrusting the material out of the discharge throat. The buckets of positive discharge conveyors are larger and unique to their manufacturer.

This conveyor is thus more expensive than the other two types of bucket conveyors. These conveyors move at slow speeds of 2-4 feet/second so that there is no product spilling or damage to the material.

They work best in moving nuts, cereal, dried fruits, and other materials where the need to preserve the material integrity is a top priority.

The selection criteria according to the specifications of bucket conveyors

Making sure you choose the right type of bucket conveyor can be difficult. To help you out, here is an outline of the specifications of bucket conveyors that you need to consider before contacting your supplier. This will help you convey your needs and thus get the right equipment.

1) Bucket design

You need to answer an important question before selecting a bucket conveyor. How much material will need to be hauled per unit time? And how far will it need to travel?. Since the bucket size and shape depends upon capacity rate output and distance. To find out the desired capacity of the conveyor, you need to use the following formula:

Bucket capacity × number of buckets per feet × feet per minute of conveyor × (60min/hour) ÷1728 = cubic feet per hour capacity

If you have any trouble understanding this, you can get the help of your supplier. The distance the product needs to travel and the orientation of the conveyor will determine the number and design of buckets that should be used.

The speed of the conveyor will also be determined through it. You need to look for a unit with a good capacity rate output that ensures your material moves as fast as possible without any damage.

2) Product characteristics and needs

It’s also important to know the type of material you need to move. Whether it will need protection from sticking, the environment, or aeration, for instance, if you want to transport powdered substances like sand, then a slower bucket conveyor will be best. But if you want to convey cereal or grain, then a rougher and faster conveyor can work well.

Knowing the type of material you want to work with will also help ensure you get the right size bucket and use the maximum speed to produce good results.

In conclusion

The technology of bucket conveyors helps in hauling thousands of pounds of material in minutes and thus increases the speed of production and decreases your downtime. Hopefully, this article will have helped you understand these bucket conveyors, their types, and how you can make a wise selection easily.