Bucket Elevator Sensors in Cement Plant

Better than what?

To expand on what RedFred said, how do you know that your sensors are the problem? Any machine that involves motion has a lot more significant factors to consider than external sensors. Perhaps the response to the sensor is too slow or weak? In that case, there is no sensor that will help.

Don't feel bad, it is very easy to ask the wrong question. But frequently it leads to the right question eventually. You may need to attach some sort of external LED to help you understand what is happening and when.

Before you are to be successful at addressing a problem, you must completely understand the problem.

Or, perhaps you just need to perform regular periodic maintenance, as stated in the operator's manual that came, or should have, with the equipment.

Yes, that costs money, but so does an overloaded, poorly maintained bucket elevator when it fails.

We have inductive sensor,The issue is that buckets and their chains are made of iron,moving the sensor from its position may not do any good.they big question is....

What can be done to prevent bucket derailment

"What can be done to prevent bucket derailment" was not your original question.

Now, the question to you is WHY are the buckets derailing?

Is the equipment old and worn out? You have not given any hints as to why it is failing.

You have not given any hints about the type, brand, age, maintenance history (if any) condition, useage or training of the operators using the equipment.

PAY someone to evaluate and repair it properly.

Then maintain and use it properly.

What seems to be the issue is that you do not understand or have explained to us why these buckets derail. Nobody can fix a problem without knowing the cause of the problem.

Since magnetic fields decay with the square of the distance, an inductive sensor to detect the proximity of a piece of iron seems ideal to me. If the wrong pieces of iron are getting detected then that's not a problem with the sensor. That's a problem of the sensor guarding to prevent false signals.

How does the sensor now prevent derailment? A better sensor my not be the answer. So you you want to prevent something from happening. You first address the cause. Then do some preventive maintenance on a regular schedule to prevent it.

I don't think the sensor prevents anything. Just warns of conditions before or after the fact.

Kenergy,

Typically when we had trouble with buckets derailing on our bucket elevators, it was due to a blockage or foreign object that hung up on the buckets or they were overloaded, the motor kept running and it soon derailed.

We solved it by adding a sensor (proximity sensor) that would see the buckets stop moving and time down 10 seconds, then shut off the motor and alert the operator with a panel light and auditory alarm. This virtually stopped every derailment event.

• What material are you transporting?
• What does it weigh?
• How big is each bucket?
• How much material in each bucket?
• How many buckets on the chain are full at one time?
• Motor HP?
• How often is it derailing?
• What sensors do you have installed now?
• Where are the sensors installed? Top? Bottom? Middle?

There is a lot more information that you have left out of your question!

How about a little more info please.

Give it a try, maybe you'll like it?!?

Sensors and derailing... are the sensors failing to stop the bucket on time and the bucket just runs off the end of its tracks.... Big stoppers would sort that but maybe break the driving mechanism.

Preventing derailment in transit is a simple enough mechanical fix if that's all your problem is.

Photos?

If belt is used to mount buckets,sometimes it breaks, and everything collapses to the bottom.A motion sensor/photocell can report the breakdown. If mounted on chain, chain may jump out of the wheel. Regular checking of the tightness of belt/chain is important. Speed monitoring too may be employed and VSD used of adjusting the speed of buckets is required.