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SUMITOMO METAL INDUSTRIES LTD - MINING MASS TRANSPORTATION

The Capsule Liner from Sumitomo Metals is a revolutionary way of bringing more efficient transport to your mining operations, while preserving the environment at the same time. This multi-purpose mass transportation system runs trains of wheeled capsules loaded with freight in a pipeline using low air pressure. The entire system, including capsule speed, is controlled by a central computer. Capsule trains run in the pipeline at regular intervals, making transportation safe, automatic and reliable.

Sumitomo's Capsule Liner is clean-running, so it does not harm the environment. Operating free of weather, it can transport a range of materials including limestone, coal, ore, sand, gravel and more. The system is also ideal for excavated earth transportation. Since 1983, Sumitomo Capsule Liners installed in this field have achieved an operation rate of over 95% for more than 10 years.

The Capsule Liner needs only a few operators to run the whole system, so it is very labour saving and productive. The system's pipeline is virtually maintenance-free, while care of the capsules is easy. Superior to both truck and conveyor systems, Sumitomo's Capsule Liner eliminates problems with traffic, air and noise pollution, slow transport speeds, difficult maintenance and spillage.

FIGURE: Schematic diagram showing the main features of the capsule liner transportation system.
Schematic diagram of system.

LIMESTONE CAPSULE PIPELINE (IN OPERATION SINCE APRIL 1983)

Location: Tochigi Pref. Japan
Material Transported: Limestone
Travel distance: 3,200 m
Annual Volume of Freight: 2,000,000 tons
Annual Working Hour: 6,000 H
Pipeline Diameter: 998 mm
Capsule: Live Load 1.6 tons; 5 x 2 wheels; Launching Interval of a Train 50 sec (a train is composed of 3 capsules)
Energy Consumption: 0.7 kWH/ton.km

FIGURE: Turntable Type Batcher.
Image: Turntable Type Batcher.

SUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR THE PCPS

In general, the PCPS is preferable to other transport systems when any of the following conditions are met:

Concern over environmental impacts: spillage (pollution of surroundings and/or rivers), dust (air pollution), noise, soil vibration, impact to animals
Climate: intense cold weather, heavy rain or heavy snow
Route: strong likelihood of traffic jam and/or traffic accidents; many curves; many or steep ups and downs; above ground should be utilized for another purposes such as farming (no above ground right-of-way)
Distance: from several km to several hundreds of km.
Volume: several million tons annually
Freight: high value per volume, pollutant, high possibility of theft

Sumitomo can advise on any proposed PCPS installation, given certain basic information which can lead to a preliminary consultation, preliminary application study and a cost estimate. The essential information required is: type of material, its maximum particle size and bulk density; transport capacity in t / h and transport volume in t / day, t / month or t / year; working hours/day, days/week and days/month and/or days/year; basic details of the route, such as height difference and elevation profile; and any special conditions which might apply. This information should be sent for the attention of Dr S. Kosugi, Pipeline Engineering Department.

Sumitomo Metal Industries. Ltd
Pipeline Engineering Department
8 - 2, Honshio-cho, Shinjyuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0003
Japan
Tel: +81 3 3355 8070
Fax: +81 3 3355 8108
E-mail: kosugi-sni@aw.sumikin.co.jp

VERTICAL PCP - SAFE & ECONOMICAL TRANSPORT IN COMMERCIAL USE IN JAPAN

12 December 2001 10:06:24

Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Metals) has developed a vertical pneumatic capsule pipeline (vertical PCP) collaborating with Kajima Corporation (Kajima) and Kansai Design Co. (KDC). This system is to transport materials in a wheeled container called capsule by a low-pressure air current in a vertical pipeline caused by a blower.

The first commercial system of the vertical PCP started its operation on October 20, 2001 to transport the earth excavated by a underground tunneling machine in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. This system is 1 meter in diameter and 35 meters in vertical length and transports 30 cubic meter of excavated earth every hour by using a capsule whose volume is 1 cubic meter. The vertical PCP is safe, clean and labor saving. The larger its transport length is, the more economical it shows. It is expected to be applied to the transportation between the deep underground and the above ground such as toxic waste storage to the underground as deep as 1000 meters.

Further information, please contact kosugi-sni@sumitomometals.co.jp

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