Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 291-301).

No description available.

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Thesis (M. Ing.)--University of Stellenbosch, 1997. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / In a tender bid to energy and chemical company Sasol, a request to offer a technical solution for a two-flight overland conveyor system whose function is to transport coal from a 15 000 tonne bunker into an external stockpile storage facility in the plant was made. This conveyor consisted of two conveyor flight sections of lengths 18 423m and 8 537m each. The prospect of combining the two flights of conveyors to form one, super-efficient conveyor structure with additional cost saving benefits was identified. It was found that this occurrence was not unique to the individual project as other researching engineers have been faced with similar problems before [18]. This then lead the researcher into believing that there could be some advantage in investigating the possible benefits to the overall cost, maintainability and scheduling of the fabrication and erection activities for the entire project of combining the multiple flight conveyors into a single-flight conveyor. It is also the conviction of the researcher that the achieved outcomes will prove beneficial to the bulk materials handling industry as a whole. The problem is traditionally short, multiple flight conveyors have always been used for performing the function of transporting bulk material from one location in a mining plant to another hence; long, single-flight overland conveyors of lengths exceeding 26 km have not been commonly installed. In this dissertation the possibility of employing a single-flight overland as opposed to a two-flight conveyor in the Sasol Impumelelo coal plant is investigated. This is done against the work of other researchers who have conducted similar studies in the field as well as by utilizing project-specific data using applicable industry standards as well as Engineering Management course theory. By employing actual project procurement and engineering design data; the investigation is done by calculating and comparing the individual capital and operational costs that encompass the total cost of ownership (TCO) for both conveyor systems as well as the two systems’ reliability, availability and maintainability to establish each system’s complete life cycle costs. It is the opinion of the researcher that the investigation method is valid as it is in line with the guidelines given by The Miami University of Ohio [24] as well as J Hanek [25] and thus provides the researcher with a plausible technique for establishing which between the single-flight overland conveyor and two-flight overland conveyor configurations is overall the more superior system to install. It was found that even though its initial capital and operational costs are higher; the single-flight conveyor system is more reliable, readily available and cheaper to run and sustain over the 30 year expected life-span of the plant. It also is less labour intensive to perform maintenance on, yields less material degradation and results in less material spillage because of the elimination of additional transfer points and transfer towers. These results can be taken as valid on a global scale, for any mining plant, not restricted to any specific material as they are not subject to South African temperature, altitude or seismic conditions nor are they constrained to the type of bulk material being mined.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2001. / Typescript. Bibliographical references: leaf 218-232.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-148). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 308-322.

This dissertation describes the development of software specifically designed to facilitate simulation analysis of bulk material transportation systems. Use of the term simulation analysis indicates a special variation of the systems analysis process in which the model developed is a digital computer simulation model. Specifically, the software aids in model development, execution, and presentation of the simulation results. Simulation analysis is currently utilized by bulk material transport operators in a limited manner. The problem is that use of available simulation languages requires knowledge concerning language syntax and semantics. Additionally, system operators are not typically trained in how to perform an analysis of their bulk material transportation system. The common solution to these problems is to retain analytical experts who are unfamiliar with the system to be analyzed. The system operators for whom the analysis is performed, and who are responsible for implementation of analytical results, are therefore removed from the analysis process. The considerably reduces the credibility of the analysis. The simulation software described in this dissertation provides a means for a system operator, or anyone not familiar with simulation language use, to develop and execute a simulation model of their system. By increasing the operator role in the analysis process, the acceptability of the analysis is increased. The software is specifically designed for bulk material transportation systems analysis, a research area which can be greatly benefited through the use of simulation model analysis. The simulation software package embodies concepts somewhat similar to those of expert systems, a concept derived from the study of artificial intelligence. The software is "expertly" structured to represent bulk material transportation systems. It contains a knowledge base oriented toward both simulation analysis and bulk material transportation systems analysis. The computer languages C and SIMAN were used for software development. The software is structured in three parts; 1) input interface, 2) SIMAN code generator, and 3) output interface. The user interacts with the input interface, providing information as to the system to be analyzed. This information is utilized by the code generator to create executable SIMAN simulation programs. The output interface provides the simulation output in the system terminology initially selected by the user. / Ph. D.

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 1997. / A computer programme for the simulation of dilute phase pneumatic conveying of solids is presented. This includes positive pressure and vacuum pneumatic conveying. The characteristic conveying parameters such as the conveying absolute pressure, conveying air density, interstitial and average air velocity, particle velocity and voidage are calculated by integrating five differential equations that govern two-phase flow. The two-phase flow is approximated as one-dimensional along the pipe axis. Density and acceleration effects are accounted for. The integration is carried out by means of the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method yielding conveying parameter traces along the length ofthe pipeline. A new method is presented for the determination of the solids friction coefficient from the solids motion equation. This allows for a more accurate determination of the solids velocity in the pipeline when compared to currently used methods. The computer model results are compared to experimental results for cement and ice conveying yielding good correlation for the main output parameters. The theory for the scaling and calculation of Roots blower performance characteristics is presented. This is implemented in a Roots blower selection programme as an integral part of determining the prime air mover for the design of a pneumatic conveyor. The aim of providing a fast, user-friendly interface in terms of pipeline geometry input, simulation and data visualisation has been achieved by using the advantages of object orientated programming and the visual user interface of the DELPHI programming language.