Analysis of the Bulk Coal Transport State of a Scraper Conveyor Using the Discrete Element Method

A scraper conveyor is the main transport equipment in a coal mine, and its condition considerably influences the production capacity and profitability of the enterprise. In this study, the discrete element method (DEM) was used to study the interaction between the scraper conveyor and bulk coal. The particle size and velocity distributions of bulk coal were analysed at different transport velocities, transport angles, feed velocities and mining heights by changing the transport conditions of the conveyor. The influence of the transport velocity, coefficient of static friction between particles and mass flow rate were also studied. The results showed that the particle size distribution of bulk coal is mostly unrelated to the transport state parameters in the stable transport stage. Large particles gather at higher positions, whereas small particles gather at lower positions. The speed of bulk coal in the front area of the scraper was equal to the velocity of the scraper, whereas the coal in other locations had a lower speed. The mass flow rate of the bulk coal increased with increasing transport velocity and reached its peak when the coefficient of static friction between particles was 0.4.