DEEBAR RAIL-VEYOR™

NEWS FLASH...........PLEASE SEE THE CRICKMAY REPORT ON BEHALF OF COALTECH BELOW...........NEWS FLASH

To view the Rail-Veyor™ in action please contact Deebar on:

Deebar Rail-Veyor is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly bulk material transport system.  The system is based on the principle of a rollercoaster where a train consisting of a series of articulated trough like cars runs up inclines, down hills and around bends on a rail that can turn back 180 degrees within 20 meters. 

 The Deebar Rail-Veyor consists of a light rail track with a number of two wheeled cars; inter connecting that represents a long, open trough moving along the track. Each car is connected to the car in front by means of a swivel clevis that allows articulated movement for curves and dumping.

 Sealing of the gap between cars is maintained by the use of overlapping flexible rubber flaps, which prevents spillage of the material and operates as a discharge chute for dumping the load after being transported.

 To move the train the systems consists of a number of equally spaced, energy efficient, dual drive stations.  With filled tyres in contact with the side drive plates of the cars, thus providing forward thrust.  The Deebar Rail-Veyor has not locomotive or integral drive unit on the train therefore the rail weight is based on the car and content weight, not driver weight as that of a conventional railroad system.

Key Advantages

The Deebar Rail-Veyor offers numerous advantages over alternative bulk material handling systems such as:-

Ø  Low capital cost. 

The Deebar Rail-Veyor is an affordable alternative with the initial low capital cost and extremely low running and maintenance costs ….

Ø  Low Maintenance. 

Drive stations can be easily removed, repaired or replaced.

Ø  Reliable. 

There is very little down time as parts can be easily replaced.

Ø  Due to its flexibility systems can be designed to accommodate customers existing infrastructure.

Ø  The Deebar Rail-Veyor can negotiate bends up to 30 degrees and can operate at an incline/decline of 11degrees.

Ø  Lightweight rail track.

Ø  Low profile

Allowing for clearance of obstacles, bridging or tunneling.

Ø  Easily upgradable.

The Deebar Rail-Veyor system allows for upgrading efficiently and easily.  Additional trains can be added to a system to significantly increase capacity.  Rails can be added and drive stations can be relocated.

Ø  No direct operator control (Automatic loading and dumping)

The Deebar Rail-Veyor system can be fully automated utilising only one operator minimising labour costs.

Ø  No material spillage.

Rubber flaps between the open trough car design reduces spillage significantly.

Ø  Continuous loading / unloading

Due to the train having an open trough design this allows for continuous loading and unloading of bulk material.

Ø  Allows for multiple loading and dump stations.

Multiple pick up points and discharge areas can be used on the same rail.

Ø  Environmental Friendly.
Reduced carbon footprint due to low emissions as a result of the drive stations being electrical.

Ø Energy efficient
    As a result of only two drive systems operating at one time, the system is extremely efficient in saving energy.

Ø Variable Speeds
    The variable speed drive system allows for controlled various speeds at different stages of the route in order to achieve specific tonnages. 
    Speed can be reduced whilst loading and can be increased while travelling to its destination to achieve satisfactory tonnage.

Cut Your Costs

Due to its simply design and with its low operating costs, which are based on energy used per ton/km, the Deebar Rail-Veyor makes it a substantially more cost effective alternative to other conventional methods of moving bulk material. 

 As a result of its low capital cost, the Deebar Rail-Veyor has minimal wear and tear on running components. 

 As an energy saving feature, a drive station will only switch on through sensors as the train arrives near the drive station and will switch off once the train has passed through.  This means that at any one time only two sets of drives are running per train.

 In a typical South African mining environment for example, where they are required to reduce their electricity costs, the Deebar Rail-Veyor is an excellent product to assist with energy saving.

Independent Report

In a recent study done by Crickmay & Associates (Pty) Ltd on different bulk material systems, sixteen different systems were extensively researched to investigate and identify alternative transport modes and technologies, with the aim of determining which technologies are best suited for transport requirements, it was said, “The most surprising outcome of this research is the comprehensively competitive possibilities of the Deebar Rail-Veyor system, which proved to be the only technology which is competitive under every single scenario”  

 For a comprehensive report go to www.coaltech.co.za, (Click on Annual Colloquium which is situated on the top left hand side of the web page, click on Colloquium Archive which is situated on the right hand side of the web page. Under 2009 click on the pdf logo next to Coal Transport Investigation).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Coaltech commissioned an independent coal transport investigation to identify alternative transport modes and technologies, with the aim of determining which technologies are best suited for specific coal transport requirements. These transport requirements may vary according to the lead distance, terrain, throughput requirements and geographical location, to name but a few factors. It is the intention of the study however, to provide guidance on a very high level, in terms of selecting the most appropriate technology that would best satisfy these requirements in a cost effective and safe manner, while minimising any negative socio-economic impacts.

This coal transport research was based on a hybrid research strategy. The first stage comprised a phenomenological based, inductive approach to evaluating the literature available on different coal transport technologies, but moreover to conduct primary evaluative research into the subject. The second positivist based, deductive approach included primary research, based on the outcome of the first stage, aimed at fully evaluating, understanding and quantifying the characteristics, capacities, costs and socio-economic impacts of each transport mode. Due to the research being based on this hybrid strategy, it required a multi-method data gathering approach, which included focused desktop research and more than 15 general interviews with various senior managers from a number of different organizations within the coal and transport industries. Based on the initial information garnered, selected technology modal specialists were targeted for in-depth interviews, further data gathering, cross referencing and validation. In total, 16 specialist interviews and targeted discussions were completed.

Different transport options are generally classified into modes, based on the infrastructure that is required to enable such transport. Similar guidelines have been used during this coal transport investigation and the 18 identified transport modes were grouped as indicated in Table 1 below.

Eleven of these identified transport options are already being used commercially and are applicable under South African conditions, while a further three options need further evaluation and testing before a definitive answer can be provided.

 The individual transport modes were ranked per lead distance segment for each of the three volume scenarios and then averaged per distance grouping, which resulted in the overall ranking indicated in Table 2. From Table 2 it is possible to ascertain which transport mode, based on cost only, is the most competitive option at a given lead distance and for a specified product throughput.

 It should be noted that six transport options, which are applicable to the Medium lead distance applications, were omitted from Table 2 for the Short lead distance applications below 10 km, as these rail and pipeline type options are simply not competitive at such short distances. Similarly, four transport options were also omitted from the Long lead distance applications above 100 km, as conveyor type technologies are not practically suited to such long distances.

 The outcome of the research broadly conformed to expectations, where conveyor type technologies are suitable across shorter lead distances, with the flexibility and scalability of road transport ensuring that it remains an option in most applications. The different versions of rail transport further indicated that it is very competitive at intermediate to long lead distances, while the pipeline based technologies also seemed to be an option at mid-volume and long lead distance applications. The most surprising outcome of this research, however, is the comprehensively competitive possibilities of the Rail-Veyor System, which proved to be the only technology that was competitive under every single scenario. However, the selection of a specific transport mode is not a simple economic calculation, but rather a complex decision based on various influencing factors including the availability of infrastructures, individual system characteristics, system integration possibilities and various socio-economic implications.

The main conclusion from this research is therefore that no single transport technology exists that could cost effectively satisfy all the divergent transport requirements, across all distances, at different volumes and across all types of terrain.  The optimum coal distribution solution lies in the effective combination of all the available transport options into an integrated and well managed network, where individual technologies are applied on merit. This approach allows for the safest and most cost effective transport application for each individual route, with the lowest socio-economic impact, while protecting and enhancing the available transport infrastructure. 

The research was conducted at a very high level and intentionally kept as generic as possible. The results are valuable and adequate for guiding selected transport and distribution related decisions, in cases where the lead distance, basic geography and product volumes are known. However, a logical next step in this field of research would be to investigate the integrative and cooperative approaches that could be followed to improve distribution productivity, efficiency, reliability and cost effectiveness of the coal supply chain at an industry level. The introduction of an industry wide supply chain network optimisation initiative and the establishment of coal hubs are two possible options to achieve this level of cooperation, which warrants further investigation.