Vorostsov A.A., Bukreev V.G. Control System for Electric Drive of Plough Discharger for Removing Tramp Metal from Iron-Ore Concentrate Stream on Belt Conveyor

Abstract

Full Text

The study is aimed at eliminating a methodological gap in the design of selective removal systems for metallic inclusions on belt conveyors arising from the lack of coordination between the actuator discrete control algorithm, the material-flow transport delay and the electromechanical drive dynamics. The research hypothesis was that integrating, within a single simulation model, the transport delay between the detection zone and the discharge zone, the dynamic characteristics of the drive and mechanism, and a finite-state control automaton with interlocks and diagnostics would make it possible to substantiate the cycle-time parameters without full-scale experiments on an operating conveyor line. The research objective was to develop and verify an automated control algorithm for a one-sided plow diverter, providing rapid engagement into the conveyed material stream and a regulated return to the initial position. The applied methods included a structural-logic description of the algorithm as a finite-state machine, calculation-based drive parameterization taking into account load characteristics, formulation of failure criteria based on failure to reach end positions and exceeding allowable time limits and transient processes simulation in MATLAB/Simulink. The resulting model made it possible to analyze the starting regimes, assess the end-position attainability and verify the control-algorithm robustness, including simulation of emergency and off-nominal operating scenarios. The results can be used in the design of automated units for selective metal removal on conveyor lines at mining and processing plants to reduce forced downtime and improve equipment operational reliability under continuous-process industrial transport conditions.

Keywords

iron-ore concentrate; belt conveyor; tramp metal; metal detector; plough discharger; electric drive; high-speed actuator; transport delay; automatic control; interlocks and diagnostics

Anton A. Vorostsov Postgraduate Student, Engineering School of Power Industry (TPU), National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; shift electrical fitter on equipment maintenance and repair, Evrazruda: Tashtagol mine, PJSC EVRAZ, Tashtagol, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6781-9478

Viktor G. Bukreev D.Sc. (Engineering), Professor, Engineering School of Power Industry (TPU), National Research Tomsk Polytechnic Uni-versity, Tomsk, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9861-976

1. Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials. 7th ed. Second Printing. Naples, FL: Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA), 2020. 815 p. Available at: https://cemanet.org/resources/publications/ (accessed 12 April 2026)

2. He D., Pang Y., Lodewijks G. Speed control of belt conveyors during transient operation. Powder Technology. 2016, vol. 301, pp. 622–631. doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2016.07.004

3. He D., Liu X., Zhong B. Sustainable belt conveyor operation by active speed control. Measurement. 2020, vol. 154, art. 107458. doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2019.107458

4. Kozhubayev Y.N., Semenov I.M. Control systems for belt conveyors. Nauchno tekhnicheskie vedomosti SPbGPU [St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University Journal], 2014, no. 2 (195), pp. 181–186. (In Russian)

5. Hrabovsky L., Kuľka J., Mantic M. Experimental expression of the resistance of belt conveyor’s plough. MATEC Web of Conferences. 2019, vol. 263, art. 01006. doi: 10.1051/matecconf/201926301006

6. Hrabovsky L., Gaszek J., Kovar L., Fries J. A Laboratory Device Designed to Detect and Measure the Resistance Force of a Diagonal Conveyor Belt Plough. Sensors. 2023, vol. 23, no. 6, art. 3137. doi: 10.3390/s23063137.

7. IEC 61131-3:2013. Programmable controllers – Part 3: Pro-gramming languages. 2013. Available at: https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/16899/c7907e9a7e624f2185ff1f8d94e93f9f/IEC-61131-3-2013.pdf (accessed 12 April 2026)

8. Bolton W. Programmable Logic Controllers. 6th ed. Amsterdam: Newnes, 2015. 424 p. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/monograph/9780128029299/programmable-logic-controllers (accessed 12 April 2026).

9. Zyubin V.E., Rozov A.S., Anureev I.S., Garanina N.O., Vyat-kin V. poST: A Process-Oriented Extension of the IEC 61131-3 Structured Text Language. IEEE Access. 2022, vol. 10, pp. 35238–35250. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3157601

10. Rajput S., Bender E., Averbukh M. Simplified algorithm for assessment equivalent circuit parameters of induction motors. IET Electric Power Applications. 2020, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 426–432. doi: 10.1049/iet-epa.2019.0822.

11. Accetta A., Alonge F., Cirrincione M., D’Ippolito F., Pucci M., Sferlazza A. GA Based Off Line Parameter Estimation of the Induction Motor Model Including Magnetic Saturation and Iron Losses. IEEE Open Journal of Industry Applications. 2020, vol. 1, pp. 135–147. doi: 10.1109/OJIA.2020.3024567

12. Calasan M., Micev M., Ali Z.M., Zobaa A.F., Aleem S.H.E.A. Parameter Estimation of Induction Machine Sin-gle Cage and Double Cage Models Using a Hybrid Simulated Annealing–Evaporation Rate Water Cycle Algorithm. Math-ematics. 2020, vol. 8, no. 6, art. 1024. doi: 10.3390/math8061024.

 

Vorostsov A.A., Bukreev V.G. Control System for Electric Drive of Plough Discharger for Removing Tramp Metal From Iron-Ore Concentrate Stream on Belt Conveyor. Elektrotekhnicheskie sistemy i kompleksy [Electrotechnical Systems and Complexes], 2026, no. 2(71), pp. 9-14. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.18503/2311-8318-2026-2(71)-9-14

Details
Hits: 7