Bucket Elevator (Noria) — is a transport device designed to move liquids or bulk granular materials using a system of buckets fixed at regular intervals on a wheel, endless belt, chain, or cables. In technical literature, it is also referred to as a bucket conveyor elevator, which essentially represents a belt or chain conveyor with buckets attached to it.
Bucket elevators are used for vertical and steeply inclined transportation of bulk, small-piece, and small-sized unit loads by means of buckets mounted on a flexible traction element. When transporting at an incline, the angle to the horizontal exceeds 75°.
Today, bucket elevators are widely used in agriculture, construction, glass-ceramics, metallurgy, chemical, mining, and other industrial sectors. They are primarily employed for transporting bulk materials such as grain, sand, coal, peat, flour, food products, and compound feeds.
Classification of Bucket Elevators (Nories):
A bucket elevator is a simple structure equipped with a flexible conveyor (belt or chain) with load-bearing elements (buckets) attached to it. It consists of:
The operation starts after switching on the elevator drive. The drive sets the drive drum in motion, which begins to rotate. In turn, the drum moves the belt with attached buckets. The material to be transported enters the boot through the loading hopper, where it is captured by the buckets. The buckets then carry the material vertically, lifting it up to the head. At the top, the belt with buckets wraps around the drive drum, and under the influence of centrifugal force, the material is discharged from the buckets into a specially designed unloading chute located in the elevator head.
As you can see, both the design and operating principle are quite simple, but this does not make bucket elevators any less popular compared to other types of conveyors. It is important to understand that such bucket elevators are perfectly suited for all types of bulk materials, including grains, oilseeds, legumes, and their processed products.
It is important that the material is free-flowing and does not clump together, because otherwise the efficiency of the bucket elevator will be reduced
| Expert Tips from VIMALSPETSBUD Specialists for Choosing the Right Bucket Elevator |
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| When selecting the elevator speed, keep in mind the potential damage to the product (grain, etc.) |
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If your elevator will transport wheat or, for example, operate in a feed production facility, a product transport speed of up to 3–3.5 m/s will be quite appropriate If, besides hard-shelled grains, you plan to transport fragile products as well, it’s better to choose a speed close to 2.4 m/s. |
| "Protect your bucket elevator — it will last longer." |
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Protecting the bucket elevator from wear—and thus safeguarding your investment in this equipment—can be achieved through lining. Among the parts recommended for mandatory lining are the loading and unloading points of the product — the bucket elevator head and the loading chutes of the boot. Special attention should be paid to the parts located in the head along the product’s trajectory: they are positioned at the top, difficult to repair, wear out first, and account for a high percentage of breakage. The drive drum of the bucket elevator is also lined (fitted with wear-resistant material) to enhance the grip between it and the elevator belt. This improves torque transmission from the drive to the belt. |
| Choose the “right” bucket |
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Metal buckets are durable, cost nearly as much as polyethylene ones, are non-flammable, but can cause sparks and are heavier than plastic buckets. Plastic polyethylene buckets are lighter, resistant to corrosion, and handle the product more gently due to the greater elasticity of the plastic. However, their hardness decreases over time under the influence of temperature fluctuations A bucket without sharp angles and bends will unload more efficiently and will have minimal material buildup in the corners. |
| Safety first and foremost! |
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Even in cases of partial or phased automation of the elevator complex, prioritizing the automation of safety systems for the transport line is strongly recommended. After all, in a non-automated elevator, safety depends solely on whether the operator can reach and stop the system in time in the event of equipment failure And one more thing. During the transportation of grain crops, friction between the grains generates a lot of dust — which escapes through the slightest gaps in the elevator. Therefore, when installing the equipment, sealing these gaps should not be overlooked — this is required by fire safety and sanitary regulations. It is also necessary to equip the areas with the highest dust generation — the boot and the head — with aspiration systems. The combination of an enclosed space and flammable, dust-generating materials makes the bucket elevator a potential source of fire or explosion. To quickly reduce pressure in the event of an explosive situation and prevent damage, an explosion relief panel is used. Optionally, it can be equipped with a fire extinguisher to prevent the spread of fire and the blast wave to the surrounding area. |
We are located in Chernihiv and manufacture bucket elevators (nories) to order, based on customer requirements, delivering in the shortest possible time at competitive prices. You can purchase bucket elevators produced by VIMALSPETSBUD Group of Companies by submitting an online application or by contacting us by phone. (Go to contacts)