Belt conveyor (BC) transportation systems are considered to be the most effective for handling large volumes of bulk material. With regards to the rules of sustainable development, the improvement of belt conveyor technology is, in many cases, focused on environmental issues, which include the idea of energy usage optimization. The key issue in an energy-efficient transportation system is reducing the value of specific energy consumption (SEC) by increasing conveyor capacity whilst decreasing belt conveyor motion resistance. The main idea of this paper is to conduct an analysis of the modernization of existing belt conveyor transportation systems operated in open-pit lignite mines, in order to achieve relatively small electric energy consumption for a considered transportation task. The first part of the paper investigates the relationship between a conveyor’s SEC and material flow rate for various conveyor design parameters. Then, based on multi-parameter simulations, an analysis of electric energy consumption for a belt conveyor transportation system is carried out. Finally, an energy-saving, environmentally friendly solution is presented.

The mining industry is facing sustainable development challenges, among which the energy efficiency issues seem to be of major importance. As transport of the mined ore is considered as one of the most energy intensive operations, the improvement of its energy efficiency is a key indicator in terms of sustainable actions taken by mining companies. In open-pit mines, the material handling operations are mostly performed with trucks. Their electrified version—truck trolley systems—surpass diesel trucks’ efficiency while comparing the increased production capacity and the reduction of maintenance cost and fuel consumption. The paper analyzes the opportunities and benefits of the replacement of an ore transport system based on hauling trucks with a regenerative belt conveying in an open-pit mine. Presented case study has been analyzed from energy consumption and environmental impact reduction perspectives. Generally, conception of a regenerative conveyor is based on recuperation of energy or continuous braking needed while a conveyor is running downhill. Energy generated during the braking process (converted from the potential gravitational energy of the conveyed material) is fed back to the electrical grid. Then the regenerative conveyor can be considered as a machine that mines energy as an additional by-product of an exploited deposit. It was shown that difference in transportation cost between haul trucks and energy efficient regenerative conveyors is around 95%. The paper points the conditioning elements to allow the implementation of a regenerative belt conveyor system.

Belt conveyors (BCs), because of their high efficiency, are widely used for bulk material handling in the mining industry. However, due to the high level of conveyors’ energy consumption, the belt conveyor systems generate a large part of mining costs. Therefore, the current solutions mostly focus on implementing new management strategies, which find energy consumption as a key indicator in designing belt conveyor systems. Belt conveyor equipment selection, conveying systems, operation, applied mining technology are considered to be areas where improvement of belt conveyors’ energy efficiency may be achieved. Moreover, they can be used to implement novel standards for BC equipment and the proposal of defining new quality standards and creating BCs’ classification has been already outlined. The main idea of the paper is to compare the values of specific energy consumption (SEC) of BCs with regard to the inclination angle of a conveyor route which results from technological needs. The multiple regression is used to find a relationship between two basic independent variables – the volume of transported material and conveyor’s inclination angle – and a dependent variable (SEC). The procedure enables to determine the value of SEC which is required for lifting the material. Presented results prove that the value of SEC required for lifting the material is crucial for the interpretation of the SEC value when it comes to energy efficiency comparison.

The issue of energy efficiency in belt conveyors aligns with the current trends of energy saving in mining, driven by sustainable development goals and European legislation. The topic of energy-efficient conveyor transport faces the challenge of objectively assessing the energy efficiency of belt conveyors. The presented article demonstrates an analysis of the energy efficiency of belt conveyors in a lignite open-pit mine. As part of the research, the energy consumption of conveyors operating in a transport system was compared using the parameter of electrical energy consumption and the specific energy consumption (SEC) index, highlighting significant parameters affecting its interpretation. Based on the values of the modified lifting resistance SEC index, and the volume of transported material, observations were divided into groups reflecting energy efficiency classes using a k-means algorithm. The research shows that a proper assessment of the energy efficiency of a belt conveyor should consider the amount of transported mass concerning the maximum capacity, the conveyor’s design parameters, and the working environment characteristics.

Ore retention bunkers and receiving bins are important for continuous operation of transport system in a mine. Although the designs of the bins used in the KGHM PM S.A. mines have undergone modifications, their operating principle has remained unchanged since their initial commissioning. Their operation entails many problems, which are caused by the durability and functionality of the entire structure. Preventive actions and research into directions for possible modernizations require the type of damage and its reasons to be identified in the first place. This article presents an evaluation of the documented types of damage and an analysis of the repair works performed for the entire population of the receiving bins operated in one mine. The comparative evaluation of the bin failure rate is here proposed to be performed with the use of a number-based failure indicator and of a mass indicator. The key problem identified in the research was the wear and tear on steel elements due to abrasive processes. The linings of the bin elements were observed to undergo intensive abrasive wear. This abrasive wear of the analyzed bin elements is influenced by a combination of factors, the most important of which include variable physical and mechanical properties of the copper ore.

Efficient material handling is critical for mining productivity, safety energy and cost control. This paper analyzes the energy efficiency of five alternative designs for a 3 km inclined underground conveyor system for copper ore transport, considering route geometry, belt specifications, drive configurations, and operational parameters. Two main design approaches were examined: a single long conveyor and two shorter conveyors. Variants differed in belt tensile strength, the use of intermediate drives, and system layout. Calculations results achieved by using dedicated QNK-TT software (version 4.45.21.08.10.18.11) show differences in the specific energy consumption index between variants for both average and peak capacities and highlight that high-capacity performance requires non-standard solutions: either higher belt strength or an intermediate drive system. The study shows that conveyor energy efficiency depends strongly on load level, with near-maximum throughput yielding the best performance. The authors conclude that conveyor system component selection should be based on a multi-criteria evaluation—including the capacity margin, operational safety and maintenance complexity—rather than energy efficiency alone.