Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02825787 2013-08-29
TRANSPORT VEHICLE FOR USE IN A PIPELINE CONVEYANCE SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to mining. More
specifically, the
invention relates to a transport vehicle for use in a pipeline conveyance
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Movement of material vertically in an underground mining shaft and
horizontally
tunnels has essentially remained unchanged for decades. Rails, and rail cars,
have been used to
transport material in the horizontal tunnels and sloping mining shafts,
whereas large freight
elevators driven by ropes and pulleys tend to be used to move material in
vertical shafts.
[0003] Compressed air systems using air tight steel pipes and capsules
have been
conceived to improve the efficiency of movement of material in a mine.
However, the cost
associated with such a system and maintaining the system in an air tight
manner makes these
system impractical.
[0004] As the depths of underground mines throughout the world become
deeper, there is
a need to develop economical and reliable systems to haul material to and from
the location of
the mining operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a transport
vehicle for use in a pipeline conveyance system. The transport vehicle having
a canister for
transporting material to and from a worksite, at least a portion of the outer
surface of the canister
having a metal component; at least one carriage assembly associated with the
canister for
engaging one or more guide rails; and a series of rollers positioned on the
outer surface of the
canister for centering the canister in a conduit.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a pipeline
conveyance system for transporting material to and from a worksite. The system
having a
transport vehicle as described above, a conduit having one or more guide rails
positioned on the
inner surface of the conduit; and one or more linear induction motor
assemblies in close
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proximity to the outer surface of the conduit and positioned to engage the
metal component of
the canister.
[0007] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method
for transporting material to and from a worksite. The method involves
providing a pipeline
conveyance system as described above; and activating a linear induction motor
assembly to
propel the canister through the conduit along the guide rail towards another
linear induction
motor assembly positioned along the conduit.
[0008] In one embodiment, the carriage assemblies have one or more wheels
that ride on
the guide rails.
[0009] In another embodiment, the rollers are either bearings or wheels.
[0010] In a further embodiment, the metal component covers the bottom
portion of the
canister.
[0011] In a yet further embodiment, the conduit is made from
polypropylene.
[0012] In a still further embodiment, the linear induction motor
assemblies are positioned
equidistance along the conduit to continuously propel the canister through the
conduit. These
linear induction motor assemblies comprise more than one linear induction
motor. In another
embodiment, the linear induction motor assemblies comprise nine linear
induction motors.
[0013] In a further embodiment, the canister is propelled from each
linear induction
motor assembly with a velocity to allow the canister to bypass the next linear
induction motor
assembly positioned along the conduit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present
invention will
become better understood with regard to the following description and the
accompanying
drawings wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a depiction of a transport vehicle according to an
embodiment of the
present invention;
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[0016] FIG. 2 is a depiction of a transport vehicle in a pipeline
conveyance system
according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 3 is a depiction of a pipeline conveyance system according to
an
embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The following description is of a preferred embodiment by way of
example only
and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying
the invention into
effect.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the transport vehicle (1) has a canister (2),
at least one
carriage assembly (3) and a series of rollers (4). The transport vehicle (1)
is used for transporting
material to and from a worksite. In the case of an underground mine, the
transport vehicle (1)
can be used to remove ore and other debris from the mine to a depository on
the surface. It also
can be used to transport material to the worksite from the surface.
[0020] Typically, the canister (2) will be mostly hollow to maximize the
haulage capacity
of the vehicle (1). To permit vertical movement of the vehicle, access to the
inside of the
canister (2) should be controllable. In other words, doors (5) or some other
form of access hatch
should be provided on the canister (2), which can be opened during loading and
unloading, and
closed during transport.
[0021] For cost considerations and durability, the canister (2) is
typically made
completely from a metal, such as steel. However, to work within the system
described herein,
only the portion of the canister (2) that engages the linear induction motors
(6) described below,
needs to be metal. As such, to decrease the overall weight of the canister (2)
it may be
advantageous to produce the canister (2) from a high density/strength plastic,
such a
polypropylene, and cover only the portions of the canister (2) that engage the
linear induction
motors with metal. Since the linear induction motors (6) are typically placed
around the bottom
half of the conduit (7), at least the bottom portion of the canister (2)
should be metal, or covered
by metal.
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[0022] On the outer surface of the canister (2), a series of rollers (4)
are provided. The
purpose of the rollers (4) is to center the canister (2) in the conduit (7)
all the while allowing the
canister (2) to move freely within the conduit (7). Any structure can function
as a roller (4), so
long as serves the intended purpose of this element. Examples of such
structures include, are not
limited to, wheels, ball bearings and skis. In one embodiment, the rollers (4)
are provided as a
series of polypropylene wheels. In order to maintain proper orientation and
separation with
respect to the canister (2) and the conduit (7) the rollers (4) in the form of
wheels and ball
bearings may be provided as casters. Alternatively, two or more rollers (4)
may be
interconnected by some form of linkage (8), such as a steel rod.
[0023] In most cases, at least two rows of rollers (4) will be provided
to prevent
disproportionate radially movement along the length of the canister (2) in the
conduit (7). One
row of rollers (4) is positioned proximal to one end of the canister (2) and
the other row
positioned proximal to the other end of the canister (2). One or more rollers
(4) or rows of
rollers (4) can also be positioned between the first two rows to minimize
mechanical stress to the
central section of the canister (2).
[0024] The transport vehicle (1) also has at least one carriage assembly
(3) that allows
the vehicle (1) to travel on a guide rail (9) connected to the conduit (7).
The carriage assembly
(3) can take many forms, such as, but not limited to, a carriage that locks
onto the guide rail (9)
or a indentation in the outer surface canister (2) that accommodates the guide
rail (9). In the
embodiment where the carriage assembly (3) is an indentation in the outer
surface of the guide
rail (9), one or more wheels (10) may be provided in the carriage assembly (3)
to allow the
canister (2) to freely travel along the guide rail (9).
[0025] The transport vehicle (1) is used in a pipeline conveyance system
(FIG. 2). The
pipeline conveyance system comprises a conduit (7) having one or more guide
rails (9) and one
or more linear induction motor assemblies (11). In the case of a mine, the
conduit (7) would run
from the surface to the underground mine and back again. Alternatively, the
conduit (7) could
run in a relatively straight line to move material from the drift to the shaft
of a mine and a
separate line provided to transport the material through the shaft from the
mine to the surface.
To allow for the efficient use of linear induction motors (6), the conduit (7)
is made from a
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plastic, such a polypropylene. Moreover, the use of polypropylene reduces the
overall cost to
manufacture such a system. The conduit (7) will typically be tubular in shape
to accommodate a
cylindrical transport vehicle. However, the conduit (7) can be provided in a
shape that is
complementary to the shape of the transport vehicle. For example, if the
transport vehicle was
cuboidal, then the conduit (7) could be provided in a similar shape.
[0026] Access ports (12) can be provided along the conduit (7) to permit
loading and
unloading of the transport vehicle (1) and for maintenance of the conduit
(7)(FIG. 3). Moreover,
these access ports (12) can act as vents to allow air to escape and enter the
conduit (7).
Additionally, separate vents could be provided for the same purpose. To
improve the safety of
the system by preventing unauthorized entry into the conduit (7), the access
ports (12) should be
provided with a moveable door.
[0027] Positioned in the conduit (7), preferably along the bottom of the
conduit (7), there
is provided at least one guide rail (9). The guide rail (9) ensures that the
transport vehicle (1)
travels in a single linear direction, and does not rotate while moving through
the conduit (7).
Additional guide rails (9) may be provided in the conduit (7) to improve the
stability of the
transport vehicle (1) while in motion and while being loaded and unloaded. In
the embodiment
shown in FIG. 2, the guide rails (9) are provided as part of a guide rail
assembly (13) that
interconnects the guide rails (9). Such an arrangement requires less holes to
be drilled through
the conduit (7) to attach the guide rails (9), thus improving the overall
structural integrity of the
conduit (7). Guide rails suitable for use in the present system will be known
to a person skilled
in the art.
[0028] Positioned at various locations along the length of the conduit
(7) and outside
thereof are linear induction motor assemblies (11). Each linear induction
motor assembly (11)
consists of at least one linear induction motor (6). However, to provide
sufficient power to
propel the transport vehicle (1) through the conduit (7) more than one motor
(6) should be used.
In one embodiment, nine linear induction motors (6) are used in each linear
induction motor
assembly (11). These linear induction motors (6) can be bidirectional so that
the transport
vehicle (1) can be propelled in either direction in the conduit (7).
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[0029] In operation, the linear induction motor assembly (11) is
activated when the
transport vehicle (1) approaches, thus propelling the transport vehicle (1)
with enough force that
is capable of reaching the next linear induction motor assembly (11)
positioned along the conduit
(7). However, to minimize potential downtime and to ensure that the system can
operate, even
when there is a failure of a linear induction motor assembly, it is preferred
that the linear
induction assembly (11) propel the transport vehicle (1) with enough force for
it to reach the next
but one linear induction assembly (11). In other words, the transport vehicle
(1) is propelled
down the conduit (7) with enough force that it bypasses the next linear
induction motor assembly
(11) and reaches the second assembly in the line. This is best achieved by
positioning the linear
induction motor assemblies (11) equidistance apart along the length of the
conduit (7).
[0030] The conduits (7) described above can be provided as a network
throughout the
mine. In some cases, it may be advantageous to provide a dedicated conduit (7)
to move
material away from the worksite and a second conduit (7) to return the
transport vehicle (1) to
the worksite. Other arrangements, such as loops, can also be used within this
system.
[0031] It will be understood that numerous modifications thereto will
appear to those
skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description and accompanying
drawings should be
taken as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense. It will
further be understood that
it is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention
following, in general,
the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present
disclosure as come
within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention
pertains and as may be
applied to the essential features herein before set forth, and as follows in
the scope of the
appended claims.
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