A custom-engineered transfer point solution has helped a Saudi Arabian mine overcome complex operational challenges. The chute from Weba Chute Systems resolved critical material flow and maintenance issues at the mine, leading to improved efficiency and plant performance.

“The recent installation of our first chute at this mine follows earlier site visits where we were asked to provide input on possible improvements,” says Weba Chute Systems client services manager Faizal Mahomed. “The operation had long been facing issues with its existing chutes, which failed to adequately control material flow, resulting in excessive wear and equipment damage.”

Mahomed explains that one of the major challenges was frequent blockages that interrupted production and caused costly downtime and maintenance. During his initial site visit, Mahomed made a key observation regarding the lump size of the material being transferred. This led to a recommendation to widen the discharge opening of the existing chute, helping to resolve one of the main issues.

“There was still a problem with material falling freely through the chute for nearly three metres, gaining velocity and causing severe impact damage,” Mahomed continues. “[The customer]  requested a feasibility study on one of their most problematic chutes. This ultimately led to the first order in late 2024 for one of our custom-designed solutions.”

The problematic chute was feeding a conveyor into a surge bin and included a bypass function that was not working effectively. This design flaw frequently caused blockages, forcing shutdowns for manual clearing.

Weba Chute Systems also identified that the chute’s positioning in relation to the head pulley required modification to improve overall performance.

“Our recommendation was to implement our 2.3 m custom-engineered chute design in conjunction with repositioning the head pulley,” says Mahomed. “This required the construction of a new head frame, modifications to the gantry and a slight elevation of the conveyor.”

Mahomed highlights that controlling the material flow was central to the chute’s design, particularly to enable effective bypass when the surge bin was full – which the company could demonstrate through detailed computer-aided design models and simulations. Both the existing chute and the proposed solution were digitally modelled, allowing the customer to compare the performance and clearly visualise how the new design would address their issues.

“The optimised angle of repose in our chute, combined with the use of a dead box, were key elements in the final design, selected after evaluating several alternatives,” he says. “Our solution also reduced the need for additional equipment, while lowering wear, noise levels and dust emissions.”

This is achieved by ensuring that incoming material lands on a bed of material already present inside the chute – formed by the placement of the dead box, effectively shielding the liner and reducing maintenance requirements.

“By combining on-site analysis, advanced modelling and a custom-engineered design, Weba Chute Systems delivered a solution that not only resolves longstanding operational challenges but also enhances efficiency, reduces maintenance and improves overall plant performance,” Mahomed concludes.