Belt Cleaner Upgrade Cuts Downtime, Boosts Throughput 35% at UK Waste Processing Facility

Industry

Recycling

Application

Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) on Incinerated Bottom Ash (IBA) belt

Product

Flextreme™ PXT Secondary Belt Cleaner Cushion

Objective

Decrease maintenance costs

Decrease downtime

Conveyor Detail

•    EP630/3 RIPSTOP 6+2 COVERS

•    1000MM WIDE BELT

Problem: 

A waste processing facility located a few hours outside of London was facing ongoing maintenance and performance issues on its Incinerated Bottom Ash (IBA) belt conveyor systems. The abrasive and high-temperature conditions inside the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) caused the cushions in their existing belt cleaner system to lose rigidity over time, reducing their ability to keep blades firmly against the belt surface. As a result, cleaning efficiency dropped significantly after about six months, even with regular scraper maintenance performed every six weeks. Frequent cushion replacements, every six to eight months, led to unnecessary downtime, increased manual cleaning, and reduced throughput, all of which impacted the facility’s bottom line.

Solution: 

In April of 2024, the plant’s mechanical engineering team consulted a conveyor solutions distributor for their input on what might work best for their application, leading to them discovering Flexco’s Flextreme™ PXT Secondary Belt Cleaner Cushion. After extensive discussions, they partnered together to install PXTs across several belts and ERF plants in the UK. Designed to withstand the extreme conditions typical of incineration applications, PXT cushions provide a durable yet flexible foundation for belt cleaner blades, maintaining consistent tension and optimal contact with the belt. This versatile design was especially useful to the facility, and the team was hopeful that the PXT would combat the loss of rigidity that had plagued the previous system, improving scraper performance, reducing maintenance frequency, and keeping the operation running efficiently. 

Result:

Six months after installation, the PXT cushions are still performing at the high level that the engineering team had hoped for, with no noticeable decline in scraper efficiency. Even more compelling, the facility has seen a ~35% increase in throughput capacity and has been able to sustain reliable 24-hour operation with minimal downtime. Thanks to the cushions’ greater rigidity, cleaning performance has vastly improved by helping the scrapers maintain consistent contact with the belt surface. Site maintenance crews have also benefited from reduced cushion change frequency, freeing up time for other essential and scheduled tasks, and reducing the need for manual cleaning. Overall, the upgrade to the Flextreme PXT Secondary Belt Cleaner Cushion has helped the engineering team maintain steady production levels while lowering maintenance demands and operational interruptions, delivering the kind of long-term reliability that is much needed in like harsh environments.