Bulk Handling Simulation

See how material will flow through your chutes, conveyors and shiploaders before steel is cut or settings change

Find the Flow Problem Before You Fabricate

A transfer chute that blocks every wet shift, a liner that wears through months early, a belt that runs off-track because the load lands to one side: these problems usually come down to how the material actually moves. Fixing them by trial and error means shutdowns, fabrication and another wait to see if it worked.

Bulk handling simulation lets you see the flow first. Using the discrete element method (DEM), we model your material particle by particle as it moves through the chute, onto the belt and on to the next transfer point. You can compare the current design with proposed changes side by side, then make the change with more confidence.

We work with engineers, operations and maintenance managers at ports, bulk terminals, coal handling plants (CHP) and mines. We work with companies in Australia and across Asia.

What We Do

Simulation and data work for conveyor chutes, transfer points and ship loading.

DEM modelling of chutes and transfer points

A discrete element method (DEM) simulation of your conveyor chute or transfer point, using your geometry, belt speeds, throughput and material. It shows how material flows, where it slows and where it hits.

Conveyor and chute flow analysis

Flow analysis to support a design change: compare the current chute with one or more proposed designs before steel is cut. Final design, fabrication and sign-off stay with your engineers.

Shiploader flow simulation (in development)

A tool we are building to test throughput and loading-rate what-ifs, from stockpile or surge bin through the shiploader into the ship. Talk to us if you want to be involved early.

Operating data in one place

Throughput, weighbridge ticket data and maintenance records brought together in one set of reports, so you can see where tonnes and hours are being lost. See our business intelligence work. Reporting and analytics.

Common Problems We Help With

Most chute and conveyor problems show up as downtime, clean-up or maintenance cost long before anyone models the flow.

Chute blockage and build-up

Material slows where it changes direction, lands on a flat surface or is squeezed into a narrower section, then builds up until the chute blocks. A simulation shows where flow slows, so the fix goes in the right place rather than on another round of trial and error.

Liner wear

Wear concentrates where material hits hard or slides fast. The simulation marks those impact and sliding zones, which helps when choosing liner materials and positions, and when comparing how a design change moves the wear.

Spillage and dust

Spillage and dust often come from material landing on the belt with too much speed, at the wrong angle or off-centre. Seeing the stream leave the chute shows why, and whether a proposed change brings it under control.

Off-centre belt loading

If the chute drops material to one side of the receiving belt, the belt can run off-track and spill. The simulation shows where the load lands across the belt width, for the current design and any proposed change.

Loading rate below rated capacity

The rated tonnes per hour is rarely what you get over a whole shift or ship. Some losses are in the equipment, others are in the sequence: hatch changes, trimming, waiting for feed. Flow simulation and your operating data together show where the time goes.

How a Simulation Study Works

What we need from you, what you get back, and the steps in between.

What we need

  • Drawings or a 3D model (STL or similar) of the chute and the belts around it
  • Belt speeds and widths, and design and actual throughput
  • Material properties: particle size, moisture, bulk density, and samples or test results where you have them
  • Operating records: blockage history, liner change-outs, spillage and downtime

What you get

  • Flow animations of the current design, from several viewpoints
  • Build-up, impact and wear zones marked on the chute
  • Where and how the load lands on the receiving belt
  • A before-and-after comparison of each proposed design, with a short written summary
1

Free initial chat

You tell us about the chute, conveyor or loading problem and what you have tried. We tell you plainly whether a simulation is likely to help.

2

Gather the inputs

We work from your drawings, operating data and material information, and agree with your engineers which conditions to test.

3

Model the current design

We simulate the chute as it is today and check the result against what you see on site, such as where build-up and wear actually occur.

4

Test the proposed changes

We run each proposed design under the same conditions and show the results side by side, with animations and a written summary your engineers can use.

A simulation supports your engineers' decision. Final design, structural checks, fabrication and sign-off stay with the site's engineers.

Simulation Videos

Before-and-after flow simulations: the current design next to a proposed change, under the same conditions.

Transfer chute flow simulation: current and proposed design

A DEM simulation of material falling through a transfer chute onto a belt conveyor. The current chute is on the left and a proposed design on the right; particles are coloured by speed, from blue (slow) to red (fast). In the current design, material slows and crowds at the bottom of the chute where it meets the belt. In the proposed design it leaves the chute travelling with the belt.

More before-and-after comparisons are being added, covering other chute and conveyor problems. Have a chute you would like to see modelled? Tell us about it.

Guides & Articles

Plain-English explanations of chute flow analysis and DEM simulation.

Transfer Chute Flow Analysis: A Plain-English Guide

What transfer chute flow analysis is, how simulation shows blockages and wear before steel is cut, and the data that makes the results reliable.

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) Explained

How DEM simulation models bulk materials particle by particle, what it is good for, and where its limits are.

Why Kenomont

  • We build the simulations ourselves. The transfer chute flow simulation above is our own work, from geometry and material set-up through to the before-and-after comparison.
  • We know port operations. We have run port systems for a woodchip export facility since 2012, receiving ticket data from the site's weighbridge system since 2015. See the forestry export case study.
  • We are vendor-neutral. We don't sell chutes, liners or conveyor equipment, so the simulation answers the question rather than making the case for a product.
  • We connect the flow to the numbers. Alongside simulation, we bring throughput, weighbridge and maintenance data together so you can see whether a change actually paid off.

Bulk Handling Simulation FAQs

DEM stands for discrete element method. A DEM simulation models a bulk material as a large number of individual particles and calculates how each one moves, collides and slides against the others and against the chute walls and belt. Because it follows the particles themselves, it shows where material slows down, builds up, hits liners hard or leaves the belt, which a simple capacity calculation can’t show.

Yes. That is one of the most useful things a simulation does. We model the chute as it is today, with your belt speeds, throughput and material, and look at where flow slows and material starts to collect. Then we test changes, such as a different hood angle, spoon shape or liner position, and compare them side by side before anything is fabricated. A model is only as good as its inputs, so material that varies a lot (for example wet and dry coal) is tested at more than one condition.

Drawings or a 3D model of the chute and the belts around it (STL or similar files are ideal), belt speeds and widths, design and actual throughput, and what you know about the material: particle size, moisture, bulk density and how it behaves. Samples or test results help. Operating records such as blockage history, liner change-outs and spillage reports tell us which problem matters most.

Yes. We work with companies in Australia and across Asia. Simulation work is done remotely from drawings, data and video calls with your engineers, so the site can be anywhere.

Your engineers. Our simulations show how material is likely to flow through the current and proposed designs, to support the decision. Final design, structural checks, fabrication drawings and engineering sign-off stay with the site’s engineers or their chosen engineering firm.

It models how material moves from the stockpile or surge bin, along the conveyors and out through the shiploader into the ship, including the time lost to hatch changes and trimming. The aim is to answer what-if questions about throughput and effective loading rate, such as what changes if a feed rate or loading sequence changes. Our shiploader simulation tool is in development; if you want to talk about it, get in touch.

Tell Us About Your Chute or Conveyor

Describe the problem and the equipment involved. We'll tell you honestly whether a simulation is likely to help and what we would need from you.

Email is the easiest way to send drawings or videos. Australian callers can also ring the 1300 number below.

What happens next
  1. We read your message and reply within one business day.
  2. If it helps, we book a free chat (usually 30 minutes) about your systems and what you're trying to fix.
  3. You get an honest view: whether we can help, roughly what's involved, or who'd be a better fit.

Free initial chat. No sales pressure - if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.

Prefer to talk? Call 1300 470 091

Got a spec or files? Email [email protected]

Name, email and message are required. We reply within one business day.

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