Simulation

How bulk material flows through transfer chutes, onto conveyors and into ships

This section covers simulation work exploring how bulk material moves through transfer chutes, conveyor systems and ship-loading equipment. The method is DEM—the discrete element method—which models the material particle by particle to see where flow slows, where it builds up, and what changes when you alter the geometry.

Below you'll find case studies with video, guides explaining how DEM works, and answers to common questions. We work with companies in Australia and across Asia.

Case Studies

DEM simulation of a transfer chute: current design blocking at 1,800 t/h (left) and redesign flowing freely at 2,500 t/h (right)

Transfer chute blockage: simulating a redesign

A chute that blocks at 1,500–1,800 t/h on site. Four simulation videos compare the current design with a redesign that widens the spoon and extends the deflector, running at 2,500 t/h. See what changed and read how the model was set up.

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.

Guides & Articles

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

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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—things a simple capacity calculation can’t show.

Yes. We model the chute as it is today, with its belt speeds, throughput and material, and look at where flow slows and material starts to collect. Then we test changes—a different hood angle, spoon shape, liner position—and compare them side by side before anything is fabricated.

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.

A calibrated simulation shows the flow pattern, where material builds up, where it hits and wears, and how a design change shifts those things. It does not replace structural checks or fabrication engineering, and the result depends on the quality of the inputs: if the material varies a lot (for example wet and dry coal), the simulation needs to test more than one condition to be useful.

Want to Talk About What You're Seeing?

If you've got a chute that keeps blocking, a belt that loads off-centre, or a throughput number that doesn't add up, we're happy to talk through what you're seeing and whether simulation would tell you something useful.

Get in touch

See also

Articles on this topic