COURSE OUTLINE
COURSE TITLE: PLANT AND MACHINERY
COURSE CODE: 536/S10
PREPARED: K. Madzudzo
DURATION: Two years
COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is to cover all basics of Plant and Machinery concepts as
well as having a reasonable overview of mechanical performances of plants and machinery.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
(1) Identification of plant accessories
(2) Understanding the contribution of each accessory and appreciate how it is maintained
(3) Able to draw and comprehend specific equipment.
MODULE I
PULP AND PLANT FLUIDS CONVEYANCE EQUIPMENTS
UNIT 1.0 PIPES AND FITTINGS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Various types of pipes and fittings
(2) Materials of what they are made of (metallic and non - metallic materials)
(3) Standards pipe dimensions used in the industry.
(4) Terms used to identify types of pipe expansion and joints.
(5) Use of pipe hangers and supports.
UNIT 1.1 FLUID FLOW CONTROL MECHANISM
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Types of valves and their purpose.
(2) Safety and pressure relief valves
(3) Value and cocks, automatic control valves.
(4) Use of Gaskets, and valve packings.
(5) Process under which the pipes, flexible hose and valves are utilized.
UNIT 1.2: FLUIDS FLOW RESISTANCE IN PIPES VALVES, AND IN BENDS.
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) General understanding of flow of fluids.
(2) Horizontal flow patterns.
(3) Vertical flow patterns.
(4) Pressure, momentum and Energy relations.
(5) Practical methods for Evaluation Pressure drop.
(6) Critical flow.
(7) Erosion
MODULE 2
FRICTION AND LUBRICATION FOR MOVING PARTS
UNIT 2.0 SIMPLE DESCRIPTIONS OF FRICTION AND WEAR MECHANISMS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Friction in general.
(2) Methods of reducing friction in machines.
(3) Bearings (e.g. journal, thrust, slider, roller etc)
(4) Types of properties of material used as lubricants. e.g. oils, greases, plastics, bearing metals
etc).
(5) Application devices and participation systems of lubricants.
(6) Application of seals and packings.
UNIT 2.1 TRANSMISSION
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Couplings i.e. rigid or flexible.
(2) Friction clutches.
(3)Torque converters. (e.g. mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and magnetic).
(4) Variable speed transmission system.
(5) Fly wheel concepts.
MODULE 3
MATERIAL HANDLING FACILITIES
UNIT 3.0 GAS STORAGE
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Safety requirements of gas holders and pressure vessels.
(2)Construction of gas tanks and reservoirs.
(3) Transportation of gases.
(4) Measurement of gas content in a pressure vessels.
UNIT 3.1 BINS AND HOPPERS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Different types of Bins
(2) Flow pattern of the bins.
(3) Different types of filling the bins.
(4) Different types of discharging the bins.
(5) Types feeders employed.
(6) Hopper function in conjunction with material storage.
UNIT 3.2 DUMPS AND SLIMES DAMS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Dumping of materials.
(2) Construction of slimes dams
(3) Angle of repose.
(4) Angle of surcharge.
(5) Pad construction for heap leaching
(6) Tailings dam construction.
(7) Ore replacement on the heap and irrigation
UNIT 3.3 DRY BULK MATERIAL TRANSPORTATION
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Material characteristics.
(2) Dry solids transportation.
(3) Conveyance and feeder selection
(4) Belt conveyor construction
(5) Belt conveyor design and calculations of belt widths, speeds, power requirements, etc.
(6) Cabin conveyors.
(7) Scraper conveyors.
(8) Screw and vibratory conveyors.
(9) Elevators
UNIT 3.4 PUMPING OF FLUIDS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) General pumping equipment for liquids.
(2) Reciprocating pump.
(3) Positive displacement rotary pumps.
(4) Centrifugal pump and turbine pumps
(5) Gas reciprocating piston compressor.
(6) Rotary blowers and compressors.
(7) Centrifugal blowers and compressors including turbo compressors.
(8) Power required for the compression of gases.
(9) Use of compressed air for pumping. e.g. The air - lift pump.
(10) Vacuum - producing equipment.
(11) Power requirements for pumping through pipelines of liquids and gases.
(12) Volume measurement
UNIT 3.5 SLURRY PUMPING
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Design of slurry pumps as against the plain fluid pumps.
(2) Slurry flow calculations.
(3) Hydraulic for Homogeneous Slurries
(4) Hydraulic for heterogeneous and compound slurries.
(5) Centrifugal Slurry Pumps design and construction.
(6) Centrifugal Slurry Pump performance curve.
(7) Controls for safety.
(8) Positive displacement pumps in conjunction with slurry pumping, pump calculations.
(9) Pump selections for Various Mill applications e.g. Froth Pumping, thickener underflow and
Long Distance Pipeline transport.
MODULE 4
MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS
UNIT 4.0 SEDIMENTATION
Objectives: Students should be able to understand:
(1) Simple fluid - particle mechanics. (i.e. drag force, pressure gradients over surfaces, settling
particles, terminal velocities etc.)
(2) Decantation, Elutrication, infra - sizing and sedimentation theories applied to thickener size
calculations.
(3) Filtration i.e. Simple filtration theories.
(4) Preliminary treatment of slurries i.e. Flocculation and dispersion, filter aids filter media.
(5) Types of filters e.g.. Atmospheric filters (sand and bag), Pressure filters (filter presses, sand,
leaf, tube, cartridge etc.). Vacuum filter (lift rotary drum and rotary disc, etc.)
(6) Deaeration and vacuum plant auxiliaries
(7) Constant rate and constant pressure filtration.
(8)Filtration plant calculations
UNIT 4.1 INSTRUMENTATION
Objectives: Students should be able to understand principles of design and operation of:
(1) Simple principles of automatic control theory.
(2) Pneumatic and electronic controllers.
(3) Types of instruments
(i) air treatment
(ii) measurement and control of metallurgical process variables. (temperature, pressure,
draught flow, density, weight, moisture content, conductivity pH etc)
(iii) Measurements of fluid levels.
(iv) Force - Balance Pneumatic Pressure Transmitter ie Feedback Process Control.
UNIT 4.2 BOILERS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand principles of design and operation of:
(1) Fire tube, water tube and waste heat boilers.
(2) Boiler feed water equipment
(3) Economizers
(4) Condensers
(5) Air heaters, Super heaters
(6) Soot blowers
(7) Steam pipe and vessel insulation
(8) Steam traps
(9) Elution vessels
UNIT 4.3 FURNACES
Objectives: Students should be able to understand
(1) The general construction, strength durability of furnaces, ducting and stacks etc.
(2) Subdivisions of the furnaces and the different types of furnaces
(3) The transmission of heat.
(I) Heating capacity of batch and continuous furnaces.
(ii) Movement of gases in furnaces.
(iii) Drought (Natural and mechanical)
(4) The control of furnace temperature and atmosphere.
(5) The fuel economy and heat saving methods and devices.
(6) The instrumentation for temperature, pressure and gas composition measurement and control.
(7) Carbon reactivation
UNIT 4.4 DUST SEPARATION AND COOLING TOWERS
Objectives: Students should be able to understand the concepts of
(i) Dust recovery systems
(ii) Separators
(iii) Filters
(iv) Scrubbers
(v) Sulphur removal plants.
(vi) Principles of design and operation of cooling towers (mechanical and
atmospheric)
(vii) The spray ponds
(viii) Unrecovered dust
(ix) Effluent
(x) Dumping of waste slag, bricks, boiler ash and other toxic waste from plants.
