“Capacho elevator” is a term commonly used in Spanish-speaking markets, especially in countries such as Chile, to refer to a bucket elevator. Depending on the region, similar terms may include elevador de cangilones, elevador de capachos, or cangilones elevadores. In English, the standard term is bucket elevator.
Bucket Elevator Casing Materials
Bucket elevator casings are commonly manufactured from carbon steel, galvanized steel, or stainless steel, depending on the application, operating environment, and customer requirements.
Parts of a Bucket Capacho Elevator
Bucket Elevators or Capacho Elevators are mainly composed of the following parts:
Elevator Casing
The elevator casing supports and encloses the main components of the bucket elevator. It is typically fabricated from steel plate and can be supplied in carbon steel, galvanized steel, or stainless steel.
Drum or Sprocket
The drum or sprocket supports and drives the traction element. A pulley drum is used in belt-driven bucket elevators, while sprockets are used in chain-driven systems.
Traction Device
The traction element can be either an elevator belt or chain, depending on the lifting height, material weight, required capacity, operating speed, and working conditions. Belt bucket elevators are generally suitable for higher-speed conveying and lighter bulk materials, while chain bucket elevators are often selected for heavier, abrasive, or higher-temperature applications.
Capachos (Elevator buckets)
Capachos, or elevator buckets, are the containers that receive, lift, and discharge the bulk material. Their size, shape, spacing, and material should be selected according to the product being handled and the elevator design.
Propulsion system
It is responsible for transmitting the movement to the driving drum or to the sprocket. The upper part of the equipment is located. To prevent accidents, a brake is always placed that prevents the movement of the moving parts from reversing and the load from falling back to the bottom of the equipment.
In addition to these main parts, we could also mention as important parts the loading and unloading gates, through which the material enters and exits the system respectively.
Types of load in bucket elevators
In the Capacho Bucket elevator systems, the load can reach the buckets in two ways, this depends on the materials with which it is working, and they are the following:
Directly from the hopper:
It is used in the transport of large and abrasive materials, and the displacement speed of the traction device is low. It consists in that the materials to be transported falling from the loading hopper directly into the buckets, which makes their continuous journey (running).
By dredging:
It is used in materials which has a low abrasion of materials like powdery and fine granulation. Unlike the previous type of loading, in this case, the materials fall from the loading hopper to the interior or bottom of the structure, where the buckets pick them up (dredging) as they continue their journey.
Types of discharge in bucket elevators
Bucket elevator systems can have the following discharge types:
Centrifuge:
It is the most used in the industry, which works with high displacement speeds (1.2m/s to 4 m/s). This speed causes a centrifugal force, which causes the load to be thrown in a certain way towards the discharge chute. The distance at which the buckets are placed must be 2 to 3 times their height, normally it is combined with a loading system by dredging.
Gravity or continuous:
In this method, the weight of the material is used to unload the material. Low speeds are handled (0.5 m/s and 1 m/s). It can be done in 2 ways by free gravity. The bucket elevator must be tilted, either by the inclination of the belt or the chains on which the buckets go. When the bucket (capacho, cangilon) rotates, the load falls into the discharge hopper. By directed gravity, in which the buckets do not have a separation space and have a shape such that when the bucket that is in the upper part rotates. The load is directed towards the discharge hopper. Guide this path of the bucket that is found at the bottom.
Mixed type:
This system is similar to the centrifugal one, but the buckets are mounted at the ends with 2 chain strands; the speed is slow and it is suitable for light, airy and sticky materials.
YT Conveyor manufactures a complete range of bucket elevator components for capacho elevator systems, including elevator buckets, PVC and rubber elevator belts, elevator bolts, pulleys, and other compatible accessories.
