The Futran System: Breeding the paradigm shift Andries Louw: Futran Limited and Podcars Africa
2. Bulk and freight The Futran system is an automated, multi modal transportation system that can be applied to transform various industries 1. Mining 3. Indoors 4. Public Transit Conveyor belts Underground mining Open pit mining Heavy haul rail Factory / warehouse transformation Urban Public transportation Dry bulk ship loading 2
The system uses an elevated track upon which a range of loads of different sizes and weights are hauled using automated bogies Battery driven motorised units Non-motorised bogies The track has a very small footprint on the ground Existing right of way (roads, railway reserves, etc.) can be used and the ground below can still be used 3
Key components of the system 1. A low cost, super strong track that can easily be erected almost anywhere at a cost of 1 to 2 million US$ per km for a double track 2. Nutrans consisting of motorised bogies and slave bogies from which a container, skip or pod can be suspended 3. A unique gripping mechanism enabling a light weight motorised bogie to climb hills and pull great weight 4. A simple switch mechanism using a SINGLE moving part on the Nutran and not on the track 5. Automated units that operate using job cards as opposed to centralised control 6. A multitude of skip and pod types that can be transported using the same basic Nutran system 7. An on-demand traffic management system philosophy
In 2014 an internal test track was constructed to test the concept under controlled conditions 5
In 2014 and 2015 the Futran motorised bogie system evolved through four versions of testing and improving Bogie number 1 Bogie number 4 Bogie number 3 Bogie number 2 6
A 1km long external test site was constructed to test the system with loads of 10 tons or more at speeds of 30km/h 7
Over the past 12 months, the external system has been used to test mine haulage systems 8
All parts fit into each other easily and precisely A new track and superstructure consisting of super strong modular components have now been developed Tests conducted confirmed the incredible strength of the SKC beam being used for the Futran Track and superstructure Even foot pieces are modular and can be removed over time 11
Business Model: Milotek and Podcars Africa will focus on services and engineering and source from Futran Manufacturing Mining / Logistics Urban / People Component suppliers
The first market application of the Futran System is as a mine haulage system OreVeyor 13
For most mining applications, a simple rotating skip system will be used Hanging bracket to keep tracks together Slave bogies Motorised Bogie Controls and electrical Skip Battery compartment 14
For loading, an hydraulic tipping ramp will be used in a docking station that will move the skip towards the loading chute Once inside the docking station with the hydraulic tipping ramp, the skip is moved sideways towards the loading system for easy loading while the skip itself stays horizontal 15
For discharging, the skip will rotate in a circular manner over the stockpile using its own dedicated motor Each Nutran has an on-board dedicated motor for discharging. Motor UNLOCKS only when parked, ready for discharging, and then starts rotating the skip. 16
18 to 30 meter truss track sections that are suspended between superstructure uprights, were designed 17
A range of 6 to 9 meter high support structures, including T- sections, were designed to keep the track suspended 18
As in this proposed route, the Oreveyor is an ideal replacement for trucks or an alternative for conveyor belts Usutu underground Usutu open pit Eskom Camden
The OreVeyor can be used to run above ground, underground and even down steep incline shafts When running down decline shafts, the system holds the promise of lowering underground mining costs by a significant margin 20
When the system runs above ground, it can be used to link multiple pickup points with multiple drop-off points Shaft 1 Shaft 2 Plant Waste Where a grid network is deployed, the moving units (Nutrans) have steering systems on that enable them to take left or right turns at switches in the track.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEPLOYING THE FIRST CLIENT SITE ALREADY! Section 3 Section 2 Section 1 Section 4 IN April 2017 we will commission the first operational site in South Africa, hauling 350 000 tons per month from a washing plant to a rail siding 22
The system also crosses roads and railway lines easily, as per the first site we are now deploying
Futran people pods are 6 to 8 seater units that have ample space for everyone to take carry-ons with them
The units have sliding doors that are wide enough to make them wheelchair friendly
A great number of small zipper stations will be positioned along a typical public transportation route
Pods that do not need to stop at a specific station, run past until they get to their end destination
The Futran stations will also be used to recharge Nutran batteries using solar power, where possible
The stations are narrow enough to fit onto a pavement, but the positioning of the lift is important to optimize space
Although the stations are narrow, there is enough space for people to move around easily and safely
+- 1 km +- 5 km The unidirectional, block-based Futran track network is the ideal design to cover wide areas A typical Futran track block will be 5km x 5km with stations less than 500m from any point in the city. The bigger the city, the more Futran track blocks there will be. Pods can move from any station to any other station without the need to stop at interim stations first Hub Station Zipper Station 45km/h 90km/h
Capacity when given an average of 10 meter headway 40km/h zone: 15 000 people per hour (per line ) 90km/h zone: 30 000 people per hour (per line) Zipper station: 1200 individuals per hour, or 2400 people per hour if in groups
What s the big deal? When moving, stopping and slowing down causes movement by road to be VERY SLOW
As a result we dedicate 30% to 40% of the surface areas of cities to roads, and 50% or more to cars and busses
By always moving at the same speed, Futran pods makes it possible to remove the traditional barriers of transportation LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION 15 minutes at 40km/h = 10km CONNECTED CONNECTED CONNECTED (to the Futran grid)
The Futran public transportation System will soon be used to transform cities like Cape Town
The system can eventually be used to replace the costly and inefficient BRT bus transport systems < 1 US$ per person per taxi trip Or +- 5US$ per pod
In the case of Durban, the Futran System can soon be used to transform the beachfront, downtown and Tourism areas Stadiums Durban Waterfront Business district Convention centre Ushaka
In East London, almost the entire city can be covered using an 80km track
The Greatest estimated effect on formal job creation: From 1 truck to 20 partial deliveries Unlike most other developing nations, South Africa has almost no informal transit systems and most freight is transported with trucks and in bulk Deliveries will be done from warehouses to homes or regularly from warehouses to stores in small loads, creating many job opportunities
The University of Pretoria project is due to kick off in 2017 New 5 Storey parking garage built on land made available to the SPV by the University
What do we have to offer 1) A proven, tested, operational system that can be used for hauling 15 tons down to less than 1 ton payloads 2) The lowest cost track and superstructure for suspended PRT systems in the world 3) A patented core motorised system that grips, switches and hauls great weight at low cost 4) Mining clients being deployed right now and others ready to sign up immediately 5) Public transportation clients that have signed up and others that are ready to sign up 6) Home based political support for our system 7) A very lucrative business model that has room for many partners
For further information Please contact: Andries Louw Andries@Milotek.co.za +27 83 995 8231