Spiral conveyor drive control and lubrication

A method for prolonging the service life of a drive system for a spiral conveyor, the conveyor having an inner drive chain driven by an inner drive motor and an outer drive chain driven by an outer drive motor, the method comprising:

• operating the inner drive motor with a first variable frequency drive;
• operating the outer drive motor separately from the inner drive motor with a second variable frequency drive;
• controlling the first and second variable frequency drives with a processor coordinating the manner in which the inner and outer drive chains are driven;
• and
• further comprising lubricating the inner and outer drive chains based on the data from at least one of the first and second variable frequency drives.

A drive system for a spiral conveyor in the form of a plurality of tiers supported by a bottom tier, the drive system comprising:

• an inner drive chain for supporting and driving the bottom tier, the inner drive chain driven by an inner drive motor,
• an outer drive chain for supporting and driving the bottom tier, the outer drive chain driven by an outer drive motor,
• a first variable frequency drive to drive the first drive motor;
• a second variable frequency drive to drive the second drive motor;
• and
• a controller for controlling the first and second variable frequency drives to coordinate the driving of the inner and outer drive chains by the inner and outer drive motors, respectively.

A drive system for a spiral conveyor comprising:

• an inner drive chain driven by an inner drive motor,
• an outer drive chain driven by an outer drive motor,
• a first variable frequency drive to operate the first drive motor;
• a second variable frequency drive to drive the second drive motor;
• a controller for controlling the first and second variable frequency drives to coordinate the manner in which the inner and outer drive chains are driven;
• and
• further comprising a lubricating system for lubricating the inner and outer drive chains, the lubricating system comprising a lubrication unit for delivering lubricant to the first and second drive chains based on data from at least one of the first and second variable frequency drives.