Municipal Waste Sorting Equipment worked example

Sort Line Conveyor Energy with conveyor train connected motor load of 140 kW: a worked example

This scenario runs the sort line conveyor energy calculation on the strong side: conveyor train connected motor load of 140 kW, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when scoping a VFD retrofit, comparing belt speeds, or pricing energy into a per-ton processing cost for a contract bid.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Conveyor train connected motor load: 140 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 55)
  • Belt runtime per period: 8 hr (unchanged)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (unchanged)
  • Tons processed during runtime: 120 tons (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total conveyor energy cost = connected motor load x belt runtime x blended electricity rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 134 $ / ton for total conveyor energy cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,120 kWh for conveyor energy used.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.12 $ / piece for conveyor energy cost per ton.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 16.8 $ / hr for hourly conveyor energy cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where conveyor train connected motor load sits at 55 kW and the headline result is 52.8 $ / ton, this scenario comes in 155% above the baseline at 134 $ / ton.
  • Use it when benchmarking line energy, evaluating a motor or VFD upgrade, or building a per-ton cost model. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total conveyor energy cost: 134 $ / ton (headline result)
  • Conveyor energy used: 1,120 kWh
  • Conveyor energy cost per ton: 1.12 $ / piece
  • Hourly conveyor energy cost: 16.8 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Sort Line Conveyor Energy calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.