a) You operate a small grain elevator near Champaign, Illinois. One of your silos uses a bucket elevator that carries a full load of 800 kg through a vertical distance of 40 m. (A bucket elevator works with a continuous belt, like a conveyor belt.) (a) What is the power provided by the electric motor powering the bucket elevator when the bucket elevator ascends with a full load at a speed of 2.3 m/s?
b) Assuming the motor is 85 percent efficient, how much does it cost you to run this elevator, per day, assuming it runs 60 percent of the time between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. with an average load of 85 percent of a full load? Assume the cost of electric energy in your location is 15 cents per kilowatt hour