The development of knowledge-based systems (KBS) enables accumulated experience and knowledge to be applied to the intelligent monitoring in the field of large-scale belt conveyor systems. The first step of building knowledge bases in a KBS is referred to the knowledge acquisition (KA). KA from domain experts and field experiments has often been considered as the most difficult task and time-consuming process. This paper introduces a methodology for knowledge-based intelligent belt conveyor monitoring that uses simulation to speed up and simplify the process of KA. Results of laboratory experiments show the efficiency and the accuracy of the introduced simulation-based KA method.