december 2013

DECEMBER 2013

Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry

www.im-mining.com

MINING TYRES

ITALIANTECHNOLOGY

REMOTE MINES

DRIVES ANDCONTROLS

OPERATION FOCUS:JSW Zofiowka

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Metso Intelligence_FullPg_International Mining.indd 1 10/14/2013 11:29:33 AM

CONTENTSDECEMBER 2013

AROUND THE WORLD 3 The Leader 4 World Prospects 59 Classifieds 60 Forthcoming events

DECEMBER 2013 | International Mining 1

COVER: Stellar Industries

The first Stellar TM20165 was recently put into service in an open pit coal minein the southwest of the US. The Stellar TM20165 is the world's largest truck-mounted OTR tyre manipulator. Capable of handling tyre and rim combinationsweighing up to 20,000 lbs,ithas over 24 ft of reach capability, andat thisreach ithas the capacityto mount and dismount outside as well as insideduals without repositioning the tyre manipulator truck. This feature is first ofits kind. The TM20165 has a clamping span of 44 in up to 165 in, withcontinuous manipulator pad rotation and 315 body rotation.www.stellarindustries.com

10 OPERATION FOCUS: JSW ZofiowkaPaul Moore visited the Borynia-Zofiowka-Jastrzebiemining complex near Rybnik in Upper Silesia, whereowner JSW is well advanced in ensuring the supply ofhard coking coal for the next 30 years of production.

16 DRIVES AND CONTROLSRobert Pell looks at the developments in drives andcontrols for mining equipment and recent installations.

24 OPTIMINEPaul Moore attended the second Optimine forum at theoperations of KWSA Bobrek-Centrum mine in Bytom,Poland, to hear about how new technologies are beingapplied in underground coal mining.

26 HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS IIIn the second of a two part article, John Chadwickoutlines the story behind more of the shortlistednominations to the International Mining TechnologyHall of Fame.

32 ROCK TOOLSRobert Pell takes a snapshot of how developments inrock tools are leading to improved drilling productivityand accuracy.

36 REMOTE MININGThe right approach to logistics, infrastructure andpower is vital to the success of setting up remotemining operations, reports Paul Moore.

42 MINING TYRESPaul Moore reports that on the whole, the market forlarge mining tyres is mixed, with increased availabilityof larger sizes and lower spot market prices.Maintenance and service is another key area, with alot of new products increasing efficiencies.

50 ITALIAN TECHNOLOGYItalian mining is mainly industrial minerals, beingsignificant globally in feldspar (24% of world output),pumice (18%), gypsum (3%), bentonite (2%), lime(2%), and cement (1%). Its industrial sector accountsfor about 24% of the GDP and includes someimportant suppliers to the mining industry, reportsJohn Chadwick.

56 HIGH PROFILE BIA OVERSEASPaul Moore spoke to Eric Perben, General Manager atBIA Overseas, about its unique experience insupplying and supporting mining equipment in Westand Central Africa.

DECEMBER 2013

Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry

www.im-mining.com

MINING TYRESITALIANTECHNOLOGYREMOTE MINESNEW HORIZONSDRIVES ANDCONTROLS

OPERATION FOCUS:JSW Zofiowka

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Turquoise Hill Resources, the Rio Tinto-

controlled 66% owner of the Oyu Tolgoi

copper-gold project in Mongolia, recently

provided a status update relating to discussions

with the Government of Mongolia, as well as the

timing and availability of project financing. While

progress has been made in continuing

discussions, it is still not entirely clear when the

wider underground project will be approved or

when the expansion feasibility study will be

finalised. The statement said: All parties are

working together to resolve all remaining issues,

including the sharing of economic value from the

project, clarification of initial development and

construction costs, access to water, and the

timing, completion and Oyu Tolgoi LLC shareholder

approval of the feasibility study for the expansion

of operations. Given the delays, the company is

also looking to raise another $2.4 billion from a

rights offering, which is required to repay a

bridging loan as well as maintaining other interim

funding agreements with Rio Tinto. The

government owns 34% of the project and has said

parliamentary approval will be needed for further

financing, meaning the final project finance plan

will not be completed in 2013.

On the plus side, work continues on the

optimisation of the underground mine design and

construction plan and finalisation of the feasibility

study. Progress on the surface mining operations

has been consistent. The Oyu Tolgoi concentrator

has been achieving a throughput capacity of above

95% of during the third quarter of 2013 and is now

operating at nameplate capacity of approximately

100,000 t/d. The surface operations continue to

ramp up and are now expected to produce

between 72,000 and 77,000 t of copper

concentrate for 2013. In addition, by the end of

2013, Oyu Tolgoi expects 90% of its employees will

be Mongolian nationals in line with investment

agreement requirements.

For some juniors active in the country, it is back

to square one, after the government earlier

annulled 106 exploration licences as part of a

corruption investigation into former government

officials accused of illegally issuing them in 2008

and 2009. It has been estimated that the move will

hit 11 foreign and 67 domestic exploration

companies. One of those affected is Kincora

Copper, through the licences for its North Fox and

Tourmaline Hills projects, though its flagship

Bronze Fox licence is unaffected.

For its part, the government regards progress

with mining as steady, particularly with regard to

discussions relating to a new Minerals Law, and its

own flexibility in working

with industry. In an

interview with Elite Special

Sections recently,

Altangerel Bulgaa, the

Ambassador to the US for

Mongolia said of the

changes to the regulatory

and legislative framework for mining investment in

the country: In May 2012, the Parliament enacted

Strategic Entities Foreign Investment Law (SEFIL)

with the aim of tightening regulations regarding

foreign participation in strategic sectors such as

mining, banking and finance, media and

telecommunications. Under the SEFIL,

parliamentary approval was required, if the

shareholding by a private foreign direct investor in

a business entities operating in sectors of strategic

importance exceeds 49% and the investment at

the time is greater than 100 billion MNT

[Mongolian Tugriks, equates to about $75

million]the law was heavily criticised by investors

and seen as one of the key factors in a fall in

foreign investment in Mongolia. Therefore, the

government proposed to amend the law in order to

make foreign direct investment more transparent

and simple. In April, the Parliament amended the

law so that the threshold of 100 billion MNT has

been removed. Also, privately-owned foreign

companies are exempt from the scope of the law

and only foreign state-owned entities need the

Parliaments approval for purchases of stakes of

more than 49% of entities in sectors of strategic

importance. He added that in order to reduce the

negative effects of the rapid growth in the mining

industry on environment, the government is

discussing adopting a new Minerals Law. A draft of

the new mineral law has been initiated by the

President of Mongolia and is now available for

public consideration. Bulgaa concluded: I know

there have been concerns over the law and draft

laws regarding foreign investment and in particular

the mining sector. Some investors have raised

concerns over Mongolias position on the Oyu

Tolgoi projectbut I am an optimistic person and

there is nothing to worry about with regard to the

investment environment in Mongolia. We maintain

a strong democratic society with a readiness and

capability to discuss any issue with our partners,

and we will not take steps back instead we look

forward to a bright future and prosperity with the

involvement of our foreign partners.

Paul Moore

Editor

[email protected]

PublisherJohn Chadwick B.Sc. Min EngEmail: [email protected]

EditorPaul Moore B.Sc (Hons), M.Sc.Email: [email protected]

Assistant EditorRobert Pell B.Sc. (Hons)Email: [email protected]

Editorial BoardProfessor Malcolm ScobleRobert E. Hallbauer Chair in Mining Engineering., University of BC, Vancouver

Jeff RoschykVice President Service, P&H Mining, USA

Peter KnightsBMA Chair & Prof. of Mining Engineering University of Queensland

Stephen StoneWest One ManagementPerth, Western Australia

Dr. Andrew M. RobertsonPresident, Robertson GeoConsultants Vancouver, Canada.

Ed McCordProject ConsultantCaterpillar Global Mining, USA

Jason NitzMining Engineer

Dr Terry MudderManaging Director, TIMES Ltd, USA

Simon TarbuttConsultant, Santiago, Chile

Dr. Mike DanielComminution Process Consultant CMD Consulting Pty Ltd

Editorial Enquiries:Tel: +44 (0)1442 870 829Fax +44 (0)1442 870 617

Advertising Sales:Phil PlayleEmail: [email protected]+44 1442 87 77 77

Advertising ProductionLynne LaneEmail: [email protected]

Publishing ConsultantRobin Peach

Design & ProductionTrevor SheldonEmail: [email protected]

Website:www.im-mining.com

Annual Subscription Enquiries:Emma SmithEmail: [email protected]

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International Mining (ISSN No: 1747-146X) ispublished monthly by Team Publishing Ltd, GBRand is distributed in the USA by Asendia USA,17B South Middlesex Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831and additional mailing offices. Periodicalspostage paid at New Brunswick NJ.POSTMASTER: send address changes toInternational Mining, 17B South MiddlesexAvenue, Monroe NJ 08831

Printed by The Manson Group, St Albans Team Publishing Ltd 2013

ISSN 1747 -146X


IM uses, as preference, SI units throughout, so, for example, all

tonnes are metric unless otherwise stated.All dollars are US unless otherwise stated

THE LEADER VOLUME 9 NUMBER 12

Mongolia matters

WORLD PROSPECTS

4 International Mining | DECEMBER 2013

GE Mining launched new undergroundmining equipment at the China Coal &Mining Expo 2013 in Beijing in October.

CEO Geoff Knox said the new technologies areproviding innovative solutions to take mineoperational performance to the next level, addressenvironmental issues while driving economicgrowth.

China Coal was a successful show for GEMining, everything we wanted people to beinterested in, they were. On display was GEs Industrea LHD loader, a

safe, purpose built vehicle with best practiceergonomic designs. The operators cabin cansignificantly reduce the risk of occupationalworking injury and increases operator visibility,combined with the advanced motion control. The LHD features a centre mount adjustable

height cabin with a swivel seat to allow theoperator to face the direction of travel and accessto the cabin outside of the articulation zone,which greatly improves operator safety ascompared with the traditional loader. Designed with multiple implement

functionalities the unit has increased towing,lifting and carrying capacities.

Its Tier 3 diesel enginesystem also minimisesemissions in the confines ofunderground coal mines. At GE Mining we are

committed to delivering safeand productivity-enhancingmining equipment to ourcustomers and addressingtheir needs under the mostchallenging environments, Knox said. Also on show was the companys new

continuous miner. Built for low seam mining thenew F330 can selectivity cut and load low-ash coalon the first swing. Knox said the F330 continuousminer is built to improve productivity. By havingthe ability to perform a full-faced centre cut thatoffers 40% more cutting per lift, GEs FairchildF330 increases productivity while optimisingventilation and safety, Knox said. The F330 continuous miner is centre-placed

with true wet head cutters allowing room for air tosweep across the face and dilute dust andmethane. Its unique double helix shearer allowsmine operators to follow the coal seam and stayout of the rock by engaging in full seam or

selective mining of cleaner coal,GE Mining reports. The result islower out-of-seam dilutions underthe harshest conditions, whichreduces maintenance costs andimprove our customers bottomline. Also attracting interest at the

Expo was GE Industreas drillguidance system (DGS) which hasbeen developed for in-seamdirectional gas drainage,dewatering and exploration. TheDGS is operated entirely using a

touch screen and the uphole computer whichautomatically displays the screens relevant to thecurrent operation, enabling the operator to quicklyaccess the specific functions required. DGS is an accurate and reliable survey tool

with international results to back it up. Over1,500,000 m has been drilled using DGS systemsthroughout the world, in countries includingChina, Australia, Russia, South Africa and Japan,the company says. GEs Durathon battery technology, also on

display, features a number of benefits that makethe technology faster, cleaner and better thantraditional batteries, including at least 30% moreoperating range. The battery is 25% smaller and50% lighter than traditional batteries, accordingto GE Mining. Its also safer as it does not releasehydrogen or other flammable gasses duringnormal operation. GE is implementing the technology in its new

powered scoop which it says will provide greatertractive torque, increased tram speeds, lessheating from electrical drive, reduced motor andcable maintenance costs and twice the battery lifeof traditional 128 v DC powered scoops. Its exciting to combine GEs breadth of

engineering, propulsion and motor leadershipwith its energy storage expertise to benefit themining industry in a significant way, Knox said.www.ge.com/mining

GE Mining launches new underground equipment

As more mines go underground, theintroduction of a new ramp design tool inthe GEMS Tunnel Design Module vastly

simplifies the current ramp design process byeliminating many small repetitive tasks, rollingthem into one easy step. Offering a more agileworkflow, GEMS users will also benefit from theability to make changes throughout the designprocess, removing the need to start again whenchanges are necessary. Additionally, the RampDesign tool saves time by selecting the mostcommonly used ramp styles from a range ofpre-configured templates, allowing rapidevaluation and scheduling of the resource,enabling quicker overall mine design.Additional new features include: Regrade-a-line feature allows specified gradeparameters to be preserved when movinglines or segments to new positions,

Gradient Smoothing removes the need tomanually digitise incrementally changing

segments with the ability to mergeintersections with an existing tunnelcentreline so that line segments transitionsmoothly

Quick view options (XY,YZ,XZ buttons) allowthe user to quickly navigate to axis-orientedviews.The new tools in GEMS are great

especially the quick views, which provide amore flexible and intuitive way to view data.The new Ramp Design and Regrade-a-line toolsare also very helpful in reducing the time ittakes to create ramp designs," said SamuelAmoh, Mine Planning Engineer, DundeePrecious Metals.GEMS provides collaborative geology and

mine planning capabilities that support cross-functional teams involved in exploration,modelling, mine design, long-term planning,and production scheduling. InSite 4.4 aims to advance reconciliation

capabilities for mining operations. The companysays InSite delivers advanced reconciliationtools to analyse the variance between plannedand actual production, helping mines improvetheir operational efficiency, lower costs andgain greater confidence in their productiondata, resulting in better planning decisions. InSite 4.4 offers further advances for mine

operations managers, engineers and geologiststo quickly and effectively reconcile largequantities of production data. Enhancements toShift Management, Central Monitoring and thenew Inspect and Correct feature, focus onhelping users overcome the challenge ofidentifying variances and improving thereliability and confidence in their data betweenplanned and actual production. This latestrelease makes it easier to justify and implementchanges to models, engineering assumptions oroperational processes to make plans moreaccurate and achievable.

Major software releases from Dassault Systmes- Geovia InSite 4.4 and GEMS 6.6

GE Mining's new LHD

The new continuous miner


WORLD PROSPECTS

News just in that missed the deadline forlast months flotation article is thatFloLevel Technologies, an innovator of

level measurement products, has launched anew self-cleaning acoustic level and flowanalyser for flotation cells. The company saysthis new technology accurately measurespulp/slurry interface and froth height, as well asfroth density and froth flow rate, to providevaluable process feedback to the controlsystem. The accuracy of the FloLevel system willoptimise the mineral recovery in flotation cellsand significantly cut costs.The new FloLevel array transducers are not

affected by colour, density, dielectric, or by thetype of mineral they are recovering. They areself-cleaning and self-checking. The transducersemit extremely high powered acoustic soundpulses independently into the cell at low audible

levels. The pulse amplitude is great enough tocause a phenomenon calledrarefaction, which causes cavitationto be produced from the array transducerdiaphragms as they pulse. The cavitationbubbles oscillate in front of the diaphragm,which cause implosionsthat generate highenergy levels.We have focused on

developing products that canwork in very tough miningenvironments. Flotation cellshave a history of scale andsoluble build-up issues onany device that is installed in thepulp/slurry, froth areas. The FloLevelarray transducers use active ultrasoniccleaning to remove soluble and insoluble

scaling and build-up. This means they willwork consistently and accuratelyproviding instantaneous feedback on ore

characteristic changes, says RobertStirling, Owner and inventor of FloLevelTechnologies. The system is easy to install from the top

of the cell and easy to calibrate. It comes withan adjustable 316SS bracket, with flangemounting options and a colour displaycontroller mounted in a stainless steelenclosure. It can be used for measurementsin all types of cell, with depths greater than6,000 mm and the resolution accuracyoptions available are 2, 15 and 25 mm.Various output capability options areavailable, like 4 x 4-20 Ma, Modbus, ProfiBus,Foundation FieldBus, DeviceNet, andEthernet. www.flo-level.com

Optimal mineral recovery in flotation cells

In order to improve data integrity andeliminate islands of information, Trafigura

Mining Group (MATSA)implemented Geovia InSite. Timely,validated and correct productioninformation is now available.Controlled reporting and dataintegration is automated andanalysis of planned versus actualore produced helps to ensure thatthe mine is operating withinperformance parameters. InSiteintroduces best reconciliationpractises into our company allowingimprovements to models, plans orprocesses, efficiency gains andimproved product delivery, statedRoberto Vargas, Advisor Mining

Technical Solutions at MATSA.InSite 4.4 highlights include:

A new Inspect and Correct feature helps touncover errors that may exist in operationaldata. Highly flexible and easyto-use, thefeature allows users to create various viewsof data and perform calculations on thedifferent views to test the accuracy of thedata and to make necessary corrections.

Updates to the Shift Management moduleenable users to more accurately manage thedetailed plan for each shift by closelymonitoring near real-time progress of theplan through new views of the shift data andmake ongoing amendments, as needed.

Central Monitoring enhancements provide anew dimension for reconciliation bycomparing the progress of operationalactivities against plan to quickly identifychanges through an interactive map of theoperation. www.gemcomsoftware.com

InSite 4 4

Dando Drilling new wireline core and sonic drilling rigs

Dando Drilling International, part ofEnergold Drilling, has launched a newwireline coring rig designed for exploration

drilling to depths of 1,200 m and with a pullbackcapacity of 9,000 kgf. The compact and robustDando Coretec 9000 has been specificallydesigned for deep wireline core drilling and it hasthe ability to collect quality core samples whileoperating on a small footprint. The machinecombines a long stroke of 4 m with a traditionalchuck and clamp arrangement enabling the rig tofill a 3 m core barrel in one pass.Managing Director of Dando Drilling

International, Martin Fitch-Roy, explains: TheCoretec 9000 has been launched as a lightweight,compact and cost effective solution for coredrilling to great depths in remote areas of limitedspace.It features a small drilling footprint and is

crawler track mounted as standard but alsoavailable on 4x4 truck, trailer, skid or customer's

own support vehicle. Other features: Mast dump to 45o Arm mounted drilling control On board flush pump Hydraulic winch High-torque high-speed rotary head withhydraulic side shift and tilt.Also, Dando has been collaborating with Sonic

Drill Corporation to bring a brand new light,

compact sonic drilling rig to the market. SonicDrill, established for over 35 years, is a marketleader in sonic drilling. Ray Roussy, President ofSonic Drilling is the patent holder and thedeveloper of modern day sonic drilling and hasbeen nominated for the International MiningTechnology Hall of Fame Exploration category.The new Sonic SDC375 machine, now available

for purchase through Dando, features the Sonicdrill head which, Dando says, is unrivalled byother competitors for its performance andreliability. The SDC375, like all Dando rigs, isdesigned to be robust and reliable and alsoboasts a small footprint allowing it to operate intight spaces as well as fit inside a standard sizedcontainer for easy transportation.Sonic drilling boasts many advantages over

conventional drilling including being faster,requiring less drilling fluid, continuous highquality coring and greatly reduced hole deviation.www.dando.co.uk

Coretec 9000

Fluids for hard work

Atlas Copco lubricants and greases a cost-effective solutionTodays round-the-clock mining operations and shorter maintenance intervals require equipment to work harder and longer. To protect your equipment from accelerated component wear and failure, Atlas Copco offers high-quality, fit-for-purpose lubricants and greases. Our fluids are specially formulated to realize the increased volume and production speed that todays mining equipment technologies can offer.

Choose a cost-effective maintenance solution choose Atlas Copco lubricants and greases.

Learn more at www.atlascopco.com

WORLD PROSPECTS


Volvo Construction Equipments F-SeriesFull Suspension articulated haulers areavailable with the companys

revolutionary On Board Weighing (OBW)technology. The OBW system providescustomers with a new insight intomachine productivity by providingpreviously inaccessible information suchas the weight of carry-back left in thebody after tipping.Fully automatic, the OBW system logs

all transported loads and the ensuingdata is then clearly presented on theoperators display. The information canalso be accessed remotely using Volvosadvanced CareTrack telematics system.Any approved user with a CareTracklogin can benefit from complete payloadmanagement with access to productiondata such as total transported load intonnes, tonnes transported per litre offuel and number of cycles. The easy-to-understand daily, weekly and monthly reportshelp to optimise performance. By measuring thenumber of cycles, total mass moved and loadefficiency, the site manager can compare andimprove operator performance and productivitythrough training. This information also makes iteasy for mining customers to keep track of jobspecific targets and helps when planning futureprojects.OBW-equipped haulers are fitted with a load

indicator light mounted outside the machine.The light is clearly visible to the operator of thewheel loader or excavator loading the hauler. Ayellow light comes on when at part load, thischanges to green at nominal load and finallyturns red when overloaded. This simple toolincreases safety by helping to prevent

overloading and the machine wear, tyre damageand excess fuel consumption that go with it. Thefunction also helps to prevent the machine frombeing operated with too small a load ensuringmaximum productivity and fuel efficiency. The

nominal load can be preset to suit material andsite requirements.Also now available from Volvo, the Full

Suspension system, now available on the A35and A40, increases operator comfort but alsoallows the hauler to be driven safely faster thisalso increases productivity. The system monitorsthe input of weight on the hauler from datatransmitted by the pressure sensors that formpart of the Full Suspension system. Thisinformation is relayed to load softwareintegrated into the machines electronics.Algorithms in the software help to provide anexceptional level of accuracy. The system is fullyhydraulic. Instead of standard bogie beams,rubber springs and shock absorbers, sixhydraulic cylinders one for each wheel connect the machines frame and wheel axles.

The cylinders move independently of each other,increasing machine stability on rough haulroads. The cylinders are connected toaccumulators which are the spring part of thesystem that generate the suspension action.This increases operator comfort, allowing thehauler to be driven safely faster therebyincreasing productivity.

Volvo CE studies have proven thatduring the empty part of the haulcycle, a Full Suspension hauler canbe operated at more than doublethe speed of a standard hauler whilestill maintaining the same level ofcomfort. Mining customers canreduce the number of machines andoperators in their fleet while stillmaintaining the same productionrate.Volvo CEs Full Suspension

haulers deliver a smooth and steadyperformance when operating bothwith and without a load. This isachieved through two low and two

high pressure accumulators which areconnected to cylinders on the trailer unit. Whenthe machine is driven empty, the low pressureaccumulators provide suspension. When themachine is driven loaded, the low pressureaccumulators bottom out and suspension isprovided by the high pressure accumulators. Onboth the trailer and the tractor unit, thecylinders plus sides on one side are connectedto the minus sides on the opposite side. Thisprovides the machine with exceptional stability.Another aspect of Volvo CEs Full Suspensionsystem is the automatic levelling function. Sixlevel sensors two on each A-frame monitorthe frame in relation to the axles and signal thehydraulic system to adjust the suspension. Thisoptimises stability and keeps the machine levelregardless of the load. www.volvoce.com

Volvo on-board weighing technology

Another ThyssenKrupp fully mobile IPCC system commissioned

On September 17, 2013, Baiyinhua Coalheld the official ceremony to celebratethe putting into operation of the first of

four fully mobile IPCC systems at the Baiyinhuacoal field. This first system is being used toremove overburden with a nominal capacity of6,000 t/h and comprises a crawler-mountedcrusher (MC 6000), a mobile conveyor bridgeand a hopper car with cable reel car. Theequipment is designed to operate underextreme climatic conditions as temperatures fallto -40C in winter.A large Bucyrus (Caterpillar) 495HD rope

shovel with a capacity of 50 m3feeds thehopper of the crushing plant, which is equippedwith a double-roll crusher. After crushing, thematerial is continuously transported with beltconveyors, eliminating the need for conventionaltruck transport. Application of this advancedmining equipment shall generate Baiyinhua CoalCorporation a long term economic benefit,

promoting thedevelopment of coalproduction, Liu Yi,Deputy GM of MengdongEnergy, pointed out in hisspeech at the ceremony.It is planned that the

other three crushingsystems will be put intooperation before 2015.Two of them will also beused to removeoverburden with acapacity of 6,000 t/h each. One crushing systemwith a capacity of 3,000 t/h will be used for coalmining. ThyssenKrupp is responsible for thedesign, engineering and construction of all fourcrushing systems.The company states: Demand for fully

mobile in-pit crushing systems is growing inlarge open pit mining operations around the

world. The Mining business unit atThyssenKrupp Resource Technologiesdeveloped these plants for combined use withpower shovels. Fully mobile crushers arepowered exclusively by electricity. In the presentcase annual carbon dioxide emissions can be cutby up to 100,000 t. www.thyssenkrupp-resource-technologies.com

The JSW Group is the largest producer of

high quality type 35 hard coking coal in

Europe and a significant coke producer.

Jastrzebska Spolka Wglowa SA (JSW) wasestablished in April 1993 as one of the seven

coal companies founded at that time. It

consisted of seven independently functioning

mining companies, which were transformed into

a state company, ie a company wholly owned by

the State Treasury. Since then a significant

proportion of the company has been privatised,

but the state retains 57% ownership and overall

control of the group. Reduction of the state

holding to 34% is being considered, but the

state would retain corporate governance under

these plans.

In 2012, the JSW was the only domestic

producer of type 35 hard coking coal and a

major producer of type 34 semi-soft coal. In

Poland, type 34 coking coal is also produced by

Kompania Weglowa, whose Bobrek-Centrum

mine was also visited by IM and will be included

in a future issue. JSWs share in the total

domestic production of coking coal is 80% (66%

in type 35 coking coal and 14% in type 34 coal)

and approximately 6% in the domestic

production of steam coal.

JSW is composed of four hard coal mines: the

Borynia-Zofiowka-Jastrzebie complex visited by

IM, as well as Budryk, Krupinski, and Pniowek,

where coking coal and steam coal is mined. The

group also has a Material Logistics Centre. In

2012, 9.5 Mt of coking coal were produced,

including 7.7 Mt of type 35 coking coal and 4 Mt

of steam coal. In 2012, some 3.8 Mt of coke was

also produced at JSWs own coke plants. The

company estimates that this year's (2013)

production of coal may well exceed 13.5 Mt,

adding: JSW may fulfil this plan with a slight

overrun, despite some problems encountered in

Q3 with launching production on a new wall in

one of the mines. As a result of efficiency

measures implemented since the beginning of

the year, the company has managed to reduce

the unit cost of coal production, excluding

depreciation and labour cost, vis-a-vis 2012.

The financial performance of the group is

benefiting from a marked improvement in coking

coal prices from earlier in 2013.

JSW mines contain approximately 0.56 billion

tonnes of documented recoverable reserves of

coal. The group intends to enlarge the

operational resource base to maintain a strong

position in international markets over the next

60 years.

Expansion plansThe JSW Borynia-

Zofiwka-Jastrzebie

mine really consists of

three mines in one

Borynia, Zofiwka and

Jas-Mos, which were

linked in production

terms to bring down

costs, increase

productivity and achieve

better utilisation of

mining equipment. The

whole complex is

currently well advanced

in preparing operations for the next 30 years of

production (until 2051), with one of the most

significant investments to date being a new

shaft that is being sunk some 5 km from the

existing Zofiowka shaft as part of an ongoing

process to open up new deposits of coking coal.

This process of opening and utilising new

resources started in 2005 to access the Bzie-

Dbina 1-Zachod and Bzie-Dbina 2-Zachoddeposits from the 1,110m level. The resources

planned to be accessed from this level amount

to some 98.6 Mt. After their extraction,

resources down to the 1,300 m level will be

extracted. The deposits contain mainly type 35

hard coking coal. In addition, in Zofiwka itself,

the development of the 1,080 m mining level

that started in 2006 continues, which includes

resources estimated at 47 Mt. The complex

employs some 11,000 workers, not including

contractors. Aside from the key development

and longwall production equipment, men and

materials are transported underground mainly

by suspended monorails from Becker Mining,

SMT Scharf and Ferrit.

Kopex subsidiary and shaft sinking specialist

PBSz is carrying out the work on the new shaft.

In conjunction with this, lateral underground

development is taking place from existing

working areas to link up with the new shaft,

which will be used to transport men and

materials. The new shaft does not represent a

new mine, with the project forming part of a

major mine expansion/extension of existing

operations. At the time of the IM visit, the new

shaft had reached some 475 m, with a final

depth of 1,100 m. Completion is expected by

end-2016, with production commencing in 2017

from the new area. Ultimately, this will include

two new shearers and a new plow working on

three new faces.

All three mines have had their own production

shaft and washing plant to date, however, the


Coking coals bright future

Paul Moore visited the Borynia-Zofiowka-Jastrzebiemining complex near Rybnik in Upper Silesia, whereowner JSW is well advanced in ensuring the supply ofhard coking coal for the next 30 years of production

The main JSW Zofiowka shaft, Upper Silesia

OPERATION FOCUS

Becker-Warkop crushermodel used at JSW

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ON A MASSIVE SCALE

shaft at the Jas-Mos operation will eventually

close, with production from there diverted to the

main production shaft at Zofiowka after the

Zofiowka and Jas-Mos mines are connected

underground through new headings. Going

forward, processing will also be focussed at the

Zofiowka wash plant, which is being modernised

and expanded to handle 17,000 t/d.

DevelopmentLateral development for longwall panels is

conducted by engineering contractor PRS, the

owner and operator of the Sandvik MR620 (the

former AM105), which is the largest roadheader

model in the companys mining range. At JSW

the machine has been achieving advance rates

in the order of 5 m/d, which reflects the time

taken for steel rib installation as well as the

geological conditions; but is still much higher

than would be possible with other models. At

KGHM, the MH620 which is a similar type of

machine but used for hard rock applications has

achieved advance rates of between 15-20 m/d in

copper ore in much harder conditions with the

rock hardness exceeding 180 MPa with bolting

used as the only roof support. JSW Vice-

President of the Management Board for

Technical Matters, Jerzy Borecki told IM he has

been very happy with the ability of the MR620

machine to handle the difficult conditions, which

includes the ability to cut waste sandstone in

excess of 120 MPa hardness using the ICUTROC

technology that delivers a low cutting speed for

high torque and low dust generation during

cutting. Machine features include the robust

telescopic cutter boom with optimum cutting

power application and the ability to sump-in

without tramming. It can also excavate a very

straight face, even in high profiles. A

proportional load sensing hydraulic system

allows for the optimum

utilisation of energy

and a high pressure

pick flushing system

makes for efficient dust

suppression and

cooling of cutting tools.

Finally, it also has a

modular design,

allowing for easier

maintenance and

assembly/ disassembly.

Other models used in the mine include

smaller Remag R-2000 (Famur) and other

Sandvik types such as the MR300 (former

AM75), though in both cases these are leased

by JSW. As stated the MR620 model was chosen

due to difficult geological conditions in the part

of the mine where it is

operating, as well as

dealing with harder

waste material. During

the visit, IM went

down the main

Zofiowka shaft to the

900 m level then

laterally 10 km to

within 400 m of the

new shaft bottom,

where development is

currently focussed on

the main ventilation

infrastructure for

future planned

longwall faces, which

includes the

installation of new

Korfmann fans. The

standard Polish

system of using steel arches for roof support is

used. Initially the face is drilled horizontally by

PRS and the methane gas piped to surface for

use in power generation for the wider mining

complex. For conveyor clean-up behind the

active faces, the complex has a fleet of side

dump loaders from Sandvik, Deilmann Haniel

and Ferrit.

ProductionIn terms of the actual longwalls operated by the

mine, Zofiowka currently operates three faces,

along with three also at Borynia and three at

Jas-Mos. These are extracted using a total of

eight shearers and one plow system. The

shearer equipment consists of one Joy shearer,

six Kopex shearers and the plow from

Caterpillar. The Cat plow system is the model

GH800 which operates at the Zofiowka mine on

a 250 m face with 1.2-1.5 m seam height at a

depth of 900 m. A second GH800 plow system

recently finished its work in coal faces at the

Zofiowka and Jas-Mos mines and was moved to

the Pniowek mine to work in a face of similar

dimensions. JSW was the first company to use a

plow in 20 years in Poland and has consistently

achieved production rates of 4,000 t/d but up to

6,000 t/d has been reached in ideal conditions,

where there are no methane or seismic issues.

The Kopex equipment mainly consists of KSW

(such as the KSW-1140E) longwall shearers from

ZZM together with crushers, Tagor powered roof

supports, Rybnik AFCs and Ryfama conveyor

systems as well as electrical equipment from

Elgr+Hansen. The highest face the Kopex

shearers are exploiting is 5.3 m high.

Coal marketsJSW's coking coal is used mainly in the

production of coke for steel production. At its

own coke plants, the JSW Group processes

approximately 45% of the coking coal it

produces, which enables it to offer a final

product that is more processed and of higher

value. The company is also a producer of steam

coal, sold mainly to power plants and CHP

plants.

The products are purchased by customers

from Poland as well as from Germany, Austria,

the Czech Republic, Slovakia, India, and Brazil.

Major external customers for the coking coal

offered by the group include ArcelorMittal

Poland, voestalpine Stahl, Moravia Steel, US

Steel and Koksownia Czstochowa Nowa. Coking coal accounts for approximately 70%

of JSWs sales structure. The remaining portion

OPERATION FOCUS


Machine weight 128 t

Machine length 15.5 m

Machine height 2.5 m

Cutting height 5.4-5.9 m

Cutting width 7.9-8.9 m

Total installed power 540 kW

Cutter motor power 300 kW

Sandvik MR620 specifications

Construction of the new men and materialsshaft headframe at the Borynia-Zofiowka-Jastrzebie complex. The shaft itself will becompleted in 2016

Diesel hydraulic floor mounted rack-and-pinion railway KSZS

Diesel suspended monorail with frictional-toothed drive KPCZ-148

Diesel suspended monorail with toothed drive KPZS-148

Diesel driven suspended monorail KP-96

Pushing device UPP

Electric floor mounted rack-and-pinion railway KSZ

Powered roof supports BW 17/43

Crusher KD BW 800/1200

Becker-Warkop equipment at JSW Zofiowka

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includes high-calorie steam coal dust (0-20 mm)

and small quantities of coal in other grain sizes

(0-200 mm ungraded coal; flotation concentrate;

0-1 mm slurry).

Strategies and technologiesFor larger mining equipment Poland has a public

tender system in place that requires three offers

to be considered. Generally the OEMs will meet

the mining department to discuss their needs

before making a final offer, with a final decision

being made on the criteria of price, quality,

delivery and payment terms and productivity

elements such as stated production per hour.

The challenge is that for larger equipment such

as roadheaders and shearers, there is only a

small pool of OEMs to choose from so it

represents quite a strategic decision in terms of

future service and maintenance needs as well as

the level of new technology being offered. Of

course, any new designs of equipment must

also be certified to be used in Poland. This can

create issues where the mine wants to utilise a

technology not currently used in the country

as an example the group looked at using a

particular type of underground drill but the

certification process took over two years.

As far as new mining methods go, due to the

levels of methane encountered within the

mining complex, it is not possible to use

continuous miners at JSW as this would require

the excavation of more headings. Neither can

bolter miners be used due to the necessary

methane gas removal ahead of the face. Borecki

told IM: To date we havent seen any mining

method globally that would improve our

development performance taking our mine

conditions, depth and high temperatures into

account.

That said a lot of

work is going into

innovation on the

longwall side. JSW is

looking at introducing

more automation as

an example an

automated Kopex

KSW-460NE-1 has

been used at the

Pniowek mine, also

operated by JSW, for

seams of small and

medium thickness,

making it possible to

obtain substantially

higher production than

the results obtained to

date in longwalls with

similar parameters. The shearer was installed in

longwall C-1 in seam 404/1 and is now working

at the C-2 operation. However, automating

shearers does come with difficulties, particularly

with regard to the ability of sensors and

cameras to handle dust. Like any other mine

we want to see the automation benefits in terms

of less people in hazardous areas, lower costs

and higher productivity, said Borecki. This does

not only apply to longwalls, as the Sandvik

roadheaders now used are largely remote

controlled so that miners do not have to be

close to the face during actual excavation. More

precise positioning in the development heading

is also now possible. The Remag R-2000

machines at the mine are also remotely

controlled.

The Jas-Mos part of the mine has conducted

operational tests on a longwall shearer called

Mikrus, that was developed by Kopex to extract

low seams. This solution is an alternative to

plows and is used to mine thin seams with a

thickness of 1.1 m to 1.5 m, especially those that

are irregular with a lot of waste where plows can

struggle. The system is outfitted with a GUL-500

cutting and loading head with two cutting

bodies, which is moved on a Ryfama S-850N

longwall conveyor along the coal side wall using

a flexible connector system under sections of a

Kopex 095/17-POz mechanised shield. The

entire system is powered and controlled through

an integrated system outfitted with a central

pulpit placed at the operator's position, which is

situated in the conveyor road.

The move to mine lower faces with equipment

designed for this purpose is a real focus in

Poland due to the access to previously

unmineable seams that it gives. JSW has a lot of

low seams, including those in older mines that

have been left as 20 or 30 years ago the right

equipment was not available. The assessment of

the new Mikrus system is a key development in

this process.

The approach to longwall moves has also

changed. The extensive suspended monorails

and ground rail systems that have been installed

are capable not only of moving men and general

materials but can transport an entire 20 t roof

support. Tenders for monorails today specify

that they must be able to handle equipment

moves of this weight, so for those suppliers this

is also an important aspect of future planning.

Finally, as JSW and other mines in Poland go

deeper, the seismic challenges will only

increase, so consideration of ground support

needs for the future is needed. This may include

the use of higher quality steel in steel arches,

and possibly the use of new bolting/resin/

mesh/shotcreting strategies. IM

OPERATION FOCUS


Cutting head of Sandvik MR620 roadheaderoperating at Borynia-Zofiowka-Jastrzebie

The Kopex Mikrus low seamlongwall system during testing at

JSW Jas-Mos

tele pT E L E - R E M O T E M I N I N G S Y S T E M S

HARD-LINE.COM 705.855.1310 or [email protected]

from

We can TELEOP it.

Drives and motors are used to power an

array of equipment in mining operations,

from conveyors, and crushing/grinding

equipment to flotation cells and pumps. The

major challenges associated with powering

mining equipment is the increased scale of

operations and the accompanying requirement

for increased power, whilst maintaining

reliability. There are a range of companies that

provide drives and motors for the mining

industry, some of which are mining specific

whilst others cover a range of industries.

New developmentsThe drive selection for conveyors in mining can

have a large impact on many aspects of a mining

operation. Gearless drives are a proven

technology with both mills and hoists, but are

now being integrated into conveyor drive

systems with the aim of reducing maintenance

work in the field. Instead maintenance on drives

can be completed in repair shops due to the

special base frame that the motor is mounted

on. ABB has been one of the groups at the

forefront of these gearless developments and

has experience in providing geared drives for

large conveyors in mining operations around the

world. ABB noted that one of the important

considerations on larger drives is that as the

length of conveyors increases, so does the

demand for soft, controlled starting and stable

operation, optimised process control and

increased efficiency. ABB recently announced

the acquisition of Alstoms ring motor business

to further enhance its GMD offering. ABB

believes that demand for GMD systems will

grow due to decreasing ore grades and more

complex ore bodies requiring the grinding of

increased amounts of material. GMDs reduce

the amount of components used on a

conventional mill drive system. The gearless

motor is a large synchronous machine which

uses power electronics and magnetic field to

control the speed of motor rotation. The

reduction of the interaction between mechanical

parts increases efficiency and reliability, and

currently has a motor power which can reach 28

MW. Veli-Matti Reinikkala, Head of ABBs

Process Automation Division said: The

acquisition will combine the leading ring motor

product from Alstom with ABBs electrical

offering for GMD systems, enabling ABB to

enhance its position as a strong vertically-

integrated systems provider. The acquired

expertise and market strength will provide new

opportunities for growth.

South Africas Zest WEG Group has experience

in providing drives for mills and crushers in the

mining industry, but also offers solutions for

more standard applications such as pumps and

fans. Zest WEG recently introduced its new

range of 525 to 690 v Variable Speed Drives

(VSDs) with increased automation capabilities,

such as a built-in PLC and extended PLC

proficiency. These new VSDs cover a broader

power range than previously available and offer

a more modular design, which allows for

simplified maintenance, also made easier with

extended diagnostic capability. Zest WEG says it

has experienced particular success with its large

Medium Voltage (MV) AC drives for mill

applications, and the range has now been

extended up to 12 MW as a standard product

and even larger models are available on request.

These drives are built with a modular structure

that can be air or water cooled, and includes MV

drive topology for increased efficiency. MV soft

starter drives are also available for larger power

applications. WEG has also developed motor

drive combinations that are advantageous to

ventilation systems in mines, utilising

permanent magnet motors. This allows

equivalent power supply as from a standard AC

motor, but around one or two frames smaller,

allowing the motor to fit into the duct together

with the fan.

Johan van Niekerk, Zest WEG Group Manager

for Drives and Automation told IM: The

greatest challenge that Zest WEG faces is the

skills shortage in South Africa. The way we

overcome this is to follow the example WEG has

set over many years in Brazil, which is actually a

very similar country to South Africa in terms of

economy, development and environment. This is

to provide training for customers and to make

this training easily accessible and free of charge

encouraging as many people as possible to

attend. The success of this approach is

evidenced by the fact that 4,544 people have

been through the Zest WEG Groups training

centres in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town

and Rustenburg over the past five years. Were

presently establishing a new training centre in

Mpumalanga. He adds that the hardware side

of the drives business has not changed much in

the past five years, with dominating devices still

being IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors).

Instead, the main developments are taking place

in the areas of software, functionality and size.

Zest WEG recently received significant orders

from Kinsenda Copper in the DRC, Mopani

DRIVES AND CONTROLS


Driving forward

Robert Pell looks at the developments indrives and controls for mining equipmentand recent installations

The Siemens gearless compact conveyor stationat Xstrata Antapaccay in Peru. A similarinstallation is undergoing commissioning atXstrata Las Bambas in Peru, along with afurther 5 x 5,000 kW project underway in Chileand due for completion in 2014

The history of ABB process control systems started 40 years ago. Since then, ABB continuously developed state-of-the-art solutions, such as ABBs System 800xA Minerals Library, which successfully operates more than 300 minerals processing and cement plants worldwide. Its suite of object-oriented software control modules enables an efficient and fully parameterized process control and power applications design. Our ability to reduce engineering complexity, minimize downtime and simplify fault-finding leads you to reduced operating costs, increased productivity and opera-tional excellence. For more information, visit us at www.abb.com/mining

Main Technology Center for electrical, control and instrumentation systems 5405 Baden 5 Dttwil, Switzerland [email protected]

Leading you to operational excellence?

Absolutely.

Copper in Zambia and the Magareng mine in

South Africa. These orders have seen several

hundred VSDs being supplied. Van Niekerk said

A customer in the copper sector recently

invested in ten large WEG MV VSDs for mill

drives. This was a co-engineered solution, in

that these drives are driving synchronous

motors and not standard AC motors. This is

the first application that I know of where

this has been done. Every year were involved

in co-engineering a variety of innovative

solutions with the mining industry, a pursuit

that has led to achievements such as the IP65

sealed panel for underground use in coal mines

and increasing the speed of conveyor belts

above nominal to facilitate increased

production.

Bonfiglioli, which has traditionally had a

strong presence in the construction and mining

sector, recently extended its range of mining

market drives by presenting the new travel

drives 724C and 726C. Bonfiglioli is now in the

prototyping stage and carrying out pre-series

development with an aim to commence mass

production in 2014. The 724C develops a

maximum torque of up to 450,000 Nm, and has

been designed for drilling rigs up to 300 t. The

726C transmits a maximum torque of up to

625,000 Nm, satisfying the travel drive needs of

excavators of up to 350 t and drilling rigs up to

400 t. Stefano Baldi, Global Sales Manager of

the Mobile

and Wind Business Unit

at Bonfiglioli said: We

are studying the natural

extension of our current drives in order to grant

to the customers a full product range. We are

targeting travel drives for shovel equipment with

experience in developing smaller models. Baldi

told IM that incorporating a new supply chain

and new technologies in to regular production in

the assembly area was the main challenge in

developing these two travel drives. The

reluctance of the worldwide mining market is

making many leading companies re-think/re-

engineer their own products, guiding them to

equipment specialists for advice on co-

engineering new products. This is one of the

winning characteristics of Bonfiglioli over the

other vendors.

Bauer Gear Motors has launched a new Ex-

approved, IE4 Super Premium Efficiency motor.

The new S Series is the latest development to

Bauers permanent magnet synchronous motor

(PMSM) motor range. The IE4 has the highest

achievable energy efficiency rating within the

motor technology, making the S Series the

most efficient motor that can be used in an

explosion hazardous area. Motors for use in

explosion hazardous areas are exempt from

the EU regulations on minimum energy

efficiency because, explosion protection takes

precedence over energy savings. This has

traditionally meant that overall energy efficiency

has waned, however the S series of Bauers

PMSM motor range, available from 0.55 kW to

15 kW are classified for Zones 1 and 21. The S

series also has the advantage of maintaining

constant speed independent of the load. PMSM

synchronous motors offer considerably

improved efficiency when compared to induction

motors even under partial load conditions; and

extremely high efficiency under rated operating

conditions. They also have considerably higher

power density, which, for geared motors, yields

higher system efficiency with minimal

installation volume and also reduced weight.

Importantly PMSM drives can produce higher

torque values for the same installation volume

as conventional induction motors, a factor that

allows cost savings, through the ability to

specify a smaller motor size in some

applications.

Brevini Power Transmission designs and

Bauer's Ex-approved, IE4 Super PremiumEfficiency motor

DRIVES AND CONTROLS

DRIVES AND CONTROLS

manufactures planetary transmissions, parallel

and right angle gearboxes and winches for

industrial applications and self-propelled

machines. The new conveyor drive series Posired

Advanced, which is made in Germany by PIV

Drives, has been especially designed for the

tough requirements of mining and bulk material

handling. The PIV conveyor drive reducers feature

improvements of thermal performance and

enhanced mechanical efficiency, as well as

allowing users to opt for smaller-sized gearboxes

than traditionally required. The modular system

of the Posired Advanced gearboxes with the

modular thermal system allows particular

requirements to be met for unique local

conditions. The new

conveyor drive reducers

include an axial cooling

fan with higher flow rate

for better cooling of the

gearbox, an advanced

lubrication system, and

an integrated

mechanical oil pump

that improves bearing

life and increases

thermal capacity. Key

benefits of the new

Brevini PIV conveyor drive range include

increased oil change periods up to 7,500 h, and

up to 15,000 h for synthetic oils; contactless

seals in both input and output for greater

efficiencies and improved heat

capacity; active cooling fins on

cover plates on both sides and

the top of the housing for

better air-cooling, with the

finned covers providing an

expanded surface area and

including integrated oil pipes

for bearing lubrication; and

gear teeth optimised to provide

higher torques with less power

dissipation to improve thermal

capacity.The Posired

Advanced series of three stage

helical gearboxes has output torques up to

940,000 Nm. Brevini also offers conveyor tuning

kits and modular thermal systems as retrofit

options to existing Brevini PIV units.

NORD Drivesystems highlighted its new range

of compact NORD Industrial Gear Units (IGU) at

AIMEX 2013 in Sydney. Four new gear case sizes

were shown with an output torque range

between 25.3 kNm and 51.3 kNm. NORD

industrial gear units are suited to conveyor and

bulk materials handling applications and are

developed according to the established UNICASE

principle. Different options and modularity allow

malleable and compact solutions for both

conveyor belt and bucket elevator drive units.

Craig Robinson, Engineering Manager and

Industrial Gear Unit Product Manager for NORD

DRIVES AND CONTROLS

Brevini's new Posired Advanced conveyor driveseries

Industrial Gear-Unit Modules byNor -Drivesystems 307609-xl


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every application

DRIVES AND CONTROLS_proof 20/11/2013 10:57 Page 3

Drivesystems Australia, said: The NORD

SK13407 Industrial Gear Unit complete that

was on display with an integral backstop,

brake disc coupling and caliper hydraulic

disc brake assembly and driven by a 400

kW electric motor, was typical for a breaked

belt conveyor used in many mining

applications.

Naismith Engineering demonstrated its

newly developed Fluidomat scoop control

fluid coupling system at AIMEX. The Indian-

manufactured and designed fluid coupling,

which has been sold worldwide since 1971,

was introduced to Australia in 2007.

Marketing Manager, Jaffer Tambuwala said:

We currently have virtually every size of

fixed speed Fluidomat fluid coupling in our

warehouse, including shaft mounted, radially

displaceable, pulley design and steel bodied for

underground mining requirements. The

Fluidomat range includes two different style of

fluid couplings; fixed speed and scoop-filled.

There are nine different types of fixed speed fluid

couplings manufactured by Naismith. These

couplings can transmit up to 2,000 kW. Scoop-

controlled fluid couplings replace the rotating

body style of fluid couplings with a solid housing

that can be bolted down. They also allow for

more control of the speed of the output by

adjusting the position of the scoop. These

couplings can transmit up to 3,500 kW. The most

recent addition to Naismith Engineerings line is

the USWS spacer coupling, used to connect a

motor and pump, with the ability to disconnect

them for routine maintenance. The design is

suited for larger drives from 70 kW up to 500 kW.

The USWS uses a standard jaw coupling

technology which has important dampening and

misalignment properties with the addition of a

removable spacer at either 140 mm or 180 mm

lengths.

Protecting drive system componentsProtecting machinery and systems against

expensive failures and costly downtime is

indispensable to large scale mining operations;

so many technologies are available to protect

machinery against overloads. Andrew Bargh of

Bibby Turboflex, part of Altras couplings division

indicated that large machinery and rotating

systems can generate enough rotating energy to

cause significant machine damage during a jam,

crash stop, or during uncontrolled braking due

to, for example, a power failure. At very low

speeds, systems can develop a huge amount of

unnecessary torque, which can damage drive

system components such as shafts, gearboxes,

chain and couplings. Some of the technologies

available to protect machinery include:

Shear pins have protected rotating equipmentfor centuries, but lack accuracy and can

require extensive repair time following

overload. To maximise plant uptime and

improve the accuracy of release torque,

vendors have developed a variety of torque

overload release devices with integral

bearings and simple mechanical reset features

Friction clutches are one of the most commontypes of clutch; however, as a safety device in

a higher load application, they can slip and

wear, producing inaccurate and changeable

torque settings

Sensing devices, such as current sensors,monitor one particular aspect of the drive and

provide an output or alarm when that function

deviates from preset norms for a preset time

period

Electronic control devices continuouslymonitor the machine, comparing, for example,

the difference between actual and theoretical

positions of various components

The final two points cover electrical torque

limiting solutions, which are increasingly popular

in many industries as they offer increased

accuracy and reduced downtime following the

overload. A sensor is used to detect a problem,

and initiate corrective actions such as stopping

and reversing the drive, engaging the brake or

shutting down the machine. Bargh states that

the protective functions integrated into today's

sensing and control units are an expedient

supplement to the mechanical torque limiting

clutch, but not a replacement. Thus, mechanical

torque limiters still make sense, but not

necessarily for every application. There is also

the issue concerning the speed of the collision.

For hard collisions, when the speed or mass of

the rotating components is at a high level,

electronic control may not be able to react before

significant damage occurs. At these speeds, only

mechanical overload device can react quickly

enough to prevent damage. The complexity of

each system should also be considered,

especially in applications which are remote

or have limited access. Electronic

monitoring systems need multiple sensors

for data; between the monitoring system

and all of its sensors and other

components, the system has multiple

possible points of failure. Once installed, a

mechanical limiter can be left in-situ with

minimal maintenance, and yet offer

complete reliability in the case of overload.

Bibby Turboflex has developed a range of

UEP modular torque limiters with an

emphasis on simple installation, accurate

release torque repeatability, simple fast

manual re-engagement; and low cost

maintenance. The UEP range of modular

torque limiters was designed specifically to offer

alternatives to shear pin protection for high

torque drives where its accurate release torque

repeatability coupled with fast reset feature

offers a significant reduction in downtime.

The optimised design of the UEP torque

limiters also means that installation is highly

flexible, enabling the centre section of the torque

limiter to be removed without the need to move

the motor or gearbox. Similar design versatility

ensures that any maintenance of the modules is

a straightforward operation, and that

recalibration is a simple removal operation

achieved without having to replace the complete

torque limiter unit. When considering how best to

protect machinery from overload it is important

to consider the different scenarios where this

might occur. Electrical monitoring or sensing

equipment can initiate corrective actions prior to

overload during a slow torque increase, however,

there are times when the increase is too fast and

the electrical system may be too slow to prevent

damage to other components.

Installation case studiesThe Siemens Drive Technologies Division recently

received an order from Bharat Heavy Electricals

Ltd (BHEL)inIndia, to supply 60 gear units for

coal mills. The state-owned, Indian utility

company is planning to build and expand several

coal-fired power plants. The new gear units will

drive the vertical mills which grind the coal in the

plants. The Flender gear units from Siemens

consist of a bevel gear stage and a planetary

gearbox. Their advantage is that higher torques

are achieved by distributing the loads, ranging

between 19 and 670 kNm, to the planet wheels.

Powerful, reliable drives are a key component in

the coal grinding. With the optimal gear ratio,

they continuously drive the vertical mills, in

which the coal is ground to a very fine grain.

BHEL chose the vertical mill gear unit from

Siemens because of its very long service life and

proven drive design. This is exemplified by over


DRIVES AND CONTROLS

Naismith Engineering's scoop controlled fluidcoupling

Astec Mining. Five Companies, One Focus.

Astec Mining combines the experience of five global brands into one team, dedicated to providing a completely integrated solution for virtually everyprocess within a mining operation, from mobile mining vehicles, breaker systems,feeders, crushers, screens, mills, to conveyors - anywhere in the world.

astecworld.com2013 Astec Industries, Inc.

4,000 worldwide references, stated Siemens.

Bernhard Hoffmann, Head of Drive

Applications at the Siemens Mechanical

Drives Business Unit in Voerde, said: With

our powerful and reliable drives, we are

making a decisive contribution toward the

security of supply to Indian coal-fired power

plants. By supplying such a large number of

gear units at short notice, we are quickly

helping our customer, BHEL, to expand power

supplies in India. BHEL is an Indian

company and a leading constructor of power

plant and energy equipment. Headquartered

in New Delhi it has a workforce of almost

50,000.

As previously announced by IM, ABB recently

received an order to provide four dual pinion

high-speed ring-geared mill drive systems for the

Swakop Uranium Husab mine in western-central

Namibia. ABB will be supplying variable-speed

drive systems with asynchronous motors,

ACS6000 frequency converters with mill

application controller, transformers, medium

voltage cubicles and system engineering and

spare parts for two 6.75 Mw SAG mills, and two

4.25 Mw ball mills. The first deliveries for the mill

drive systems are scheduled for early 2014.The

proven technology optimises the grinding

process, which makes it ideal for ores with

varying grinding properties. In addition to high

system efficiency, availability and process

reliability, the variable-speed drive also provides

significant energy and operating cost savings by

using less electricity than a conventional fixed-

speed mill drive, stated ABB.

As previously covered in IM, Siemens and

ThyssenKrupp Robins collaborated to develop a

complete gearless driven conveyor system for

Xstrata Coppers new Antapaccay copper mine, in

the Peruvian Andes. Steve Kasper, Sales Manager

Conveyor Technologies at ThyssenKrupp Robins

noted the relative importance of the Integrated

Drive Systems for the efficient and innovative

implementation of the drive system. Kasper

states: The implementation of an Integrated

Drive System with air-cooled SINAMICS SL 150

cyclo-converters including drive control and a

low-speed motor was optimally suited for our

solution. It is significantly more economical in

terms of energy consumption, and it also

increases the efficiency of the conveyor system.

The gearless drive eliminates many of the

traditional components required and has led to

an increased efficiency of between 4-5% on

average. That is only possible because all

components of the integrated drive system are

optimally matched to one another, which also

drastically cuts maintenance costs in operation.

The Xstrata Las Bambas copper mine will also

benefit from a similar system. Each of two new

overland conveyors will be approximately 2.5 km

long and transport ore from the mine to the

processing plant. The belts will be 1,830 mm

wide, travel at 6.5 m per second, and are

designed to transport approximately 9,400 t of

material per hour. Start-up of the new Las

Bambas conveyor system is scheduled for 2014.

The Siemens drive systems for each of the two

overland conveyors are comprised of two slow-

speed synchronous motors each with a total

power of 4,400 kW and the associated Sinamics

SL150 cycloconverters.

Earlier this year, Voith provided the Chinese

Sandaogou coal mine in Shaanxi province with a

CPC 1600 AFC (armoured face conveyor) coupling.

This fluid coupling can continuously transmit up

to 1600 kW, which represents a 60% increase on

a standard fluid coupling of comparable

installation space. The Sandaogou coal face is 7

m high, 350 m wide and 3 km long, so there was

a requirement for equipment that was more

powerful without massively increasing the size of

the drive system. Voith managed to achieve this

compact design with its XL profile design turbine

wheel. The couplings combine maximum power

transmission and small size. Orders for three CPC

1600s have been delivered and are

currently in use in

the Chinese

Sandaogou coal

mine. Tong

Xiangyang, Team

Leader of a coal

face in the

Sandaogou

coal mine, is very

satisfied with the

power and

reliability of the

Voith hydrodynamic

coupling. As a result of using

the new CPC 1600, the coal mine can turn out

350,000 t/mth of additional coal. Since there is

no mechanical connection between the input side

and the output side of the coupling, we can run

our motors up to speed without load. We switch

the motors on one after another to avoid high

current demands that would place an

unnecessary load on our grid power system,

says Tong. The CPC 1600 fluid coupling also

protects the motors against overload. This

overload protection is possible since the fill-

controlled fluid couplings simply slip because

of the hydrodynamic principle. This slip

protects the drive components and the chain of

the AFC against damage. Consequently, the

fluid coupling maximizes the

availability of the entire system and its

productivity. Tongs team can start its

AFC in any situation. With the CPC 1600, users in

Sandaogou can perform as many start-ups in a

row as they wish, explains Tang Min, General

Manager of Start-up Components at Voith in

China. This is important, for example, in order to

break free a heavily loaded conveyor. In this way,

the personnel avoid needing to manually clear

the overloaded system, which is time-consuming

and results in costly, unplanned downtime.

Approximately 50 of WEGs H- and M-Line high-

voltage motors have been chosen to drive

production facilities at the largest single mine

development in Kazakhstan by both volume and

value, the Bozshakol project. Owned by

Kazakhmys, the Bozshakol sulphide and clay

complex has an estimated annual ore processing

capacity of 30 Mt and will employ around 1,500

people, with a similar number involved in the

construction phase. WEGs delivery is based on

the joint efforts and cooperation of several WEG

branches in Australia, UK and Russia, including

the significant contribution of WEGs local partner

in Kazakhstan, the Alpha-Centre company. WEG

is delighted to provide Kazakhmys with reliable

electric machines to ensure process efficiency,

productivity and a high-degree of reliability.

Being a supplier for such a large-scale project

really demonstrates WEGs high-level of

engineering competence and

expertise with complex

international EPC

business, said Sergey

Mushchenko, Managing

Director at WEG CIS. The

development phase of

Bozshakol began ahead

of schedule, with pre-

production mining

scheduled for 2014 and

the first ore to be

processed at the

concentrator by 2015. The

capital cost for the project is

in the region of 1.18 billion. IM

Voith CPC 1600 AFC coupling used at theSandaogou mine, China


DRIVES AND CONTROLS

A WEG H-line high voltage motor

OPTI-MINE is a demonstration project,

which aims at integrating, installing and

operating the newest Information and

Communication Technologies (ICT) applications

at an industrial-scale and bringing together all

the technical and economic data in order to

make their European-wide implementation in

the mining industry possible but at a minimum

risk. Not only the new ICT applications

themselves are being demonstrated, but by

integrating the ICT systems into one common

Ethernet (TCP-IP) based open network platform

of high bandwidth and standardised

configuration (internet technology), information

can be exchanged between all applications and

processes. Thus the processes as a whole can

be optimised and the efficiency and safety of

mines increased considerably.

The project covers leading edge ICT for

underground mining processes including

logistics, transport, personnel communication

and information by voice and data, machine

communication, staff localisation, guidance etc.

Individual components developed within the

project will be integrated into a comprehensive

system where possible. The benefits

demonstrated by this comprehensive

optimisation of mining processes are related to

considerable improvements of efficiency, mine

safety, occupational safety and health and

environmental impacts.

The meeting in Bytom was the second

meeting to date and focussed on ICT in

underground mines with the scope covering

optic fibre systems, open architecture,

standardised configurations, and high network

availability. The five mines in question are KWSA

Bobrek-Centrum along with RAG, Hunosa, PRV

and OKD. Technical partners on the project

include Minetronics, AITEMIN, DMT-TFH and

SUT. OPTI-MINE has different application

clusters depending on the subject the focus on

machine communications is focussed on OKD

and KWSA for example; while that for personnel

tracking is focussed on KWSA and Hunosa.

Performance is mainly assessed through KPIs

and the purpose of the forums is to bring

together technology suppliers and potential

technology users to review project progress and

allow members to see the work in action at

theactual operations. In 2014, RAG will host the

forum in Germany and in 2015, it will be held in

Slovenia. The first meeting in 2012 was hosted

by OKD in the Czech Republic.

EU funding of OPTI-MINEThe EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS)

funds a series of projects, of which OPTI-MINE is

one. The Fund arose out payments made by the

coal and steel industry as part of the 1952

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

formed with the Treaty of Paris, which on

expiration in 2002 saw 1.6 billion

remaining in assets. At the time, the

European member states decided

that the money should be used for

research and thus RFCS was formed

in 2003 to manage the use of the

Fund. Currently, only interest

generated by the Fund is being used.

Overall, some 72.8% of funding goes

to the steel industry, and 27.2% to

the coal industry.

The coal funding targets the whole

chain from mining to combustion. An open call

for interested parties is made every year, with a

distinction made between research projects,

which are eligible for up to 60% funding; and

pilot plants at 50% with accompanying

measures at 100%. Any legal entity within the

EU28 can apply; with the average funding to

date 1-2 million per project. Project duration is

typically three to four years; with 350 grant

agreements running at any one time. Since

2003, 943 million has been spent. In addition,

RFCS funding can accompany other funding

sources such as National Funds. The 2013 RFCS

budget stood at 14 million, or 27.2% of the

total. In 2012, 37 proposals were received for

coal, of which 18 were related to mining. In

addition to OPTI-MINE, other mining related

projects have included the COGAR underground

coal gasification project that was co-funded by

Polands GIG; the AMSSTED research into highly

stressed ground; the RTRO-Coal open pit coal

mine optimisation project; the M-SMARTGRID

project co-ordinated by Aitemin looking at

energy savings using smart mining electrical

grids and the mine water discharge

measurement project MANAGER.

Hunosa and KWSAAt the Hunosa coal mine in Asturias, Spain, a

ZigBee-based tracking system has been

integrated in a cap lamp. The technology was

developed by AITEMIN as part of the RFCS

funded RAINOW project and involved

cooperation with a cap lamp producer. The pilot

test involving 30 lamps went well and a full

deployment on 550 lamps is now underway at

the Sueros Colliery. The cap lamp was chosen as

every miner has one, so was deemed to offer the

simplest option. The system is based on a

Wireless Sensor Network with active tags. The

cap lamp tags can also act as repeaters allow

info to be sent from one tag to another. In

addition to monitoring worker movements, it

can also keep record of the relative charging

level of the lamps. Tracking messages are sent

every 2 to 7 seconds. In the future, Hunosa also

plans to use similar technology to monitor

material movements.

At the Bobrek-Centrum operation, the project

covered the design of personnel access control

system by Minetronics. The purpose is to

monitor the hazardous active longwall area,

covering the entering and leaving of all

personnel. A desirable factor was also to have a

simple, low-cost solution that would be easy to

extend and easy to integrate with other

applications. It also serves as a good example of

an entry into network technology for other

mining companies. The project uses two WLAN

antennas that connect to a WLAN MIC computer

and then to the main mine optic fibre cabling

network the mine had 10 km of new cabling

installed by the end of 2012. The system allows

the mine to monitor all movements of personnel

into and out of the longwall area, whether by

monorail or on foot. Miners also carry a WLAN

pager device that also allows monitoring of

movement and movement direction within the

longwall area, as well as allowing the miners

themselves to send each other text messages.

The system is installed at the entry area to

longwalls 1 and 2 in panel 615. IM

OPTI-MINE


Optimising Europes coal minesPaul Moore attended the second OPTI-MINE forum at the KWSABobrek-Centrum mine in Bytom, Poland, to hear about how newtechnologies are being applied in underground coal mining

Diagram showing Minetronics system design forKWSA Bobrek-Centrum longwall area tracking

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Documents

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