African Mining June 2021 | Page 11

GLOBAL NEWS •

Bardon Hill Quarry near Leicester in Leicestershire is one of the United Kingdom ’ s oldest continuously operated quarries . Aggregate Industries UK has recently developed a new quarry extension at this strategically important site . To sustain quarrying activities , a separate material handling system is required to extract , process and transport overburden for emplacement within the existing quarry as part of its restoration .

RopeCon

Doppelmayr Transport Technology has worked closely with Aggregate Industries UK to develop a unique solution that will dramatically reduce CO ₂ emissions and environmental impact compared with road haulage or the footprint associated with a conventional surface conveyor system .

The proven RopeCon system is a combination of ropeway technology and conventional conveying technology . Track ropes will span 850m across the entire pit upon which the belt which transports the overburden will travel . The RopeCon system includes a reversable second belt that will enable simultaneous conveying and emplacement activities . During the life of the operation , the RopeCon track ropes will be periodically re-tensioned to allow the system to be lifted above the placed material . This ability to control the drop height will minimise the impact from noise and dust during operation of the system .

Currently under construction , this will be the first such installation in the UK and will transport up to 1 000 tons of overburden per operating hour .

Technical details : Section 1 Length Difference in elevation Conveying capacity Speed Motor rating continuous Section 2 Length Difference in elevation Conveying capacity Speed Motor rating continuous

470 / 494 m -145 / -55 m 1,000 t / h 3.3 m / s -371 / -74 kW

100 m 0 / 4.5 m 1,000 t / h 2.6 m / s 7 / 35 kW

Bardon Hill Quarry near Leicester in Leicestershire , United Kingdom .

ABB will install haul truck trolley assist infrastructure to help Copper Mountain Mining in Canada achieve a reduction in carbon intensity by more than 50 % in medium-term with a final target of zero by 2035 .

ABB has grown its footprint in the journey to the all-electric mine by winning an order to deliver a complete open-pit haul truck trolley assist solution for Copper Mountain . The installation , which includes engineering , supply and construction management for a DC substation and an overhead catenary system ( OCS ), combines ABB ’ s electrification and automation expertise in the mining industry .

Copper Mountain mine near Princeton , British Columbia is the mining company ’ s flagship site . It is a conventional open-pit , truck and shovel operation which produces approximately 100 million pounds ( 45 000 metric tons ) of copper equivalent per year . It is estimated that the initial phase of the trolley assist system , which will be installed in late 2021 , will reduce carbon emissions at the site by up to 7 %. Copper Mountain Mining has advised that overall , the mine will reduce carbon intensity by more than 50 % in 5-7 years through electrification and capacity increase .

The company ’ s sustainable development journey has a final target of zero by 2035 and the project , using electric-drive haul trucks , is indicative of the move towards mine electrification in the region .

Each truck will be fitted with a pantograph to receive external electric power . ABB will take responsibility for the off-truck trolley assist infrastructure and provide engineering , project management , equipment supply , system commissioning and construction management . ABB will design the overhead catenary system ( OCS ) infrastructure and deliver a rectifier substation providing more than 12MW of DC power to the trolley assist system . The trolley control system can provide connectivity to the existing distributed control system ( DCS ) automation platform for seamless integration and monitoring of trolley operations and energy consumption . ABB is also providing OCS components customised for mining applications .

“ From initial feasibility study onwards , ABB has been aligned with our commitments to develop our mining operations in a way that fits with energy conservation and emissions reduction goals ,” says Walt Halipchuk , Copper Mountain Mining ’ s director of energy management . “ The trolley assist infrastructure is an essential part of our plans to reach our bold medium to long-term targets , and ABB has proven the results it can have in terms of helping reduce greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions . We trust their expertise and have achieved past successes together , notably with grinding and automation systems already in operation in the mine .”