CHINESE TECHNOLOGY
Sino mining expertise
Paul Moore reviews some developments at the leading Chinese mining equipment OEMs both at home and abroad
Despite the mining market in China remaining challenging, there are some exciting new projects such as the Julong copper mine in Tibet, which is under construction, while the world class mines in China like Pingshuo and Zhungeer continue to successfully operate and use a mix of both foreign and local brands. Julong is owned by Tibet Julong Copper Co Ltd, founded in 2006, a privately-owned company headquartered in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The company owns the Julong and Zhibula copper mines, both located in Maizhokunggar County. Chinese shovel supplier TYHI has sent five sets of WK-35 excavators to Julong and four sets of semi-mobile crusher stations; with a trolley assist truck fleet supplied from NHL. And foreign companies have important work there too, Metso with a full delivery of minerals processing equipment at Julong covering engineering, a full scope of advanced minerals processing equipment and advanced process control system including six crushers, eight semi-autogenous grinding mills and eight ball mills, eight stirred mills, four vertical plate pressure filters and 16 vibrating screens, as well as related services like installation, start-up, commissioning and technical direction.
Exports of larger class mining equipment from China remain relatively uncommon but the machines that have gone abroad to Australia, Namibia, Russia, South Africa and elsewhere have been well received. It is still much more common to see construction class Chinese equipment from SANY, Shantui, LiuGong, XCMG and other brands in mines around the world such as smaller excavators, dozers, wheel loaders, cranes and other machines carrying out construction and infrastructure development tasks.
XCMG equipment performs at Pingshuo
At ChinaCoal Pingshuo Group, one of the country’ s leading coal operations, XCMG has had a XE4000 hydraulic mining excavator and a XDE240 mining dump truck operating for over a year. XCMG states:“ With 25 national invention patents, the XE4000 hydraulic mining excavator of XCMG has the obvious advantages of a wide range of mining applications, high digging and breakout force, strong manoeuverability and offroad mobility. The electrically driven dumper of 240 t has a capacity of 148 m 3 in the dump body, engine power of 2,500 hp, high reliability, comfort, safety, intelligence and other features. Its performance has reached the international advanced level.”
Zhao Yanhe, Production Manager of the Eastern strip mine of the ChinaCoal Pingshuo Group stated:“ We mainly use the equipment of foreign brands, which cost a lot in purchase and maintenance terms. But the complete set of mining equipment of XCMG are of reliable quality
The Huolinhe coal mine in Inner Mongolia with a TYHI WK-10 shovel loading an XEMC truck
and have high availability and productivity which not only reduces costs greatly, but also improves the quality and efficiency of earthmoving.” XCMG is also cooperating with ChinaCoal Pingshuo Group to jointly develop a 700 t ultra-large hydraulic mining excavator, which would be the largest of its kind made in China.
TYHI delivers in Russia and India
At the beginning of 2017, Taiyuan Heavy Industry Co Ltd( TYHI) signed a contract with Russia’ s Polyus Gold for two sets of 20 m 3 excavators and three sets of 35 m 3 excavators. These 20 m 3 excavators are the first of their kind to enter the Russian market. TYHI comments:“ The abovementioned excavators are the most competitive products of TYHI. These five sets of excavators are the upgrade of the original models. Based on our many years of experience of manufacturing mining excavators, we adopted advanced
XDE240 mining dump truck being loaded by XE4000 mining shovel a Pingshuo coal mine
46 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2017