NARROW VEIN & LOW PROFILE MINING
A rich vein
The machines that operate in the confined
environments of narrow vein and low profile
mines are built to be robust and compact, all
while offering high development & production
rates. Dan Gleeson speaks to specialists in the
field to gauge where the market is heading
arrow vein and low profile mining are
technically-complex fields constantly
evolving as orebodies dip, steepen and
plunge below ground.
The former sees small and thin machines
follow narrow (and often vertical or steeply
dipping) high grade veins of material in smaller
drifts to minimise development cost and
dilution.
Meanwhile, those establishing or expanding
low profile mines, many of which are in Africa,
are forced to tailor their fleets to fit into the
tight mining environments they find themselves
in.
Both applications are increasingly in need of
tele-remote, or automated options, as the risk
associated with ore extraction at these depths
and within these confines increases.
Many innovations have evolved to help
miners win these battles: Alimak mining for
greater flexibility and manoeuvrability in narrow
vein mining, narrow width and height LHDs for
compact ore extraction applications, and low
profile dozers, specialised mechanised drill rigs
and tele-remote machines for improved safety
and productivity, to name a few.
More innovations will be required to ensure
mines with these profiles continue operating for
years to come.
Sandvik has combined its narrow vein mining,
low profile mining and tunnelling expertise to
come up with a range of loading and drilling
tools suited to compact extraction and
development.
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38 International Mining | JULY 2019
The latest addition to its range, the LH202 is,
according to the company, narrower than
competing loaders, but comes with the best
payload-to-own-weight ratio of its class.
Ideal for tunnel widths between 2 m and 2.5
m, Sandvik anticipates owners can save up to
36% per tonne of ore when using the machine
compared with other loaders in the class. This is
primarily down to the tight turning radius
achieved thanks to the machine’s reduced width
and length.
IM spoke with Kimmo Ulvelin, Product Line
Manager Small and Low Profile Loaders,
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, to find out
what trends led the company to develop the
LH202 loader.
“Safety was one of the most important trends
that had its effects on developing and launching
the Sandvik LH202 narrow-vein loader,” he said.
“As the most visible
safety
improvement, we
could mention
relocating the
operator’s position
from the front frame
to the rear frame.”
Ulvelin said when
starting the project,
the company was
conscious of
considering the
latest applicable
safety requirements
GHH Super Low Profile 8 t loader:
SLP 8, operating at a low profile
platinum mine in Zimbabwe
in the equipment design, which also included
the need to reduce emissions by using a
suitable engine.
“Utilising the latest available engine
technology has always been important for
Sandvik Load and Haul, and we wanted to
extend new technology to cover also the smaller
loaders – even though low-emission engines are
not yet evident in smaller size classes,” he said.
“Yet another topical issue [during design] was
the need to improve the equipment capacity:
the very small Sandvik LH202 is capable of
carrying 3 t in its bucket, which helps to
increase production efficiency at our customer
sites.”
The LHD was recently put to work on a
tunnelling project at the Østerbø Power Plant,
owned by Skanska, in western Norway.
The LH202 loader has the best
payload-to-own-weight ratio of
its class, according to Sandvik