WORLD PROSPECTS
Effective electric motor protection
M
aintaining a clean and dust free
operating environment is most often the
simplest solution for optimising motor
performance. However, it is not always possible to
keep electric motor drives free from dust
emissions as it is part and parcel of many bulk
materials operations and conveyor systems.
Kinder Australia’s K-Motorshield Motor Covers
provide superior protection for important electric
motors, keeping these motors free from dust
emissions and material spillage. Motor Covers
also play a vital role in improving safety by
minimising any potential overheating risks that
arise from the accumulation of dust particles and
material spillage on the motors.
K-Motorshield Motor Covers prevent damaging
temperature increases caused by blocked airflow,
with a motor fitted with K-Motorshield Motor
Cover achieving higher airflow though the cooling
fins. Dirt and dust particles are pushed through
the fins while heavy contaminants, like coal slurry,
settle on top of the cover, not in cooling fins.
K-Motorshield Motor Covers provide a simple
and effective solution that ensures motor
longevity, delivering reliable and proven positive
results to hundreds of our customers involved in a
multitude of applications.
“Installation of motor covers can increase
airflow through the cooling fins by 140%,” Neil
Kinder, CEO of Kinder Australia, says, explaining
that they have a lightweight, snap-loc, durable
design that will not corrode or rust.
Dust is highly damaging and hazardous to
plant equipment and machinery, particularly
electric motors. Currently there is a
misconception that covering electric motors will
cause overheating issues. Uncontained
environmental debris and particles can quickly
destroy bearings, windings and brushes on
expensive electric motors. This leads to pulling
motors out or, in the worst-case scenario,
replacing the motor, which can lead to
escalating service, maintenance and repair
costs.
Electric motors under crushers and pumps
are often large and heavy, weighing between
150-200 kg: getting it out and cleaning the dust
off raises serious safety issues. Take for instance
the conveyors in the crushing and screening
industry - on a belt conveyor high in the air, the
wind may blow some of the dust off the motor, but
dust underneath the crusher gets into very
confined and hard to reach places.
There is also the issue of motor replacement;
although not expensive, the bulk of the costs
lies with the labour as a fitter, operator and
electrician are required to manage the motor
changeover.
“The bottom line is by maintaining your
machinery properly and protecting it from dust
and spillage exposure, you will avoid motor
problems,” Kinder says.
Neil Kinder concluded: “Dust control is not only
about protecting people and the environment but
the machines in and around facilities as well.
Installing K-MotorShield Motor Covers play a
pivotal role in tackling and minimising dust
emissions.” www.kinder.com.au;
www.kinderapac.com
BEVs, vertical conveyors in the future Lamaque mix
W
ith production at the Lamaque gold mine,
in Quebec, Canada, now in full swing,
Eldorado Gold is looking at a potential
expansion underground that could involve the use
of battery-electric vehicles, or vertical haulage with
conveyors, according to Chief Operating Officer
Paul Skayman.
Speaking to IM recently, Skayman said the
company, following the declaration of commercial
production at Lamaque earlier this year, was in the
process of working on a preliminary economic
assessment (PEA) to expand Lamaque. This study
will evaluate increasing throughput
from an average of some 1,800 t/d
to 2,500 tpd, with a resultant boost
in annual average production to
170,000 oz, from close to 130,000 oz.
The expansion PEA is expected
to be completed by the end of year
and, subject to the results, a
prefeasibility study on the
expansion will begin, due for
completion in the second half of
2020.
While the expansion is over a
year away, Skayman said the
deepening of the mine could see
6 International Mining | NOVEMBER 2019
the company look at the potential for either
battery-powered haulage or vertical haulage with
conveyors. This would see the mine install a decline
to access the orebody, as opposed to sinking a
shaft.
Skayman said the provincial government offered
incentives to employ such technologies at mine,
while power was relatively inexpensive, “so, we are
in the right place to be looking at this”. Indeed,
Agnico Eagle Mines has employed a Rail-Veyor
system at its Goldex mine in Quebec, while
MacLean Engineering has delivered at least one
battery-powered unit to an underground gold
operation in the province.
Eldorado is not currently running any battery-
powered units, instead, waiting for the technology
to mature to a point where machines can run for a
whole shift and the charging infrastructure has
been proven, according to Skayman. He said the
company was watching projects such as the
recently opened Borden mine in Ontario to see
where miners were pushing the “technology
envelope” in the electrification arena.
Eldorado has other underground operations
across the globe, but Skayman said
Lamaque was the prime candidate for
the use of battery-powered equipment.
“[This technology] is probably more
likely to be used at Lamaque than our
operations in Europe; Lamaque is a
vertical stacked set of lenses and the
deeper sections we know of go down
to 1,500 m,” he said. “We’re nowhere
near that in Turkey at Efemçukuru,
which is relatively mature. We
eventually get down to deeper
sections at Olympias, but nothing like
the depth at Lamaque.”
www.eldoradogold.com