IPCC
spokesperson said. “Dump trucks are carrying ore
and overburden for about 5 km; by 2023 this will
increase to 7 km – hence the decision to build the
conveyor complex.” The project has the added
benefit of reducing emissions as there will be less
exhaust from the equipment in the pit, the
spokesperson added.
Mae Moh’s long standing use of sizer
technology
MMD is delivering another Semi-Mobile Sizing
Station and 500 t Atlas Transporter to the Mae
Moh coal mine in Lampang, Thailand. This crucial
asset feeds the neighbouring Mae Moh Power
Station, owned & operated by EGAT (the Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand).
ITD (Italian-Thai Development Public Company
Ltd), the mine operator for phase nine of the
project, has also requested MMD to undertake the
design of a far-reaching refurbishment of the four
Semi-Mobile Sizing Stations supplied back in 2001
for phases five, six and seven. After installation of
these new and refurbished machines, it will bring
the total to eight MMD Sizer Stations and two
MMD Atlas Transporters operating at Mae Moh
coal mine. MMD has had a long relationship with
the mine dating back to 1993, and delivered true
turnkey processing solutions to assist the mine’s
progress, from initial order through to final
commissioning and aftersales service and
support.
Each of these latest Semi-Mobile units will be
utilised to the full, processing overburden at a rate
of 5,500 t/h, whilst reducing material from up to
1.5 m down to 300 mm. With parts supplied from
the UK, South Africa, China, India and Thailand,
this ambitious refurbishment and new build
project brings together MMD companies and
expertise from around the world.
“MMD deliver good performance and
reliability,” said Payungsak Jaikham, Project
Coordinator of ITD. “We received a very
competitive price, and we are looking for a long-
term relationship with MMD. We know they can
support us.”
FLSmidth forging new IPCC futures
Arguably now having the most comprehensive
IPCC offering since its acquisiton of Sandvik
Mining Systems in 2018 and with a portfolio now
covering everything from primary crushers to
fixed, semi-mobile and fully mobile crushing
stations, overland conveyors, shiftable mine
conveyors and spreader systems plus innovations
such as the EcoTails (co-mingling of crushed waste
rock and dry tails) and the Hybrid Apron Belt
(HAB) feeder, FLSmidth now has activities across a
number of different project types and activities in
different commodities and regions, Branco Lalik,
Director Process Line Management Mining
Systems, told IM.
50 International Mining | MAY 2020
First off the company is
in discussions with a client
in Brazil about different
scenarios - including trials
and testing - on how to
utilise the FLSmidth ABON
sizer technology in
operations for various
material types found in iron
ore, including harder rock
types, which previously
have not been suitable for processing by any roll
crusher type. "However, with our extensive sizer
tests and operational experience from other hard
rock applications we see this as a great technical
opportunity. We are very confident that our sizers
can perform well in these manifold applications at
high capacities in the challenging environment."
Moving to China, FLSmidth is having ongoing
business development discussions with JV partner
Northern Heavy Industries Group (NHI) about
opportunities based on their crusher portfolio on
an application case-by-case basis to utilise the JV
(NHI-Fuller Mining) in the best possible way.
Currently the focus is more on secondary crushing
applications with cone crushers but could include
the consideration of larger gyratory crushers in
fixed or semi-mobile crushing stations. Lalik
stated: "This will depend on the expectations of
our customers in terms of the required features of
the crusher. For instance, applications in not too
challenging environments in terms of materials to
be crushed such as coal, lignite or in non-abrasive
waste materials may certainly be more suitable,
where there is no need for a top service crusher
and other special maintenance features."
On agreements with major Tier 1 miners, the
recently signed Global Framework Agreement with
Rio Tinto is not only based on equipment deals
but also on new developments and the whole R&D
area in mining. "There has been a regular, active
dialogue and bilateral exchange of information
between Rio Tinto and ourselves since this
agreement has been put in place. We have had a
very positive trend and development at FLSmidth
in the last two years with key accounts such as Rio
Tinto and Goldcorp/Newmont regarding close
cooperation in order to realise large mining
projects together and we are certainly glad to be
part of it."
The new HAB system is still in the development
phase. Lalik states: "The main focus of our work is
to look at how we can cover multiple applications
with the same concept whilst keeping the
technical and economic advantages of the HAB at
the same time. With introducing different
materials for instance, one needs to look at the
material flow capabilities, the durability of the
feeder and its scalability to address different feed
capacities in particular. At the moment we have a
couple of solid enquiries in iron ore for medium
MMD is delivering another Semi-Mobile Sizing
Station and 500 t Atlas Transporter to the Mae
Moh coal mine in Lampang, Thailand
capacity levels. We will put a new reference for the
HAB feeder into operation soon."
Finally on actual IPCC references and projects in
the offing, in Peru FLSmidth was selected as a
preferred supplier by a major copper miner for a
high-capacity semi-mobile crushing plant. Further
down the line in northern Brazil in iron ore a new
project is now in the execution phase with two
complete IPCC systems each with 5,000 t/h
nominal capacity consisting of two semi-mobile
crushing plants and five overland conveyors in
total with a length of more than 5,000 m. The
longest conveyor is around 1,500 m long. “It has a
difficult geometry with an inclined section, where
the system requires significant power and a
decline section with regenerative operation. This
wide range of load conditions makes the conveyor
control quite difficult, especially when starting and
stopping the system.”
In India, FLSmidth is also executing a lignite
handling system on an EPC basis. The plant has
two semi-mobile crushing stations (SMC) for
receiving lignite from the mine and transporting it
to the local power plant at a rated load of 1,000
t/h. The system also incorporates a pipe conveyor
and other material handling systems such as
smaller conveyors, feeders and hoppers.
Lastly, in the last couple of years, FLSmidth has
successfully delivered two copper producing
plants for a customer in Kazakhstan together with
the associated IPCC systems for copper ore from
ROM material downstream through all the
comminution stages. "These two references are a
good example where we can provide the full value
chain as the only OEM in the market being able to
deliver the full flowsheet. This brings value to
customer processes and allows us to work closely
with the customer throughout their operations to
find the best possible solutions that are
underpinned by a harmonized optimisation from
the pit through the plant. Being active in the
processing side as well as the mining side
combines two very important aspects of the
mining value chain. We can add to the productivity
gains that our customers are looking for and
closing productivity gaps that we currently see on
the market."