DRIVES & CONTROLS
recognised industry leader in electric drive systems ranging from 150-400 ton capacity .”
Wabtec says it is dedicated to transforming the mining industry by developing leading sustainable technologies to build , power and move the world and that it is committed to remaining the preferred global supplier of premium electric drive systems .
“ Optimising production and operating costs , is the daily focus of mining operations worldwide . Key performance indicators , such as availability , utilisation , tonnes per hour , mean time between failure , mean time to repair are just some of the metrics for mine operations , management and planning teams . For those miners who are focused on optimising performance and maintenance of electric drive trucks over the long haul , Wabtec genuine backed by decades of experience and hundreds of millions of operating hours , provide peace of mind .”
In the field and at repair and overhaul locations , Wabtec , together with OEM partners , says it supports thousands of operating trucks worldwide with the genuine parts , engineered repairs and overhauls , and factory-trained service necessary to help mining trucks run longer , haul more , and deliver the lowest lifecycle cost per tonne .
Wabtec has three key areas of focus for electrification to make mining more sustainable . First , the electric drive itself . These drive systems have been in operation for almost 65 years . Mines have traditionally used them because of their advantages over other systems , specifically , third of the gearing , an 85 % reduction in bearings as well as durability and low touch times . “ Fewer parts drive fewer life cycle replacements , reducing the manufacturing burden on the environment of producing these new parts . Moving forward , the electric drive system will be at the core of zero emissions systems .”
Second , optimising drive system performance achieved through electrification of auxiliary loads . “ Traditional cooling of drive systems is done by a large impeller on the alternator or hydraulically driven blowers . With alternator driven cooling , whenever one of the truck systems needed additional cooling , the engine remained at full RPM to spin the alternator
and provide the necessary air to the system , consuming more fuel . The individual sub-systems have the authority to increase engine speed for cooling needs . With the addition of optimised cooling , each sub-system employs its own variable speed cooling blower – allowing for cooling ‘ on demand .’ This optimisation leads to increased productivity , fuel savings and a longer product life ”
Third , implementing more electrification on mining trucks . “ There are various ways to accomplish electrification . The simplest way would be to add energy storage to supplement the diesel engine . Benefits include lower emissions , lower fuel consumption and reduced operating noise levels . The ultimate step towards electrification would be to eliminate the engine altogether as a source of energy , which would require a larger battery and a means to dynamically or statically charge the system . This option would allow for zero emissions ( provided charging source is zero emissions ) and lower noise pollution .”
Paul Moore spoke to Andre Baviera , Manager of Market Segment – Mining at WEG International Division about the Brazilian company ’ s global scope , success and strategy
Q WEG is present in all mining markets and across all major applications for drives in mining . What is it about WEG solutions in your opinion that have made them so successful ? A WEG ´ s philosophy and strategy to serve any market segment is led by our principles to offer and provide customers with high quality and reliable products and solutions . Particularly for the mining segment , the company started to do business in this segment with a close eye on the specific tough conditions endured by drive systems in mines . To allow customers to have their plants operate efficiently , WEG has done its best to meet mining customer requirements including but not limited to flexibility in design and speeding design of its products for mine application requirements . I would also add WEG ’ s heritage in supporting major equipment OEMs . Of course , robustness , ease of maintenance and performance are mandatory for the mining industry . The availability of the entire plant ( increasing the OEE - Overall Equipment Effectiveness ) has become more important considering the current ore grades and scarcity of resources , particularly electricity and water . Only the most reliable and efficient products can prevail in today ’ s mines coupled with the highest levels of safety and productivity mine plant and this is what guides WEG ´ s decisions and strategy in the mining segment . This strategy guided WEG to the path of customising and optimising products for mining and we have also added products into the portfolio to achieve a “ one stop shop ” status . WEG can today offer drive solutions from the tiniest pumps and fans , to renewable power plants ( wind , solar and hydro ), primary and secondary substations , E-houses with MCCs , LV / MV variable speed drives and a complete set of digital solutions to monitor all this equipment remotely , adding much more value to the entire installation .
Q Has the background of the company in Brazil , dealing with challenging iron ore applications helped in ensuring that the designs have been successful internationally ? A Very much so . I believe the WEG ’ s experience with Brazilian mining projects were an important first step . Many features were first proved to be efficient in Brazil before being applied in other major mining countries such as Chile , Australia , Canada and South Africa . Besides that , all international standards are still followed and the specific customer needs in different parts of the world were considered to achieve our success .
Q Gearless drives are increasingly used for large conveyors and mills - would you say there is a cut-off point where customers are considering gearless versus geared and what are the limitations in gearless in your opinion ? A We know that gearless drives are a trend in many applications . But this option for large drive applications such as grinding mills has both advantages and disadvantages . For the mill , for example , below a certain value of mill tonnage throughput or rated power , the use of a gearless system is not recommended financially speaking and is neither operationally reasonable due to the startup activities required and all the potential difficulties in an emergency repair event . Other gearless applications include slurry pumps and overland conveyors for specific situations but I see it ’ s still far from being a complete change in the market . WEG has capability to explores these options if make sense technically in a case-by-case basis .
Q Plus you already supply gearless drives in the wind turbine market - are you planning to come out with your own mining gearless drive solutions A Your assessment is correct . WEG already has wind turbine gearless solutions and consequently the know-how on gearless applications . As such , WEG is constantly analysing market demand versus return on invested capital in order to introduce new products in mining . If we identify that gearless drive solutions are worth the endeavour as a solid and proven solution for the mining industry then of course WEG will be positively exploring this area to better serve our customers .
70 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020