HIGH PROFILE
Powering feeder breakers
For a major feeder breaker order , McLanahan opted for Hägglunds drives to ensure a customised & reliable solution
McLanahan Corporation is a global provider of process solutions for a variety of industries , including mining and mineral processing . Among the company ’ s recent deliveries is a group of Feeder Breakers equipped with Hägglunds hydraulic drive systems from Bosch Rexroth .
Since 2003 , McLanahan ’ s centre of excellence for mining and mineral systems has been located in Newcastle , Australia . Having been a mining industry hub for roughly 100 years , Newcastle was an obvious choice for Mike McLanahan , who originally started up operations in Australia in the 1960s . McLanahan remains a family business , but it ’ s one with almost 200 years of history and a significant global footprint .
“ As a global minerals organisation , we have a wide-ranging customer base ,” says Chris Knowles , Director of Sales & Marketing at McLanahan Australia . “ In particular , we serve those who are looking for customised equipment rather than something off the shelf . The key consideration is an optimal outcome for their particular application , which might be crushing in a harsh , remote environment like Mongolia . Or it might be smallscale extraction of lithium or cobalt for batteries , where it ’ s really about footprint .”
Understanding customer KPIs
The most recent project from McLanahan Australia is one for Bukit Asam , a large and publicly listed energy company on the Indonesian island of Sumatra . Working through an engineering consultancy , McLanahan won the supply of two Feeder-Breakers and one Reclaim Feeder-Breaker , set to begin operation in mid-2021 in coal mining operations . These units will have Hägglunds hydraulic drive systems for the chain Feeder application and Rexroth hydraulic cylinder systems supplied for the chain tensioning function and the hopper door . The contract also includes two years of critical drive spares .
“ The inclusion of spares is quite important , because it shows the value of high availability to the customer ,” says Knowles . “ Their KPIs centre on the certainty of energy supply for the people of Sumatra , so we had to demonstrate that we understood that importance . We had to deliver confidence in meeting their goals , and that ’ s where Hägglunds comes in .”
Secure in Hägglunds reliability
Knowles emphasises the cultural aspects of confidence as well as the commercial ones . He acknowledges that not everyone wants to pay for reliability , but he notes that customers lose face when they can ’ t deliver due to technical faults or downstream issues . McLanahan ’ s equipment and component selections are based on reliability , rather than price .
“ In these Feeder-Breakers , for example , hydraulics offer adaptability to changing demands on the drive – the high load variation , the high shock loads that you get in crushing applications ,” Knowles says . “ We specify hydraulics for this application because hydraulics are ideally suited to it . From there it ’ s a fairly simple step to Hägglunds , because Hägglunds is recognised as the premiere hydraulic drive solution globally .”
By way of evidence , Knowles mentions the long history of Hägglunds solutions in mining and their credibility in delivering robust and reliable outcomes , even in harsh and remote environments . “ When someone sees the Hägglunds name on the drawings and technical data sheets ,” he says , “ there are no questions , just a sigh of relief .”
A match for both application and machine Engineer Peter Bone , McLanahan ’ s Project Manager for the Bukit Asam delivery , is in full agreement with Knowles about the merit of Hägglunds solutions . From the beginning , he says , Hägglunds hydraulic drive systems were the intention for his project . Reliability was the key
Hägglunds drives are relatively compact for the power they deliver which was ideal for this project reason , but the drives also benefit McLanahan ’ s overall machine design .
“ A lot of what we deliver is specifically hightorque equipment with low rotational speed , such as Drag Feeders ,” Bone explains . “ Hägglunds hydraulic drives are ideal for that requirement , because they ’ re usually smaller and more compact , with no real overhung loads . From an engineering perspective , it really allows us to keep our shaft sizes small and our equipment modular and compact – while being able to deliver the power our customers need .”
“ Hägglunds drives are relatively compact for the power they deliver ,” Knowles agrees . “ The equipment range , the range of configurations for the hydraulic power units and the range of configurations for the motors are strong contributors as opposed to going with another supplier . I do think they enhance our approach .”
In the Bukit Asam project , as in much of McLanahan ’ s export work , the small size and high flexibility of Hägglunds solutions have additional benefits . McLanahan often delivers to remote locations , where poor roads can mean barging the equipment up a river and hauling it overland by truck . This is one of many situations that can make modularity a significant advantage .
Control prepared for the future
While delivering equipment to remote customers will always pose challenges , McLanahan does see easier times ahead . This is thanks to connectivity , an area where Hägglunds solutions may simplify the work .
“ We ’ re using the Hägglunds control unit for the first time in this project ,” says Bone of the control system for Bukit Asam . “ There were no special control requirements here , but the controller ’ s capability and Bluetooth compatibility have produced a dialogue that will have an outcome in future projects . We ’ re moving into more condition monitoring and live cloud monitoring in order to support our customers .”
“ With the condition monitoring and control capabilities already in the hydraulics , all we need are the inputs and outputs for the alarms ,” Knowles elaborates . “ Condition monitoring is a core upgrade in terms of what we ’ re providing in our equipment , and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought it closer to the consciousness of mining operators . The Hägglunds team are at the forefront , I ’ d say . They ’ re leading the pack in terms of providing web-based or cloud-based condition monitoring and automation , so it ’ s an easy choice .”
As for support on the ground , McLanahan is extremely happy with the access to Hägglunds expertise – not only through local representatives in Australia , but also in Indonesia and the other countries McLanahan delivers to .
IM
8 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2021