HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS be utilised to collect and distribute all relevant information ,” Teeri said . “ With remote access to equipment data , our experts can provide a
proactive way of identifying problems before they cause costly failures , unplanned downtime and productivity losses .”
Synertrex for slurry
Weir Minerals ’ own cloud-based remote condition monitoring platform , Synertrex ® , continues to grow , with one of the latest additions being
IntelliWear™ , a new digital wear monitoring system for spools and hoses in slurry pipelines .
Developed by Weir Minerals digital specialists in Chile , the intelligent system enables mine sites to monitor the condition and wear performance of their hoses and spools via a network of smart sensors connected to their Digital Control System .
The Synertrex IntelliWear system has been developed and rigorously tested in a range of slurry conditions and mill circuit arrangements , with the company confident the platform will deliver a significant positive impact on customers ’ operations .
The system is comprised of an intelligent digital sensor integrated into Weir Minerals ’ Linatex ® and Vulco ® hoses and spools . A central control panel captures information in a single location and a dashboard allows for visualisation and analysis of the equipment data via Synertrex .
A conductive wire is installed in the rubber lining at various levels of thickness . As the lining wears , it activates sensors to indicate the extent to which the rubber liner has been worn and , in turn , how much life is left .
A digital traffic light system has been developed to enable quick visual identification of the condition of the hose or spool . Less than 50 % wear is green , between 50 % and 70 % wear is yellow , greater than 75 % wear is red – indicating it is time for preventative maintenance . The conductive wire is installed along the entire Linatex or Vulco spool or hose , throughout its diameter .
The central monitoring panel collects data from the sensors in the field and sends it to the Synertrex platform , which allows operators or maintenance personnel to view it . Information collected can also be uploaded to the cloud to be viewed on a live dashboard , which is automatically updated every two minutes . The system enables operators to view real-time wear information from any device remotely – ensuring continual monitoring and better control over their equipment , Weir Minerals says . This allows for optimisation , improved performance and the elimination of unwanted operating conditions .
Mark Doyle , Weir Minerals Global Product Manager , Rubber and Hose , told IM : “ We ’ re currently rolling out the launch of the pipe and spools IntelliWear system and it ’ s being taken up
with great enthusiasm by all regions . Our customers have been impressed with it and we ’ re getting a lot of interest – they want to know how we can integrate it into their operations .”
On the hardware side of things , Weir Minerals has been making significant strides with the rollout of what is believed to be the mining industry ’ s first solvent-free adhesive for rubber lining applications with zero volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) – carbon-based , organic chemicals that come with potential health risks .
In collaboration with Henkel , Weir Minerals developed the LINATEX LOCTITE ® – LINA 88™ cold-bonding rubber adhesive range in response to the growing need for safer and more sustainable products .
With new LINATEX LOCTITE – LINA 88 products , cutting down the VOC emissions does not mean having to compromise on performance , according to Weir Minerals . The customformulated rubber adhesive range sets a new industry benchmark for bond strength by exceeding the current British Standard by up to four times and is significantly stronger than other products presently used in mining .
Doyle says the company has some mine sites undertaking longer-term trials with LINATEX LOCTITE – LINA 88 , including Newcrest ’ s Cadia mine and Glencore ’ s Mount Isa mine , both in Australia .
“ The trials to date have been very successful
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plenary presentations jorge troncoso Tailings Corporate Manager , Antofagasta Minerals , Chile erwin wolff carreño Environmental Manager , Gran Colombia Gold rodrigo ruiz Principal Directional Studies , BHP , Chile aidan davy Chief Operating Officers , ICMM , UK harvey mcleod Principal , Klohn Crippen Berger , Canada gecamin . com / tailings main sponsor organized by sponsors
JUNE 2022 | International Mining 57