HOISTS AND WINDERS
Does sustainability also have a role to play in hoist system selection ? Naude : “ Sustainability can contribute to reducing the impacts of hoisting , but due to the large power consumption of hoisting systems , it is unlikely to be fully sustainable without significant capital outlay in the immediate future and with current technology . In my opinion it will be some time before these systems can be called sustainable . However , it remains an important focus of our design teams to seek solutions in this area .”
Finally , looking at actual projects , Stantec is currently the hoisting design engineer for what is set to be one of the largest copper-producing mines in the US . This mine will employ the largest ever BMR hoists to be manufactured , with a drum diameter of 25 ft , hoisting high payloads of ore from 6,800 ft depth . The team consists of numerous shaft and hoisting specialists with experience from around the globe . When constructed , this installation will break a number of hosting records . In addition , Stantec has a very experienced team of auditors who travel the globe inspecting shaft and hoisting installations and providing clients with reports and corrective actions for the installations .
Hoisting systems for KGHM ’ s record GG-1 shaft
Shaft GG-1 at 1,348 m will be the deepest shaft in Poland ’ s Copper Basin , and is one of the most significant investments ever made by mining major KGHM Polska Miedz SA . It has a 7.5 m casing and is an intake-air shaft that will be used to transport people and materials . All works related to sinking shaft GG-1 are performed by Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopaln PeBeKa SA – owned by KGHM and a leader in shaft sinking and accessing of underground mineral deposits .
The mining company told IM that sinking the GG-1 shaft was carried out using a 45.5-metrehigh steel-framed headframe , designed as a freestanding , single-space structure with internal service platforms . The tower was designed to accommodate two hoisting machines , located in separate buildings on either side of the shaft in the north-south axis , as well as low-speed winches located between the tower and the hoisting machine buildings .
During the sinking the GG-1 shaft was equipped with two mining shaft hoisting compartments , designed for hauling excavated material , vertical transport of equipment and materials , transporting people and inspection of the shaft . The excavation vessels of each compartment are guided by a sliding mechanism and two cable guides . In both compartments , mining shaft hoists have been installed with drum , haulage , single-end hoisting machines from Poland ’ s MWM Elektro with a maximum permissible static force in the cable of 240 kN , a rope winding diameter in the first layer on the drum of 4,300 mm and a maximum travelling speed of 8 m / s . Due to the depth of the shaft , low-speed drum hoists were used to suspend
drilling aids that are moved as the shaft progresses , and these include those that allow a
At 1,348 m , the GG-
1 shaft is KGHM ' s deepest and one of the most important investments in the copper giant ' s history