CONVEYING
Conveying contrasts
From the latest overland conveyor projects , to conveyor belt technology , monitoring and maintenance , Paul Moore looks at the core subject in materials handling
The Pilbara iron ore mining hub in Western Australia remains one of the world ’ s major overland conveying focus areas . Civmec recently secured the award of a major contract worth more than A $ 330 million for the Rio Tinto Western Range Project at their Paraburdoo iron ore site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia . The iron ore project includes greenfields and brownfields scope with the construction of a new Run of Mine ( ROM ) pad , primary crushing facility , overland conveying circuit and modifications to the Coarse Ore Stockpile ( COS ) and downstream conveying system .
The greenfields scope includes a new primary crushing facility , discharge conveyor and transfer station and a 17 km overland conveying system that transfers the ore through to the existing Paraburdoo COS . The overland conveying system includes multiple conveyor flights , transfer stations and creek crossings to link the new primary crusher to the existing process plant .
To tie into the existing plant , the brownfields scope includes extensive modifications to the current Paraburdoo COS and downstream conveying system . This includes addition of new feed points at the COS , new ore transfer equipment , conveyor replacements , conveyor upgrades , drive replacements and a range of other general modifications to receive the new ore stream .
Civmec will complete a vertical package of work that will utilise most of the company ’ s inhouse capabilities . From the Henderson facility , Civmec will carry out the heavy engineering requirement for the structural and platework fabrication and where viable will assemble modules for transportation to site . On site , the company will deliver the detailed earthworks , civil and concrete components as well as the structural , mechanical , piping ( SMP ) and electrical and instrumentation ( E & I ) installation . The off-site works commenced immediately , while mobilisation to site is due to commence mid-2023 . At peak , the project will employ over 400 people on site and is currently scheduled for completion in H1 FY2025 .
PROK rollers for Roy Hill
Also in the Pilbara , PROK has been selected by Roy Hill to manufacture and supply the idlers for a new circa-8 km overland conveyor system as part of the iron ore mine ’ s Rom4 expansion in Western Australia . PROK says it was awarded the contract for the conveyor idlers off the back of a long history of success with various overland conveyor systems across the globe .
Roy Hill requires the new overland conveyor to connect a new crusher to the existing mine infrastructure . The system comprises two overland conveyor systems that are approximately 8 km in length . The entire project scope for the conveyor components included the manufacture and supply of 23,500 rollers and 6,500 idler frames .
The majority of the rollers will be PROK HDPE , a lightweight composite roller . PROK HDPE was chosen due to its lightweight construction and exceptional reliability , PROK said . The rollers include dual-layer wear indicator technology which facilitates smarter roller maintenance .
PROK has been selected by Roy Hill to manufacture and supply the idlers for a new circa-8 km overland conveyor system
TAKRAF has a major new conveyor order from Peru
PROK General Manager WA , Wade Guelfi , said PROK HDPE will bring a range of benefits to Roy Hill ’ s operations . “ PROK HDPE is proven in heavyduty iron ore applications and will assist to reduce maintenance costs , increase production and importantly improve safety outcomes ,” he said . “ We were thrilled to be able to partner with Roy Hill on this project and look forward to working closely with them to continue to optimise conveyor performance .”
Time for the rail-runners
Martin Lurie , Global Technology , Innovation and Sustainability Manager , formerly at thyssenkrupp Mining Technologies and now FLSmidth following the acquisition , told the In-Pit Crushing and Conveying ( IPCC ) conference in April 2022 that it is partnering with a top-10 global copper miner to build two full-scale Rail Running Conveyor ( RRC ) systems , the first of their kind in the world . This includes in 2023 , a 3 km retrofit to a 5,000 t / h ROM conveyor , bringing significant power savings , and in 2024 , an RRC system for a new peak 14,000 t / h ROM conveyor , also around 3 km .
As it is an all new innovative technology being applied for the first time , both will be built as hybrids – where if needed they could be retrofitted in a week and a half back to conventional conveying – this covers any risk to the client . argues that RRC represents a new , ultra-efficient , very adaptable system for bulk materials belt conveying with the efficiency of railway haulage but at much lower cost .
Crucially , RRC almost eliminates frictional losses , which can contribute about 80 % of power and tension on long overland routes . RRC was developed as a collaboration with the University of Newcastle , Australia ( TUNRA ). It effectively merges two proven and familiar technologies – heavy rail and overland belt conveying . It brings lower CAPEX – as rail running conveyors offers continuous transportation and therefore distributed load – it is also more efficient due to the lower rolling resistance of steel wheels on tracks – so has a lower OPEX .
RRC can also be offered in both trough and pipe conveyor configurations . It offers compact vertical or horizontal turnarounds where space is limited . Case studies based on scale models , test rigs and a full scale demonstration system that was built in China have shown that compared to conventional conveyors and depending on the situation , RRC ’ s CAPEX can be 20 % to 50 % lower for the EP portion ; with OPEX 25 % to 60 % lower .
Going vertical for underground
Underground mining makes high demands on material transport , such as limited space as well
60 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2023