CONVEYORS
Conveyor ,’ ( RRC ) systems . FLS ’ s mining-company partner will commission these conveyors in 2025 if mine expansions at the host properties move forward as planned . One system will haul up to 13,000 Mt / h of ROM copper ore along a 3,000 m route . Compared to a conventional conveyor , an RRC of this scale will save more than US $ 2 million per year in power costs while delivering 13,000 Mt / y in CO 2 reductions , if power is coalgenerated at US $ 0.15 per kWh . A second system of similar length at a different project of the same innovative mining company will carry 5,000 Mt / y of copper ore .
Martin Lurie , Global Product Line Manager - Rail-Running Conveyors at FLSmidth told IM : “ There has been strong interest from the mining community to evaluate how the RRC technology could accelerate carbon reduction efforts while lowering costs for future projects . For example , FLS carried out a feasibility study for a customer facing the increasingly common challenge of hauling ore at high tonnages over tens of kilometres from a new pit to the existing plant . The initial indications for reduced OPEX and installed equipment for the RRC option were of a magnitude to profoundly improve the profitability of the new pit . That study - along with one for a different project in a location with extreme winter weather - revealed that even in very mountainous terrain and regenerative ( downhill ) applications , the RRC technology can deliver savings that can allow an otherwise borderline project to move ahead .”
FLS has also calculated that no current minescale haulage technology has higher round-trip efficiency than the RRC system , inclusive of heavy-haul rail . These results emerged from specific energy consumption estimates that FLS researched for their technology partners at the University of Newcastle , Australia .
As with any ground-breaking technology , FLS expects that many miners will want to see the first RRC references performing as expected before adopting the innovation at their operations . Therefore , FLS is offering customers the option of ‘ RRC Hybrid ’ systems , in which the RRC can rapidly convert back to conventional idlers if system performance over time doesn ' t meet customer expectations . These hybrid systems will realise almost all the safety , efficiency and carbon-reduction benefits of a pure RRC system , with the only significant compromise being that the belt strength rating can ' t be reduced as much as in a pure RRC system .
FLS is also calling attention to its RRC retrofit offering , where existing conveyors can be upgraded to the RRC system to increase tonnage , reduce maintenance risk , or cut energy costs . In this type of upgrade , the existing conveyor modules along the main run of the conveyor are replaced by RRC modules configured for RRC carriages , the carefully-choreographed upgrade taking about two or three weeks for systems several kilometers in length . It isn ’ t required to change the conveyor ' s existing head and tail arrangements or the belt , though drive power can be reduced unless a tonnage increase is required . This option makes economic sense for conveyors where energy or maintenance costs are high , and where the remaining haulage need will be greater than about five years .
TNT ’ s global innovation successes
By the end of 2024 , Terra Nova Technologies will have successfully commissioned 20 projects in as many years for a large US-based copper producer . Over the past several years , TNT has been supplying turn-key materials handling equipment solutions to the client ’ s various copper heap leach operations in Arizona and South America . Most recently , TNT has supplied additional proprietary Super Portable ® mobile conveyors stacking equipment . This new equipment is part of sustainability initiatives to increase productivity and annual throughputs at the mine sites . TNT told IM : “ The Super Portable technology has , for many years , demonstrated its versatility and reliability by successfully operating in multi-lift stacking applications in heap leach , mobile mining and dry tails stacking . They are fully mobile and self-propelled , utilising variable frequency drive ( VFD ) controlled crawler tracks which make them convenient , efficient and environmentally friendly choices for many mining applications ."
As the mining industry turns to more sustainable practices , TNT has also partnered with mine operators to assist with transitioning to environmentally friendly conveying solutions . One such area TNT has focused on is filtered or ‘ dry stack ’ tailings which is increasingly being considered by many perators as a safer and more responsible tailings management method when compared to conventional tailings dams . In 2010 , TNT pioneered one of the world ’ s first high capacity , multi-lift , dry tails stacking facilities in Saudi Arabia utilising its Super Portable technology .
TNT states : “ This system has continually operated at 1,710 t / h , incorporating a fully redundant dual stacking system and achieving close to 100 % availability . Since then , TNT has
Part of TNT Super Portable ® system at a copper heap leach operation
continued to support the client with multiple successive expansions , engineering services , and technical assistance for their tailings facilities .”
TNT ’ s most recent dry stack tailing experience includes two unique projects . Last year , TNT commissioned a secondary filtered tailings stacker at an iron ore mine in Australia . The new radial stacker performs two functions . Its primary function is to feed the existing stacking system with magnetite tailings during normal operation . It also provides redundancy to increase system availability during operational relocations or maintenance of the existing stacking system . This dual functionality requires the stacker to luff up and down during radial movement from its operational position to its secondary stacking position .
TNT ’ s stacker effectively replaced the original stacker that had performed poorly with low reliability and availability . TNT custom designed a more robust mine duty stacker that had to fit within the constraints of the existing plant layout and at ambient temperature as high as 50 ° C . Further , it had to be installed and commissioned with minimal delays to production of the processing facilities . TNT assisted the client to preassemble and install the stacker within a five day shutdown , inclusive of all modifications and tie-ins to existing plant . This required the concrete runway to be constructed during routine maintenance shutdowns of the main plant prior to the installation shut down .
The second project was awarded to TNT in the second quarter of 2023 and includes multiple filter press discharge belt feeders and a collection conveyor for a new dry stack tailings project . TNT ’ s unique design for the feeders considers three full filter cycle loads per feeder , reversibility for rejecting of out of specification material , sloughing of material at the discharge to the collection conveyor , preventing material
62 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2024