MINE MAINTENANCE
the mill and 30 % productivity uplift for a 38 ft ( 11.6 m ) SAG mill , according to the company .
Following a staged implementation , PT-FI recently completed its first reline using the combination of THUNDERBOLT SKYWAY and the RUSSELL 7 Model R AutoMotion MRM . While the performance data is currently being analysed , early indications point to an even greater reduction in risk and increase in productivity than was originally targeted .
Director Metallurgy and Strategic Planning at Freeport-McMoRan , Dr John Wilmot , summed up the outcomes FCX is seeing as safer and faster mill relining at the recent SAG 2023 conference in Vancouver , Canada .
“ PT-FI Indonesia has largely removed crew from inside the mill as we reline ,” he said . “ While there are still a few residual activities where we need to enter , such as wash-down , we ’ re executing relines faster and safer than before . Mill relining is no longer on the critical path .
“ We believe RME ’ s collaborative and staged approach can serve as a model for the mineral processing industry . It is already achieving stepchanges in safety and mill availability for our customers , and we ’ re excited to see the impact it may have industry-wide .”
McLanahan ’ s condition monitoring commitment
McLanahan has developed a condition monitoring program to help customers keep an eye on the health of their machines , with Daniel Fairwebster , Electrical Design Manager , saying the move is part of the company ’ s commitment to support customers in reliably operating its equipment .
McLanahan developed the package for three primary reasons : to allow customers to understand the health of their machine , to allow McLanahan technicians the ability to dial into the machine remotely and to pass any data back to the McLanahan engineering team to improve future machine designs .
“ It allows us to better understand the condition of the machine out in the field so that we can better service our clients in terms of purchasing spare parts or scheduling maintenance on the machine ,” Fairwebster explained .
“ Condition monitoring is typically a slowmoving animal , so we ’ re looking at trends over a long period of time to actually see how the machine is performing , but because it ’ s a realtime operating system , we do have the data immediately , so if there is something that happens unexpectedly , we do get that data and can generate a report as it happens .”
The condition monitoring program is a modular package consisting of sensors strategically placed around the machine . These sensors are connected to a remote data
The CleanScrape ® primary cleaner takes up less room and requires less maintenance than standard cleaners
communication device that sends the data back to McLanahan . From there , McLanahan technicians interpret the data and share it with the customers to improve their maintenance programs .
“ Customers can then take their maintenance strategy from planning just based on a calendar event to actually determining whether the machine does require some form of maintenance ,” Fairwebster said . “ They can potentially push out maintenance windows or they could bring them forward , depending on the condition of the machine . That can help reduce unplanned downtime and the like .”
Conveyor belt cleaning 101
The need for conveyor belt cleaning is well established . Excessive fugitive material can reduce component and belt life by as much as 30 %, while a multiple belt cleaner system contributes less than 5 % to overall belt wear , delivering a significant benefit , according to Martin Engineering .
For operators who have “ tried them all ” and can ’ t find a cleaner that works , it could be that the problem isn ’ t the equipment , but the maintenance itself .
There is a great deal of knowledge and skill required to tune a belt cleaning system to work under varying material , environmental and belt cover conditions , while still operating effectively and economically . Some manufacturers provide factory-trained direct service personnel and replacement parts – delivering expert maintenance for optimum performance and component life .
The number and style of belt cleaners used depend upon balancing many factors , including the level of cleaning . Applications like coal mining or power generation cannot tolerate much carryback because of the potential for accumulation to be the fuel in a fire , for instance .
Once the level of cleaning is established , the next task is determining the type and number of cleaners required to do the job . The trend in belt
cleaning , regardless of application , is to plan for two or more cleaners per discharge ( primary , secondary , tertiary ). In addition to better cleaning from multiple cleaners , there is a redundancy factor that can provide a longer service interval window . Then the tensioner and the best blade for the application are selected . Martin Engineering says : “ Factory-trained service technicians provide an added set of eyes on the conveyors , travelling to and from the equipment to be serviced and logging details in their service reports . Because they see so many different applications , they can often alert on problems that maintenance personnel don ’ t see or have become accustomed to ignoring .”
With factory-direct managed service , the responsibility for maintenance falls on the manufacturer , allowing the staff to focus on other priorities , according to the company .
A trained belt cleaner service technician is also aware of hazards involved with maintaining belt cleaners . Having a trained provider that focuses on safety , but , at the same time , is more productive than in-house maintenance can be a significant benefit . Keeping the shutdown to a minimum is important in meeting process availability goals .
There are specialised systems for servicing belt cleaners where the belt runs 24 / 7 and cannot be shut down , but virtually all other cleaner maintenance must be performed following lockout , tagout , blockout and testout procedures .
One primary cleaner design requires no tensioning and virtually no maintenance after initial installation . It features a matrix of tungsten carbide scrapers installed diagonally to form a 3D curve around the head pulley and typically delivers up to four times the service life of urethane cleaners .
The company says : “ When calculating the return on investment for professionally installing and maintaining belt cleaners , the analysis should be done over the life of the belt cleaner assembly using a net present value calculation .”
Other benefits should also be factored in such as the savings from avoiding injury , increased equipment availability , improved equipment life or reductions in citations and fines . Martin Engineering says : “ Facility managers often find the cash flow values are surprisingly large over the life of the equipment and service relationship .”
The company concluded : “ Belt cleaner maintenance can be time-consuming and pull labour from other essential tasks , so it ’ s important to choose a supplier with trained and experienced service technicians who know the equipment and safety procedures and can respond quickly to customer needs . IM
42 International Mining | JANUARY 2024