WORLD PROSPECTS
Weir offers up a ‘ revolution ’ for GET rope shovel dippers
It is always hard to replace a tried and trusted brand , but the ESCO ® NEXSYS ® GET Lip System for rope shovel dippers looks to be making a strong business case for mine sites already used to working with the existing Whisler Plus™ system .
Weir says the system is designed to lower lip maintenance requirements , extend tooth and adapter life and , ultimately , provide miners with ESCO knew it would need something equally longer uninterrupted shovel operation . The Weir revolutionary to move existing customers onto a – ESCO Division has achieved this using field new product . data from hundreds of Whisler Plus system
Stangeland and the ESCO team believe they installations , laboratory simulation and analysis have achieved that . The NEXSYS system comes and customer input , it says . with a new tooth design that requires fewer
“ We ’ ve been serving Whisler Plus customers point changes , according to the company . This is for 20 years . We are proud of the reputation it thanks to a rear wear cap that extends service has within the marketplace for wear life and life and protects the rear stabiliser boss . longevity ,” Kevin Stangeland , Vice President of Additionally , the system has dual lock slots to Global Products , ESCO , told IM at the recent allow lock installation on the side of the dipper MINExpo 2024 , in Las Vegas . “ At the time of its with less wear . A single sealed lock on the GET release , Whisler Plus was seen as revolutionary ; teeth reduces impacted fines for easier removal it has allowed us to capture a market share close with an off-the-shelf hand tool . to 50 %.” Considering the machines these
Weir also stresses the benefits of an systems are used on are viewed as the optimised nose position and geometry for an workhorses of the open-pit sector , rope shovels , extension of adapter life with improved
Vale to deploy autonomous truck fleet at restarted Capanema penetration and loading . An advanced point configuration maintains a sharp profile and increases life by over 15 %, the company claims .
The addition of a leading edge lip insert – made from a very high hardness alloy – to increase adapter stability and better distribute loads , provides up to four times greater resistance to wear , reducing overall rebuild complexity and cost , according to Weir . Add to this an up to 15 % lighter adapter for overall system weight savings and Weir clearly has a product in contention for retaining – or building on – the market share the Whisler Plus has accrued .
At MINExpo , Stangeland confirmed the NEXSYS GET Lip System had been “ in the dirt ” with field trials for over 18 months at three trial sites – one of these in iron ore – with up to 40 % total cost of ownership reductions calculated through fewer “ downtime events ” and fewer components used during the campaign . He said the company was using the findings from these positive trials to “ refine ” and “ optimise ” the system ahead of going commercial with NEXSYS system . https :// www . global . weir / brands / esco /
Vale has started the commissioning of the Capanema Maximization Project , located 80 kilometres from Belo Horizonte , between the municipalities of Santa Bárbara , Ouro Preto and Itabirito , in the state of Minas Gerais , Brazil . The site is part of Vale ’ s Operational Complex in Mariana and is expected to increase iron ore production by approximately 15 Mt / y . The operation will use natural moisture processing , which avoids the addition of water in the process and the generation of tailings , thus eliminating the use of tailings dams .
“ We are restarting operations at the Capanema mine using safe , efficient and sustainable practices . Capanema will produce sinter feed at low cost and will not generate tailings . The mine will use autonomous trucks , which will improve safety and reduce CO 2 emissions from the operation ,” said Gustavo Pimenta , CEO of Vale .
Capanema will expand Vale ’ s natural moisture production . This type of operation , also known as dry processing , already accounts for more than 70 % of the company ’ s iron ore production in Brazil . The method has fewer production stages ,
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency ( ARENA ) has announced a A $ 10 million ($ 6.5 million ) grant to Fortescue to develop , build and demonstrate first-of-a-kind fast chargers for heavy mine site vehicles .
Fortescue ’ s A $ 35.3 million ‘ Fast Charger for with less environmental impact , and eliminates the need for water in the processing , thus avoiding the generation of tailings .
Investments were made to reactivate and restart the Capanema mine . A long-distance conveyor belt system was also installed to transport the iron ore produced at Capanema to Timbopeba , in the municipality of Ouro Preto . The conveyor belt was installed on the company ’ s premises , linking the units and reducing truck traffic in the region . Adjustments were also made to the product stocking and loading yard at the Timbopeba rail terminal to transport the production via the Vitória-Minas Railway ( EFVM ) to the Port of Tubarão , in the state of Espírito Santo .
Approximately 40 contractor companies and more than 6,000 people worked at the peak of construction , with priority given to local workers . Vale also sponsored eight professional training courses for the communities near the project .
Innovation is also present at the Capanema Project . The unit ’ s entire fleet of haul trucks will be autonomous , promoting greater safety and efficiency in operations . The automation of
Fortescue wins ARENA funding to develop 6 MW fast chargers
Heavy Battery Electric Vehicles ’ project will develop 6 MW fast chargers , capable of charging 240 t battery electric trucks in under 30 minutes . Developed by Fortescue Zero , the 6 MW fast charger will be compatible with a wide range of battery-electric heavy mining equipment and
processes , as well as the integration of the Mariana Complex mines by conveyor belt , will reduce emissions by 160 t of CO2e per year , equivalent to the annual emissions of 127 compact cars .
Vale has autonomous haulage experience , including with both Komatsu ’ s FrontRunner AHS at Carajas on Komatsu 930E trucks and with Caterpillar Command for hauling at Brucutu on Cat 793F trucks .
The project is an important step towards achieving Vale ’ s iron ore production guidance of 340-360 Mt in 2026 , and will increase the flexibility of the company ’ s operations and product portfolio . www . vale . com
designed to meet all operational requirements , Fortescue says .
In announcing the ARENA funding , Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer , Dino Otranto , said : “ As part of our decarbonisation plan , we intend to roll out around 250 fast chargers of varying capacities across our iron ore operations s
6 International Mining | JANUARY 2025