HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS
be utilised to collect and distribute all relevant information ,” Teeri said . “ With remote access to equipment data , our experts can provide a proactive way of identifying problems before they cause costly failures , unplanned downtime and productivity losses .”
Synertrex for slurry
Weir Minerals ’ own cloud-based remote condition monitoring platform , Synertrex ® , continues to grow , with one of the latest additions being IntelliWear™ , a new digital wear monitoring system for spools and hoses in slurry pipelines .
Developed by Weir Minerals digital specialists in Chile , the intelligent system enables mine sites to monitor the condition and wear performance of their hoses and spools via a network of smart sensors connected to their Digital Control System .
The Synertrex IntelliWear system has been developed and rigorously tested in a range of slurry conditions and mill circuit arrangements , with the company confident the platform will deliver a significant positive impact on customers ’ operations .
The system is comprised of an intelligent digital sensor integrated into Weir Minerals ’ Linatex ® and Vulco ® hoses and spools . A central control panel captures information in a single location and a dashboard allows for visualisation and analysis of the equipment data via Synertrex . A conductive wire is installed in the rubber lining at various levels of thickness . As the lining wears , it activates sensors to indicate the extent to which the rubber liner has been worn and , in turn , how much life is left .
A digital traffic light system has been developed to enable quick visual identification of the condition of the hose or spool . Less than 50 % wear is green , between 50 % and 70 % wear is yellow , greater than 75 % wear is red – indicating it is time for preventative maintenance . The conductive wire is installed along the entire Linatex or Vulco spool or hose , throughout its diameter .
The central monitoring panel collects data from the sensors in the field and sends it to the Synertrex platform , which allows operators or maintenance personnel to view it . Information collected can also be uploaded to the cloud to be viewed on a live dashboard , which is automatically updated every two minutes . The system enables operators to view real-time wear information from any device remotely – ensuring continual monitoring and better control over their equipment , Weir Minerals says . This allows for optimisation , improved performance and the elimination of unwanted operating conditions .
Mark Doyle , Weir Minerals Global Product Manager , Rubber and Hose , told IM : “ We ’ re currently rolling out the launch of the pipe and spools IntelliWear system and it ’ s being taken up with great enthusiasm by all regions . Our customers have been impressed with it and we ’ re getting a lot of interest – they want to know how we can integrate it into their operations .”
On the hardware side of things , Weir Minerals has been making significant strides with the rollout of what is believed to be the mining industry ’ s first solvent-free adhesive for rubber lining applications with zero volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) – carbon-based , organic chemicals that come with potential health risks .
In collaboration with Henkel , Weir Minerals developed the LINATEX LOCTITE ® – LINA 88™ cold-bonding rubber adhesive range in response to the growing need for safer and more sustainable products .
With new LINATEX LOCTITE – LINA 88 products , cutting down the VOC emissions does not mean having to compromise on performance , according to Weir Minerals . The customformulated rubber adhesive range sets a new industry benchmark for bond strength by exceeding the current British Standard by up to four times and is significantly stronger than other products presently used in mining .
Doyle says the company has some mine sites undertaking longer-term trials with LINATEX LOCTITE – LINA 88 , including Newcrest ’ s Cadia mine and Glencore ’ s Mount Isa mine , both in Australia .
“ The trials to date have been very successful with no debonding issues and adhesion levels higher than our traditional adhesives ,” he said .
“ We are now rolling out the training to our global service centres , which includes both practical and hands-on training . The product is ready where the training has taken place and we look forward to being able to transfer over to the new adhesive by the end of the year .”
Light Lifter boost
Reducing a mill ’ s internal weight , expanding its service life and enhancing wear performance are three of the aims behind ME Elecmetal ’ s new Light Lifter ® SAG mill liner design .
These aims – and the new liner – were recently put to the test at a major mine in Peru .
This mine was looking to increase its current mill throughput during the mill shell liner campaign while also preventing parts from breaking in order to meet service life expectations .
ME Elecmetal put forward design propositions to put an end to mill stoppages triggered by cracked shell liners , grates and bolts , etc , at the same time incorporating the Light Lifter design into the operation .
The Light Lifter design involves the manufacture of a lighter mill shell liner that can perform a “ light ” emptying in the back-up area , specifically in the sections showing less wear .
Light Lifter was installed at the mine in question in September 2019 , pledging to increase annualised mill throughput to 16 Mt with zero liner breakage : an increase on the 13- 14.5 Mt range the operation was previously achieving .
Once the solution was in place and the SAG mill liner campaign had concluded at the end of March 2020 , the shell section was processing 17.3 Mt ( annualised ), equal to 19 % more tonnes , and the mill had logged 191 days of actual operating time , marking a successful outcome for ME Elecmetal ’ s liners in terms of meeting sevice life recommendations , the company added .
ME Elecmetal was also able to do away with
International Mining | JUNE 2022