Published in September 2008 Australian Longwall Magazine

Joy Mining Machinery

Joy Mining Machinery is a major potential player on the Australian continuous haulage scene with its 4FCT (Flexible Conveyor Train).

Joy Development Mining Systems business manager Brian Thompson said much of the renewed focus on continuous haulage could be linked back to industry awareness, focus on systems/processes, and collaboration through groups such as ACARP.

“For years the focus has been on individual equipment availabilities. With most bits of gear now achieving 96 per cent availability and above, little gain was left to be made in this area. Adopting Lean methodologies and trying to remove system waste was the next logical step,” Thompson said.

He said a new goal of 10 metres per operating hour in gate development was now the benchmark.

“With industry averages running at three to five metres per operating hour we have some room to grow. Continuous haulage can take many mines to the next level in this evolution,” Thompson said. “A mining system which is currently haulage constrained can see increases of 20 to 40 per cent improvement and beyond. The total improvement is limited only by the next system constraint which tends to be bolting.”

However, he noted there were hurdles on the way to achieving the improvements through continuous haulage in Australia.

“A large challenge which faces anyone who implements continuous haulage is process. To be effective a mine must have solid processes in place which are repeatable and disciplined,” Thompson said.

“As you remove each system constraint, longwall development begins to look like the longwall itself. All pieces of equipment need to be matched and working together as a single unit.

“Knowing when is the most effective and efficient time to resupply the miner, when to supply belt structure for the next move, the best time to service equipment, all become very important.”

Joy’s 4FCT has been developed over many years of research. The single operator system uses a special conveyor belt that allows the system to articulate and convey around corners while minimising transfer points. Thompson said fewer operators and transfer points meant improved safety, reduced dust and reduced noise.

The changes to the FCT system since it was last introduced to Australia are the control system and drive technology. “Load sharing, diagnostics, torque control and our common FACEBOSS control platform [used on all Joy equipment] make this system a success,” Thompson said.

He said the 4FCTs were running in a variety of conditions around the world and had proven themselves in arduous conditions ranging from clay floors to drastic undulations.

Sandvik

For Sandvik Material Handling sales representative Richard Paterson the biggest challenge for continuous haulage is attitude.

“The challenges are changing the mindset within the industry that has developed over the years. The use of shuttle cars has really been the industry standard for 30 to 40 years and providing a new solution to an old problem can sometimes take time,” Paterson said.

Sandvik’s continuous haulage offering – the CHS500 – has the potential to lift development production by 15%, according to Paterson.

At its best, the system operates at 500 cubic metres per hour continuously and can advance up to 20m per hour or more.

The CHS500 will go underground in Pennsylvania this year, with commissioning tests happening over the next few months.

Sandvik was seeking out trial participants in Australia at time of writing. Paterson said several companies had shown interest in trialling the monorail-based system.

“The industry to date has been very supportive of the process that we are proposing. As you can imagine, the CHS500 is a new and exciting way of really continuously mining coal. All of the questions asked at the present time are positive and are assisting us in the final design for the Australian market,” he said.

The CHS500 concept uses a mobile and suspended folded belt conveyor as part of the continuous haulage system to follow the continuous miner. The conveyor is suspended from a monorail system and a track-driven hopper car acts as a loading device and breaker for the conveyor system.

The CHS500 is fully independent to the continuous miner and is self-advancing and retracting via the monorail and a hydraulic winch system. The conveyors are capable of going around corners while still operating as a continuous haulage system.

The system reaches out to 200m and more and can operate in minimum heights of 2.1m. The compactness of the system leaves plenty of room in driveways.

Sandvik has designed the conveyor to be closed to achieve zero spillage on the conveyor haulage line.

The hopper car is equipped with a roof bolter and enough storage space to install the monorail system for 200m.

Magatar

South African company Magatar has already entered the Australian market with its system at Caledon Resources’ Cook mine in Queensland and sees plenty of potential for continuous haulage in Australia.

“Magatar believe that continuous haulage systems have a lot to offer the Australian coal mining industry in terms of productivity and safety. However, it is also important to realise that specific sites call for specific solutions,” Magatar Mining’s Phillip Venter said.

He said while there were opportunities, the system in its current form would need to be adjusted site by site.

“The main challenge is to get a champion at a mine to persuade people to use and get behind continuous haulage. It is a particular challenge in the Australian industry where there is generally not a lot of fondness towards continuous miners. The continuous miner is a just by the way thing that unfortunately you need to use to open up for a longwall,” Venter said.

This past perception, however, has not stopped Australian companies showing plenty of interest in the Magatar system. Venter has fielded plenty of questions on the system around flexibility, safety, operation and its adaptability to be used in roadway development at a longwall mine.

What Magatar actually offers is an integrated mining system that consists of industry proven components. The Flexiveyor haulage system made by Canada’s Prairie Machine and Parts, as used at Cook, is one component in the Magatar integrated system.

While Cook is still reaching the potential of the system, it is on the right track.

“The average continuous production achievements are not near the potential of the system yet, but on a single shift basis the operational personnel has exceeded the averages required for potential, which is around 100,000 tons per month,” Venter said of the Cook system.

Both Magatar and Caledon have invested significantly in the Cook project to make it work. The system is now available to the Australian market on a contract basis, where Magatar supplies the equipment as well as the personnel for an operation, provided that the conditions allow.

Bucyrus

Bucyrus has proven its chain haulage system in the massive US room and pillar market, with over 50% market share in the country.

“The benefits are well documented in room and pillar operations within the USA; however, here in Australia the main challenges are to adapt the technology to operate successfully in longwall gate road development,” said Paul Mulley, director of market development in Bucyrus’s Room & Pillar Division.

Mulley said Bucyrus was currently in discussions with several Australian customers but to progress the product to realisation in Australia there were “significant milestones to be achieved”

Bucyrus has a dominant position in the market with more than 100 systems in operation around the world. The Bucyrus Full Dimension System can be tailored to requirements, whether for room and pillar, longwall development or shortwall mining operations.

The Bucyrus system is a bridge-type continuous haulage system that utilises mobile conveyors and alternating bridge conveyors. Currently all mobile conveyors require an independent operator.

A typical system has eight units (four mobile and four bridge conveyors), is approximately 85m, and provides material clearance from the continuous miner at the face to the outgoing conveyor belt.

Bridge haulage systems have been configured with as many as 12 units or as few as five units. Systems can be either attached or detached from the continuous miner.