The 4.9 million tonne per annum Carborough Downs mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, owned by joint venture partners Vale (80%), Tata Steel, Nippon Steel and Posco (all 5%), and JFE Steel and JFE Shoji (2.5% each), plans to ramp up later this year complete with a brand new set of longwall equipment – much of which is technology new to Australia.

On February 14 this year, 30 roof supports, a shearer and a collection of compatibility equipment, including conveyor chain and flight bars, arrived at Mackay port after the long journey from Poland and Germany.

The arrival marked the beginning of Inbye’s next step toward fulfillment of its first complete longwall system contract in Australia. While Inbye is the main and controlling contractor, several manufacturers are supplying the equipment under Inbye’s agreements and affiliations with other suppliers.

Inbye Mining Services Queensland general manager Shane Summers told International Longwall News the 30 shields had been placed in a mini-build at the company’s Mackay premises, together with the assembled armoured face conveyor and shearer.

The Inbye team is currently in the process of pulling the chain and flights into the AFC and assembling the beam stage loader, including customisation of the services equipment with Carborough Downs’ personnel.

The two leg shields, rated at 1238t, are from Poland's Tagor SA, while the electro-hydraulic control system is provided by Tiefenbach Control Systems of Germany. The Eickhoff SL1000 series shearer will be the first to be installed in Australia. The shearer has total power of 2190kW with 2 x 900kW cutting motors and top mounted hydraulic arms.

The team will run tests from now until Easter before launching into a formal compatibility trial after the Easter break to verify the interfaces between the shearer, AFC and shields.

The trial also involves testing the core automation features of the system and the LASC enhancement package.

Carborough’s installation of LASC marks the first time LASC has been purchased as part of a new commercial installation. The package for the mine includes the shearer position monitoring system, shield control automated face alignment module and the shearer control INS-based automated horizon control module.

Vale’s automation team from Carborough and its Brisbane office have been working with Inbye to implement the automation systems.

In the first week of May, Inbye will take delivery of the last and largest shipment of equipment from the northern hemisphere. Arriving in Mackay will be the outstanding 119 roof supports and the balance of the AFC chain and flight bars.

The residual of the Carborough order is being manufactured and delivered from within Australia, ensuring maximum locally manufactured content.

During May, Inbye will run a three-week training camp for the Carborough Downs operators and maintenance personnel. Carborough’s project team has already been involved in working with Inbye on training content, operating methods and safe working procedures.

For Summers, the biggest challenge of this project has been logistical coordination, with the equipment coming from a number of suppliers and locations. A dedicated logistics coordinator was an early inclusion in the project team.

The OEM has also had to write much of the equipment operating and maintenance documentation from first principles, given there was no comparable set of equipment upon which to base it.

“Documentation is being developed for this unique combination of machinery to ensure it covers the specific features, Carborough’s operating philosophies and nationally recognised competency standard guidelines. This is not a generic training and documentation package,” Summers said.

The longwall package also includes provision of a mining engineer to assist with ramp-up of production in a safe and consistent manner across all shifts.

Inbye will publicly launch the longwall system to the industry later this month. On April 29 the OEM is holding a viewing for Vale and its joint venture partners.

The day will give Carborough Downs’ stakeholders the opportunity to see the longwall system fully assembled following the compatibility trials, while affording a chance to celebrate a significant project milestone.

The following day Inbye is holding an industry open day by invitation, with key managers and engineers from Australia’s underground coal industry set to attend.

“The open day will provide the industry with an opportunity to see the first real alternative set of equipment that has been in Australia for the past few decades. It’s a new brand and a new badge and has some new features that we think will be interesting to existing longwall users,” Summers said.

“The day is also important because it contradicts the current industry doom and gloom. It’s anticipated there will be quite a few new projects that will ramp up quickly, so we look forward to an opportunity for the next set of equipment purchasers to see Inbye and our partners’ latest offering.

“We have the opportunity to show people something in the flesh that is representative of the product we can offer them.”