A second-hand Long-Airdox EL1000 longwall shearer has replaced two 600kW Mitsui shearers at Wambo Mining Corporation's Wollemi mine in New South Wales.
In a first for Wambo, the mine has hired the shearer from Long-Airdox under a comprehensive maintenance contract, which includes spare parts, periodic overhaul service and technical and repair field support.
Long-Airdox senior sales manager, Tony Scott said a dedicated Long-Airdox support technician will visit the mine on a regular basis to give advise on maintenance requirements and to assist with resolution of operational issues, thus maximising productivity.
Scott said the automated features onboard the shearer such as the horizon control system and the zoned haulage speed control would provide increased efficiency and improve product quality.
The mine said the decision to change to the Long-Airdox shearer was based on an expected increase in equipment availability .
The shearer was installed in early April during the longwall relocation from L/W 10A to L/W 10B, and will complete the remainder of block 10 before changeout to block 11, scheduled in 8-10 weeks. The shearer is currently commissioned to cut (Uni-Di) at 8 metres a minute and is capable of a flit speed of 22 meters per minute. Increased cutting speeds are possible as the efficiency of the coal clearance system improves.
Scott said eleven Long-Airdox shearers in Australia operate with some form of maintenance contract, configured to suit the requirements of each individual operation.
The Electra shearer on hire to Wambo was constructed utilising components from the Long-Airdox service exchange pool of equipment along with a mainframe formally operated in the UK. The components were totally refurbished and reworked to suit the operating height at Wollemi of 3.2m.
The cutting drums manufactured by Advanced Cutting Systems (USA) were also provided through Long-Airdox Australia and came complete with pre-cutting drums designed to minimise slabbing.
