Published in the May 2010 Coal USA Magazine

Superior conveying equipment customer support representative Lyle Hettver told Coal USA that fugitive material was perhaps one of the biggest issues in coal mining, and could be a significant destroyer of all components including skirting, rollers and the belt itself.

Material can be lost at several points between the working face and the preparation plant, but areas of transfer are the most susceptible. When material is lost, it can shorten the lifespan of all wear parts in the long term, but in the meantime the dust and accumulation creates a safety and health hazard.

Hettver noted that proper maintenance included managing all of the handled material and keeping everything on the belt. A bit of coal was bound to be lost along the way, but ignoring the issue and allowing accumulation not only meant higher costs related to replacing more parts more often, but also the expense of preventable downtime.

Additionally, when fugitive material collects, a mine at some point will have to remove it – which means sending a miner into a tight, dark area where his safety near the running belt and health near higher levels of respirable dust are both compromised.

Another key to proper maintenance, whether the conveyor is underground or overland, is keeping the line clean. Efficient belt cleaners, such as Superior’s Exterra belt cleaner, and V-Plows can keep leftover coal that is often wet and prone to stick to the belt from traveling and causing build-up at wear parts.

When wear parts develop issues, which can be made less frequent through proactive examinations, repairing those parts as soon as a problem is found is vital to keeping the entire system rolling efficiently. Neglecting issues, such as keeping gear boxes lubricated and addressing oil leaks, can quickly lead to major costly repairs and even stop production entirely for beltline restorations.

In fact, continuing to run belt infrastructure with insufficient examinations and maintenance can create a “perfect storm” – as the industry knows all too well.