Mining

The WARMAN WRT throatbush and impeller offers reduced turbulence and extended wear performance. (Image source: Weir)

At Electra Mining Africa, running from 2-6 September in Johannesburg, Weir has highlighted the value of energy and water efficiency, important components of mines’ bottom line costs and strategic sustainability goals

This year’s Electra Mining is one of the largest today, welcoming more than 850 exhibitors across six exhibition halls and four large outside exhibit areas. Described as a ‘5-in-1 trade show’, it incorporates several shows to put a spotlight on a range of critical sectors from mining and manufacturing through to trucking and transport.

At the show, Weir has highlighted its sustainability focus which underpins the company’s support for its customers’ strategic environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, according to Weir’s process and products director, Mufaro Muzvondiwa. The event was another important opportunity to display Weir’s leading role in helping mines to reduce consumption of energy and water – and to reduce carbon emissions.

“At Electra Mining Africa, we were able to remind visitors how seriously we take sustainability across all our products,” said Muzvondiwa. “We displayed our WARMAN pumps with innovative WRT impeller and throatbush combination – for improved hydraulic profiles, reduced turbulence, extended wear performance and lower power consumption.”

He noted that, while Weir’s WRT upgrade for WARMAN pumps is not new to the market, many visitors were still discovering the value that this technology could deliver on their operations. The WRT parts are retrofittable in the WARMAN AH range of horizontal slurry pumps and delivers improved hydraulic profiles, reduced turbulence, extended wear performance and lower power consumption.

Weir's water solutions

Water conservation was also a growing issue for many of the mining visitors to Weir’s exhibition stand. Muzvondiwa pointed out there is more awareness that mines today must increasingly balance their water demands with those of communities and other local stakeholders.

“This also created plenty of interest in our CAVEX 2 hydrocyclones, which offer up to 30% additional capacity and improved separation efficiency, while delivering water and energy savings in mineral processing applications,” Muzvondiwa said.

Operational efficiency

Alongside the ESG focus, visitors at Electra Mining Africa were as usual looking for ways to optimise their processes for greater productivity, Muzvondiwa explained. This is where Weir’s digital tools are playing a crucial role in facilitating smart mining.

“The only constant on mines is change; they are dynamic operations, with constantly changing geological and metallurgical conditions,” he remarked. “This makes it vital that the performance of our equipment is being continuously optimised – by modifying parameters to suit variables such as rock hardness, abrasiveness and chemistry.”

Building on its existing digital solutions, Weir is developing new capability to not only monitor equipment condition but to facilitate more real-time optimisation. This applies across the product range from WARMAN pumps to ENDURON HPGRs (High Pressure Grinding Rolls), he said.

“We are using our deep knowledge of our equipment and processes – built upon decades of research, development and field experience – to take advantage of the latest analytical capabilities in digital technology,” Muzvondiwa explained. “This will revolutionise how we run equipment and what the landscape of sustainable mining looks like.”

Muzvondiwa highlighted the virtuous circle that can be leveraged as equipment that is optimally run will, firstly, achieve a longer lifespan and, secondly, deliver the best throughput and recovery results. The challenge has always been that real-time optimisation must take into account many different factors, which are difficult to consolidate and analyse quickly.

“With the advent of AI, it is now possible to gather the relevant data and process it rapidly, so that valuable and precise recommendations can be generated and applied,” Muzvondiwa added. “We have been working very hard to commercialise these solutions, and we will soon be able to share with customers the exciting opportunities which will be available to them.”

Breaking new ground

Weir’s embrace of technology is enabled by skills initiatives which raise the bar for company staff and its customers. Mill Circuit University, for instance, is a key resource which ensures that skill levels are keeping up with technological advancement. More than that, technical staff understand more about the operating context of their specific equipment range.

“This enhances the quality of conversations between our frontline staff and customers, and improves the levels of collaboration we achieve,” Muzvondiwa commented. “While some courses can be done online, we also bring our teams together for training from around the globe; we also conduct regional training events for customers’ staff – even on their sites when required.”

In addition to learning about these services from Weir, Electra Mining Africa visitors were able to witness a modular wheeled plant solution – a fully mobile crushing and screening plant that can be transported by trailer.

“Visitors from the mines were also impressed by the extent of Weir’s local manufacturing capability, as this is an important ESG imperative for the mining sector,” Muzvondiwa concluded. “With some 95% of our sales being supplied by our South African plants, we are proud to support the local economy and offer customers a secure supply chain.”

The SEW PPK series delivers 10 to 18 kNm of torque with a ratio range from 65:1 to 390:1. (Image source: SEW-EURODRIVE)

As its exhibition presence at Electra Mining Africa 2024 showed, SEW-EURODRIVE is rolling out an even greater selection of planetary drives as part of its strategy to ‘close the loop’ in its product offerings by expanding into more industry sectors

Among the new ranges being introduced into South Africa are its SEW PPK series and the SEW P2.e series of planetary gear units – both showcasing new opportunities for industrial gearbox users. According to Jonathan McKey, national sales and marketing manager at SEW-EURODRIVE, these new additions to the local range highlight the company’s global engineering and applications capabilities.

“The PPK series was originally developed by SEW-EURODRIVE in Brazil, for instance, to serve their large and thriving sugar sector,” said McKey. “Our design and engineering experts in Germany then further leveraged these advances when they developed the SEW P2.e series – aimed at larger applications.”

He emphasised that both series built upon the key benefits that planetary gear units present to customers: a compact solution for space-constrained conditions, alongside high torque and low speed outputs. The SEW PPK series delivers 10 to 18 kNm of torque with a ratio range from 65:1 to 390:1, while the SEW P2.e series encompasses torque ratings from 24 to 124 kNm with ratios from 15,2:1 to 332:1.

“The SEW PPK satisfies the need for a lower torque requirement, and is well suited to southern hemisphere markets,” he explained. The ratio can be further reduced by the addition of a primary reducer before the planetary head, to reach ratios up to 10,650:1 – for a much lower speed capability.

The SEW P2.e was then developed with all these benefits, but with a broader spectrum of diversity in its speed – up to 100 rpm – as well as in ratio and torque, he said. While most planetary gearboxes have a three-stage design, the SEW P2.e can also be supplied in a two-stage model.

Greg Lewis, SEW-EURODRIVE business development manager for projects, pointed out that the company has been careful to retain the same critical dimensions as previous SEW P-series models. This allows customers to migrate seamlessly to the more versatile SEW P2.e units without altering their operating environment or infrastructure.

Meeting a myriad of applications

Among the common applications in the mining sector for planetary gearboxes, said Lewis, are clarifiers, thickeners and apron feeders. Other industrial applications include slewing drives, screw feeders and wood panel presses.

“In the agricultural sector, sugar mills are big users of planetary units,” he remarked. “The SEW PPK series, arising as it did to serve the needs of sugar mills in Brazil, has exciting opportunities for application in African countries.”

McKey highlighted another important aspect of these planetary ranges: their reduced weight compared to traditional technologies.

“A sugar mill’s crystalliser, for example, will conventionally have a multi-gear solution which applies considerable weight and strain on the system,” he explained. “A compact planetary unit from SEW-EURODRIVE can now deliver the same results with much less weight – within an integrated design. The benefits are also felt in less wear on components like bearings and the civils structures, which leads to less maintenance being required.”

Also, on SEW-EURODRIVE’s showcase of new products is its high performance ECO2 geared motors, designed in line with the company’s sustainability focus and the market’s growing demand for products that are more environmentally-friendly in their manufacturing process. The ECO2 range boasts a coating-free design, so there are no solvents or coatings used on the outer surfaces. This makes these units efficient and reliable in indoor applications where humidity levels can reach 60%, and they can operate in temperatures between minus 20° C and 60° C. Their aluminium construction reacts with oxygen to form a thin protective layer; the ECO2 design also meets the requirements of ISO 12944 corrosive category 1.

Standing out in the market

On the automation side, a highlight of the SEW-EURODRIVE offering is the SEW MOVI-C drive technology – a comprehensive modular automation system designed to provide seamless integration and high performance for various industrial applications.

Willem Strydom, SEW-EURODRIVE’s manager business development electronics, pointed to applications like hoisting where MOVI-C facilitates the use of regenerative power from braking and this energy can be fed back into the system or stored in battery packs. The MOVILINK digital data interface (DDI) connects the drive train into the data system through a unique single hybrid cable solution.

“This further allows customers to receive real-time information on a range of indices, such as energy efficiency, application performance and condition monitoring,” he said. “This differentiates us significantly in the market.”

This article is authored by SEW-EURODRIVE. Click here to learn more about the company’s range of solutions.

The flow sheet solutions at FLS are paving the way to a sustainable mining. (Image source: FLS)

Mining customers are to benefit from the stronger regional capability being developed by FLS, which is making the company even more responsive to customer needs

This is one of the key outcomes of the company’s strategic evolution underway, according to newly appointed FLS president sales and service for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Bernard Kaninda. As a leading full flow sheet technology company, FLS occupies a distinctive place in the market, said Kaninda, giving it a special relationship with customers.

“Being a partner through all their mineral processing requirements, FLS walks with customers throughout the lifecycle of a comprehensive range of equipment and solutions,” he added. “This engagement gives us greater impact in helping the mining industry achieve its sustainability goals.”

FLS aligns itself with industry imperatives by committing to energy and water reduction targets, and committing to reach zero emissions by 2030. To achieve these goals, he said, it was imperative to further grow the region’s capability – shifting from the previous regional definition which comprised sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and southern Asia to a more cohesive EMEA region.

“We believe the move to an EMEA region will better create the capabilities we are looking for, combining the strengths of Africa and Europe, and our learnings in the Middle East,” Kaninda explained. “We expect to be able to respond more quickly with services, spares and equipment, and are building local resources to achieve these improvements.”

Responding to mining demand

The focus on communication and partnership is being fostered through clusters within the region, which are empowered with adequate resources for quick response times and effective support for end-users.

“As a partner that tailor-makes solutions for our customers, we go further by guaranteeing the performance of that equipment,” he commented. “This means being able to respond effectively as and when the situation demands, so we need to be in close proximity to the customers’ sites – and very familiar with the conditions they experience.”

The clusters in Africa ensure a strong presence in southern African countries – including South Africa, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo – as well as West Africa and North Africa. These are areas where FLS already has a significant footprint of equipment in operation.

“The mining sector is dynamic, however, so we are constantly expanding our equipment footprint and will be establishing a presence wherever we have a significant installed base,” he surmised. “It has always been a matter of pride for us that FLS customers will receive the same close attention irrespective of where they are around the globe.”

This article was written by FLS. For more information visit: www.flsmidth.com

Road delivery of typical overhead crane. (Image source: Condra)

According to crane and hoist manufacturer Condra, while high-capacity overhead cranes often make headlines because of their impressive size and technical complexity, their smaller and simpler cousins should not be overlooked and are often the workhorses of the factory and beyond

This was the assessment of Marc Kleiner, managing director of Condra, as he commented on a slew of recent orders taken for Platreef Mine, ranging from a giant 40/5-ton double-girder headgear crane, through smaller single- and double-girder cranes, hoists and crawls, to no fewer than nineteen chain blocks, including a 2-ton explosion-proof chain hoist. These are all for installation at Platreef Mine’s Number Two Shaft, part of the Platreef PGM project near Mokopane, Limpopo Province in South Africa.

Often the go-to company for buyers seeking proven ability at the more complex end of the technical design spectrum, these orders highlight Condra’s capabilities in smaller and more standard lifting equipment. Nevertheless, the standout machine for Platreef remains the very large headgear crane: a 40/5-ton double-girder electric overhead travelling giant spanning 17 metres, which will itself weigh almost as much as its 40-ton maximum load.

Murray & Roberts Cementation supplied the procurement recommendation for this machine, which will install and maintain the shaft’s headgear-mounted winders and sheave wheels, raising and lowering component parts over a lifting height of 94 metres. The order was placed by Ivanplats itself.

Switching to a long list of other overhead cranes and hoists ordered from Condra for Platreef by consulting engineers Dowding Reynard and Associates, Kleiner emphasised their importance.

“These are all workhorses,” he remarked. “Even the smallest 2-ton explosion-proof chain hoist will play an important role.”

Essential equipment

Condra’s first deliveries to Platreef took place in late 2023, comprising a short-headroom hoist for the mine’s tailings filter, and a K-Series hoist for the mill feed conveyor. Both are being used for maintenance work.

A 5-ton single-girder overhead crane for the mine’s filter building followed soon afterward, with a 10-ton double-girder overhead crane for the plant workshop. One of these machines was dust-ignition-proof rated to ATEX Zone 21/22 standard. Control of both is by radio remote with manual pendant back-up.

“Compared with the headgear crane, these are simpler, more straightforward machines, but each one meets an important requirement,” Kleiner said.

Elaborating on the headgear crane itself, Kleiner explained that design challenges had included the delivery of above average lifting speeds over the very high lifting height of 94 metres. The 40-ton main hoist will travel at up to 8,4 metres per minute, and the 5-ton auxiliary hoist at up to 12,2 metres per minute. Both speeds are variable.

Kleiner explained that the modularity of Condra’s hoist range had made it possible to accommodate the Platreef specifications, with careful design of the crane’s end-carriages facilitating installation at lowest possible cost to the customer.

“We replaced the normal one-piece end-carriage with a double-bogey design,” he noted. “This will allow a 35-ton tower crane to lift the headgear crane into position one girder at a time. Without the doubled-bogey arrangement the entire crane would have had to be lifted into position as an assembled unit, a more difficult operation.”

Other features of the headgear crane include an automatic storm brake to counter wind loading, a full-length work platform, and radio control with mobile pendant back-up.

Click here to discover more information around Condra's deliveries to the mine