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GPS-enabled surface miners to launch in South Africa

SURFACE MINING EQUIPMENT Surface mining enables a company to develop a quarry with less punitive action

VERMEER MACHINES Loader machines can transport coal to processing plants

21st October 2016

By: Victor Moolman

Creamer Media Writer

  

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Industrial equipment supplier Vermeer expects to soon make its GPS-enabled precision surface miner available for sale to the South African market, following positive test results at a local coal mining operation.

Vermeer application specialist Paul van Helden says precision surface miners can be equipped with a GPS system, whereby the terrain of the mine has been mapped and geologists can identify high-grade ore seams for mining. This data is used to write a program that is installed onto a surface miner’s operating system, notes Van Helden, who spoke at this year’s Electra Mining Africa exhibition and conference, held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, in Nasrec.

As a result of the GPS system, which facilitates automatic steering, multiple machines can be programmed to work together using a three-dimensional (3D) mapping system on a 3D cutting grid.

Van Helden says Vermeer tested this system at the South African coal mine over a six-month period to demonstrate its production value and show the reduced amount of fines generated when using precision surface miners.

The development of a mine that uses blasting is influenced by the surrounding community. “Vibrations can be a big issue when drilling and blasting at an opencast mine, especially for the expansion of existing quarries, when surrounding villages and towns are also expanding. There is a certain moment when existing quarries need to reduce their drilling and blasting operations to prevent damage to houses close by,” Van Helden points out.

There are also other challenges linked to drilling and blasting at surface mining sites, he says, noting that, after a blast has taken place, there is a large amount of material lying around, which ranges from incredibly small particles to large stones.

To process these large pieces, large loaders are needed to transport the stone to primary and secondary crushing sites.

Van Helden says, with precision surface miners, such as the Vermeer Terrain Leveler, users are ensured of consistent material size, reducing the need for primary crushers, large loaders, large haul trucks and the associated permits to transport material to crushers. No permits for blasting are required either, while end material is transportable using regular (highway) trucks.

Further, as quarries mine deeper, they encounter a number of issues, especially as operations get too close to the water table, which can flood the operation and lead to the contamination of this water. Van Helden says this also poses a problem for other industries surrounding the mine, which use this water in their manufacturing operations.

In addition, drilling and blasting usually requires companies to leave a thicker bench than would normally be necessary when using a miner to avoid the risks and costs involved in coming into contact with the water table. Using precision surface miners, mining companies generally mine 30 cm benches at a time.

“It does this in long strips, preferably the longer the better, as this improves productivity,” he points out. Depending on the model, the Vermeer Terrain Leveler machines can cut an area of up to 3.7 m wide and up to 81.2 cm deep in a single pass.

As a result, the size of the mined material is much closer to that of the end product required by the mining company, compared with drilling and blasting. The end product is up to 300 mm in size.

Further, Van Helden explains that this mining method facilitates selective loading, allowing for ore to be more easily separated from waste.

“Loaders can pick up the dirt spots so that it does not mix with the ore destined for the process plant.”

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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