A KwaZulu-Natal-based colliery has established the capability to produce coking coal to precise standards, owing to the products and technical assistance of crushing and screening specialist Pilot Crushtec International, as of May this year.

The customer’s fleet of Pilot Crushtec modular equipment comprises a Pilot Modular GFH560 grizzly feed hopper, a Pilot Modular BR0605 horizontal impact crusher, a Pilot Modular DD3615 heavy-duty screen and four Pilot Modular MC600 conveyors.

The miner needed to produce calcite chips – between 10 mm and 12 mm – out of feed material from the operation’s kiln. This material is sent to the company’s existing plant and processed into 0 mm to 3 mm products, as well as products larger than 3 mm, for which the operation has found a ready market.

With an urgent need for suitable equipment, one of the colliery’s contractors, an existing Pilot Crushtec customer, recommended that it contact the Gauteng-based company for advice.

“We immediately reacted to the enquiry and, following consultation with the colliery’s production manager, were able to recommend a train of equipment to meet its requirements. Key considerations included the colliery’s need for a modular semi-mobile plant, which could be fed by a front-end loader; the colliery’s need for flexibility and, in this instance, the service provider’s ability to comply with a rapid delivery timeframe,” says Pilot Crushtec national sales manager Nicolan Govender.

He highlights the plant’s Pilot Modular BR0605 horizontal impact crusher as a key component of this solution, as it is ideal for this type of operation, being easy to operate and simple in terms of design, which ensures minimal maintenance issues.

Govender says the BR0605 impact crusher is ideal for application at a colliery, as it is able to process volumes of up to 35 t/h. Further, it enables large-scale operations to diversify their product offerings at a minimal level of capital expenditure, while providing the opportunity for small businesses and start-up operations to gain a foothold in the increasingly important crushing and screening industry.

“The Pilot Crushtec International modular plant has integrated perfectly into our customer’s operation and has shown the capability to deliver the desired product at a rate of between 10 t/h and 15 t/h, which is more than the mine currently needs to produce,” says Govender.

The electrically powered Pilot Modular BR0605 horizontal impact crusher accommodates feed sizes of up to 350 mm soft rock and 150 mm hard rock. It has a feed opening of 524 mm × 350 mm, a heavy-duty skid frame and a weight of 2.9 t.