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Moatize takes delivery of 212 t surface miner

1st July 2016

By: Kimberley Smuts

Creamer Media Reporter

  

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Mining services and construction provider Wirtgen South Africa (SA) has supplied its biggest surface mining model, the 212 t 4200SM, to diversified miner Vale’s Moatize coal mine project, in Tete, Mozambique.

The 4200SM costs about €5-million, depending on client specifications, and can mine out coal at 3 000 t/h, with the material directly loaded onto trucks as a final product. Wirtgen mineral technologies sales and process specialist Mike Newby notes that this eliminates the need for drilling, blasting, loading and primary crushing.

Primary crushing is eliminated as the final product size coming off the conveyor belt of the surface miner is normally no more than 150 mm to 200 mm in size.

The purpose of the Moatize project is to supply a machine able to complement the mine’s existing production methods and to ensure that it can mine cleaner coal with minimal contamination. As part of the project’s first phase, the plant expects an output of 12-million tons of coal this year and, with their new Phase 2 plant now built, they expect to double that production in 2017.

Newby says that major challenges for the project include establishing a service contract for Moatize, given the remoteness of the mine and the importance of guaranteeing minimal downtime. The contract involves supplying 24-hour machine support, ensuring parts availability on site and training the mine staff on the operation and maintenance of the machine, as it needs to be available for double shifts.

In South Africa, Wirtgen currently has a 2200SM that weighs 50 t, has a 2.2 m cutting drum and a potential coal output of 850 t/h. The surface miner is completing demonstrations and trials at different coal mines across the country, mining coal and interburden. Newby adds that the results have exceeded the company’s expectations and, with all the major coal mines and mining contractors active in South Africa having shown interest, talks are under way to use the surface miner at other projects.

He states that the company’s machines are mining salt in Botswana and gypsum in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, while bauxite is being mined in Guinea, limestone in Nigeria, and kimberlite and mudstone in Botswana for the diamond mining joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana.

The company explains that it supplies equipment to a niche market, as it all depends on the ore to be mined, the size of the mine, the quantity required to be mined in a year and the conditions of the mine site, as well as the challenge of mining selective seams to separate waste and ore.

“Our machines are unique, as they are the only true surface miners,” says Newby. “They are not modified trench diggers or mere continuous miners. Each machine can mine the material and then load it directly onto trucks using conveyor belts.”

The drum has a unique up-cutting mining design, subsequently leaving behind a surface that is clean, stable and flat. Newby notes that the machine’s drum, therefore, does not leave any material on the ground, which allows for highly selective mining. The surface miner also allows for extremely accurate control of the depth of mining in thin seams. This, in turn, means a significantly high-quality product, with minimal contamination.

Wirtgen has three surface mining models in its range – the 2200SM, with a 2.2-m-wide cutting drum, able to mine up to 30 cm deep, which is also available with a 3.8-m-wide drum; the 2500SM, with a 2.5-m-wide cutting drum, mining up to 60 cm deep; and the 4200SM, with a 4.2-m-wide drum, mining up to 80 cm deep.

Industry Challenges

Wirtgen SA states that surface miners are changing the way in which opencast mining takes place worldwide.

Newby says this is a result of the challenge faced by equipment suppliers to provide cost-effective machines that improve production and reduce downtime for the most effective recovery of ore.

This change is also a result of the current challenges being faced by the industry worldwide, such as low commodity prices, particularly for coal and iron-ore, coupled with the need to mine more cost effectively, be more environmentally conscious and reduce contamination, he adds.

Limiting drilling, blasting, loading and hauling in opencast mining is a viable alternative if the cost per ton justifies it, Newby asserts. “Environment-friendly mining and safety are becoming increasingly more important. With more than 110 surface mining machines being used to mine coal in India alone, constituting 27% of India’s yearly coal output, one can see it is becoming a mining method of choice.”

The benefits of surface mining are vast and range from eliminating drilling, blasting, loading and primary crushing to mining selectively on thin seams; separating material from waste, which significantly lowers contamination and ash content; lowering maintenance costs on auxiliary equipment, such as trucks; and being a much safer and more environment-friendly method.

He explains that, as a result of a declining mining market, Wirtgen SA has adapted its strategy and approach to surface mining and has widened its target audience. Newby adds that the company is pleased with the subsequent positive effect this has had on the sales of machines, parts and service contracts.

Surface mining forms part of the Wirtgen group’s mineral technology division and the company remains focused on increasing its footprint through strengthening its global presence by being close to its customers.

“We continuously strive to better understand clients’ needs, as well as adapt and innovate our machines and methods to improve profits, production and quality,” concludes Newby.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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