The first shipment of eighteen 1-km-long steel cord conveyor belts to be used in the construction of the coal transporta-tion system for Sasol Mining’s Impumelelo colliery, in Secunda, Mpumalanga, was deliv-ered to the Port of Durban on September 16.
Construction of the coal transportation system is being undertaken by bulk materials handling solutions provider ELB Engineering Services.
Veyance Technologies, an international provider of Goodyear Engineered Products, was responsible for the manufacture and deliv- ery of about 54.2 km of steel cord conveyor belt- ing in multiple shipments from its manufac-turing facility in China, says ELB Engineering Services project manager Manny Marques.
The transportation by flat-bed trucks of the 18 conveyor belt rolls – each weighing 33 500 kg and measuring 3.75 m in height, 1.2 m in width and 6 m in length – from the Port of Durban to site in Secunda took five days, he notes.
Cascade Logistics, which has been transporting abnormal shipments for ELB for the past ten years, was responsible for transporting the belt rolls from Durban to the project site.
For the first shipment, Cascade Logistics dispatched 18 trucks from the Port of Durban, allowing three days’ travel time to Secunda for each truck.
While Veyance Technologies has a conveyor belt manufacturing plant in South Africa, it decided to undertake the belt manufacturing at its manufacturing facility in China owing to ELB’s delivery schedule and the China-based plant’s ability to produce significantly more than the South African plant, says Veyance Technologies project manager Bulelwa Peppeta.
The Flexsteel ST2000 belting will feature a 7-mm-thick top cover and a 5-mm-thick bottom cover.
Goodyear Engineered Products’ Global X cover compound was used to cover the belts. The Global X cover compound is designed to ensure superior resistance against cutting, tear-ing, gouging, abrasion and highly aggressive environments.
It is also formulated to withstand zone and ultraviolet exposure for the life of the belt.
Veyance Technologies used its low rolling resistance (LRR) cover compound on the bottom covers, as this is used in long overland conveyor belt applications. “The compound requires less power to convey the same amount of coal, which significantly reduces energy costs,” says Veyance Technologies technical manager Ben-Piet Terblanche.
Further, Veyance Technologies will splice the lengths of steel cord belting to form one continuous belt using its Preform technology – which is the first application of this technology in South Africa.
Preform uses preformed, multigrooved top and bottom cover panels, as opposed to tradi-tional splicing methods that use cements and noodles. Using Preform results in a faster and stronger splice, with improved performance and a longer life span.
The second shipment, consisting of nine conveyor belt rolls, arrived on September 26, concludes Marques.