https://www.miningweekly.com
Africa|Coal|Components|Conveyors|Design|drives|Efficiency|Energy|Engineering|IE3|Installation|Mining|Motors|Power|PROJECT|Repairs|Service|SEW Eurodrive|SEW-Eurodrive|System|Systems|Technology|Maintenance|Products|Solutions
Africa|Coal|Components|Conveyors|Design|drives|Efficiency|Energy|Engineering|IE3|Installation|Mining|Motors|Power|PROJECT|Repairs|Service|SEW Eurodrive|SEW-Eurodrive|System|Systems|Technology|Maintenance|Products|Solutions
africa|coal|components|conveyors|design|drives|efficiency|energy|engineering|IE3|installation|mining|motors|power|project|repairs|service|sew-eurodrive|seweurodrive-company|system|systems|technology|maintenance|products|solutions

Stacker reclaimers made new at coal mine

STAGGERING AMOUNTS The high volume of transmission solutions ordered by the client was mitigated by staggering the deliveries

JONATHAN MCKEY Refurbishment of all three stacker reclaimers should be completed by the end of 2020

20th September 2019

By: Darren Parker

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

The refurbishment of three stacker reclaimers at a local coal mine is well under way, with transmission solutions company SEW-Eurodrive supplying 39 new drives for the project.

Work on the project began late last year and the client aims to have completed the refurbishment of all three machines – which were originally built in 1984 – towards the end of next year.

The 39 drives – divided equally among the ageing stacker reclaimers – include three IG X-series boom stacker drives to power the conveyors on the machines, 12 IG P-series slew drives to facilitate the horizontal pivoting of the arms, and 24 SEW 7-series travel drives to allow for the physical relocation and repositioning of the machines on the ground.

The company mitigated the high volume of units procured by the client through the staggered delivery of transmission solutions for the project, SEW-Eurodrive branch manager Jonathan McKey tells Mining Weekly.

The delivery of the drives for the first reclaimer was completed in July. The installation of the drives and the recommissioning of the first machine is now under way.

The drives for the second reclaimer will be delivered towards the end of this year, while delivery of the final drives for the third machine will be completed by mid-2020.

SEW-Eurodrive not only supplied the drives but also engineered some custom modifications for the multimillion-rand project.

“We had to modify the torque arms for the machine’s boom stacker solutions, owing to limited space and other restrictions defined by the original 35-year-old design. We also redesigned the mounting pedestals for the planetary slew solutions to make the drives more compact and easier to handle for maintenance,” McKey says.

He explains that the client issued SEW-Eurodrive with a list of the drives required to allow for minimal and convenient amendments to the original machines’ structures. Further, these amendments needed to conform to strict quality and reliability standards.

“We turned to our colleagues in Germany and the engineering departments at SEW-Eurodrive Johannesburg to accommodate these requirements. We then formulated highly efficient, compact solutions in line with the most recent technological components used globally,” McKey notes.

 

SEW-Eurodrive standardised its use of IE3 energy efficient motors and drives in 2017, owing to stricter international regulations, which, in turn, meant that all two-, four- and six-pole asynchronous motors with a power rating of 0.75 kW to 375 kW must meet the requirements of the IE3 energy efficiency class in the European Union (EU).

Although South African energy efficiency regulations are not as strict as those in the EU, SEW-Eurodrive has opted to standardise on IE3 use across all international markets.

Maintenance

The drives supplied for the project are equipped with condition-monitoring systems for operational functioning and wear monitoring. Specialised braking technology is also included in the units.

McKey explains that the wearing of components – between the boom stacker, slew and travel drives – may vary, owing to their daily operational requirements.

However, all the components were designed with longevity and long-term reliability in mind.

“As long as consumables – such as oil and breathers – are monitored and managed appropriately, the drives supplied should be operational for a long time,” he says.

Although the client can maintain the units, McKey notes that SEW-Eurodrive prefers to do repairs on its own products.

“We do not endorse anybody in South Africa to repair our products, as we employ qualified technicians and maintain huge volumes of local stock to support our own products,” he says.

He explains that the client has the option to sign a maintenance or field service assessment contract, which entails that an experienced SEW-Eurodrive team assess the condition and reliability of the drives on an agreed intermittent cycle, and issue advice based on product-specific reports.

Thermal imaging analysis of the units is possible, as well as oil sampling and laser alignment checks, which are included in the contract.

“SEW-Eurodrive offers 24- hour maintenance and service support staff. In this and all new project cases, we offer free initial commissioning assistance on all drives supplied,” McKey says.

Further, integrated software solution DriveRadar can be used in monitoring and the continued upkeep of the refurbished stacker reclaimers.

SEW-Eurodrive launched DriveRadar this year, in Germany. The solution provides condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, allowing for the integration of components, machines, plants and entire factories into a digital network that transcends the boundaries of indivivdual companies.

The technology also provides an end-to-end digital map of drive components and system solutions so that clients can obtain detailed insight into them and the associated processes.

“We intend to propose this technology to all our clients going forward, allowing for more versatile monitoring possibilities,” McKey concludes.

Edited by Nadine James
Features Deputy Editor

Comments

Showroom

Schauenburg SmartMine IoT
Schauenburg SmartMine IoT

SmartMine IoT has been developed with the mining industry in mind, to provides our customers with powerful business intelligence and data modelling...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Universal Storage Systems (SA)
Universal Storage Systems (SA)

South African leader in Steel -Racking, -Shelving, and -Mezzanine flooring. Universal has innovated an approach which encompasses conceptualising,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.098 0.134s - 95pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now