Industrial gearbox designer, manufacturer and supplier Hansen Transmissions South Africa (HTSA), a subsidiary of global gearbox company Hansen Industrial Transmissions, is commissioning 39 Hansen P4 multistage industrial gearboxes at mining major Vale’s Moatize coal mine in Tete, Mozambique.

The gearboxes will be used on conveyor belt drives and are being installed as part of Vale’s Phase 2 expansion programme, which will result in production at the mine increasing to 22-million tons a year, says
HTSA MD Fritz Fourie.

The company started supplying its P4 multistage gearboxes to Moatize in 2014. The range comprises 19 different torque outputs, ranging from 6 kNm to 1 100 kNm.

On-site commissioning started in June, with the process scheduled to be completed before the end of October.

HTSA also successfully commissioned 21 Hansen P4 multistage gearboxes last month at Mozambique’s coal export terminal, at the Port of Nacala, in northern Mozambique. The gearboxes are also being used for conveyor belt drives.

Meanwhile, Fourie points out that the company has been a supplier to South Africa’s coal materials handling value chain since 1969, having supplied more than 8 000 Hansen gearboxes to the coal mining and ancillary industries.

HTSA sales and marketing manager David Main highlights that the company has successfully supplied gearboxes to several of South Africa’s coal mines, particularly those in coal-rich Mpumalanga, as well as to State-owned companies Eskom and Transnet, and the private-sector-owned Richards Bay Coal Terminal. Hansen gearboxes have been used in coal conveyor applications such as those used underground, and in stockpiling, rail, port, power generation and gasi- fication.

Meanwhile, Fourie highlights that the locally designed Hansen 14 invertible industrial gearbox, which is available in six different torque options, ranging from 6 kNm to 108 kNm, is an ideal solution for use with conveyor drives in underground mining applications. He explains that the horizontal right-angle configuration, with a horizontal split-housing design, obviates the need for double extended shafts to enable installation on both sides of the conveyor belt, which also results in a reduced transmission footprint.

Having to use separate drives and perform handing changes during breakdown situations or in dirty environments are thus eliminated. Further, the Hansen 14 offers savings on inventory, as only one drive, as opposed to two, needs to be stocked.

Main adds that the Hansen 14 is mounted on a skid plate, allowing the gearbox to be easily moved in and out of low overhead applications such as underground mining.

Fourie highlights that the Hansen P4 multistage gearbox is typically used in above-ground materials handling applications and has been installed in a number of coal-related applications, such as hoists, crane scrapers, stacker reclaimers, mills, crushers and ship loaders.

He notes that the P4 and 14 gearbox ranges employ grease-filled labyrinth seals on the input and output shafts to reduce abrasion caused by coal dust.

To further extend its product offering to the coal value chain, HTSA launched the Paramax range of gearboxes, which is available in torque ratings of 2.6 kNm to 552 kNm, last year.

Main asserts that these units are ideal for small- to medium-torque conveyor applications, with the modular design making it a cost- effective solution for applications requiring little modification and adaptation.