MiningWeekly.com | Features Library | Underground Transport

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MiningWeekly.com | Features Library | Underground Transport

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Underground Transport

Multimillion-rand shaft construction soldiers on

By: Tracy Hancock 17th March 2023 The R137-million Mngeni shaft project at the Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC), in Emakhalathini, KwaZulu-Natal, is edging closer to completion, with water infrastructure and electrical reticulation installed last month. This month, basic surface infrastructure, such as offices and change... →

Units resist harsh conditions

17th March 2023 Engineering solutions specialist BMG has completed the two-phase upgrade of its in-house BTC bearing block unit (BBU) and housing range of products, which is manufactured exclusively for BMG, to stringent quality and safety specifications. “Although the BTC range was developed for light to medium... →

ROBUST RANGE The recently upgraded BTC bearing block unit and housing range from BMG is suitable for medium- to heavy-duty underground mining applications, like underground conveyor systems and crushers

Cooling towers for Kloof refrigeration plant expansion

17th March 2023 Thermal solutions specialist IWC has designed, fabricated and erected a new pultruded glass reinforced polyester (GRP) condenser cooling tower for multinational mining and metals processing group Sibanye-Stillwater’s Kloof gold mine. The construction of the new chiller condenser cooling tower was... →

A plltruded glass reinforced polyester condenser cooling tower installed on a mining site.

COOLING KLOOF The new chiller condenser cooling tower installation at the Kloof gold mine was completed last month

Mining BEVs set to launch

By: Tracy Hancock 17th March 2023 Underground mining mobile equipment specialist MacLean Engineering is expanding its battery electric vehicle portfolio this year with the launch of three new mining vehicles that further address ventilation-related energy costs, improve health and safety through diesel-free work environments, and... →

Battery tech can curb emissions

18th March 2022 Commercial vehicle electrification technology company Proterra and equipment manufacturer Komatsu, in the last quarter of 2021 announced a new collaboration to electrify next-generation underground mining machines using Proterra’s battery technology. Under the collaboration, Proterra will supply... →

Underground graders coming to Africa

18th March 2022 Underground equipment manufacturer MacLean Engineering announced last month that the first-ever MacLean GR5 underground road grader has been shipped to Africa and that additional units have been scheduled for factory production. The newest addition to MacLean’s Mine-Mate utility vehicles, which... →

A yellow grader used for underground roads and pathways part of MacLean’s Mine-Mate utility vehicles range, this is teh GR5

HIGHER GRADE The MacLean GR5 underground road grader is coming to African shores and mines

Brazilian mine benefits from cooling system installation

By: Halima Frost 18th March 2022 Mine ventilation, refrigeration and cooling engineering consultant BBE Group has successfully completed the installation of a ventilation and cooling system at the Caraíba mine in the Curaçá river valley, in Brazil. The deepening of a shaft to open up a new orebody in the mine had put the... →

Large yellow pipes and a filtration system in a mine in Brazil that allow for fresh air to be pumped into the shaft for better breathing

DEEP BREATH BBE have successfully installed an underground ventilation system at a mine in Brazil

More women entering underground mining

By: Halima Frost 18th March 2022 Specialist mining training provider Prisma Training Solutions has noted a marked increase in women being trained and employed in the mining sector. “At times, we have a class filled entirely with women, and some of our training components are being facilitated by women,” says Prisma MD Jacques... →

Two men in PPE in front of a mine's processing facility with a document which they are reading

LEARNING CURVE Prisma Training focuses on career path development for the underground, opencast and mineral processing sectors

New blasting system improves safety

By: Halima Frost 18th March 2022 Having developed, and now busy testing its second-generation WebGen™ 200 in Australia and Canada, mining and infrastructure solutions provider Orica says its trials have shown improved safety and productivity across operations. The WebGen™ 200, a wireless electronic blasting system with... →

The second-generation WebGen 200 range of wireless initiating systems form small to large, in orange, yellow and green

EXPLOSIVE STUFF The second-generation WebGen 200 range of wireless initiating systems is being tested in Australia and Canada

Abandoned mines can be used for energy storage

By: Halima Frost 18th March 2022 Sweden-based sustainable power transition enabler Mine Storage co-founder and CEO Thomas Johansson notes that the company’s concept of using abandoned underground mines – or those under care and maintenance – as energy storage facilities has progressed to the prefeasibility phase. He explains... →

A photo of Mine Storage CEO Thomas Johansson stood in front of a lake and wooded area

THOMAS JOHANSSON The first underground mine storage facility will be constructed in Sweden

Custom wireless required for mining

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Wireless communication technologies cannot be adopted from other industries and forced to function in an underground mining environment, states mining technology company Ya Batho. “Technology from other industries is not designed for mining and cannot, by law, be deployed in hazardous areas. All... →

HIGH TECH Although Ya Batho does have on-the-shelf products, the company insists on conducting a site visit and signal propagation testing

Upgraded chairlift increases mine safety

12th March 2021 Mining sector technology specialist Becker Mining South Africa has recently launched a new upgraded chairlift programmable logic controller (PLC) panel that enhances reliability of Becker chairlift systems, which are used to safely transport personnel on mines worldwide. These locally... →

HEAVY LIFTING Becker Mining South Africa has recently launched a new upgraded chairlift PLC panel that enhances reliability of Becker chairlift systems

Countrywide

12th March 2021 Countrywide specialises in the repair of tractors, forklifts, earth moving equipment, cranes, load-haul-dump (LHD) machines, graders, loaders and flameproof underground mining machinery. We have a variety of Service Exchange Units available: →

Favourable prices enable survival

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Considering the risks involved in underground mining operations in general, and currently amid the Covid-19 pandemic, commodity analysts Core Consultants states that many marginal mines only survived because of favourable commodity prices. For example, when the gold price exceeded $2 000/oz, many... →

LARA SMITH With the risks involved in underground mining operations in general, many marginal mines only survived because of favourable commodity prices

PVC doors keep it cool

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Design, development and fabrication company Unique Ventilation & Support Systems (UVSS) has developed automated, high-pressure roll-up polyvinyl chloride (PVC) doors to control airflow in underground workings. The doors can also be integrated with new mining technologies. →

GREAT FLOW The automated UVSS Roll Up PVC doors are installed to control ventilation and airflow in a ventilation district at each level of the underground mine

Supplier aids safety record

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Air compressor, pumps and generator rental supplier Rand-Air has played a pivotal role in a South African underground gold mine’s unbroken safety record during its seven-year business relationship with the mine. Considering the demanding conditions and potential dangers in mines, Rand-Air has... →

COMPRESSED AIR Considering the demanding conditions and potential dangers in mines, Rand-Air has assisted in achieving a safe mining environment

New blasting system to be launched in 2021

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Explosives and blasting systems provider Orica will launch the next generation of the wireless blasting system solution, WebGen 200. The WebGen 200 is set for commercial release in late 2021; with availability subject to the regulatory approvals. Orica initiating systems VP Adam Mooney describes... →

BLAST OFF Since the launch of WebGen in 2017, Orica has executed more than 1 550 blasts that have been detonated using the wireless technology

Scraping systems reduce dust contaminants

12th March 2021 German conveyor solutions provider ScrapeTec-Trading has developed advanced solutions for conveyor systems – its AirScrape, TailScrape and SpeedScrape products – which comprise technology that prevents dust formation, reduces material spill, enables thorough belt-cleaning and minimises the risk... →

NO MORE DUST ScrapeTec-Trading has developed advanced solutions for conveyor systems which prevents dust formation, reduces material spill and enables thorough belt-cleaning

Coal mine extension on the horizon

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 12th March 2021 Coal mining company Kangra, a subsidiary of mining investment company Menar, is expected to extend its Kangra mine, in Mpumalanga, through the Kusipongo project. The Kusipongo resource is situated directly west of the existing mine and is expected to extend Kangra’s life-of-mine (LoM) significantly. →

SIDING WITH COAL The Kusipongo extension project, which was delayed owing to the pandemic, will proceed now that coal markets have recovered. It will extend Kangra Mine's life significantly

Ya Batho

11th March 2021 Ya Batho has been a leading supplier of advanced, performance-driven, scalable, and reliable communication solutions engineered to improving efficiency, safety, and productivity in the mining, petrochemical and oil and gas industries in Southern Africa for the past 11 years. Ya Batho maintains a... →

Current prevention unable to mitigate explosions

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 13th March 2020 Explosion, fire and dust suppression system original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Explospot Systems MD Arend Späth warns that current prevention used in underground coal mines is not enough to mitigate all methane and gas explosions or related fires during mining operations. He adds that methane... →

RANGE OF APPLICATION Explospot Automatic Fire and Explosion Suppression System have been used in different applications including, commercial and military vehicles, as well as gas pipeline protection

Safety paramount at gold mine

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 13th March 2020 Gold mining company Harmony’s portfolio of operations is “a tribute to its commitment to complex underground mining in South Africa” and the most stringent of safety measures are required to offset the risks that accompany this complexity, the company stated in its safety fact sheet, that was... →

SAFETY FIRST Harmony is guided by principles that ensure that safety is built into everything that it does

Sintech

13th March 2020 Since 1984, Sintech has supplied the South African market with clutches, brakes and engineering solutions for a range of applications in mining and mining-related industries. PT Tech’s A+ hydraulic brake outperforms the competition →

Medical testing for cannabis in mining sector

13th March 2020 Since the Constitutional Court’s 2018 cannabis judgment, it has become widely known that adults may, privately, use, possess and cultivate cannabis in South Africa. The judgment raises critical questions around medical testing in the workplace, especially at mines – whether openpit or... →

LIZLE LOUW The judgment raises critical questions around medical testing in the workplace, especially at mines

Blast software boosts productivity, reduces costs

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 13th March 2020 Commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems manufacturer Orica launched its SHOTPlus Underground solution, two months ago. SHOTPlus Underground is the company’s latest blast design and modelling software which specifically targets “advanced underground blast design” and “complex... →

NEW AND IMPROVED The new set of features and tools also allows for easy adjustment of blast designs and rapid comparison of different scenarios

Booyco Electronics

24th January 2020 Understanding evolving customer needs as well as the legislative compliance requirements of differing sectors ideally positions Booyco Electronics to offer application-specific and safety-related solutions to customers across a range of industries. Booyco’s safety products portfolio has grown... →

Payload management systems help optimise mining operations

29th March 2019 Advanced mining technology supplier Ramjack Technology Solutions suggests that implementing payload management systems at the mine face can optimise a mine’s overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). A notable strategy for improvement in underground mining is to retrofit all load-haul-dump units... →

JACK OF ALL TRADES Ramjack Technology Solutions offers accountability and traceable guarantees with its systems

New underground loader sets productive pace

29th March 2019 Capital equipment giant Caterpillar’s Cat R1700 underground mining loader, with its completely new design, has proven its high productivity and efficiency in extended field trials and in production studies. The R1700 carries a size-class-leading payload of 15 t (16.5 tons), 20% more than its... →

LIKE A MEERKAT The Cat R1700 is an efficient and productive underground loader

Programming interface for interoperability to be launched

29th March 2019 Global engineering company Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology will develop an interoperable platform for its AutoMine automation system for underground loaders and trucks. The development of the platform for AutoMine was proposed at #DisruptMining, a presentation on March 3 during the Prospectors... →

ALL UNDER CONTROL The AutoMine Access application programming interface will provide standard, pre-defined interfaces for connecting third party loaders and trucks for control by Sandvik’s AutoMine system

Platinum mine rope attachments’ installation completed

By: Paige Müller 30th March 2018 The installation of winding rope attachments for man-and-materials shaft winders at a platinum mine on the western limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, in Limpopo, has recently been completed, says mining equipment supplier Becker Mining South Africa (SA) GM Tom Searle. Becker Mining SA was... →

WINDING ROPE ATTACHMENTS All Becker Mining rope attachments are designed to conform to statutory requirements

Legislative amendments call for suitable PDS solutions

By: Paige Müller 30th March 2018 Educating the local mining industry on the correct application of and legislative requirements regarding pedestrian detection system (PDS) solutions is a priority, given the pending implementation of stricter safety regulations, says mine safety equipment supplier Booyco Electronics. Chapter 8 of... →

PROXIMITY DETECTION Moving machinery incidents were the cause of 12 deaths in 2017 and to date three this year

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Zealous attention must be given to skills development

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