Bulk Handling Review Now - Dev 2017

www.bulkhandlingreview.com Volume 22 No 6 | November/December 2017

23-page dust control feature

Combatting resurgent Black Lung

Selecting the right nozzle

Smart sensing technologies

Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC)

Metso buys Wearx

and your partner in dust control

WHICH OF THE TOP 4 ELBOW PROBLEMS DO YOU NEED TO SOLVE IN YOUR PNEUMATIC CONVEYING SYSTEM?

PROBLEM

1

Wear and failure when conveying abrasives such as sand, glass, alumina or mineral filled plastic pellets incur never-ending costs of replacement elbows, labour and downtime.

CAUSE

Abrasives hit the outside radius of conventional impact elbows at high speed, continually wearing through the elbow wall.

2

3

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when conveying pelletised resins and compounds causes downstream quality problems.

such as pet food, coffee beans or grains, decrease product quality, consistency and salability while increasing waste.

when conveying sugar, rubber pellets, hot melt adhesives, clay and other pressureand heat-sensitive materials prone to build-up.

Pellets skidding and/or bouncing against the outside radius of sweep elbows create friction and heat, melting pellet surfaces, forming streamers.

Friable materials hit the outside radius of conventional impact elbows at high speed, degrading the material and generating fines.

Materials skidding against the outside radius of conventional elbows create friction and heat, causing product build-up.

Formation of streamers, angel hair and snake skins

Breakage and dusting of fragile materials

Plugging and build-up

SOLUTION Smart Elbow® Deflection Elbow

from HammerTek® ends problems by eliminating impact and frictional heat Unlike conventional “impact” elbows and “plugged-tee” elbows that rely on material impact to change direction, HammerTek’s Smart Elbow® design employs a spherical chamber that protrudes partially beyond the desired 90º or 45º pathway, causing a ball of material suspended in air to rotate.

Since the ball of material rotates in the same direction as the airstream that powers it, incoming material is cushioned by the ball’s rotation, and is gently deflected around the bend.

By preventing impact with the elbow wall, HammerTek’s Smart Elbow® deflection elbow virtually eliminates costly elbow wear, material degradation, melting and plugging.

Free, No-Risk Trial Offer See how Smart Elbow® deflection elbows eliminate conventional and plugged-tee impact elbow problems—at no cost or obligation.

45° and 90° elbows available in cast iron, carbon steel, aluminium, stainless steel and specialised alloys with flanges and socket-weld ends in tube, schedule 10 pipe and schedule 80 pipe sizes in diameters from 32 mm (1.25 inches) to 457 mm (18 inches).

FF-0820

+61 (7) 3360 8580 • sales@HammerTek.com.au www.HammerTek.com.au

CONTENTS

www.bulkhandling.com.au

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EDITOR Charles Macdonald Tel: 02 9994 8086 Email: charles.macdonald@mohimedia.com

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HEAD OF SALES Peter Delbridge Level 14, 309 Kent St, Sydney, NSW 2000 Tel: 02 9994 8086 Mob: 0400 700 765 Email: Peter.Delbridge@MohiMedia.com PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER Magazines byDesign - Linda Gunek Tel: +61 2 8883 5890 Email: production@bydesigngraphics.com.au

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

6

Metso acquires Wearx

42 Vortex solution for sand producer’s loading spout problems

8

Fenner Dunlop in 19-day conveyor belt repair

44 Munson rotary batch mixer for abrasives

10 Technical paper: Improving availability of conveyors with smart sensing technologies – Saiied M Aminossadati, Gary James et al

45 Luehr Filter’s reverse air solution for Roy Hill

PLEASE SEND ADVERTISING MATERIAL TO

17 United Forklift’s Haulotte telescopic boom

50 Tim Graham on his Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC)

Ronda McCallum Email: ronda.mccallum@mohimedia.com Tel: +61 2 9994 8086

18 Archimedes’ waste transfer system ups abattoir capacity

55 Enerpac synchronous lifting system for massive shovel lift

19 New products: Enerpac, Hercules Engineering, Treothem

56 Swap to HammerTek elbow prevents blowouts at US plant

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Email: subscriptions@mohimedia.com

DUST CONTROL FEATURE

58 Flexicon bulk bag discharging and pneumatics boost plant productivity

22 BULKtalk: a new, regular column from Steve Davies of Rio Tinto; part 1 – better dust management

60 Statistics show resource exports to boom

26 Jon Roberts and Peter Wypych on nozzle selection

61 Rabobank: Dry winter and frost decimate NSW/QLD wheat crop

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Michael Mohi Email: michael.mohi@mohimedia.com

20 South Africa’s Beltcon conference pulled a big growd

28 Spraying Systems combats resurgent Black Lung 30 Ask an engineer: in part 2, Corin Holmes of Jenike & Johanson looks at the link between dust generation and bulk solids system design 32 Red River’s Thalanga using Seaco containers for concentrates

AUSTRALIAN BULK HANDLING REVIEW (ABHR) is

34 Enviromist dust suppression system for NSS Townsville Rotabox operations

46 Contracts and new products for Thyssenkrupp

62 News: Saputo buys Murray Goulurn; Nufarm invests in Europe; Cement Australia’s big fine; electric cars and the metals that will benefit 67 Metso helps Collahuasi improve the availability of its VPA filter by 15%

36 RST’s dust binder and road stabiliser

68 Vortex pivoting chute diverter 2016 ‘breakthrough product of year’

PO Box 455

36 Dusan Illic on current aspects of dust research

69 Concetti supplies packing line to seed supplier

Rozelle, NSW 2039

38 Camfil’s 10 ways to keep your dust collector operating safely

71 Bonfiglioli touts high power, low speed combos

40 Flexicon bag dump station

73 Gordyn & Palmer, NHP and Rockwell provide electricals for Barro’s Mountain View Quarries

published 7 times a year by Mohi Media Pty Ltd ACN: 611591210 ABN: 436111591210

41 Kinder helps quarries with dust problems ISSN 1444-6308 Circulaton: 5,263 (audit period ending September 2015) Member Circulation Audit Bureau (Australia)

Copyright © 2017 Mohi Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the editorial or pictorial content by any manner without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

While contributed articles to ABHR are welcome, return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings and photographs if they are to be returned and no responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited materials. All rights in letters submitted will be treated as unconditionally assigned for the publication.

All products listed in this magazine are subject to manufacturer’s change without notice and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes.

The publisher’s advertising terms and conditions are set out in the current Advertising Rate Card, which is available to read before placing any advertisements.

COVER STORY Spraying Systems combats resurgent Black Lung www.bulkhandlingreview.com

Black Lung disease, caused by the inhalation into the lungs of tiny coal particles, was thought to have been eradicated in Australia in the 1980s.

Volume 22 No 6 | November/December 2017

However, with around 25 new cases diagnosed since 2005, and a government report lamenting “a catastrophic failure of the regulatory system”, the condition is priority number one for Australia’s coal mines.

23-page dust control feature

Combatting resurgent Black Lung

Selecting the right nozzle

Smart sensing technologies

Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC)

Metso buys WearX

Spraying Systems’ Graham Roberts is providing mines with expert advice on dust prevention, suppression and nozzle selection.

In conversation with ABHR, Roberts outlines the key issues, and explains the importance of matching water droplet size to dust particles. and your partner in dust control

For the full story, see page 28.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

3

EDITORIAL

Australia’s big Black Lung fail Up until 2015 Australia’s coal industry operated in a smug bubble of perceived Black Lung superiority.

While the ugly lung disease, caused by breathing in tiny coal dust particles, killed tens if not hundreds of thousands miners annually in countries like China and India, Australia

By Charles Macdonald hadn’t recorded a single case since the Editor – ABHR 1980s. Not one.

Researchers and experts from the US’s main regulatory agency, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, were regular visitors to the country trying to find out exactly what the Aussies were doing that they weren’t. Sure, coal properties and a larger domestic coal industry might partly explain the regular toll of US Black Lung fatalities, but why were there none in Australia?

Of course, the truth is that Australia wasn’t and isn’t inherently superior to its coal mining peers in dust management and Black Lung prevention. The uncovering of cases in 2015 revealed what an authoritative Queensland Government report summarised as “a catastrophic failure of the regulatory system”. Around 25 cases have surfaced since 2015; many more are likely.

In the aftermath of the bursting of Australia’s bubble of Black Lung impregnability, the exact shape of health and regulatory reforms is still to be established. In the interim, mines are stepping up their games on dust prevention and suppression.

This edition looks at what some companies are doing to help them. ABHR spoke to Spraying Systems’ Graham Roberts, on page

World Leaders in Bulk Materials Handling with over 40 years of experience in Research and Consulting We are experienced and offer assistance in everything that is BULK SOLIDS, including: • Testing of Bulk Materials and Bulk Materials Handling Equipment • Consulting Services for Storage, Flow and Handling • Conceptual Design of storage and Handling Systems

For more information, visit www.bulksolids.com.au or call +61 2 4033 9055

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2017

28, who explains some of the finer points of nozzle selection and the importance of matching water droplet size to dust particles.

In a related but different area, EnviroMist worked with Northern Stevedoring Services on a misting system to be used when loading ships with mineral concentrates at the Port of Townsville. For more details, see page 34.

Glacial change in bulk hauling technologies Teleport some miners from 100 years ago to the Pilbara today and they’d be amazed by some of the new technologies. Their minds would be blown by smart phones, tablets and Silicon Valley’s various outpourings.

But they’d also be re-assured. Belt conveyors, although larger and faster, would be comfortingly familiar. Heavy haul rail, ditto.

Impeding major change in bulk material movement technologies has been miners' cautious approach to innovation; “being first to be second” has been their mantra.

Now, though, change is afoot. Imaginative researchers and engineering entrepreneurs are envisioning all manner of belt conveyor/rail hybrids.

In this edition on page 50, Tim Graham outlines his Autonomous Rail Conveyor, a scalable and flexible batch system. In a forthcoming issue, ABHR will look at Craig Wheeler’s Rail Conveyor.

In the same vein as these technologies is Mineral Resources’ Bulk Ore Transportation System. BOTS looks like a train but with an elevated below-rail structure promises far skinnier capital costs.

And in a re-fashioning of the belt conveyor, engineering guru Gary James has his Down Under Belt Conveyor which offers low energy and high capacities.

ether g o T s n o ti lu o S g in c Pie

For More Information Visit

www.kockumsbulk.com.au Call 03 9457 8200 to speak to your local representative

NEWS

The Wearx foundry at Ballina in NSW.

Gary Newman of Wearx.

Metso acquires Wearx Ross Wotherspoon of Metso.

On the 1st of November, Wearx and the Metso Corporation finalised an agreement that will bring the two companies together, creating, they believe, a stronger competitor in the fields of mineral processing and materials transfer.

W

earx is a privately-owned wear solutions provider with a range of its own products. The company’s wear protection products include wear liners, rubber and ceramic lining, skirting, chutes and bulk material handling equipment. Services include: design, engineering, site services and project management.

In early November, Wearx and Metso top brass assembled at the former’s head office at Thornton, 25kms north of Newcastle, to address staff.

Commenting on the reasoning behind the deal, Wearx CEO, Gary Newman said, “Over the last few years, we have worked hard to develop Wearx into an agile service provider that delivers high value solutions to our customers.

“Our board and shareholders knew that at some stage we would need the backing of a much bigger company to unlock our full potential. With the funding of the next phase of our company’s growth in mind, we decided that a full trade sale to a large, likeminded company was the best way to continue the evolution of our business.

“There were several interested parties, but when it came down to making our decision as to which company we wanted to move forward with, our key considerations were: cultural fit and clear synergies between the two companies. I’m very pleased to say that we found an ideal fit in Metso.”

Metso’s senior vice president for the Australian market areas – Ross Wotherspoon said that there is an excellent cultural fit between the two companies.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

“From our very first meetings with Wearx executives, I was impressed by their great culture which is very similar to ours.

“This move is part of Metso’s growth strategy, which includes both organic growth, as well as growth through acquisition. Over the last seven years we have evolved the business through several powerful initiatives that have helped to improve service levels.

“We have aggressively expanded our services footprint and committed to regularly measure and actively improve the satisfaction of both our customers and staff. In parallel to these initiatives, we have developed an acquisition strategy designed to broaden our offering and bring even more value to our customers.

“As for synergies, combining the strengths of our companies and knowledge of our people will allow us to bring even more value to our clients in the mineral processing and material transfer market sectors.

“We want to make sure that the transition goes smoothly, especially for staff and customers. The retention of Wearx’s agility and entrepreneurial spirit is a fundamental success factor.”

The two companies have assembled a dedicated integration team with six months of intense work ahead.

Contact Martin Prestage, VP service sales, Australian market areas, Metso Australia, tel. 08 9420 5505, email - martin.prestage@metso.com

REMA TIP TOP Conveyor Solutions Australia

CONVEYORS

Fenner Dunlop’s repair and replacement plan took only 19 days compared to its competitor’s which was, at best, 45 days.

19 days for belt repair and replacement A Bowen Basin coal miner, facing an extended shutdown after damage to a conveyor belt, was back into production only 19 days later thanks to a repair and replacement by Fenner Dunlop.

A

t the miner’s underground operation in the Bowen Basin, a wear plate from a chute dislodged and jammed, causing a catastrophic longitudinal tear in the ST3500 drift belt, which carried up to 6,000tph. An initial assessment put the tear at around 800 metres.

Within minutes of the tear the site’s regular belt supplier was contacted. The quoted repair time was 45 to 60 days, depending on raw material availability. A call was then made to the Fenner Dunlop office in Mackay – a call that initiated a chain of events that saw the site back up and running in 19 days.

Within twelve hours of that call one of the company’s specialist belt technicians was on site to fully assess the damage and discuss possible repair and replacement options.

The tear was established at 1147 metres – almost half the total belt length – and the mine was offered two options: repair the tear, which would mean operating the belt at reduced capacity and ultimately a belt change-out; or clip the belt every 9-10 metres, run it to clear the coal and change-out the damaged section with new steel cord belt.

Based on Fenner Dunlop’s ability to supply replacement belt on a short lead time and quickly mobilise a team to complete the change-out, the second option was decided on. And with that decision made, an emergency response program went into action.

A team was sent from the Mackay branch to install the 400 metres of emergency belt held on site. A slot was created at the

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

company’s Kwinana manufacturing facility to produce the 1150 metres of new belt − to be supplied in four rolls − needed to complete the job. Concurrently, suitable custom splice kits were manufactured at the company’s Footscray (Vic) plant and despatched to site.

To overcome the possibility of the four rolls of new belt arriving on site together a staggered delivery schedule was implemented. Each roll was despatched on its 4,500km journey from Kwinana to the Bowen Basin immediately after final quality inspection and would be spliced on site while the next roll was in transit – a delivery schedule that ensured no bottlenecks and the shortest possible delay before the belt was operational.

Nineteen days after the torn drift belt stalled production, the mine was fully operational.

“Reports from the mine tell of a smooth job and seamless integration of the new belt which (as ABHR went to press) had been running for around eight weeks with no quality, tracking or splicing issues − and is apparently performing significantly better than the original belt,” explained Brett McMillan, Mackay branch manager, Fenner Dunlop Australia.

“As to the cost of the job, when offset against the productivity losses from a potential 45-day repair, the decision proved a profitable investment.”

Contact: brett.mcmillan@fennerdunlop.com.au

ContiTech is your conveyor solutions provider Choosing the best conveyor belt for your operation is vital for maximising productivity and minimising cost. There is only one rubber manufacturer founded in Germany in 1871 which today has combined sales of $8 billion. Only one that has over 41,000 employees in 150 locations in 31 countries. Only one who provides market-leading Technical and Onsite 14658 A4

Services for all makes and types of conveying systems.

And only one who has more repeat business customers than any of its competitors. Make ContiTech Australia Pty Ltd www.contitech.net.au +61 3 9721 0600 Melbourne VIC +61 8 6240 3502 Perth WA +61 8 8 91860500 Karratha WA +61 7 48419800 Mackay QLD +61 2 8839 9600 Parramatta, NSW +61 2 4966 3493 Beresfield NSW

sense? Then talk to ContiTech before you make your next conveyor decision. And ensure it will be one of the best you’ll ever make.

SMART SENSING

Improving availability and maintenance of conveyor belt systems using smart sensing technologies Moe Amanzadeh,

Martin VaeĂ&#x;en,

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia

RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Saiied M. Aminossadati

Gary L. James,

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia

School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Australia

Abstract The mining industry is still a major part of today’s growing economy despite recent fluctuations in commodity prices, stricter environmental regulations and more complex and remote mineral deposits. The mining companies, while being mindful of these challenges, need to embrace advanced technologies to improve their operations, productivity and safety. Accurate information about condition of assets can assist downstream processes to maximise output by optimising their maintenance strategy.

Smart sensing technologies can provide real-time information from integrity of physical assets such as underground tunnels, electrical or mechanical equipment. The main challenge is that adding additional monitoring systems may potentially increase the maintenance issues, complexity and cost. It must, however, be noted that incorporating new sensing technologies is essential to maintain efficient and safe operation of large conveyor systems with thousands of bearings. Sensing systems are now robust, being proven to be more reliable and can be used on large in-plant and long overland systems. The advanced sensing and automation technologies have proven to maximise asset availability and increase uptime and capacity.

1. Introduction Conveyor Belt System (CBS) is the most common way for continuous bulk material handling. The mining industry largely relies on CBS ranging from hundreds of metres to tens of kilometres in length. CBSs are used to move materials such as raw iron ore, coal or overburden in surface, underground, processing plants and ports. CBSs require the advancement of infrastructure and a large capital investment; it is still, however, the

Figure 1: A conventional troughed conveyor belt system.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

most economical transport method over the life of most mining operations. There have been various designs of CBS. The most common type of conveyor system is the conventional CBS, consisting of idlers (a troughed set of flat rollers) and a belt running on top of them. Multiple pulleys are used for transmitting the mechanical power and adjusting tension on the belt, which carries the materials (Figure 1).

There are over 2,000 rollers per kilometre in common designs of CBS in the mining industry. The unexpected breakdown of a single roller can lead to belt damage and dislodgment of materials. This poses a risk of downtime, can damage the surrounding infrastructure and poses a hazard to the operators.

The common inspection of idlers is very out-dated; operators need to manually check every roller for several kilometres along the conveyor belt. This is a time intensive operation requiring experienced operators while still being highly ineffective. Ineffective maintenance forms one third of the maintenance cost, which underlines the upside potential and necessity of improving conveyor belt maintenance strategies by considering new sensing technologies. Plants are now run from remote operating centres that are thousands of kilometres away. There is pressure to reduce manning on site to reduce costs and reduce human exposure to the environment and equipment.

2. Conveyor failure and downtime The unplanned downtimes due to several failure sources for a conventional CBS are presented in Figure 2. The contribution of each failure source is a function of the operational condition and design of each CBS. For example, a CBS which is operating close to its capacity may have high electrical downtime due to issues

SMART SENSING

Figure 2: Sources of unplanned downtime for a conveyor belt system [1].

such as overheating. Downtime may be caused by mine planning, maintenance or system design. The mechanical failures such as failing rollers will impact the entire system flow. With predictive maintenance in place, these defects can be detected before system flow loss.

There are many operations that cannot run more than an hour without an idler failure, belt drift, blocked chute and torn belt.

The isolation that follows site procedures can last hours. There is always the push to minimise costs by having a lean workforce or by contracting out the work to be done on a long time span cycle.

Workers get injured by interacting with the conveyor, in particular when there is a pressure to get the conveyor operating again.

The following data has been quoted from the noted references and individual operations may have different figures. However, the outcome will be similar. The cost of downtime and the damage from idler failure is significant and can have catastrophic outcomes for workers and mine operations. It is evident that the majority of mechanical failures are caused by carry and return idlers.

The frequency of a failure does not directly relate to its contribution to the downtime of whole conveyor belt system. For example, belt damage may be a small portion of the total mechanical failure; however, it is commonly associated with belt dislodgment leading to several days unplanned downtime.

The two biggest contributors to belt damage are sharp materials hitting the belt in chutes and malfunctioned rollers. Roller bearings fail due to inadequate lubrication, fatigue, contamination and other causes such as abrasive wear. The stages of an idler failure, due to malfunctioned rollers, include the change of physical condition, excessive friction followed by vibration, extreme noise, noticeable heat, visible smoke and finally the idler breakdown (Figure 3).

In recent decades, a paradigm change has happened at many operations, moving away from the failure strategy towards the proactive strategy taking into account condition monitoring and scheduled repairs [3]. It is, however, noteworthy that when it comes to conveyor belt systems, and specifically idler monitoring, the majority of industrial operations are still relying on simple monitoring techniques based on outdated breakdown

Figure 3: Idler failure modes [2].

Figure 4: Effect of equipment deterioration on cost and downtime [5].

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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SMART SENSING

maintenance plans. A very common idler monitoring technique involves operators walking along a running conveyor using their own visual and acoustic perception to identify rollers, which in most cases have already failed. This technique partly works because for a conventional conveyor belt system, the belt continues to operate despite suffering from a damaged idler.

For high speed or heavily loaded conveyors, the shell of idlers easily wears off and develops sharp edges that can damage the belt and cause catastrophic failure. For cable belt conveyors, the problem is more drastic since the driving cables are mainly guided by pulleys and a single failed pulley can cause a belt dislodgement [4].

Figure 4 shows the effects of various equipment deterioration on cost and downtime of conveyor belt systems. It is evident that major problems such as heat, looseness and vibration cause minimum cost and downtime; however, the cost and downtime rapidly increase when the major issues become stoppage, belt dislodgement and fire.

It has been reported that the majority of mining accidents are caused by works conducted around conveyor belts (Figure 5).

Conveyor belt systems demonstrate a constant threat to safety of operations and workers due to the high number of continuously rotating parts, high rate of hauled materials and high number of pinch points between rotating conveyor components and the rubber belt. It has been observed that workers can take short cuts and circumvent safety systems and procedures, when working under pressure or fatigue. They are also exposed to slips, trips and falls when interacting with the conveyor.

Figure 5: Severe mobile and stationary machine-related accidents (2000-2007) [6].

3. Conveyor monitoring systems It is time for conveyor operators to embrace advanced sensing technologies and smart monitoring systems to identify the early signs of malfunctioned idlers and to develop proactive maintenance strategies in order to prevent costly and catastrophic conveyor failures. In addition, with the prevention of idler failures, a more efficient repair strategy can be developed resulting in minimised conveyor belt downtime saving millions of dollars for the industry.

Malfunctioned idlers can be detected mainly by monitoring vibration, acoustic and temperature behaviour of the bearings.

Low intensity vibration and noise are normally generated by roller bearings when they are radially loaded. However, excessive vibration and noise pulses are generated due to the interaction of local defects on an element with the neighbouring element. In addition, bearing overheating occurs due to mechanical failure like frictional rubbing of internal parts or when the belt continues to run over a jammed idler.

Monitoring systems that are commercially available or have been tested, are mainly based on vibration, noise and temperature monitoring techniques. These systems have been in use for

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

electric cable monitoring, fire detection, oil well testing etc. The use of commercial smart monitoring systems on conveyors is in its infancy. Some suppliers have already introduced smart rollers equipped with electronic sensors. Electrical, wireless and fibre-optic sensors are also commercially available and have been tested for conveyor conditional monitoring. Examples of these sensors are presented in the following sections.

Figure 6: Schematic diagram of a mesh sensor system [7] .

I. Mesh vibration sensors The mesh vibration monitoring system consists of a series of vibration sensors, the data acquisition system and the monitoring software interface (Figure 6). The vibration sensors are attached to each idler frame of the conveyor and communicate with the data acquisition system via a wireless mesh network. The system analyses the vibration measurements to identify and classify the faulty rollers. This information can then be used by the maintenance team to prioritise which idler needs maintenance or requires immediate inspection. Intium Solutions [7] has patented this roller condition monitoring concept. It is stated that one collector is able to receive data from up to 500 sensors or approximately one kilometre of conveyor belt depending on the idler set spacing.

II. In-belt RFID sensing plugs In-belt Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) monitoring system is used to examine the condition of the rollers in real time (Figure 7). The sensors are mechanically embedded into the belt.

They measure the vibration, pressure and temperature of the rollers as they pass over each idler. The system identifies the location of different idlers based on the time period measured since the sensor passed a reference location (collector node). When the sensors reach the communication range of a collector node,

Figure 7: In-belt RFID sensor concept solution.

SMART SENSING

millions of items simultaneously [9]. The integrated sensor could recharge itself by harvesting the mechanical energy of the rotating idler. It is equipped with a sound, temperature, rotation and vibration sensor.

The RFID chip facilitates the communication between the idlers and the communication network. By not only focusing on one physical characteristic of the roller condition, the integrated sensors provide very detailed information for monitoring. The heat sensors can prevent belt fires due to the early detection of overheated rollers, while the acoustic and vibration sensors identify bearing failures and shell collapses. The integrated sensor solution called Smart-Idler™ developed by Vayeron [10] facilitates real time measurement of bearing conditions by inserting the Smart-Idler into the rollers during the manufacturing process.

the collected information is transmitted to a monitoring system [8]. Honeywell International Inc. is currently developing an inbelt sensor plug idler monitoring solution with the goal to implement it in its Belt Asset Inspection System (BeltAIS). The BeltAIS system is an approach to holistically monitor the conveyor belt condition including the belt and other components.

III. Integrated in-roller sensors Another automated idler condition monitoring solution is to integrate sensors into every roller of idlers (Figure 8). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can be used to individually identify every roller; the RFID technology is capable of identifying

IV. Fibre-optic sensors Fibre-optic based sensors have been tested for temperature and acoustic monitoring of idlers (Figure 9). Aminossadati and Yang [11] investigated the use of a fibre-optic based Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system to monitor the temperature of faulty idlers that generate heat. The aim of the project was to examine various installation options for the fibre-optic cable along the conveyor belt in order to identify the most effective design and demonstrate the technology on a surface conveyor belt. The system successfully identified the malfunctioned idlers when the bearings reached a temperature of 100°C. The main challenge was the relatively complex installation of the cables on the frame of the idlers.

Figure 8: Schematic diagram of the integrated sensor concept design.

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13

SMART SENSING

V. Comparison study Table 1 presents a comparison study between the above-mentioned conveyor monitoring systems (concept solutions) with regard to their performance, cost and development factors. The TRL classification is based on the U.S. Department of Defence definitions [15].

4. Conveyor maintenance practices In this section, the conveyor belt maintenance practices of four mining operations are examined to identify the diversified needs for an automated idler monitoring system. These mining operations are: a surface lignite mine, a surface coal mine, an underground gold mine, and a coal handling facility.

Figure 9: Schematic diagram of fibre-optic conveyor monitoring system

Wilson et al [12] tested a fibre-optic based Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system to monitor the acoustic signatures of faulty idlers. The aim was to examine and demonstrate that conveyor condition monitoring can be achieved by means of acoustic distributed sensing using a single fibre optic cable. The fibreoptic cable is able to transmit large quantities of information while being non-electrical and intrinsically safe.

DAS is a passive fibre optic sensing technology with the ability to detect acoustic signals along a fibre with a precise spatial resolution. The concept is that a laser pulse is induced into the optical fibre, and acoustic vibrations caused by rotating idlers generate minor refractive changes along the fibre that causes the light to backscatter. The return time of the backscattered light can then be correlated to the vibration source. More detailed information like phase and frequency of the signal and a tighter resolution can be obtained by continuously pulsing the laser through the fibre [13].

Recently, James [14] invented a condition monitoring sensor system BRGsensory for belt conveyor idler rolls. It consists of a looped portion of the fibre-optic cable in the hollow shaft of the rollers. Once the loop of cable is pulled through the hollow shaft, the end of the loop is expanded to prevent loss of signal. This provides close contact with each bearing, while allowing the rollers to be replaced without connectors in the cable. Both DTS and DAS can be used simultaneously.

I. Surface Lignite Mine This mine is located in western Germany. Lignite is extracted by bucket wheel excavators, which have a capacity of up to 240,000 tonnes per day. The material flow is conducted solely by conveyor belt hauling; the total length of all conveyors adds up to 244 km.

Conveyor monitoring is conducted by operators driving along the conveyor belts. Major faults like abrasive outer shell wear are treated immediately by disconnecting the whole idler set from the belt. Minor faults are exchanged during the next shutdown and the disconnected idler sets are put back in place.

In total, the conveyor belt system consists of 630,000 rollers, of which 60,000 get replaced each year. The production loss due to roller failure is negligible because of the disconnection function; therefore, there are currently no ambitions to automate the idler monitoring.

II. Surface Coal Mine This surface coal mine is located in central Queensland. The mine is using draglines and shovels to extract coal, and trucks to transport the material to four different dump stations.

From the dump stations, coal gets transported via a conveyor belt network to the washing plant. The total conveyor belt length is approximately 60 km. 24 km of the conveyor is formed by two

Table 1: Assessment of concept solutions.

Mesh vibration sensors

In belt RFID sensing plugs

Integrated in roller sensors

Fibre-optic sensors

Installation

Quick, conveyor belt can continue running while sensors are mounted on idler frames

Comprehensive, conveyor needs to stop to integrate sensors into the belt

Comprehensive installation, every idler has to be replaced over time

Fast

Investment costs

high (100k AUD for 300m)

No information

No information, expected to be high, since every idler needs replacement

Expected to be low, only fibre optic cable (2.5$/m) and a receiver unit is needed.

Maintenance

Easy, faulty devices can be exchanged quickly

Complex, exchange of faulty plugs forces belt to shut down and sensor exposed to harsh environment

Average, faulty sensors can be replaced in scheduled downtime

Low

Accuracy

High, sensor capable of monitoring every roll on an idler stand

No information

Very high, every idler individually monitored

As the systems look at trends, the required accuracy is less important. When DAS and DTS are combined the failure detection is improved.

Network requirements

High

No information

High

No wireless network required

TRL

8; System test, launch and operations

4; Technology development

8; System test, launch and operation

3; Research to prove feasibility

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

SMART SENSING

cable belt conveyors, which are using pulleys instead of idlers.

Two operators regularly drive along the belts and note roller failures on paper sheets. The exchange of rollers is then conducted during scheduled maintenance.

In total, more than 50% of conveyor belt downtime is due to idler/pulley related failures. In particular, the cable belt conveyors are very susceptible to pulley failure, because they can trigger belt dislodgments which in the past caused major incidents of over 100 hours of downtime. For these reasons, the mine is very interested in automating its idler monitoring.

III. Underground Gold Mine This mine is located in New South Wales. The conveyor belt network consists of six connector and six main conveyors with a total length of 8 km.

Three operators are involved in conveyor belt maintenance and walk along the conveyor belt every day. Alongside human perception, thickness/thermal testing and ultrasonic transducer trainer (USTT) devices are used to monitor idler condition.

Easy to replace rollers can be exchanged within an hour. Based on the monitoring results, bulk roller replacement is conducted during the next scheduled shutdown. Roller failure is the most common failure mode; approximately 1,800 idler rolls are replaced per year, out of which 1,000 are preventative and 800 corrective.

It is estimated that per week, two hours of downtime are caused by unscheduled roller replacements adding up to a total of 130 hours per year. The loss of capacity related to one hour of downtime is 4,400 tonnes per hour. The loss of production per year due to idler failures is approximately 457,000 tonnes.

IV. Coal Handling Facility In this facility, ship loading capacity is 48,000 tonnes per day adding up to a total capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum.

In-load coal trains are accepted 24/7 with the exception of a three hour maintenance window in the morning and a two hour window in the afternoon. If there is a ship in, the conveyors on the out-load side have to run continuously until the ship is loaded.

Operators carry a temperature gun with them to measure the bearing heat of noisy rollers. Faulty rollers are usually exchanged in between trains and during the daily maintenance windows. Carry rollers might be replaced immediately depending on the severity of the damage. The most common failures are attributed to faulty idler rolls, but they are not causing a major part of unplanned downtime because the scheduled maintenance time is sufficient to exchange all flagged rollers.

The decision to implement an automated idler monitoring system would heavily depend on the investment costs. Due to the large maintenance windows, the maintenance superintendent does not see the justification to change the maintenance strategy. However, there is potential to install such a system in the area of the conveyor system that requires high utilisation, particularly for the conveyors feeding the coal vessels, which need to maintain a transport rate of 3000 tonnes per hour.

V. Assessment and feasibility Taking the case studies into account, it becomes clear that the potential gain of an automated monitoring system is different for every mine. Sites with large maintenance windows or with

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

15

SMART SENSING

efficient maintenance plans are able to nullify production outages due to faulty rollers. In these cases, the main justification for implementing a monitoring system lies more in reducing labour and increasing safety.

Mines with large conveyor belt networks exchange thousands of rollers per year. The use of an accurate idler monitoring system would ensure that only faulty rollers are exchanged and, hence, increase the average roller lifetime, reduce repair costs and enable a more efficient way of roller replacement. Power stations are fixed demand. They may have a set maintenance

Figure 10: Feasibility model of an idler roll monitoring system.

Figure 11: Development of idler maintenance.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

regime, with lots of redundancy and high spec costly standards/ components. They may also have a limited life, so capital expenditure could be restricted.

Ore mines have a drive to increase profit by increasing production, beyond nameplate, while minimising costs. Mines that are experiencing idler-related downtime would benefit the most from such a monitoring system. However, the conveyor belt network and mine design in general need to be considered, too. The surface coal mine, for example, is using a support conveyor as redundancy and a stockpile to compensate shutdowns of the conveyor belt system. Underground mines, in contrast, where the conveyor belt is usually the only connection element to the processing facilities, suffer severe production losses from every hour of downtime.

A model is developed to determine the feasibility of an automated idler monitoring system based on dominant factors (Figure 10). The fourth level shows the unrestricted key performance indicators (KPI) in purple, which can be used to evaluate the performance of a concept solution, and the restricted KPI’s in yellow. The two main factors are cost and productivity. Cost is subdivided into OPEX and CAPEX. To keep the investment profitable, it is important that besides the low equipment and licensing cost, the system can be implemented quickly without affecting production and is easy maintainable.

Productivity is defined by economic drivers, which are highly dependent on the accuracy of the monitoring system. For this reason, accuracy is the most important KPI. If a sensing technology is not capable of precisely predicting idler failure, it has no justification in the first place.

However, an increase in production is not only dependent on the accuracy of the monitoring system, but also has an effect on the general conveyor network design. If the conveyors are not required to run 24/7, which is usually the case for ports and smaller mine sites, or are specifically designed to minimise the effect of conveyor belt downtime by using e.g. redundancies, a higher availability will not increase the production rate drastically.

In summary, automated idler monitoring systems have a place in larger operations that want to increase production, maximise uptime, minimise down time and improve worker safety. By utilising automated idler monitoring and replacement, it is expected to experience a significant drop in conveyor maintenance (Figure 11).

SMART SENSING

5. Concluding comments Automation has the potential to revolutionise the way mines are monitored, planned and controlled. Conveyor belt maintenance, in particular, has the potential to benefit greatly from it, because it is still relying mostly on conventional inspection methods.

With regards to idler monitoring there are even concepts that plan to utilise robots to fully automate the replacement process; this technology would make it possible to perform change outs without even stopping the conveyor belt.

References [1] Johnson, G (2013) Asset Optimization Systems: 5 Lessons from 10 Years in Mining, 23rd World Mining Congress, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.

[2] Tchakoua P, Wamkeue R, Ouhrouche M, Slaoui-Hasnaoui F, Tameghe TA and Ekemb G (2014) Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring: State-of-the-Art Review, New Trends, and Future Challenges, Energies, 7(4) 2595-2630; doi:10.3390/en7042595

International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 18(1) 11-20.

[7] Intium Solutions (2015) Improve Safety, http://www.intiumsolutions.com/intium-rcm/improve-safety, Accessed 25/10/2017.

[8] Freeman VN (2010) Apparatus and method for in-belt conveyor idler condition monitoring, https://www.google.com/patents/US7673739 , Accessed 25/10/2017.

[9] Pang Y (2012) Smart Idlers: RFID in conveyor belt monitoring, Maxwell: Periodiek der Electrotechnische Vereeniging, 16 (1), uuid:12e19bcc-b087-4b62-8c37-5da9b14f27c7.

[10] Vayeron (2015) Smart Idler™ , http://www.vayeron.com.au, Accessed 25/10/2017.

[11] Aminossadati SM and Yang B (2012) Fibre-optic Conveyor Monitoring System, ACARP Report C21012.

[12] Wilson P, Prochon E, Vieira F, Brooks T, Giang L, Amanzadeh M, Adam S, Aminossadati SM (2016) Distributed Acoustic Conveyor Monitoring, ACARP Report C24014.

[3] von Petersdorff, H and Vlok PJ (2014) Prioritising maintenance improvement opportunities in Physical Asset Management, South African Journal of Industrial Engineering 25(3) 154-168.

[13] Cannon RT and Aminzadeh F (2013) Distributed Acoustic Sensing: State of the Art, SPE Digital Energy Conference, SPE163688-MS, https://doi.org/10.2118/163688-MS.

[4] Alspaugh MA (2004) Latest developments in belt conveyor technology, MINExp200, LasVegas, NV, USA.

[14] Gary J (2017) BRGsensory. A condition monitoring sensor and system, International and National Patent Collections, PCT/ AU2017/000038.

[5] Tomlingson PD (2007) Mine Maintenance Management Reader, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.

[6] Ruff T, Coleman P and Martini L (2011) Machine-related injuries in the US mining industry and priorities for safety research,

[15] United States Department of Defence (2011) Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA).

NEW PRODUCT

Telescopic boom can aid structures’ maintenance United Forklift and Access Solutions is introducing to Australasia its new Haulotte HT28 RTJ PRO Telescopic Boom which includes a range of safety and performance upgrades.

T

he new Haulotte HT28 RTJ PRO boom lift has a maximum outreach of nearly 24m, below ground reach of 3m and ground clearance of 48cm. It is compact, easily transported and offers rough terrain capabilities.

“The HT28 is robust, easy to maintain and suitable for all industries. The latest innovations will bring the productivity and reliability that the Haulotte brand is already known for globally,” said Andrew Macdonald, national product manager – access division, United Forklift and Access Solutions, which is the national distributor for Haulotte products in Australia.

“It is ideally suited to tasks requiring access equipment in industries such as bulk handling, building, construction and infrastructure, ship maintenance, forestry, mining and maintenance of large structures,” said Macdonald.

The new HT28 boom has an optional dual load capacity of 230-350kg. In the 350kg mode, the platform can accommodate up to 40% extra equipment weight. The unit also has an oscillating axle, 4 wheel steering, hydraulic differential wheel lock, high ground clearance, and gradeability up to 45%.

Haulotte HT28 RTJ PRO boom lift in action.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

17

NEWS

Waste transfer system ups abattoir capacity Archimedes Engineering has recently completed a new waste transfer system project for a south Queensland abattoir which has allowed the company to increase production to 120 head of beef cattle per hour.

The Archimedes Engineering designed and supplied waste transfer system at the south Queensland abattoir.

T

o boost its customer’s production, Archimedes says it had to design a heavy duty, robust system incorporating CIP selfcleaning, full access walkway, and standardised sizing for maintenance while incorporating unimpeded access for personnel and vehicles.

“One of the more challenging aspects of the project was the need to design and plan construction of the system so it linked into the existing, operating facility,” said Jay Baker, manager, Archimedes Engineering.

Archimedes completed a 3D scan of the existing facility and fully modelled it prior to the commencement of manufacture.

The modelling allowed the customer to review the project while ensuring no clashes with existing structures.

Key project specifications included: • 16 screw conveyors totalling a continuous 200m+ product transfer • Longest individual conveyor length was 24 metres • All sixteen conveyors were streamlined into two sizes and supplied with the same running gear for continuity of parts in compliance with AS4024 • Full AS1657 compliant walkway and access system to conveyors • Four week installation of system during production • Conveyors designed to be supported from existing building structure, out of the way of operation of forklifts and vehicle access areas.

• 17m overhead gantry frame at 7m RL to support conveyors and keep loading zones and thoroughfares clear • Designed and incorporated a triple shredder frame. Frame has three sub-frames on rollers for a quick changeover of shredders to eliminate maintenance downtime.

18

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

•

Full RPEQ approved structural steelwork manufactured and supplied.

Archimedes says it designed the conveyors with flared troughs, up to 600mm wide with extra height under covers, to allow for larger bones. The system was designed so that the product is shredded at the end of the process, meaning conveyors had to handle large leg bones, full rib cages and all trimmed product with the one system.

“This allowed an increase of production of up to 13 tonnes per hour of unbroken product,” explained Jay. “Not only did the conveyors need to accommodate larger material, they were also designed with a full clean in place spray system due to limited access for cleaning.

“This particular project presented many challenges, with 85% of the installation scheduled during production. We had to ensure there were no disruptions to production during this time.

The complete waste transfer system was designed and executed over a three-month timeframe, while simultaneously identifying future improvements to streamline the client’s product transfers in other areas.

“Successful planning and implementation of this waste transfer system has ensured an ongoing partnership between the client and Archimedes Engineering to continually improve an already superior facility.”

Archimedes Engineering is part of the Wulguru Group and is a specialist manufacturer and supplier of screw conveyors, bucket elevators and material handling equipment and systems.

Contact: www.archimedeseng.com

NEW PRODUCTS

Enerpac launches Summit heavy tonnage cylinders High-pressure hydraulics specialist, Enerpac has launched a new range of high-tonnage cylinders (HTC), called Summit, aimed at heavier lifts in harsher environments.

E

Some of Enerpac’s new Summit edition HTC models.

nerpac says its new Summit Edition HTC models – in standard capacities from 50-1,000 tons – “offer outstanding durability, longer service life, and greater side-load resistance for increased heavy lift capability in demanding industries requiring maximum durability, uptime, cost-efficiency and safety.�

Summit cylinders are applicable to demanding applications in bulk handling and mining.

The new HTC engineering incorporated into the cylinders includes advanced bearing and sealing technology to extend the boundaries for eccentric loads, while reducing cylinder maintenance intervals, says Enerpac national sales manager, Darryl Lange. “The effects of corrosion and scoring are no longer a concern with the Summit ranges because of the cylinders’ black nitrocarburization surface treatment for improved load and wear resistance, plus corrosion protection,� he said.

Modular cable guidance system for safe shore-side power supply

igus e-chain dispenser.

T

he supply of ships with shore-side power is steadily growing, especially driven by the reduction of emissions at ports. To enable this, Treotham offers a solution with the igus e-chain dispenser. Installed at defined mooring points, the compact cable guidance system enables the safe and environmentally friendly power supply of energy, thanks to an extendable energy chain and highly flexible cables.

The modular and compact system is fixed to mooring points in the harbour and has an extendable pivoting arm that bridges the distance to the ship. The arm movement and the extension of the energy chain of 10 metres and more are carried out by electric drives. These can be controlled via an operating panel on land or alternatively with a remote control on board. The three-dimensional triflex e-chain compensates for the cable-stressing motion.

Contact: www.treotham.com.au

An enviable reputation for integrity & reliability We specialise in the design and manufacture of Screw Conveyors, Bucket Elevators and Materials Handling Equipment Ĺž "G@HM ADKS ATBJDS DKDU@SNQR Ĺž "NMUDXNQ RXRSDLR Redbank Qld 4301 Ĺž ,HWDQR FQD@RD LHWDQR Ĺž ,@SDQH@K G@MCKHMF Ph 07 3818 6966 Ĺž ,@HMSDM@MBD (MRS@KK@SHNM Ĺž 2SNQ@FD AHMR sales@archimedes.net.au

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ARCHIMEDES

ENGINEERING

NEW PRODUCTS

Plastic bearings provide protection against movement A supplier of slip joints and bearings that combine low-friction thermoplastics with durable metal facings says the technology can provide bulk handing engineers with a costefficient alternative to more costly protection against expansion, contraction and changing loadings.

The Herculon ranges of joints and bearings are purpose-built to provide protection against movement created by changes in climate, thermal movement, shrinkage and changing uses of plant and buildings.

“Compared with more sophisticated and expensive heavy alternatives - such as pot bearings and roller bearings - our HLD bearings, for example, offer benefits such as lower initial cost, easier installation and no maintenance for periods of 30 years or more,” said David Booty, manager, Hercules Engineering (a division of Cut to Size Plastics).

Cut-To Size and Hercules Engineering says it can custom-formulate and custom-fabricate according to individual project needs. “This service has been employed on major mining and processing plants in recent times,” said Mr Booty.

Contact: davidb@cuttosize.com.au

Herculon HLD SGU slip joint can be used under pipes, ducts, conveyors and pressure vessels.

NEWS

South Africa’s Beltcon pulls in international audience The conveying and materials handling-focussed International Materials Handling Conference, better known as Beltcon, was held for the 19th time in August in Pretoria, South Africa.

T

he event, held every second year, has been running for 38 years. It attracts engineers, mining industry professionals and researchers from around the world.

Australian speakers at the August event included Craig Wheeler, describing his Rail Conveyor technology, Grant Porter of Hatch talking about overland conveyor asset delivery, and Paul Munzenberger.

According to one of the event’s organisers, Chris Townsend of consultancy Cost Time Resource, “Beltcon attracts top global engineers who present and share their knowledge with the industry. The event provides a platform

20

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

for local and international experts to present the latest research, current techniques and future trends in the materials handling industry.”

Besides the Australian contingent, speakers this year came from South Africa, India, America, Chile and Germany.

Topics covered included: technical evaluation of a coal silo failure; finite element analysis on troughed belt turnover and textile belt analysis; Aramid in conveyor belts; design considerations of a downhill conveyor system; dynamic and fatigue analysis on bulk materials handling equipment; the influence of steel

cord conveyor belt dimensions on indentation rolling resistance performance; and a case study on the development of input parameters for DEM simulation.

Beltcon is supported by South Africa’s Conveyor Manufacturers Association and is organised by Cost Time Resource.

Papers from previous Beltcon conferences are available on the event’s website.

Beltcon 20 will be held in 2019 with organisation of the event already underway.

Contact: www.Beltcon.org.za

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DUST CONTROL

In a new series of columns called BULKtalk, Steve Davis of Rio Tinto will consider some of the basics of bulk handling that sites often struggle with. In coming editions he will look at, amongst others, stockpiles, guards and standards, belt tracking issues, design processes, maintenance provisions, and wet ore challenges.

Some suggestions for better dust management In this article Steve Davis* considers some of the common mistakes and omissions around dust collection and ducting systems, and how operators and suppliers might do things better.

D

ust management is integral to the operation of bulk materials handling systems from pit to port, and from port to plant. Increasing concerns over the quality of our environment have focussed attention on managing dust. Many, if not all bulk materials, generate dust during handling and storage, starting from fines liberated during mining and through size reduction, and on to the finished product.

There are several generic dust management methods in use in our industry.

This article considers some experiences and observations relating to dust collection, as used on many transfer chutes, storage bins and silos, and during loading and unloading of trucks, trains and ships.

Our industry has the skills and technology to provide excellent dust collection systems but rarely ensures that this happens. All too often the systems are not designed for purpose, do not form an integrated system, and components are purchased on price, not suitability.

Dust collection systems When discussing dust collection systems, it is common to consider only the dust collector: wet scrubber, baghouse, rarely an electro-static precipitator or other method. Collectors are generally well serviced by many suppliers around the globe and are delivered against a basic user requirement.

There are many differences between suppliers in concepts and quality, technical support, controls and monitoring, facilities for ease of maintenance, safe access and the like. These considerations are not often specified in detail and price competition results in bare standards.

Generally, the warranty on these machines is a year or so for an installation that will be in service for perhaps 20 or more years. Performance warranties are generally for functional operation as

22

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

intended, and probably extend to some airflow, dust release into the atmosphere locally, and dust in the water stream for scrubbers. Performance is often measured only during commissioning.

The warranty covers only the standalone operation of the collector and not whether the dust collection system collects sufficient dust from dust sources.

The missing link in dust collection systems is the ducting that allows the dust collector to receive dust laden air, so that dust can be removed from source and collected. There are far fewer systems that receive much engineering input in this, a critical aspect of any dust collection system. There is often no warranty on this aspect of the system beyond material and labour, again for a year.

Integrated baghouse or wet scrubber dust collection systems in bulk materials handling, with warranty on operation of

the entire system, are extremely rare. In such systems warranties would extend to air extracted from source, operation of ducting, dust contained in the air (at source – not at the collector inlet), dust released to the environment, maintenance and failure, and more.

Common omissions with dust collectors In commissioning and testing the operation of dust collector systems, I observe that dust collectors which are connected to poor ductwork often work extremely well on the warranty for dust discharge.

If little dust gets to the collector, it is easy to have low emissions and meet warranty.

There is often a focus on bag or cartridge material, fan type, deflagration panels, and other specifics but rarely on the suitability of the collector for the entire duty. Considerations include:

DUST CONTROL

• Safe access for monitoring, inspection and maintenance. Provision of inspection panels.

• In many cases it is not possible to insert gravimetric dust sampling equipment, or even pitot tubes into the dust collector, without drilling holes or compromising readings.

• Material selection is often incorrect for the duty with early erosion or corrosion resulting.

• Instruments and controls do not provide sufficient information to monitor operation, or are local visual indicators only.

• Fan type and location: push through fans used in corrosive and erosive dust streams, fans that are connected to a dust collector and stack with short radius bends to reduce footprint.

• Location of the dust collector on site compromises access to reduce ductwork costs.

• Ancillary items, such as overflows, pumps, piping, classifiers, blast doors, hatch sealing, structure, bunding, sludge carriers, are inadequate.

• Poor component lubrication considerations.

• Internal and process design issues

in scrubbers, which lead to bypass and flooding.

These problems can be reduced by specifying needs better, and ensuring supply meets the requirement. There may be a cost penalty, but a much better collector results.

Common omissions with dust collection ducting • Duct design is completed without the benefit of the dust properties, particle size, moisture contents, dust lift-off velocities, densities, abrasivity, upper

and lower explosion limits, etc.

• Materials of construction are incorrect for the dust, leading to high rates of abrasion or corrosion.

• Duct design assumes diameters without any sensible flow calculations, long/small diameter duct runs that have high pressure drops and cause stalled flow, bends and transitions that do not consider flow impacts, poorly matched flange connections.

Components are often close together in series, for example a spigot immediately followed by a damper immediately followed by a bend such that

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

23

DUST CONTROL

•

• •

•

• •

• •

•

24

stable airflow does not develop and dust settles out.

Duct routing is to make support from existing structure possible, not for good airflow. Bend radii, transitions, connections, access, location are often designed for the benefit of low costs and ease of construction.

Unusual duct configurations, such as acute butt-welded duct connection.

Ducting design has many pressure loss adders from poorly matched flanges, dampers.

Flexible dust connection, which are necessary for moving collection hoods etc., but often collapse or are too long resulting in “S” bends and high losses.

Duct support is insufficient resulting in sagging ducts, no expansion provision.

Location and style of dust collection points on chutes and bins; often just a spigot in a convenient location, sometimes a plenum, but rarely located and balanced against where air needs to be collected to remove dust.

No consideration of “short-circuiting” airflow at the collection point.

Poor location and provision of maintenance access, lack of inspection and test ports, lack of internal wash down consideration.

Balancing dampers are incorrect style, providing high

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

localised pressure drop and flow interruptions, with inaccessible location and without a view to systematic balancing.

• No consideration of internal drainage, and the variation of dew point in different environments and in a low-pressure system. Ducts fill with water or collect dust.

These problems can also be overcome by ensuring they all form part of the system specification.

Common omissions with dust collection systems • Split ownership. For example, chutes and dust collection points in one package, ducting in another, dampers supplied from the valve package, dust collector is stand alone, structure, civil works, electrical and control by others.

• Explosion relief considerations are not included for dust, and blow back dampers and deflagration ports are not included. The possibility of a fire in the system is not considered.

• Attempting to design a single large dust collection system drawing from disparate parts of the operation, for example batch and continuous flow, with widely varying volume flow rates in different branches, instead of having discrete units that are better suited to the individual needs.

• Levels of dust around the site are not part of the system warranty.

• Not including the potential to limit dust in the overall materials handling design. All bulk materials are friable, some much more than others. Using direct impact plate chutes instead of controlled flow, having chutes with excessive drop heights, crushers and dry screens that generate more dust than necessary. Multiple transfers in a handling system and rehandle all generate fines and dust.

• Not maintaining the system regularly.

• Adding a few connections here and there because the system will cope.

• Dust collection baghouses in conveyor systems that collect dust from a chute and then discharge directly back on to the next conveyor. This dust will obviously be released again at the next transfer point. This problem may be reduced by making the returned dust damp.

DUST CONTROL

Conclusion

valves, pitot and other test points, mechanical components, provision of wash down and rodding points, drainage of excess liquids.

Dust collection systems in bulk materials handling can function extremely well if design and installation consideration are taken into account: • A complete system has a far better chance of working well, as opposed to split packaging.

• The system should be designed using the dust properties, and include risk mitigation against explosion and fire, corrosion and erosion, and condensation.

• Definition of the location and quantities of dust to be collected into the system. Extract connections should be in locations where dust occurs and airflow will extract it.

• The ductwork should be designed to facilitate dust flow to the collector, and be well supported.

• The duct system must be able to draw the calculated balanced total airflow needed to move the required dust.

• The dust collector, fan and stack should be sized to match the total calculated duct system airflow, and duct loading that results from the duct system design output.

• Requirements for control and monitoring, fabrication materials.

• The system should consider all aspects of safe operation and maintenance by including suitable access to correctly located and sized access panels, damper

* Steve Davis is principal advisor - bulk materials process at Rio Tinto, based in Perth. Steve has worked in bulk handling for 30 years, for both resource companies and professional engineering firms, in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada. His experience encompasses such commodities as iron ore, coal, potash, phosphates, petcoke, sulphur, sands and grain.

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25

DUST CONTROL

Nozzle performance and selection for effective dust control systems

By Jon Roberts* and Peter Wypych*

The selection of the correct nozzle to be used in a wet dust control system is critical for system performance.

W

et dust control systems can be broken down into two categories: prevention; and suppression. Preventing the release of dust from a material is generally achieved by controlling moisture levels through surface wetting and/or the addition of chemical binding agents and foams. Suppression is the capture of airborne dust using water to agglomerate particles causing them to remain in the bulk material or within the process.

Nozzle selection is the paramount variable in the development of any dust suppression or prevention system that is to be both effective and efficient. When selecting a nozzle for a dust control system the first decision that must be made is whether the system aims to prevent the release of dust or if it is attempting to capture or suppress fugitive dust emissions.

If the system is to be used for prevention, then the designer should use a nozzle producing a coarse droplet spray (>150 microns) and if the system is for suppression then nozzles producing very fine droplets will be required (<100 microns).

A comparison of a coarse droplet spray and a fine droplet spray is shown in Figure 1. Coarse droplet sprays are used for dust prevention as they have high water flow rates resulting in a greater amount of material wetting.

However, for airborne capture the mechanisms are slightly more complicated with the aim to match droplet size and concentration with that of the dust particles. Figure 2 shows why this is such an important factor. As you can see, the issue is twofold: when using a spray with large droplets not only do you get less droplets but you also have large amounts of air flowing around these droplets entraining small particles causing them to be swept around the droplet rather than impacting it. Therefore, the most effective sprays for airborne dust capture produce droplets of similar size to that of the dust particles.

Following consideration of droplet size, nozzle selection should involve the consideration of the following variables: - Spray pattern and angle - Droplet velocity - Water consumption - Nozzle placement and orientation These variables are dependent on nozzle design and operating parameters. Nozzle type is usually categorised broadly by method of atomisation, either air atomising or pressure atomising, and then more specifically categorised by spray pattern produced.

Figure 3 shows the three most common spray patterns: hollow cone; flat fan; and full cone. The selection of spray pattern

Figure 1: Coarse droplet sprays vs fine droplet spray.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

is dependent on application specific conditions, for example full cone sprays may be used in areas where a large volume of mist is required due to large volumes of dust, however, a flat fan may be used as a mist curtain or in narrow or enclosed spaces.

The spray characteristics required for a specific application will be dependent on the following variables: - The size of the area where dust needs to be controlled - Air flow/s present (high velocity wind or ventilation) - Water availability and quality - Physical barriers and any moving equipment - Hazards to the nozzles (e.g. falling rocks, machinery, etc.)

The distance to the source and/or the area to be covered and the airflow present will guide the requirements for the spray pattern and droplet velocity. A dust generating event may produce a dust cloud with a velocity ranging anywhere from 0.5 m/s to over 5 m/s, and the energy of the spray must be sufficient to deal with these conditions.

There is also the issue of high ventilation or wind speeds that can blow the spray away from the source not only eliminating the effectiveness of the spray but most likely exacerbating the dust issue.

In high crossflow air conditions spanning large distances we are likely to pick multiple full cone nozzles with shallow spray angles and high velocity droplets; this type of spray will be relatively resistant to the crossflow conditions. However, if we are dealing with an enclosed space with relatively stagnant conditions than a wide angle low velocity spray is likely to be effective and allow the use of less nozzles.

Water quality and availability are also important in the selection process. The availability of the water will affect the flexibility you have in the number of nozzles and total water that can be used. The water quality can affect both the performance of the system and its operating life. Water hardness also has an effect as it influences the surface tension which will in turn affect the wetting ability of nozzles being used for dust prevention and may increase water requirements.

Furthermore, any contaminants in the water can result in premature wear and/or clogging of the nozzle orifice. To avoid this, nozzles need to be appropriately selected such that the nozzle orifice is sufficiently large to not be affected, and filtering be put in place to limit the number/size of particles reaching the nozzle.

Finally, consideration needs to be given to the physical hazards to the nozzle and if the nozzle would be able to withstand these. For instance, some air atomising nozzles can have a fragile design limiting their use in harsh environments where flying rocks and debris can easily damage them.

DUST CONTROL

Figure 2: Droplet to particle interactions.

The consequence of incorrect nozzle selection can range from slightly subpar performance to complete ineffectiveness.

Unfortunately, the lack of understanding regarding dust control more often than not leads to many systems either being completely ineffective or extremely inefficient.

Common problems include: excess water usage, accelerated nozzle wear and damage, and even increased dust levels. Excessive water usage is usually due to a wetting nozzle being selected for airborne dust suppression, resulting in a system that is not only using too much water but also ineffective at capturing fugitive dust.

Accelerated nozzle wear can be due to poor positioning resulting in damage or due to poor water quality as described above. An increase in dust levels after the installation of a dust control system often occurs due to the air movements caused by the water sprays. Sprays displace air and if a nozzle is incorrectly selected or poorly positioned than the spray may displace the dusty air rather than capture it; this can result in dusty air being

Figure 3: Spray patterns.

pushed to an undesirable location. This effect can, however, be utilised in reverse by using the sprays to move dusty air into a desirable location.

If the variables outlined in this article are all considered appropriately when selecting nozzles for a dust control system than the result should be a long-lasting system that operates effectively using the lowest amount of water and energy possible. *Peter Wypych is a professor at the University of Wollongong. *Jon Roberts is a PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong. His research consists of experimental investigation and numerical modelling of high-energy micro-mist technology for the control of dust in the bulk materials handling industry. The aim is to better characterise the performance of dust suppression sprays and the factors contributing to this performance, as well as to develop new techniques for the efficient design of more effective dust suppression systems.

Supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

27

DUST CONTROL

which cut the coal, inevitably generating dust. Surface environments, although less dangerous, are implicated in two of the new Australian cases, with problematic areas including transfer stations and ROM dumps.

The smallest dust particles are the most dangerous, with larger ones normally trapped in workers’ airways.

In comparison, tiny particles of 10 microns or less in diameter can be inhaled, entering miners’ lungs. In terms of nomenclature, a micron is an abbreviated term for micrometre, or a millionth of a metre (1/1,000,000 metres).

That is about .00004 inches. For size comparison, a human red blood cell is about 5 microns across. A human hair is about 75 microns across (depending on the person).

Spraying Systems combats resurgent black lung With black lung making an unwelcome return to Australia, spray technology specialist Spraying Systems is helping mining companies combat the insidious disease. ABHR spoke to Graham Roberts, a dust control specialist at Spraying Systems, about black lung and its prevention.

Graham Roberts.

Black lung in a nutshell Black lung, or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), is an ugly disease. Caused by miners’ breathing in tiny particles of coal dust, it is cumulative in its effects, building up over workers’ lives. It scars their lungs, and as the disease moves on to the more serious “progressive massive fibrosis”, leads to heart problems, the coughing up of black mucus or blood, and premature death.

CWP’s sister diseases are silicosis and asbestosis.

Mining companies on alert

B

lack lung disease burst back into public consciousness in 2015 with new diagnoses of the sometimes-fatal condition among Queensland coal miners. A huge killer of miners globally, the condition was thought to have been eradicated from Australia in the 1980s.

The new cases have sparked a round of investigations and analysis, culminating in the authoritative Queensland government select committee report ‘Black lung white lies’ in May 2017.

This report uncovered “a catastrophic failure of the regulatory system that was intended to preserve and protect the health of coal miners.”

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

While around 25 cases of black lung have been diagnosed since 2015, elements of the mining community are warning that this is the tip of the iceberg, with hundreds or thousands of cases set to reveal themselves in coming years. These voices state that, contrary to prevailing opinion, black lung was never eradicated in Australia and has, instead, been quietly claiming victims in the interim.

Major mining companies are on high alert, with companies like Spraying Systems and experts like Graham Roberts in demand to help mines defeat dust.

At issue are the dustiest environments in coal mining. Underground longwall mines are the main danger, with enormous, high-energy shearers,

Spray nozzles part of the defensive armoury In eliminating dangerous dust and preventing black lung, spray nozzles, misting nozzles and dust control systems are important tools in mines’ armouries.

This is where Spraying Systems comes in. The company, founded in 1937 in Chicago, bills itself as “the world’s leader in spray technology”. It has 12 manufacturing locations globally, sales offices in 90 countries, and a range of over 100,000 different types of nozzles.

In addition, the company has experts in computational fluid dynamics, a discipline which can help pinpoint dust flows in underground mines.

Dust suppression at the coal face Graham Roberts, for his part, spends most of his time visiting customers, hearing about their dust problems, and devising solutions.

In any mining situation, Graham has to consider many variables before recommending a particular type of nozzle.

He will factor in: the required spray pattern; water quality, flow and pressure; ventilation and compressed air; thread size; material; temperature; and the droplet size required.

Dust Particle

Spray Droplet

Dust Particle

Water droplet size must match dust particle size for effective dust control.

DUST CONTROL

Mines need expert advice on nozzle selection. Air atomised versus hydraulic spray is an important issue.

The latter point is important, with dust control only effective if water droplet size is carefully matched to dust particle size.

“It is critical that we try to match the droplet size with the particle size,” said Graham. Done properly, the water droplet will attach itself to the dust particle and the combined body will fall to the ground. If the spray droplet is too large, though, the dust particle will just slide off it.

An important choice in dust situations is whether to use air atomised or hydraulic spray nozzles.

With the former, air is mixed with the water droplets before they exit the nozzle aperture. “The air actually breaks down the droplet for an even smaller droplet size,” explained Graham. Hydraulic nozzles use vanes within the nozzle to break down droplets. “It’s just water coming through the nozzle and there is no air being fed through it,” said Graham.

Many factors come into play in choosing between air atomising and hydraulic. These include the mining application, ventilation conditions, and availability and pressure of water and air.

Ventilation effects Assessing the impact of ventilation systems underground on dust is an important process.

“Ventilation systems underground have the effect of increasing the dust in the environment by releasing more dust from the coal in smaller particles and distributing them at a much higher velocity throughout a confined area,” explained Graham. “Spraying Systems can define where and how much this can affect where there may be operators working through CFD modelling.”

On the surface, the wind has a similar impact but is not able to be controlled to the same extent as underground ventilation due to more variable conditions.

Coal exports will underpin Australia's economy for years to come. But mines need to master dust issues.

Prevention means applying water or foam to ore or waste to prevent dust particles being liberated in the first place. In a suppression scenario, the dust particles are already loose and the issue is attaching water droplets, of similar size, to them.

“In a lot of cases I tell people they’ve got to look at dust prevention, wetting down the material, which will reduce dust further down the line,” said Graham.

However, this can be a tricky balancing act. For example, at a coal transfer station, wetting the product might reduce dust. But achieving this may mean penetrating water through the product which might lead to product sticking to the belt requiring extra cleaning.

“In many cases operators imagine that the best way to deal with dust is ‘the more water the better’” said Graham. “This often isn’t the case.”

Placement a key As explained earlier, selecting the right spray nozzle, from a massive possible population, is an important task for Spraying Systems and its customers.

Positioning is another important task, and one that many mines struggle with.

“Many mines don’t know how to best position nozzles, and how to direct nozzles, to reduce dust,” said Graham.

The way ahead While government and industry are discussing possible re-jigs to dust reporting regulations in light of the new black lung cases, spray nozzles and automated spray systems will still be the first line of defence at the coal face.

Expert advice is the perfect place for mines to start as they step up their dust control efforts.

Dust prevention vs suppression Working with his customers, Graham always investigates whether dust prevention is possible in a particular application, before considering dust suppression.

Contacts:

Web: www.spray.com.au Email: sales@spray.com.au Tel: 1800 622 508

and www.controldust.com.au

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

29

ASK AN ENGINEER

Ask an engineer In this regular column, experts from specialist bulk materials engineering firm Jenike & Johanson answer readers’ queries around problems at their sites. In this edition, Corin Holmes* considers:

Question: What is the link between dust generation and bulk solids handling system design?

Answer: Dust generation is one of the foremost problems associated with bulk solids handling (BSH); however, thoughtful design can mitigate the risks.

Historically, from a dust perspective, the design focus of handling systems was an economic one aimed at minimizing the loss of valuable material. The amount of effort undertaken in the design was directly related to the value of the material at risk. In these more enlightened times however, the hazards (respiration, irritation, explosiveness, etc.) of dust generation are generally well recognised and dust minimisation should be a primary design objective regardless of the material value at risk.

Once the “dust genie” has left the bottle (the confining envelope of the design element), it is very difficult to control. While there are techniques for dealing with a dust cloud once generated, they are nearly always afterthoughts to deal with design inadequacies once the problem manifests.

Similarly, many of the controls put in place to deal with a released dust cloud deal only with the visible component (itself usually only an indication of hazard). In fact, the very fine particles, invisible to the naked eye, can remain suspended for some time and are the most hazardous to health. Just because something is out of sight definitely does not mean that it should be out of mind!

The hierarchy of controls tells us that the most effective approach is to avoid generating dust at its source, but this requires dust elimination to be part of the scope of design. In simple terms, to generate dust requires three elements that can be thought of in the familiar framework of the “fire triangle”. In this case the triangle consists of: • The presence of fine particles capable of being entrained/ suspended in air (either present in the feed or generated as a result of handling); • Amenability of the fine particles to be entrained (e.g. low particle to particle cohesion) • Elutriation: the differential velocity between the amenable

30

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

*Corin Holmes is the operations manager for Jenike & Johanson in Perth. He says he is passionate about applying the science of bulk solids handling to help people and organisations succeed.

Contact: tel 1300 BULKSOLIDS, email: cholmes@jenike.com

particles within the bulk solid and the continuous gas capable of selectively stripping them out.

By eliminating at least one of the three elements we can prevent dust generation, but as designers where can and should we focus our efforts?

Presence: Some bulk solids are supplied with a fine fraction and removing this fraction before it enters the handling system is often impractical and/or may be out of the designers’ scope.

Even if this finer fraction could be removed, more fines will likely be generated by the handling activity itself (particle attrition or degradation as the particles interact with each other and/or flow surfaces). For this element, minimising these physical interactions through thoughtful design is something the designer should consider.

Amenability: If there are particles in the finer size fraction present, they can be taken out of the equation by removing their amenability to entrainment. This usually involves increasing the cohesion between particles thus changing their effective aerodynamic diameter through the presence of surface moisture (think dust extinction moisture limit). Note the moisture needs to be at the interface between the particles for this to be effective, so bulk moisture content is not always a good indicator (if the moisture migrates into a porous particle it does not contribute to increased cohesion).

Often there are also time and environmental effects to consider (think of the changes in moisture content possible for an exposed iron ore material being railed across the Pilbara, where temperature and passing air will evaporate the moisture). Another consideration is that the amount of water that can be added to extinguish dust may be capped by transportation costs or product quality. Operators often find themselves on the knife-edge between ensuring the material is cohesive enough to extinguish dust and of creating a hard to handle wet and sticky bulk solid.

In addition while amenability is part of the solution it is often not something that can be completely eliminated, especially when the residence time of the bulk solids in the handling system is extended. While the addition of dust suppression additives can and should be considered as part of the design process there

ASK AN ENGINEER

is frequently an associated operating cost penalty and possible product quality issues.

Elutriation: The final element to consider occurs when the differential velocity between a gas stream and the amenable particles causes drag forces allowing the particles to become entrained thus creating dust. Preventing the separation (or segregation) of the particles by concentrating them will reduce the effects of the drag forces and mitigate dusting (this is a component of a properly designed transfer chute).

To minimise this effect requires experience to assess possible design options together with the correct tools to evaluate them in the virtual world. To model the gross particle flow behaviour (trajectory, particle-surface, particle-particle interactions) and ensure the device can fulfil its primary function in the value chain, Discrete Element Method (DEM) modelling is recommended. While influenced by the behaviour of the solids, flow behaviour of the continuous gas phase (either in pick-up or ducting away for cleaning), is governed by the physics of fluid flow and requires its own modelling approach; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). If we are using moisture to minimise amenability and the time material spends in the handling systems is long we also are interested in evaporation rate, in which case a multi-physics package (like COMSOL) is required.

It should be noted that scaled down physical modelling is of limited use because there are no dimensionless numbers that describe bulk solid flow behaviour.

There is much that engineers can do to mitigate the risks associated with dust however it all begins with awareness at the design stage. While it seems like a lot of effort to expend to control

such a small fraction of a bulk stream, the implications of dust (a life of operation effect) are becoming increasingly important to operations, both internally and also in terms of the ever-tightening social licence to operate. As engineers it is our primary duty to eliminate dust risks at source through thoughtful design and, thanks to advances in modelling and computing power the tools to do so are available.

Here are four darn good questions in relation to bulk solids handling design and dust that you can put to your designers: 1. What is your goal with respect to dust generation (what is your dust mitigation success criterion)?

2. What specific design strategy are you pursuing to eliminate the generation of dust at source?

3. Has the proposed design been “stress tested” over the range of normal operational conditions (temperatures, rates, speeds, etc.) and changes expected over the life of the operation?

4. Who is ultimately accountable for the performance of this plan with respect to dust mitigation (designer, OEM’s/package suppliers…)?

Note: The advice here is of a general nature. Specific solutions are very sensitive to their circumstances therefore you should consult with a specialist in the area before proceeding.

Contact: tel 1300 BULKSOLIDS, email: cholmes@jenike.com

Do you have a question?

If so, send it to Corin at the email address above or to ABHR editor Charles Macdonald at email – charles.macdonald@mohimedia.com

Contact: ???????????

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

31

DUST CONTROL

Red River’s Thalanga using Seaco containers for exports

Seaco half height containers ready to be loaded with mineral concentrates at Thalanga prior to the 200km road trip to Port of Townsville.

Red River Resources, operator of the Thalanga Project in Queensland, is using half-height containers from Seaco for export of mineral concentrates via the Port of Townsville.

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he Thalanga operations are located around 60 kilometres west of Charters Towers in Central Queensland, and around 200 kilometres south west of Townsville.

Under the terms of Red River’s offtake agreements, zinc and lead concentrates are trucked to the Port of Townsville, for onward delivery to customers.

Benjamin Lowry, Seaco Oceania’s marketing manager, said that the company’s 20ft half height containers were the perfect export solution for Red River.

“Dust control is an important consideration for a first-rate operator like Red River,” he said. “Our half height containers − BK2s − are the ideal turnkey container solution for carting mineral concentrates from mine site to port.

“They incorporate a removable lid, with cargo being more secure for transport and any dust totally contained. In addition, the half height fleet will reduce maintenance and repair costs.”

Red River Resources has brought Thalanga back into production at just the right time, with zinc prices at multi-year highs.

The Thalanga deposits were first discovered in 1975. Red River, identifying zinc as a priority commodity in 2014, acquired the project that year from Kagara.

Red River is seeking to maximise returns by fully utilising the 650,000 tonne per annum Thalanga mill, and extending the five year project life.

According to Red River: “We are driven by the mantra of ‘find more ore’ − be it by extending the life of our known deposits, finding the next generation of deposits at Thalanga through a focused exploration program utilising cutting edge technology and exploration methodology or seeking to acquire or work with the owners of existing projects that can be treated through the Thalanga Mill.”

Red River has around $15m in cash and no debt.

Seaco is a major supplier of containers worldwide. In addition to using its containers for regular cargoes, Seaco handles a variety of bulk solids − such as concentrates, ores, grains and powders − for mining and industrial customers.

Contact:

32

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

www.seacoglobal.com.au | www.redriverresources.com.au

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DUST CONTROL

Enviromist dust suppression system for NSS Townsville Rotabox operations By: Jade Bailye, Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS); Vitold Ronda, EnviroMist; and Jon Roberts, University of Wollongong

A

t Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS) the ever-increasing need to control dust emissions was recently tackled head on.

NSS appointed the award-winning dust suppression company EnviroMist to develop a specialised system for its needs.

NSS handles a range of bulk mineral cargos within the Port of Townsville, which is in close proximity to the Townsville community and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Paramount to the success of NSS’s operations is the management of air emissions; the company strives to be at the forefront of emissions control technology.

One of the main emissions challenges for NSS at its Townsville Port facilities is the control of fugitive dust during Rotabox ship loading operations. In order to combat this issue NSS challenged EnviroMist to develop a solution that would provide effective dust capture, efficient water use, and quick setup time.

EnviroMist is a provider of water spraying dust suppression solutions. The company won Bulk Handling Awards in 2015 and 2016 for systems developed for a West Australian iron ore mine (2015) and a Queensland underground coal mine (2016).

The EnviroMist high-energy micro-mist system is based on new research in the application of dust control technology. The techniques used focus on accurately identifying material properties and flow dynamics so that a total solution can be developed that is effective across the application’s full operating range.

EnviroMist’s use of simulation modelling allows efficient and accurate designs to be developed which results in systems producing high dust capture efficiencies without the need for huge water consumption. The new technology, proven to significantly reduce emissions of bulk loading and unloading operations, complements the state-of-the-art Qube Rotabox bulk loading system already employed by NSS. The Rotabox system in use at NSS Townsville combines the use of a rotating frame and purpose-designed bulk containers with lockable lids to ensure zero fugitive dust emissions during transport.

The challenge set for NSS and EnviroMist was the design and implementation of a system that mitigates dust during Rotabox loading operations of lead, zinc and copper concentrates. The key objectives were: • Reduction of exposure to TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 dust emissions • Reduction in the weight of the spray bars to significantly reduce manual handling risk

• • • •

•

Fully conversant system, also compatible for unloading and hopper operations Control moisture addition to products Design and fabricate an effective dust suppression solution, including a quick installation and removal method (under 1hr) Design and fabricate mobile pressure booster unit to supply water from the wharf to the ship’s deck level and to be able to service loading operations at two hatches simultaneously Remote operation of the system by crane operator with the ability to manually control sections based on wind direction/pressure

As always, the most important factor for any business is the wellbeing of its employees and the wider community. For this reason the reduction of particulate matter (dust) is of vital importance. PM10 and PM2.5 are commonly used size fractions referring to particulate matter that is particularly hazardous to humans due to its ability to be drawn deep into the lungs.

In order to reduce fugitive dust emissions of this size, EnviroMist, with the help of the University of Wollongong, analysed the droplet size of various sprays so that the droplets produced by the systems could be reduced to a size that would be optimum for capture of these dust particles. The droplet size distribution for the nozzle selected is shown in Figure 1.

In addition to analysing the droplet size it is important that the sprays are also positioned and operated such that they can deal with the airflow conditions present during the loading processes. In order to achieve this, measurements were taken of the airflow and the operating pressure required to deal with these conditions was selected accordingly.

As is often the case with designing systems like this there are competing variables, in this case using water spraying nozzles to reduce dust while trying not to increase the moisture content of the material. EnviroMist was able to achieve this requirement by balancing water flow and pressure so that the moisture content limitations were adhered to while still providing enough pressure to the sprays to ensure they would be effective in all conditions. especially challenging crosswinds.

Design of a system that would allow for quick install (<1hr) onto ships of varying size and hatch configurations was another

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Volume (%)

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Droplet Size (um) Figure 1: Droplet size distribution.

34

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

Figure 2: Quick installation system for spray bars.

DUST CONTROL

Figure 4: Installed dust suppression system.

Figure 3: EnviroMist pressure booster unit.

challenge. The solution EnviroMist developed was to utilise Magswitch technology to create a unique mounting system where the specially designed sprays are able to be lowered quickly into the hatch by personnel on the ship’s deck.

The sprays are held in place at the desired position by the Magswitch magnets, which are on/off magnets able to hold in excess of 150kg. Figure 2 shows the set-up of the spray system on a single wall of a generic hatch; the spray is attached to the hatch via cables connecting to the Magswitch magnets on the ship’s deck. The use of the Magswitch system was a key innovation that allowed not only quick set-up but also the flexibility to set up the system in all different hatch configurations.

System set-up speed was further enhanced by the pressure booster system that EnviroMist supplied in collaboration with Dana-Brevini. The pressure booster system is a completely mobile, diesel driven, twin pump unit. It allows up to two hatches to be operated at any one time. Finally, the unit was fitted with a wireless communication system allowing it to be operated wirelessly by the crane operator, with each pump being able to

Figure 5: Installed dust suppression system.

be independently switched on and off depending on the loading sequence occurring. The completed pressure booster unit is shown in Figure 3.

Upon installation, the objectives have been achieved to the satisfaction of NSS. The system is easily and quickly installed within the one hour time frame that was set. Dust levels have been reduced effectively with no dust escaping the hatch, as a direct result of the combination of the EnviroMist dust suppression system and Rotabox loading system. Moisture levels have been controlled effectively with much of the mist that isn’t contributing to dust capture simply evaporating or excessively wetting products. The system operating as installed is shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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DUST CONTROL

RST launches dust binder and road stabilising agent Dust suppressing chemicals company Reynolds Soil Technologies (RST) has launched DBS10, a natural polymer providing dust suppression and road stabilisation.

A

ccording to its maker, DBS10 is a concentrated liquid that is applied neat or diluted in water increasing pavement quality and dust suppression and reducing watering and road maintenance requirements.

“Once applied to road material, DBS10 creates an immediate adhesive reaction that becomes stronger and more resilient over time, resulting in a durable yet flexible surface material that is capable of sustaining considerably heavier loads with limited physical breakdown,” explained RST operations and technical director David Handel.

DBS10 can be used for a range of purposes, with adjustable application procedures that produce results tailored to a site’s specific needs.

For long term trafficked dust suppression results, the product can be applied topically, while for increased pavement strength and durability the product can be ripped into the road material and compacted.

“The application rate, dosage and dilution of DBS10 can also be adjusted to further customise the results of any particular application,” said Handel.

DBS10 is non-corrosive, non-flammable and petroleum free.

David Handel of RST with the new polymer, DBS10.

Some aspects of current dust research

By Dr Dusan Ilic*

I

n recent times, there has been an increased focus on the impact of dust on the environment, at workplaces and in communities.

This has resulted in tighter regulations and influenced the management of storing, transporting and handling bulk solid commodities. With reported failures to protect the safety of workers and also costs associated with dust management (financial, risk-based and social), there is greater emphasis on understanding and addressing the sources, types and levels of emitted particulates.

The current Australian Standard AS 4156.6 “Coal Preparation - Part 6: Determination of dust/moisture relationship for coal” has been used to determine the moisture content (MC) required for dust extinction of not just coal, but other bulk commodities, such as iron ore.

This method is commonly employed for a range of workplace operational areas handling particles with different characteristics. Despite its widespread use, the method has not been thoroughly assessed regarding applicability to other commodities apart from coal. In addition, with increasing volumes of extraction occurring, a need exists to develop a dust measurement system that is more accurate, repeatable and practical. In addition, a need also exists to accurately estimate workplace exposures.

Alternative to the AS 4156.6 method, wind tunnel testing is similarly implemented to assess surface erosion and lift-off characteristics of particulates. This method can be used to investigate moisture to minimise particle lift-off as well as assess the effectiveness of surfactant and/or veneer addition.

The sources of dust in the handling of bulk solid materials are

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

many, however, they fall into two main categories: 1) transfer, loading and unloading and 2) storage or transportation systems.

The transfer/loading systems are characterised by a moving material stream (e.g. train/truck loading and unloading, transfer points, stacking/reclaiming and ship loading). Storage/transportation systems are characterised by airflow over a static material surface (e.g. train/truck transport, conveying, stockpile storage and mobile equipment).

In transfer/loading systems, particulate suspension occurs as a result of a change in direction and momentum which creates particulate dispersions due to flow impact and splay. As a velocity gradient develops across the different stream layers, air is induced in the voids of the bulk and there is an increase in the number of expelled fine particles. If the differential velocity between the stream and the surrounding air is at or close to the terminal velocity of the particle, the particle will more than likely become suspended.

On the other hand, dust liberation from storage/transportation systems is characterised by an air stream (differential velocity) passing over the top of a surface of a predominantly stationary heap. The heap may also be transported on a conveyor, in a wagon or truck. Increasing airflow results in three general mechanisms associated with dust emission: creep, saltation and suspension.

Controlling dust generation and emission is of critical importance in storage and transportation sources at ports and shipping terminals, especially those in close proximity to local communities. In these situations, and in the absence of an adequate dust

DUST CONTROL

management plan, the licence to operate and community perception of the facility and more often than not, the entire industry, rest with the method of operations and the prevailing winds.

Identifying sources of dust emission and controlling liberation of fine particulates into the surrounding environment is a crucial consideration in the design and operation of bulk solid handling facilities. Minimising exposure to airborne particulates is a key priority within the management of health, safety and environmental policies of all involved organisations and multilevels of government. Failure can have disastrous consequences on the safety of workers, the surrounding communities and the environment.

Typically, and where possible, water sprays are used to reduce fine particle liberation from exposed bulk solids storage systems such as streams and piles. An underestimate of moisture requirements likely results in increased dust emissions and an overestimate will lead to increased materials handling problems, excessive water usage and may exceed the bulk solid moisture level for safe maritime transportation (TML). Excessive moisture is also economically costly (as well as both socially and environmentally). For instance, according to industry sources with the case of export of Australian coal, every 1% of total moisture above the target could equate to a potential revenue loss to all businesses in the supply chain of approximately $1 per tonne.

From an environmental and community perspective, the consequences of inadequate dust management include reduction in air quality, physical, psychological value and function of amenities and from a human health perspective, chronic illness and a reduction in life expectancy.

To define exposure limits, dustiness classification schemes based on the relative particulate inhalable, thoracic and respirable fraction mass concentrations have also been developed. These classifications, particularly used in Europe, focus on powders, and more recently nanomaterials, and are measured in mg/kg and are most frequently used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

The dustiness indices inform and evaluate dust exposure policy in the workplace. Globally, the aforementioned particulate matter (PM) fractions are typically characterised into PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 categories (based on micron size aerodynamic diameters). Recent respiratory research has highlighted that guidelines regarding occupational exposure limits (OEL’s), for a variety of dust classifications, vary across states, geographical regions and countries globally. Importantly, it is not only OEL’s but actual classifications of dust that vary.

The term dustiness itself has been described as having “no unique definition” and “ability of a material to generate dust during handling”. The British Hygiene Society Technology Committee Working Group on Dustiness Estimation (BOHS) in the 80’s described dustiness as “the tendency of dry materials to liberate dust into the air when handled under specific conditions”.

The relationship between dustiness and exposure is highly dependent on the test procedure and method of applying the mechanical energy to generate dust. To address this, the European Standard EN15051 was developed. In EN15051 the dustiness classification schemes have been defined based on results of testing a number of different materials. Dustiness is classified according to inhalable, thoracic and respirable mass fractions (concentrations), however classification varies depending on which method is used (either a rotating drum or a falling stream).

Other similar methods notably using the Heubach and Midway Research Institute (MRI) testers have also been used, with each defining its own category of dustiness − ranging from very low to high − depending on the dust generation technique and energy supplied. These and similar in principle testers have been related to different handling practices, workplace exposures and a variety of procedures.

As mentioned previously, in Australia, dustiness is typically evaluated using two methods: rotating drum and wind tunnel.

For active dust generation through transfer chutes, train and ship loaders, the rotating drum, Dust Extinction Moisture (DEM) procedure as defined in AS4156.6 is used. The method involves tumbling a bulk solid material in a drum, and evaluating its dustiness through identifying a MC at which dust no longer generates.

For passive dust generation, caused by an air stream flowing over a static exposed surface, like stockpiles and train wagons, a wind tunnel test approach is used. The wind tunnel test method simulates site conditions by an air stream passing over a static pile in a controlled environment. Previous research has found that a relationship or correlation between the dust suppression moisture obtained using the wind tunnel test and the DEM using the method described in AS4156.6 is possible.

The AS4156.6 method effectively specifies a MC at which a bulk solid material does not emit dust. Initially developed for testing of Blair Athol coals, it has been successfully implemented in dust management at a number of Australian locations and also for other commodities and minerals such as iron ore. The material samples tested typically contain larger particles compared to EN15051, which in Europe is predominantly used for powders.

Rather than a dustiness classification scheme based on particulate size fractions collected, AS4156.6 defines a MC that prevents (or minimises) dust liberation.

An ACARP review of AS4156.6, completed in 2015, showed that the measured DEM is influenced by a range of factors including sample preparation. A variation in DEM in the order of ±0.5% MC has been observed for coal. Currently a second ACARP project aiming to reduce the variation of the method is underway. The aim of this current work is, through a Standards Australia working group on coal preparation, to revise the standard, first at the Australian and subsequently at the international level through ISO. Concurrently, a testing programme is being conducted to examine the application and sensitivities of this method when applied to iron ore and other minerals. This may mean that a new standard for non-coal commodities will also become a relevant discussion. Furthermore, multi-disciplinary research, blending epidemiology, health and medicine and engineering is also underway to review existing safe exposure limits, and identify, characterise and biologically evaluate the effects of a range of PM exposures on human health.

The characteristics that define the differences between the different methods to evaluate dustiness also include lack of a united or universally accepted classification scheme. For example, EN15051 classifies dustiness according to a finite number of tested reference samples and AS4156.6 provides a dust number over a finite test period. The wind tunnel test currently does not exist in a standardised format. As such, further research in this field, including biological relevance of the dustiness classifications, is necessary. Further steps also need to be undertaken in specifying the best procedure to apply the outcomes of these methods and research to practical, efficient, sustainable and socially responsible dust management. *Dr Dusan Ilic is a senior research associate with the University of Newcastle, Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies (CBSPT), Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER). Over a period of 15 years, his work has spanned consultancy, contract R&D and research in characterisation, design and numerical modelling of storage, handling and transportation of bulk solids. He is the convenor of the Standards Australia MN001-02 working group to revise AS4156.6.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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DUST CONTROL

10 ways to keep your dust collector operating safely

By Rick Kreczmer*, Camfil Air Pollution Control

Bulk handling plant operators rely on industrial dust collectors to keep workers safe, maximize production uptime and meet regulatory compliance. But if they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t properly maintained, dust collectors can pose their own share of hazards. Here are ten ways to make sure your dust collection system is operating safely and efficiently.

1. Deflagration protection Without question, if your dust collector handles combustible dust, you must equip it with deflagration protection. Although there are many forms of deflagration protection, a common, costeffective passive method is venting. An explosion vent opens when predetermined pressures are reached inside the collector, allowing the excess pressure and flame front from the deflagration to exit to a safe area. It is designed to minimize damage to the collector and prevent it from blowing up in the event of a deflagration, thereby reducing the hazard. A flameless vent is designed to install over a standard explosion vent and extinguish the flame front exiting the vented area, not allowing it to exit the device. This allows conventional venting to be accomplished indoors where it could otherwise endanger personnel or ignite secondary explosions. If you cannot vent the pressure wave and fireball to a safe area, discuss another method with your dust collection professional.

Enclosure strength of the dust collector is another key factor in sizing the deflagration protection equipment, because even with venting there will still be significant pressure increases during an event. A heavy-duty collector made of thicker gauge metal with greater vessel strength will survive better in the event of deflagration and can often continue in service with only the explosion vent and filter cartridges needing to be replaced.

2. Pressure capabilities

Maintaining a cartridge dust collector.

safety processes upstream of the dust collector. Equip the ducting with dampers and isolation valves designed to minimize the risk of deflagration within these components. A flow-activated passive inlet isolation valve protects downstream work areas and processes from the propagation of flame and pressure through the inlet duct when deflagration occurs in a dust collector. During deflagration in a dust collector, the pressure wave will close the valve preventing the passage of flame and smoke to areas upstream from the valve. The valve latches shut and must be manually opened.

If activated, components of the valve may be damaged and a thorough inspection is required prior to returning the valve back into service. Ductwork between the dust collector and isolation valve should be two times the reduced pressure after venting (Pred).

4. Fire prevention For spark-generating applications, a range of features and technologies are available, from flame retardant filter media to spark arrestors in the form of drop-out boxes, perforated screens or cyclone devices installed at collector inlets. Fire sprinkler systems may also be required with some installations.

Understanding the pressure capabilities of your collector is import in the specification and selection of vent sizing. Comparing venting vessel strength to the deflagration strength and vent burst pressure are key to effective deflagration protection. Some of the combustible dust properties required to understand this concept are described by the Kst, which is the normalized maximum rate of explosion pressure rise, measured in bar m/s. A bar is a metric unit of pressure, which is slightly less than the average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. It is also important to know the Pmax (maximum explosion pressure of a dust cloud, measured in bar) and Pred (maximum pressure developed in a vented enclosure during a vented deflagration) (see Figure 1).

As Figure 2 shows, burst pressure of the event is designed to be lower than enclosure strength, which will relieve the pressure of the deflagration before it can build to levels that would destroy the collector enclosure.

3. Ductwork Even if a collector has rugged construction and a properly sized deflagration vent, you must have protection for the ductwork and

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

Figure 1.

DUST CONTROL

Dust collectors that use vertically-mounted cartridges also reduce fire and deflagration risks. With horizontally-mounted systems on heavy dust loading applications, dust becomes trapped at the top of the filters, and there is no pre-separation of heavy or abrasive particles from the air stream. This situation can shorten filter life and provide a dusty surface for sparks to ignite. Vertical mounting reduces heavy loading dust on the filters and helps eliminate these problems.

5. Pulse-cleaning controls The dust collector’s cleaning system design works in conjunction with filter design. Selective cleaning controls provide an easy, maintenance-friendly way to keep filters clean. Operators can select from continuous cleaning, on-demand cleaning and downtime cleaning.

Continuous cleaning is suited for porous dusts, such as silica and other minerals, high dust loading applications like thermal spray or plasma cutting, or lightweight dust such as fumed silica and paper fines.

On-demand cleaning is recommended for most dust types.

This setting monitors the differential pressure across the cleanair section and the dirty-air filter section of the collector. Ondemand cleaning allows you to set a very narrow range of differential pressures to activate and stop the cartridge cleaning.

This setting uses the least amount of compressed air and provides optimum filter cleaning efficiency and filter life. Note that the on-demand settings will need to be adjusted to compensate for the slow but continual rise in filter pressure drop over the life of the filter set.

Downtime cleaning allows for time-based pulsing at the end of a plant shift, after completing a batch process or after an upset condition that may affect the filter’s performance. Downtime cleaning allows operators to shut off the fan and clean the filters during a set duration of time. After the cleaning period is finished, the unit will shut off completely. This is an important feature because over-cleaning the cartridges during operation causes higher emissions, shorter cartridge life and higher energy costs due to overuse of compressed air.

6. Hoppers Many factories that process powder and bulk solids routinely store products in hoppers. However, the dust collector’s hopper should

not be used to store dust. The hopper is only intended to funnel process dust to a storage bin. Dust that has accumulated in a hopper creates a potential fire or deflagration risk. Dust in the hopper may also diminish the collector’s performance by clogging the system and preventing the pulse-cleaning from doing its job.

Self-dumping hoppers provide easy dust disposal while protecting against unwanted dust leakage between the collector and hopper. A slide gate and flexible quick-disconnect hose connect the two components together, and the hopper lid is fastened with rubber clamps that create a gasketed seal to prevent dust from escaping. When the hopper is full, the user detaches it from the bottom of the collector, lifts the hopper onto a fork truck, and simply pulls a lever to swing the lid open and dump the contents into a larger disposal container. Self-dumping hoppers are used for a range of dry dusts, including those that must be reclaimed or recycled after the collection process.

7. Long-life filters A simple but important safety requirement is to change filters when airflow through the system reaches a differential pressure limit as prescribed by the manufacturer or when the pressure drop across the collector is negatively affecting the ability of the dust collection system to capture the dust, thus allowing it to escape into the facility. Some long-life cartridge filters can operate for two years or even longer between change-outs.

However, for heavy dust-loading applications, filter replacement might be much more frequent.

Moreover, extended-life cartridge filters can reduce replacement frequency and minimize worker exposure to dust. Reducing filter change-out frequency also saves on maintenance and disposal costs and reduces landfill impact. Ask your filter supplier for a written guarantee on filter life.

8. Filter change-out Ideally, your workers should never have to enter the dust collector to change the filters. Dust collectors that require entry during service, put workers at risk and require companies to file confined space entry permits and monitor for gas. Many cartridge-style dust collectors offer ease of filter change-out. For optimal safety, filters should be positioned for ease of access and slide in and out of the housing readily. Simple, quick-open heavy gauge doors can provide access to a fast cartridge change-out

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DUST CONTROL

system that does not require entry into the collector. Look for doors that are fully reversible for access from either side and have an exclusive lock-out feature for worker safety.

Pulling out a dirty overhead filter that weighs 100 pounds can result in neck, back and foot injuries. Avoid threaded connections on the filter access doors or hoppers because dust tends to build up in the threads and cause connections to stick. Camlock-style devices are not subject to this problem and make for easier service.

9. Safety accessories You can further enhance your dust collector’s safety performance, with additional safety accessories. For example, railed safety platforms and caged ladders can prevent slips and falls when workers access the collector for service. Lock-out/tag-out doors prevent injury caused by the inadvertent opening of doors during a pulsing cycle and/or exposure to hazardous dust. Where highly toxic dust is being handled, a bag-in/bag-out (BIBO) containment system may be required to isolate workers from used filters during change-out.

Figure 2.

10. Safety monitoring filters You might also want to equip your collector with a safety monitoring filter. This is a secondary bank of high-efficiency air filters that prevent collected dust from re-entering the workspace if there’s a leak in the dust collector’s primary filtering system.

A safety monitoring filter is a required component in a recirculating dust collection system that recycles air downstream of the collector. By recirculating heated or cooled air back through the plant, the cost to replace that conditioned air is eliminated, with rapid paybacks in energy savings. Consult your dust collection professional to determine if safety monitoring filters and recirculating the air are possible in your application.

These are a few significant areas of attention that can improve the safety of your dust collector. Partner with your equipment supplier to help you assess your system, applications and physical space for the best solutions for keeping your workers safe and your bulk handling plant operating efficiently. *Rick Kreczmer is director of aftermarket at Camfil APC, a global manufacturer of dust, mist and fume collection equipment. He can be reached at 800-479-6801, 870-933-8048, or filterman@camfil.com

Explosion-proof bag dump station with glove box, compactor, conveyor A new Flexicon Bag Dump Station with explosion-proof electrical system contains dust emitted from manual dumping activities, compacts empty bags and conveys the material to an elevated destination.

B

ags are staged on the bag tray and transferred through a plastic strip curtain into a hooded glove box and onto a grate, which supports the bag and prevents unintended operator contact with moving parts.

The hood is equipped with a polycarbonate skylight that illuminates the interior of the enclosure for improved bag slitting, dumping and disposal.

A bag infeed chute through the sidewall of the glove box permits the operator to pass empty bags directly into an integral bag compactor, causing dust generated from compaction as well as dumping activities to be drawn onto the system’s two filter cartridges.

The automatic reverse-pulse filter cleaning system employs timer-activated solenoid valves to release short blasts of compressed plant air inside the cartridges, causing dust build-up on the outer

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

filter surfaces to fall into the hopper, conserving useable product. Filters are readily accessed by removing the interior baffle, and replaced rapidly using quickdisconnect fittings.

The compactor employs a pneumatic air cylinder that compresses bags into a removable polybag-lined bin that accommodates 50 to 80 bags. The main waste access door and a flapper door within the bag infeed chute are safety interlocked to prevent operation of the compactor unless both doors are closed.

The hopper discharges into an enclosed Flexicon flexible screw conveyor for dust-free transfer of free- and non-free-flowing materials to an elevated destination with no separation of blended products.

Contact: sales@flexicon.com.au

Dust generated from bag slitting, dumping and compaction is isolated from the operator and plant environment by means of a glove box enclosure with strip curtain and an integral bag compactor with sealed infeed chute, all maintained under negative pressure by a rear-mounted dust collector.

DUST CONTROL

Kinder helps quarries tackle dust problems Conveyor component supplier Kinder Australia has supplied systems and equipment which have helped two quarries, one in Queensland and one in Victoria, remedy dust and spillage problems around conveyors and transfers.

K-Impact Belt Support System.

K-Flexal Elastic Belt Support System.

T

he Queensland quarry, near Ormeau, has capacity of around 400,000 tonnes per annum. It handles greywacke with gritty characteristics.

The weight pressure of transferred material was causing major conveyor belt sagging issues between supporting rollers. Belt edge sag allowed material to spill through the gaps between the skirting and conveyor belt; general material spillage was also an area for rectification.

Ever present small rocks also had the potential to get caught between the conveyor belt and the skirting, causing premature groove lines on the conveyor belt’s top cover.

The full impact of the conveyed material caused dust emissions, which required manual clean-up while at the same time raising safety hazards and environmental issues.

The quarry addressed the ongoing belt sag issues by installing K-Sure Belt Support System which helped to control dust emissions and material spillage.

“The recommended belt support system successfully provided even and consistent support under the belt, utilising low friction UHMWPE slide surface bars instead of rollers,” explained Neil Kinder, chief executive of Kinder Australia. “With no moving parts, there was no requirement for replacing rollers in the foreseeable future.”

Problems at a Victorian quarry, too According to Neil Kinder, maintenance teams at a Victorian quarry customer reported issues with damaging dust emissions.

The transfer point under the tertiary crusher was a source of constant, excessive material spillage and dust emission. Material turbulence generated huge amounts of dust in the tertiary crushing process which ultimately escaped and caused significant emissions from the conveyor belt skirting system.

With a 2.5 metre, vertical impact drop height from the cone crusher and material lump size of minus 60mm, the conveyed material was pooling. This was due to the material not moving in the direction of the conveyor belt. A combination of conveyor belt sag and inconsistent conveyor idler profile gave way to an ineffective skirting system. This inefficiency further aggravated dust emissions and ongoing spillage challenges at the quarry.

“The quarry maintenance team followed our recommendation to overhaul the conveyor system by fabricating a new tail section and installing K-Impact Belt Support, K-Sure Belt Support System and K-Ultra Dual Seal Skirting System,” said Neil Kinder.

Mr Kinder added “the K-Impact Belt Support modular system installation was very successful in stabilising the load at the transfer point which in turn improved material containment. Additional maintenance and labour costs were also averted.”

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DUST CONTROL

Vortex solution for sand producer’s loading spout problems

By Kevin Peterson & Logan Cameron, Vortex Global

Vortex Global, a United States manufacturer of gates, diverters, and loading spouts for handling dry bulk material, added telescopic loading spouts to its range in 2012. The new line later solved a serious problem for an industrial producer, transporter, and distributor of sand.

Vortex Spout loading enclosed trailer with sand.

Material and dust flow inside the Vortex spout.

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he US sand company contacted Vortex in 2015 to ask if a solution existed for an ongoing maintenance issue it was experiencing at its plant in Wisconsin.

The company utilised multiple telescoping loading spouts within its organisation that had been manufactured by a Vortex competitor. Each spout contained three cables to raise and lower the spout. Problems arose once a cable broke due to abnormal wear, or snapped due to a truck pulling away before the spout was retracted. This meant that trucks would have to wait until a new cable was located and the broken cable replaced.

Cable maintenance was ongoing and a constant source of irritation. Vortex explained how it addressed this issue with a proprietary 4-cable lifting design. The design provides maximum stability and more lifting torque for the spout. Additionally, if a cable should happen to break, the spout is still operational via the three remaining cables until there is an opportunity to replace the broken cable. There would be no

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

more holding up the loading process waiting for repairs to be made.

Vortex further explained how much of the issue revolved around the cable pulleys.

Typical pulleys have a sharp edge that creates wear and breakage to the cable as it spools and unspools in the pulley.

Additionally, the pulley openings are normally too wide for the cable. As the spout retracts and the cable spools inside the pulley the cable wraps beside itself and not on top of itself. When the spout is required to extend, the improper wrap creates tension and then slack – sometimes causing the cable to jump the pulley and wrap around the pulley’s drive shaft.

When this happens, loading is then stopped until the cable can be unravelled from the shaft and re-wrapped inside the pulley. Vortex addresses this issue by installing CNC machined pulleys that have radius edges that reduce cable wear and grooved openings that exactly match the cable diameter.

DUST CONTROL

Addressing dust control while loading Another issue the sand company wished to address was dust control. One of its core values is environmental stewardship. As such, it did not want to just meet regulations for fugitive dust, it wanted to exceed them.

Vortex is well aware that exposure to dust by employees and visitors can create health and safety issues. Common medical conditions relative to certain exposures include irritant contact, allergic contact, desensitization, and silicosis.

Safety concerns arise from surface dust accumulation that may cause slips, trips, and falls. Work-related injuries and ailments can lead to workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; compensation, disabilities, litigation, and fines. Additionally, air pollutants create environmental issues for local neighbourhoods, waterways, and ecosystems. These issues can result in fines or plant closure, and reflect poorly on companies not willing to address them.

Vortex says its loading spouts are specifically designed to address fugitive dust. Within the external, flexible sleeve is where the process begins. At the centre of the unit are stacking cones suspended by a wire rope that provide a coherent pathway for product flow. They are spaced so that, even when fully extended, they overlap so as not to allow product to contact the outer sleeve. A vacuum is created at the top of the spout to move the dust upward in the space between the stacking cones and the flexible sleeve.

As the dust makes its way up the spoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior, the flow of material pulls some of it between the cones back into the material flow stream. The dust that eventually reaches the top of the spout may be handled in two ways. In one, an attachment is made through the spoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dust collection port that allows the dust to be transported to a nearby dust collector. In the second, a Vortex Spout Filtration Unit is installed above the spout. Individual

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DUST CONTROL

filters within the unit capture the dust temporarily until a pulse jet system frees the dust from the filter and it is entrained back into the load.

When utilizing a nearby dust collector, the dust is normally discarded and lost. When utilizing the Vortex Spout Filtration System, the dust is captured, reintroduced into the material being handled, and sold as product. The system can add to overall profitability.

A level-sensing probe may be mounted at the outside of the skirt and programmed to automate the spout retraction process.

As the material pile grows, the probe slowly begins to tilt. Once tilted to a 16° angle, it signals the conveying line to halt material flow and an auto-raise feature commands the spout to retract to a pre-programmed height. In doing so, overfilling and visual monitoring can be avoided.

Vortex’s solutions Explaining the Vortex Compact In-Line Filter

Open loading

The engineering/maintenance manager of this company quickly realised that the Vortex spout offered solutions for the maintenance issues he had been dealing with as well as environmental issues that are always a concern.

“We ordered one spout to let it ‘prove itself’. Within six months we ordered three more for our new rail loading station,” he said.

Within two years the company had ordered nine Vortex spouts. The company is currently specifying Vortex spouts for a new facility to be built in 2018 at a site in the Permian Basin in West Texas. The plant manager said, “We rely on state-of-the-art manufacturers like Vortex that allow us to be more competitive and more efficient as a supplier. The Vortex spout has significantly reduced our maintenance budget. The spout’s life-cycle costs are extremely favourable, and our management views Vortex as an important partner in helping us address employee health and environmental stewardship.”

Vortex is represented in Australia by Brolton Group.

To address dust control during the loading of open vessels, Vortex offers a detachable loading skirt that may be attached to the outlet of the loading spout. By design, the skirt flares out and rests atop the material pile to trap dust before it is vacuumed away.

Contacts: www.vortexglobal.com www.brolton.com.au

The Filtration System features a unique, square shaped design that reduces the overall height of the unit. The unit is equipped with a single, high-volume blower that vacuums dust upward into several pleated cartridge filters. As previously stated, an automatic pulse jet cleaning system uses compressed air to purge the filters of accumulated dust and send it back down the spout, through the material flow stream, and into the vessel. A Magnehelic pressure gauge indicates when it is time to change the filters which are easily accessible at the top of the unit.

Once filtered, the blower discharges very clean air into the environment. The amount of contaminated air being discharged is based on the efficiency of the filter cartridges themselves. Handling ½ micron material, the cartridges are 99.7% efficient. At 1 micron, they are 99.8% efficient. At 2 microns, they are 100% efficient.

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Rotary batch mixer for abrasives A new model 700-THX-50-ARI Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson Machinery of the US blends abrasive materials such as concrete, premix, mortar mix, glass/cullet, fibreglass, refractories, tungsten powder and ceramics, in one to three minutes with minimised abrasive wear or product degradation.

The new model 700-THX-50-ARI Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson Machinery.

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he mixer features abrasion-resistant steel material contact surfaces, internal mixing flights with easy-toreplace wear plates and radial seals for dust-tight operation.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

It has a useable batch capacity of 1.4 cu m or 1815 kg, and achieves uniformity with equal efficiency from 100% to 15% of rated capacity, regardless of disparities in the bulk densities, particle sizes or flow characteristics of batch ingredients, according to the manufacturer.

Its horizontal rotating vessel contains proprietary mixing flights that tumble, turn, cut and fold material gently, preventing degradation and imparting minimal energy to the batch. A stationary inlet and outlet at opposite ends of the vessel allow hard piping to upstream and downstream conveyors, process/packaging equipment or storage vessels.

Unlike mixers with stationary vessels that force agitators through the batch, the drum requires only a 7.5 kW motor for rotation in most applications. Optional 15 kW motors are available for mixing of materials with bulk densities in the range of 3.2 gm/cc.

The rotating vessel and internal flights lift and direct the entire batch into the discharge spout for evacuation with no residual “heel” of material requiring manual removal, eliminating waste and allowing rapid cleaning.

The mixing vessel rotates on exterior trunnion rings, eliminating the need for internal shaft seals prone to failure when mixing abrasives.

It is equipped with an optional cagestyle intensifier that is independently powered. Mounted at the inlet end of the vessel, the intensifier promotes uniform dispersion of non-free-flowing and other difficult-to-blend materials, imparting shear to reduce agglomerates into discreet particles.

Also optional are internal spray nozzles for uniform distribution of liquids over the bed of moving material.

DUST CONTROL

The mine’s secondary sizer.

Roy Hill’s primary sizer.

Reverse air solution for iron ore sizing plant In 2016, Luehr Filter supplied six dust collecting units to Takraf Australia for use on the primary and secondary sizers at the Roy Hill iron ore project. Luehr Filter Australia’s managing director, Trevor Baud, told ABHR about the job.

T

he majority Gina Rinehart-owned Roy Hill, in Australia’s Pilbara, is a recently developed 55 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) iron ore mining, rail and port operation situated approximately 340kms south-east of Port Hedland.

“Takraf needed the dust collectors in order to meet EPA licence requirements,” said Mr Baud. “They also wanted to minimise airborne dust to help provide a safe workplace for their employees.”

Luehr’s solution to Takraf’s requirements was to supply six dust-collecting units that incorporated the company’s ‘reverse air offline’ cleaning system. The Luehr SMWF filters had already been used extensively in other iron ore mining operations in Western Australia.

“The filters met customer requirements in terms of EPA licencing, robustness and safety considerations,” said Baud.

The system is known as ‘offline cleaning’ because the plenum attached to the travelling carriage isolates the bag rows on either side of the row being cleaned. This prevents dust re-entrainment onto neighbouring bags during the cleaning cycle and lowers the pressure required for effective cleaning, since the row being cleaned is also isolated from the main induced draft fan suction.

The filter uses its internal reverse air fan and flapper valve system to eliminate dependency on compressed air.

“The reverse air cleaning mechanism results in higher cleaning efficiencies, longer bag life, lower energy consumption and

lower emissions,” explained Baud. “There are also no jet tubes to remove or walk on to access the bags.”

Bag changing Bag changing procedures for the Luehr SMWF filers also met Takraf’s requirements.

Large access doors on the top of the clean air chamber allow operators sufficient space to inspect and maintain the filter elements. The design ensures no access is needed to the dirty air side of the filter, even during major overhauls. Owing to the compact bag design system, bag removal and replacement can be achieved by one person.

Since installation, Baud says the units have been achieving excellent dust control, ensuring emission requirements are met.

“I believe one of the reasons Takraf chose our dust collectors was because they liked the reverse air option,” said Baud.

“It doesn’t require compressed air to operate and therefore it has proven itself more reliable in harsh mining environments.”

Luehr’s Roy Hill contract came 15 years after its first iron ore dust control application in Australia, and 35 years after the company first entered Australia. In the last 10 years, the company has supplied dust collecting filters to all Australia’s major miners.

Contact: www.luehrfilter.com.au or (03) 9550 1879

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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OVERHEAD NEWS

Contracts and new products for thyssenkrupp

A 3D rendering of the Brunei fertiliser plant which will harness the country’s vast gas reserves to produce up to 2,200 tonnes per day of ammonia. In addition, a urea plant and a urea granulation plant will both have capacities of 3,900t per day.

It’s been a busy few months for German engineering company thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions with the firm winning orders for design and construction of a new fertiliser plant in Brunei, conveyor systems for a Mongolian mine, and new products including an eccentric roller crusher, and a compact bucket wheel excavator.

A relaxed and happy Torsten Gerlach, CEO of the mining technologies business unit of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions. He has recently celebrated a big contract win to supply multiple conveyor systems to the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, and the launch of an innovative eccentric roll crusher.

T

he fertiliser plant order for thyssenkrupp came from the state-owned Brunei Fertilizer Industries.

The contract for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the new production facility was signed in August 2017 with work starting later in the year. The new greenfield fertilizer complex will have a production capacity of 2,200 tons of ammonia and 3,900 tons of urea per day. It will be located in the Sungai Liang Industrial Park right next to Brunei’s wellestablished oil and gas industry.

Peter Feldhaus, CEO of thyssenkrupp’s Industrial Solutions business area said: “We are proud to work together with Brunei Fertilizer Industries to support the country’s transformation into a diversified industrial economy. Being selected to develop this lighthouse project is an important milestone for our fertilizer plant business. This major order will further strengthen our market position and growth in the Asia Pacific region.”

Brunei is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of natural gas. The new plant project will support the government’s

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

long-term development strategy to diversify the country’s economy. As one of the key investment sectors, the development of downstream activities in the petrochemical industry will help better utilize the main economic resources available: oil and gas.

Dato Bahrin Abdullah, chairman of Brunei Fertilizer Industries said: “We have chosen thyssenkrupp for our investment project as the company combines vast experience in engineering, procurement and construction with proven and cost-efficient fertilizer production technology, ensuring the highest environmental standards. Together, we will help accelerate the nation’s economic growth in a sustainable way and expand employment opportunities for its people.”

The fully integrated, state-of-the-art fertilizer complex will comprise an ammonia plant with a daily capacity of 2,200 metric tons as well as a urea plant and a urea granulation plant both with a capacity of 3,900 tons per day. After its planned completion in 2021, the plant will use parts of Brunei’s large natural gas reserves as feedstock to produce high-quality nitrogen fertilizer mainly for the export market. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and therefore a key agricultural input. thyssenkrupp’s scope of supply for the fertilizer complex will include the engineering, supply of equipment, erection, supervision of construction and commissioning as well as various offsite and related utility systems.

Conveyor systems for Mongolian mine One of the richest underground copper deposits in the world will soon be accessed with the help of high-capacity gearless driven conveyors from thyssenkrupp.

The firm has won a contract to supply a material handling system for the new Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in Mongolia. The contract value is in the higher double-digit million-euro range. thyssenkrupp will supply a total of nine conveyors with a combined length of 9.5 km as well as seven transfer towers operating at a design tonnage of 7,100 tons per hour. First production from underground is expected in 2020. The Oyu Tolgoi mine complex is a joint venture between the Government of Mongolia and Turquoise Hill Resources, which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto.

NEWS

BINTECH SYSTEMS DRY SOLID FLOW SOLUTIONS SWR ENGINEERING

An impression of part of the conveyor set-up to be supplied to Mongolian mine, Oyu Tolgoi’s, new underground operation.

Four high lift conveyors each equipped with 1.6m wide steel cord belts and dual 5,500 kW gearless drives from Siemens From a depth of nearly 1,400m beneath the Gobi Desert in the south of Mongolia, the new underground material handling system is planned to transport 95,000 tons per day of copper ore up to the surface. The main components are four high lift conveyors each equipped with 1.6m wide steel cord belts and dual 5,500 kW gearless drives from Siemens. Further conveyors will feed the main incline conveyors and tie the new underground system into the existing process facility.

Torsten Gerlach, CEO of the mining technologies business unit of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions said: “This order again proves that thyssenkrupp is a strong player in the mining and materials handling industry. We are proud to contribute to this project with our intelligent belt conveyor technology and our strong global project execution capabilities. The system will help the Oyu Tolgoi mine set standards in terms of productivity and safety.”

The Oyu Tolgoi mine began producing copper concentrate from an open pit operation in 2013. The future underground construction activities will transform the operation into one of the most significant copper mines globally.

The order given to thyssenkrupp includes the engineering, design, and supply of the new material handling system as well as required site support services during the construction and commissioning phases. thyssenkrupp says it

will be designed with an emphasis on ease of maintenance. This includes, for example, the ability to quickly replace chute sections as well as idler rolls and belt cleaners.

The drive components are massive in terms of size and weight, so great attention will be paid to safely transporting them underground and to ensuring they can be safely exchanged in the future.

Overhead bridge cranes are strategically located to not only service the equipment, but also to aid in the erection of the major structures.

The work scope also includes water and air piping for the required dust suppression equipment, fire protection along all of the underground conveyors and electrical infrastructure to control and power the equipment.

Eccentric roll crusher Thyssenkrupp believes it’s on to a winner with its new crusher. It says the socalled eccentric roll crusher type ERC2525 is a completely new type of crusher “which achieves a quantum leap in primary crushing.”

The new crusher features a particularly flat and robust design and high throughputs of up to 3,000 tons per hour, enabling it to process hard rock and ores efficiently and economically in underground mining operations. As the centrepiece of a mobile or semi-mobile system the eccentric roll crusher also enhances cost efficiency in surface mining. In the future, the new series will be supplemented with further models to enable both smaller and higher throughput capacities for different applications.

Torsten Gerlach, CEO of the mining technologies business unit of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions explained: “Our customers are looking for dependable, safe and easy-to-install crushers that

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NEWS

Some of the Mongolian systems will borrow from the Los Pelambres downhill conveying system (pictured) which was developed by Thyssenkrupp and transports copper ore over a total distance of 12.7 km through a tunnel system.

permit maximum productivity even underground. To meet these requirements, we have combined our many years of experience with different crushing technologies and our comprehensive engineering expertise. The new eccentric roll crusher from thyssenkrupp offers a wide range of possibilities for effectively

Eccentric roll crusher test plant.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

processing ore and hard rock both underground and on the surface as part of mobile and semi-mobile systems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the key advantages of the new crusher is its flat and compact design with integrated screen. It is 20 to 50 percent lower than conventional primary crushers. This greatly simplifies transportation, installation and maintenance below ground. If required, the crusherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s height can be reduced further for installation by removing individual components, saving additional time and costs.â&#x20AC;?

Thyssenkrupp says that the newly developed and patented design, featuring a roll mounted eccentrically between the crushing and the screening chamber, offers greater efficiency and productivity compared with other crusher types. The large, constant stroke of the ERC25-25 crusher combines with the integrated screen to provide very high crushing intensity and throughputs of up to 3,000 tons per hour.

In the large crusher infeed area, the material to be reduced is divided into two material flows: the first with fine material is screened out and passes through the screening chamber to a discharge conveyor.

NEWS

The patented design features a roll mounted eccentrically between the crushing and the screening chamber The second stream with coarse material is transported to the crushing chamber and reduced between the eccentrically mounted roll and the chamberwalls.

In addition to higher production, this design also requires less maintenance. Keeping the fine material out of the crushing chamber reduces the power consumption of the electric motor and significantly reduces the load on the machine. An integrated automatic gap adjustment system with overload safety device also offers good protection in the event of non-crushable foreign material.

“The symmetric arrangement of the roll permits the eccentric roll crusher to be balanced with great precision,” said Thyssenkrupp’s publicity. “With additional balancing weights it can be balanced almost completely. This lowers machine vibrations when idling and significantly reduces the loads on surrounding structures compared with other primary crushers. That makes the new crusher ideal for use in mobile crushing systems.”

Compact bucket wheel excavator Thyssenkrupp has won its first order for its new Barracuda compact bucket wheel excavator. China Huaneng Group has ordered the bucket wheel excavator-based overburden system from the mining unit of the company’s industrial solutions business area.

The order is worth more than 40 million. The Barracuda is due to go into operation at the Yiminhe open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia in 2018.

Operation of the eccentric roll crusher.

Thomas Jabs, head of mining systems in the industrial solutions business area commented: “With its efficient continuous operation the Barracuda will help significantly reduce both operating costs and CO2 emissions at the Yiminhe mine. This is a good example of our innovative mining solutions that create value for our customers and at the same time protect resources.”

Thanks to its compact design and special bucket wheel configuration the Barracuda is also able to remove hard material layers. “Combined mining and loading within a single machine also eliminates the need for dangerous and environmentally harmful blasting and separate loading operations,” explained Jabs. “The new system will therefore ensure continuing safe and efficient open pit operation in Yiminhe.”

The new bucket wheel excavator overburden system combines a Barracuda-C bucket wheel excavator with a capacity of 6,700 loose cubic metres per hour with a belt wagon, a conveyor system and a spreader. The scope of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions includes engineering, delivery, erection supervision and commissioning of the complete system.

The Barracuda will be used in Yiminhe to strip overburden and mine coal. After being extracted by the Barracuda the material will be taken by the belt wagon to the conveyor system, which will transfer the overburden to the dumping site. Dumping of the material will be carried out by the spreader system with a throughput rate of up to 10,000 tons per hour. thyssenkrupp has a long and successful partnership with China Huaneng Group: Among other things, in 2006 it supplied a fully mobile crushing plant and conveyor line to the Chinese mine which is still in operation today.

Model of the Barracuda compact bucket wheel excavator. The first model will go into operation at a Chinese mine in 2018.

ARE YOU A DESIGNER / MANUFACTURER / RESEARCHER / OPERATOR OF BULK SOLIDS HANDLING SYSTEMS / EQUIPMENT / STORAGE?

... If so, you can now expand your capabilities by joining the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling.

The Society has a mission to enhance the discipline of bulk solids handling through research, education and sound engineering practice.

Further information on the Society’s activities, its Constitution and registration procedures are available from the: Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling The University of Newcastle University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308 Phone: (02) 4033 9039 | Fax: (02) 4033 9044 Email: Danielle.Harris@newcastle.edu.au

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MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN TO ALL PRACTITIONERS IN BULK SOLIDS HANDLING AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

49

www.engineersaustralia.org.au/Australian-Society-Bulk-Solids-Handling

CONVEYORS

The Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC) In this article, Tim Graham*, developer of the Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC), describes a unique hybrid technology which he says is cost effective and scalable, potentially offering a new solution for the transport of iron ore and other bulk commodities.

1. Introduction We live in a disruptive world – but few of us can imagine the scale and intensity of the disruption paradigm that lies ahead.

Consider this benchmark: “Time taken to double human knowledge”. In the centuries following the end of the first millennium, it has been estimated that collective human knowledge would double approximately every 100 years. In other words, in 1800, the combined knowledge of planet earth was roughly twice that of 1700, which was in turn twice that in 1600 and so on. By the time the industrial revolution occurred, the knowledge doubling timespan had been reduced to a few decades and by the late 1900s it was under a decade. However, it is forecast that by the time the Internet of Things (IOT) gains traction in the next few years, our collective knowledge will be doubling every 12 hours!

In the field of bulk material transportation, innovation and development has been glacial in comparison. A good question would be: “With the rapid growth in technology and disruptive forces invading our lives, why are we still using conveyor technology that has not changed significantly in over a century?”

The answer centres around the opposing forces of risk and innovation, and is emphasised by the well-known mining mantra: “Our innovation strategy is to be first to be second”. In other words, there is little appetite for facing

Figure 1: Idler conveyors: Where does the energy (profit) go?

the risks that inevitably accompany innovation. Many companies talk boldly about their “new innovation strategy” but closer scrutiny reveals that this is often nothing more than tinkering with their IT platform. To eliminate risk, new technology must be proven beyond doubt to be failsafe before adoption can be considered. Since innovation is inclusive of risk, it is starved of capital, and we see more of the same technology with minor tweaks.

The quest for an optimal material handling system is driven by six overarching objectives:

To transport material from origin to destination with: a) Maximum safety b) Minimum environmental impact c) Lowest cost (Capital and operating) d) Maximum flexibility e) Maximum scalability f) Maximum OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness = system availability x utilisation of availability x production rate).

In simple terms, this means that in the field of bulk material movement, nirvana would be a low-cost system that safely transports large volumes of material from anywhere to anywhere with no environmental impact.

2. The effect of physics on bulk material transportation economics

Figure 2: Economics of different modes of bulk transport.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

Whether one considers batch bulk material transportation systems such as dump trucks, road haulage fleets or even aircraft, or continuous systems such as conveyors and pipelines, there are two parameters that have influence over both capital and operating costs: Friction and flexibility.

Friction levels are a major contributor to operating costs in most systems because friction forces oppose motion and are therefore key components of power consumption, which is in turn proportional to cost (i.e. increased electricity or fuel consumption). There are simple every

CONVEYORS

These figures are closely correlated with the rolling resistance coefficients (f) of each system: a) Dump truck (on typical mine haul road) = 0.04 – 0.12 b) Road train (on typical mine haul road) = 0.02 – 0.03 c) Conventional conveyor = 0.009 – 0.015 d) Rail based conveyor systems = 0.004 – 0.005 In other words, system friction forces are directly proportional to operating costs.

Dump Trucks

Road Trains Mobile conveyors Idler Conveyors

Relocatable

Road based Rail Conveyor

Cost / Tonne

3. Rail based conveyor systems

ARC

Rail

Optimal

Inflexible Flexibility Figure 3: Flexibility vs Cost / tonne for bulk material transport systems.

day examples of this phenomenon: Commercial aircraft fly at 38,000 feet rather than 10,000 feet (lower density air means lower friction). Pipelines are designed with smooth walls and large radius bends to reduce friction. High speed trains are streamlined to reduce drag.

The same logic applies with bulk material transportation: Lower the friction, and operating costs will be proportionately lowered.

An analysis of frictional losses on a standard conveyor carried out by TUNRA (The University of Newcastle Research Associates) is shown in Figure 1.

Laboratory tests have verified these losses - but what actions can be taken to reduce them? It is clear that minor changes to conventional conveyors (such as using lower friction bearings on idlers) will have little impact on overall friction losses – a step change in strategy is required to achieve desired cost reduction benefits.

Consider two common methods of transporting bulk materials:

a) In continuous systems, conventional idler conveyor based systems are dominant b) In batch systems, dump trucks are ubiquitous in most open pit mining operations The operational costs of these methods are shown in Figure 2, and displayed in a cents / tonne / kilometre basis. These values are charted against the distance the material is transported.

Marginal costs (i.e. the cost of transporting the next tonne) drop with all systems as transport distance increases.

However, each system reaches an asymptotic distance where marginal costs no longer decrease. For example, in the case of conventional conveyors, this figure is approximately 6 cents / tonne / kilometre occurring at 10 kilometres, whereas rail based conveyors cost 2 cents / tonne kilometre, or one third of the cost. At the same 10-kilometre mark, road trains cost 11 cents (5½ times as much) and dump trucks cost 16 cents (8 times as much).

With rail based conveyors using approximately one third of the energy to that used by conventional conveyors and almost an eighth of dump trucks, why are they so rare?

The key reason is the requirement for flexibility. Rail based transport systems are inflexible, and can only run where there are rails, whereas road based systems are flexible, and can run on most surfaces providing they have acceptable gradients and sufficient bearing pressure.

The challenge, therefore, is to develop a bulk materials transport system that capitalises on the benefits of rail i.e. low friction (and consequently operating cost) as well as autonomy (operational personnel are a significant cost), yet retains sufficient flexibility for specific applications. This trade-off is shown in Figure 3 which maps the flexibility of different systems against cost/tonne, and emphasises that current flexible, lowcost systems (the bottom right hand blue square “Optimal”) are not available with current technology.

Two rail based bulk material transportation innovations (at different stages of development) have the potential to move close to the optimal space. These are: a) For continuous system: The TUNRA Rail Conveyor, which has been in development since 2011, and offers improved flexibility (ability to navigate corners and gradients), longer single flight distances, lower capital outlay

System

Capital cost

Operating cost Capacity

Flexibility

Scalability

OEE**

Idler conveyor

High

Medium

High

Low

Lowest

High

Rail conveyor

Medium

Low

High

Low

Low

High

Road train fleet

High

High

Medium

High

High

Low

Dump truck fleet

High

Highest

High

Highest

High

Low

Train

Highest

Lowest

Highest

Low

Low

Low

ARC*

Medium

Low

Medium

Medium

High

Medium

Optimal system

Low

Low

High

High

High

High

*ARC = Autonomous Rail Conveyor Table 1: Parameter evaluation of bulk material transport systems.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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CONVEYORS

Figure 4: 1:48 Scale Model of the ARC system.

and significantly reduced operating cost when compared to conventional idler conveyor systems. b) For batch system: The Autonomous Rail Conveyor (ARC) is a conveyor - train hybrid which has overland, underground and in-pit applications.

Currently, the TUNRA Rail Conveyor has had both 1:10 and 1:1 working test models constructed, whereas ARC (www.autonomousrailconveyor.com) has had a working 1:48 model built and tested. As with all bulk material transport systems, both systems fall short of being optimal, but have potential to mitigate the key disadvantages of dump trucks, road trains and idler conveyors as is shown in Table 1 associated with existing systems.

A key reason for the attractiveness of conventional conveyors in bulk material applications is high system availability and a wide range of capacities. For short, straight routes, a conveyor has an enviable performance and operating cost profile. As route distances increase and terrain becomes more complex to navigate, flexibility (e.g. the ability to navigate around hills, valleys etc) becomes more important, and road trains or dump trucks often become the bulk transport modes of choice, even though their operating costs are significantly higher. No single bulk materials movement system offers a perfect solution for all applications – trade-offs are always necessary.

4. The ARC system – key points of difference The ARC concept development has been driven by optimising the criteria in Table 1, and a search for an improved solution over current rail- conveyor hybrids. The vision is to create a system with lower capital and operating costs than currently available systems, particularly for longer transit distances, defined here as the point where conveyor advantages begin to diminish – typically longer than 2 - 3 km.

A key disadvantage of conventional train transport systems is the complex and expensive infrastructure required for loading and dumping operations. Trains have discrete wagons, meaning that material flow must be interrupted each time the space between wagons moves under the material dispenser. Therefore, the system only has availability whilst an empty wagon is positioned to be filled, leading to an intermittent loading pattern (and consequently poor OEE). This situation is more severe during dumping operations: In the case of iron ore, entire trains must be decelerated and halted every two carriages to allow for a 180° wagon inversion to be accomplished.

The ARC avoids both loading and dumping inefficiencies by combining benefits of both conveyor and train systems by integrating a conveyor in to a series of bogeys as shown in Figure 4.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

Scalability is another key criterion which needs to be achieved in a simple manner with a view to decreasing overall unit operating costs. For example, “step scalability” in the road and dump truck arena means adding another unit to the fleet – however, once a conveyor has reached capacity (i.e. at maximum loading and speed), no step change is possible.

OEE is high for conveyors and most other continuous systems, but is low for batch systems due to non-productive time between unit departures and next unit arrivals (for example trains, dump truck or road trains only have availability whilst receiving material - but are otherwise unavailable). To be competitive for shorter distances, the ARC system would need to match a conveyor’s availability by sequencing loading, dumping, departure and arrival of different train modules so that the mode is “virtually continuous” rather than batch.

The unit capacity of the ARC system is designed at approximately 2 tonnes per metre length of conveyor for iron ore transport applications, translating into a net transport capability of 192 tonnes per train. The below two examples show range and capacity capabilities of the ARC. Example 1: Short distance, high capacity requirement.

The ARC is required to transport 5,000 t/h of iron ore a distance of 2.0 km.

• Track layout = circular • Rate of material loading = 5,000 t/h = 1.39 t/sec.

• Maximum loading capacity of ARC = 2.0 t/metre • Required linear speed of ARC at capacity load rate = 1.39 / 2.00 = 0.69 m/sec • Time to load 1 x ARC train = 96.00/0.69 = 139 sec • Average loaded speed of ARC = 7.5 m/sec, average empty speed of ARC = 15.0 m/sec • Distance travelled by an ARC train leaving a loading station whilst next ARC train commences and completes loading = 7.5 x 139 = 1,043 metres • To ensure continuous delivery of ore at destination, ARC trains would be positioned as follows: 1 x empty train commences loading 1 x full train leaves loading station 1 x full train located at 1,043 m from loading station, assuming average speed of 7.5 m/sec 1 x full train arrived at dump station and queueing whilst previous train dumps 1 x full train dumping 1 x empty train arrived at load station (having departed from dumping station 139 seconds previously) based on an average speed of 15.0 m/sec

CONVEYORS

In this scenario, 6 trains would be required to move 5,000 t/h continuously over a 2.0 km distance.

Example 2: Long distance, lower capacity requirement.

The ARC system is required to transport 1,000 t/h of iron ore a distance of 10.0 km.

• Track layout = single track with passing points, or circular (capital cost investigation required) • Rate of material flow = 1,000 t/h = 0.28 t/sec.

• Maximum loading of ARC = 2 t/metre = required loading flow rate per metre • Required loading speed of ARC = 0.28 / 2.00 = 0.14 m/sec • Time to load train = 96.00/0.14 = 686 sec • Average loaded speed of ARC = 7.5 m/sec, average empty speed of ARC = 15.0 m/sec • Distance travelled by an ARC train leaving a loading station whilst next ARC train commences and completes loading = 7.5 x 686 = 5,143 metres • To ensure continuous delivery of ore, ARC trains would be positioned as follows: 1 x empty train commences loading 1 x full train leaving loading station 1 x full train at 5,143 m from loading station, based on average loaded speed of 7.5 m/sec 1 x full train arrived at dump station and queueing 1 x full train dumping 1 x empty train arrived at load station (having departed from dumping station 686 seconds previously) based on an average speed of 15.0 m/sec In this example with a single-track system, the passing point locations would have to be carefully worked out. A circular track would also be possible, but obviously almost twice as much track would be required.

5. Technical details of the ARC The key elements of the ARC system as follows: a) Train module b) Loading bed c) Rail system d) Ore loading system e) Ore transport f) Ore dumping system g) Power and control system Each of these elements are reviewed below.

the required electrical and control cables to transfer power and control to each of the geared motors.

Each bogey would have integrated shaft mounted geared motors (with brake) on both axles, rated at 22.5 kW, resulting in an effective power output per bogey of 45kW. Each of these geared motors would be powered by either an internal or external power source, as explained in the Power Supply section. Speed of the motors is controlled by a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) module within the generator / power control car. Thus, all rail cars receive the same power and frequency, as well as braking signal when required. b) Load bed The load bed would be a specialised 3.0-metre-wide pipe conveyor belt, but configured in a half pipe profile. It would be powered by a drum motor (which draws power from the onboard generator via the control system) as shown in Figure 8. c) Rail and ballast system The rail sections proposed would be constructed from 15 kg/m rail on a standard gauge of 1,435 mm. Individual rails would be combined with sleepers to form an integrated system known as “T- Track” which is currently commercially available, and has been proven as a relocatable, cost effective product. The ARC system can either use a loop (circular) track i.e. out and back on a continuous track, or a single track for both outbound (i.e. loaded) in return (i.e. empty) journeys. Depending on the distance to be travelled and the capacity required, a number of passing points would be required. Decision criteria on which configuration to use include conveyance distance, capacity, terrain and available budget. d) Ore loading system The principle of the ore loading system is to provide a constant feed of material at a calculated rate on to the ARC loading bed. This is achieved by installing a material delivery chute apron feeder as shown below in Figures 5 and 6. The train can either be loaded by moving at a prescribed speed under an apron feeder, or staying stationary with the conveyor activated and moving. e) Ore transport Once the ARC is loaded with ore it would travel to the destination at a predetermined speed which would be calculated with safety, terrain, environmental and transport rate factors

a) Train module A standard ARC train module would consist of approximately 20 interconnected bogeys, each 4.5m long and operating on a standard rail gauge of 1,435 mm. The bogeys would be interconnected by conventional couplings enabling freedom of rotation, and horizontal / vertical movement. This coupling would also contain

f) Power and control system The method of producing and transferring power consists of the following options: • Internal power supply i.e. diesel generated electrical power transferred to train wheels • External power transferred to train wheels by conductors

Figure 5: ARC approaching Apron Feeder.

Figure 6: Loading an ARC train.

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CONVEYORS

Figure 7: Loaded ARC train travels to destination.

Figure 8: Loaded ARC train travels to destination and dumps ore.

There are merits and drawbacks to both options - with internal power, the principle advantage is that no power distribution network is required, which translates into significant infrastructural saving. However, each train would be required to have its own onboard generator, which would require regular refuelling.

A secondary drawback is that with no power around the rail track, points and communication would require independent power and control systems to operate.

With external power, high voltage (such as 11 kV) would be required to prevent voltage drops. This voltage would have to be stepped down to the operating voltage of 690 volts for the geared motors. The power would have to be commutated via a third rail or overhead catenary line. These are all significant issues, which also have a safety element (in the form of high voltage electricity) to be considered.

Further research is required to assess the suitability of internal or external power supplies to different situations.

Braking is activated by the control system when required and accomplished in two ways: • Through the VSD drives • By the integrated brake within the geared motors.

This is true whether internal or external power is used.

The control system is envisaged to consist of a ROC (Remote Operating Centre) which has visibility and control over all ARC train movements. Individual trains would have “slave” controls integrated into their drive systems. g) Ore dumping system Ore dumping is achieved by an ARC train entering a dumping location, halting and activating the onboard conveyor as shown in Figure 8.

Once an ARC train as dumped its ore, it would return along the route to the apron feeder as shown in Figure 9.

6. Conclusions The ARC concept has the potential to deliver a lower capital and operating cost solution to transporting iron ore and other bulk commodities over distances in excess of approximately 2 kilometres than competing alternatives.

With integrated power supplies, there is theoretically no upper limit to the distance that the system could operate over. The system is envisaged to be cost effective and scalable, yet maintain sufficient flexibility to allow for operational changes. The ARC

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Figure 9: Empty ARC train returns to the loading point.

has a unique hybrid configuration that allows for simple loading and dumping activities to be executed. Train modules are standardised, so that maintenance activities can be planned and executed easily. Significant development work would be required to bring a solution to reality.

References Newcastle Innovation, University of Newcastle, Rail Conveyor System, 2012 Queensland Mining and Energy Bulletin, February 3, 2015 University of Wollongong, February 12th 2016, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences; Truck and Shovel versus In-pit Conveyor Systems.

Foley, m. 2012. “in-pit crushing: Wave of the future?”, Australian Journal of mining, pp.4653, May/June.

Harcus, m. June 2011 “Back to the future”, Mining Magazine, pp45-59 Londono J G, Knights p, Kizil m, 2012, A Review of In-Pit Crusher Conveyor (IPCC) application, in proceedings 2012 Australian Mining Technology Conference, 8-10 Oct, Perth pp 63-81 International Mining, October 2010 Coaltech 2009, Independent Coal Transport Investigation, South Africa Rail-Veyor, website www.railveyor.com, 2017 *Tim Graham is a chartered engineer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt. He has worked for both large corporates, in mining and manufacturing, and entrepreneurial start-ups. Tim has successfully designed, patented and commercialised a range of industrial equipment.

LIFTING & HOISTING

Synchronous lifting system for massive shovel lift The EVO synchronous control unit enabled a single operator to control and monitor the entire lift. The shovel was successfully undecked in approximately one hour.

Enerpac says that one of its EVO systems halved maintenance downtime and boosted safety as it lifted a near 1,000 tonne mining shovel deck at a US mine site.

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outine maintenance is required on a P&H 4100XPC Electric Rope Shovel after every 30,000 hours of operation.

These machines – which are used on coal in Australia – require maintenance in which the upper section is lifted off the car body to machine bearing surfaces and inspect and repair structural components. Weighing approximately 907 tonnes, lifting the upper car body requires a significant amount of force and control.

The maintenance team at Joy Global (now part of Komatsu) asked Enerpac to deliver a shovel lift system to undeck a P&H 4100XPC shovel in approximately one hour and one that could be transported on the highway without oversized load permits.

The EVO synchronous lift technology involved in this US lift is a technology which is widely deployed by Enerpac for heavy lifts in Australia and New Zealand. The EVO system included four 500 US ton cylinders with 1829mm of stroke, an EVO synchronous control unit and four custom 8000 series hydraulic pumps.

“Enerpac had previously built a similar shovel lift system for Joy Global’s maintenance team in Chile. The second-generation system built for the company’s service team in Gillette, Wyoming, provided significantly more speed,” said Warren Baltineshter, Australasian mining and heavy lift solutions manager for Enerpac.

The EVO synchronous control unit enabled a single operator to control the entire lift and ensure each lifting point remained within 9.525mm. The shovel was successfully undecked in approximately one hour and the entire system was transported on the highway without oversized load permits.

The system included four 500-ton cylinders with approx.

1829mm of stroke.

Other recent examples of heavy lifts range from 1,500 ton grinding mills in Western Australia to the superlifting and launch of a 43,000-ton floating oil production system in Malaysia for the Gumusut-Kakap offshore field.

The latest EVO synchronous system offers eight standard hydraulic control modes and can control 4, 8 or 12 points with one hydraulic power unit (HPU). A master control unit is also available that offers daisy chain control of multiple EVO systems, giving a maximum of 192 lifting points.

Instead of whole teams of lifting personnel trying to manually co-ordinate with each other lifts by hydraulic cylinders dispersed around a job, the EVO series integrates the high-pressure hydraulic cylinders involved with a PLC system to monitor and control movement and positioning of heavy loads. Through an integrated HMI (Human Machine Interface), all movements are managed from a central control position that displays live operation with real-time status updates for each lifting position.

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PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

Elbow swap prevents blowouts at US plant Banjo Corporation of Indiana in the US solved problems of wear and blowouts in pneumatic lines conveying reinforced polypropylene by replacing conventional long radius sweep elbows with 90 degree deflection elbows from HammerTek, yielding a six-month ROI.

Smart Elbow deflection elbows replaced conventional sweep elbows, reducing maintenance cost and downtime.

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anjo manufactures valves, fittings, cam lever couplings, pumps, and various other industrial and agricultural liquidhandling products in a dedicated manufacturing facility in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and ships to customers worldwide.

The company operates 36 injection moulding machines with capabilities of producing plastic products as diverse as quarter inch (6.35 mm) pipe couplings to large format centrifugal pump bodies.

The polypropylene that Banjo moulds is custom compounded to achieve maximum durability. The resin, says Derek Thompson, maintenance department manager, “is almost indestructible. You could use a pipe wrench to connect some of our finished fittings and never damage them.”

This toughness comes from the 20% or 40% fiber-reinforced polypropylene with which the parts are moulded. But the fibre

Gasketed couplings connect pneumatic lines to the socket-weld deflection elbows.

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reinforcement increases the pellets’ abrasiveness to the point where they were wearing through the elbows of the pneumatic conveying lines, causing cracks, holes and sometimes blowouts.

One spill in particular occurred with a conventional elbow on a line from an outside silo to the injection machines. A 2.5 cm layer of resin blanketed part of a roof. “We had to sweep it up, empty the pellets into a bucket and rope the bucket down to the ground,” Thompson says. “It took several men four or five hours to clean it up.”

Thompson concluded that conventional sweep elbows, including those with ceramic, porcelain and other types of hard linings, become weak points in pneumatic conveying systems that move large volumes of abrasive pellets.

Thompson sought to prevent future blowouts after two long sweep elbows on top of Banjo’s 18 m high silo developed holes

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

from the abrasiveness of the 40% glass fibre-reinforced PP pellets. “I researched and found that the Smart Elbow deflection elbows from HammerTek were much more durable than even porcelain-lined versions. We bought the first two in 2009,” Thompson says, “and they lasted eight years before needing replacement.”

The company has since installed a total of 24 of the deflection elbows and associated couplings.

Vortex chamber cushions resin flow Unlike conventional sweep elbows in which material impacts the elbow wall to change direction, the Smart Elbow design features a spherical vortex chamber protruding from the 90 degree angle of the elbow. When pellets enter the elbow, a portion of the flow is automatically diverted into the chamber, where it forms a loosely packed ball of material that rotates slowly in the direction of flow.

This rotating mass prevents incoming resin from impacting the elbow wall, instead cushioning and deflecting it around the bend, without impacting the elbow wall. Instead of exiting at the outermost radius of the elbow as with conventional sweeps, material exits the deflection elbow in a laminar, non-turbulent pattern spread evenly across the outflow.

“The reduction of flow turbulence as resin moves through the 90 degree deflection elbows also reduces the noise of conveying operations,” says Thompson.

As soon as the material infeed is stopped, the pellets evacuate the vortex chamber and are conveyed downstream.

Path from silos to injection moulding machines The 24 deflection elbows installed are cast of ductile iron, and connect to pneumatic lines using a coupling and gasket designed to last the life of the elbow. Eighteen are 100 mm diameter elbows on pneumatic pipes that run from four silos into the main plant. Four 57 mm diameter elbows are installed on inside feed lines to the injection moulding machines. Two 150 mm diameter elbows are on lines that transport granulator scrap from the production floor to a storage area.

Banjo’s main silo stands 18 m high; three others each stand 9 m high. A 100 mm pneumatic conveying line descends the side of each silo and then makes a 90 degree connection and runs horizontally for approximately 30.5 m. Each line then makes another 90 degree drop to connect with four indoor surge bins, from which four 57 mm diameter pneumatic lines distribute the resin pellets to the feeding banks, and then to the injection moulding machine hoppers.

The 18 m high silo contains 40% reinforced polypropylene, and two 9 m silos hold 20% glass filled PP pellets. The fourth silo holds “white ball material”, i.e., neat, or unreinforced, polypropylene. Although this resin is much less abrasive, the HammerTek elbows were still installed on its feeding line.

The 18 m silo holds four truckloads of resin, each truckload weighing 18,144 kg. Thompson says as much as two truckloads per day can be delivered. Transferring resin from truck to silo takes four hours with a vacuum pump that runs off the truck’s power.

The company now keeps its injection moulding operation running at high throughput rates without interruption. Thomson says that compared with conventional sweep elbows, the reduced maintenance costs, reduced downtime, and fewer replacements yielded a ROI of approximately six months.

In addition to the Indiana facility, Banjo, a unit of Idex Corp., operates plants in Brazil and the Netherlands.

HammerTek is a Flexicon company.

Abrasive wear from glass-fibre-reinforced polypropylene pellets impacting the wall of sweep elbows was prevented by installing non-impact deflection elbows from HammerTek Corp.

Contact: sales@hammertek.com.au

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CASE STUDY

Bulk bag discharging and pneumatics boost plant productivity A Spanish plastics company collects, sorts and recycles plastic scrap, which involves compounding and pelletising of resins using a mineral additive in powder form.

Operator delivers bulk bag, and attaches bag loop straps to the lifting frame.

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reviously, operators manually dumped 25 kg sacks of the mineral powder (particle size of 10 μm) into a hopper from which the material gravity fed into an extruder along with the recycled material. The process was slow, laborious and dusty.

Now, the powder is discharged automatically from 700 kg bulk bags and conveyed to the extruder pneumatically at high rates, with less labour and little or no dust using a bulk bag discharger and a pneumatic conveying system from Flexicon.

The company engineer in charge says, “Manual handling has been greatly reduced with operators changing bulk bags only once or twice per shift, freeing workers for higher-value tasks.”

Bulk bag discharger speeds operation Once a forklift positions a bulk bag alongside the Bulk-Out model BFH-C-X bulk bag discharger, a hoist and trolley suspended from a cantilevered I-beam lift the bag into position on the discharger frame.

The clean side of the bag spout attaches to the clean side of a Tele-Tube telescoping tube by means of a Spout-Lock clamp ring.

The tube maintains constant downward tension on the bag as it empties and elongates, promoting material flow into the 226 μ hopper and containing dust.

A Flow Flexer agitation device raises and lowers edges of the bulk bag to promote the flow of mineral powder into the hopper, which is fitted with an agitator to promote the flow of material into a rotary valve at the pneumatic conveyor’s inlet.

A Power-Cincher flow-control valve cinches the bag spout concentrically, allowing partially empty bags to be tied off and removed with no leakage.

The engineer says, “The flow-control valve allows us to be more flexible with our production, as we can now remove a partially emptied bulk bag and replace it with another material required for producing a different type of plastic pellet.”

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The cantilevered hoist and trolley position the bag for discharge into the 226 l hopper and through a rotary valve into the pneumatic line.

CASE STUDY

The operator pulls the bag spout through the Power Cincher flow control valve which prevents product leakage and facilitates tying off a partially empty bag.

Next, he connects the spout to a Spout-Lock clamp ring, which is mounted on a Tele-Tube telescoping tube that promotes material flow and eliminates dust.

Pneumatic conveyor transports mineral powder to extruder The 75 mm diameter, 38 m long stainless steel conveying line of the Pneumati-Con pneumatic system delivers up to 1,000 kg/h of the material to a filter-receiver and receiving hopper above the extruder.

The mineral powder is separated from the air stream by a filter-receiver that includes a 220 μ capacity receiving hopper. Four air-jet fluidisers in the bottom of the hopper promote the flow of material as a volumetric feeder meters it into the extruder.

System operation is under PLC control, including timed filter cleaning, starting and stopping the pneumatic conveyor based on level sensor readings, and opening and closing of valves.

Discharger, pneumatic conveyor reduce manual handling “The bulk bag discharger and pneumatic conveying system have reduced the manual handling that our workers have to do and have helped us to clean up the plant,” commented the engineer. “The equipment has improved efficiency, because when the hopper above the extruder runs low, the controller alerts the operators, who then load another bulk bag, thereby reducing downtime.”

Contact: sales@flexicon.com.au

The powder flows dust-free into the hopper and into the 38 m long pneumatic transfer line.

From the pneumatic line, the filter-receiver separates the mineral powder from the air stream before discharging the powder into the extruder. System operation is under PLC control.

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NEWS

Resource exports to boom Australia’s major resources and energy exports

Australia’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science predicts record earnings for resources and energy exports in 2017/18.

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Australia’s resources and energy exports by major market in 2016-17, A$ billions

ccording to the government agency, Australia’s resource and energy export earnings in 2016–17 increased to $204 billion, and are forecast to reach a record $211 billion in 2017–18, before declining to $201 billion in 2018–19.

The Department’s Resources and Energy Quarterly – September Quarter 2017, showed a 27 per cent increase in earnings in 2016–17.

The report shows this increase was largely driven by price increases in iron ore and metallurgical coal, which are Australia’s top two resources and energy commodity exports.

Price spikes in metallurgical coal and iron ore in 2016–17 were aided by capacity cuts in coal, a resurgence of China’s steel sector, as well as by temporary supply disruptions.

“Buoyant prices for steel-making commodities and thermal coal, and increased LNG export volumes, are expected to increase Australia’s resource and energy export earnings to a record $211 billion in 2017–18,” the department’s chief economist, Mark Cully said.

However, the high prices that have bolstered Australia’s resources and energy export earnings in 2016–17 and (so far in) 2017–18 are not expected to last. The combination of slowing demand growth from China’s steel sector and increased global supplies are expected to lower export unit values in 2018–19.

Despite the forecast decline in export earnings, LNG export growth is expected to constrain declines in export values in 2018–19.

“In the next two years, LNG export earnings are forecast to increase at an annual average rate of 26 per cent, to reach $35 billion in 2018–19, becoming Australia’s second largest resources and energy commodity in terms of export earnings,” Mr Cully said.

The Resources and Energy Quarterly also featured a special report on the prospects for India’s resource commodity consumption out to 2035.

“The prospects for Indian resource and energy commodity usage over the next twenty years are promising, though it won’t be on the same scale that we have seen from China over the past decade or so,” Mr Cully said.

For more information and to access the report, visit www. industry.gov.au/oce

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GRAIN HANDLING

Dry winter and frost decimate NSW/QLD wheat crop Sustained dry weather conditions have significantly cut Australian winter crop production, with the upcoming grain harvest now expected to come in 41 per cent below 2016/17, and well below the five-year average, according to Rabobank’s latest crop forecast.

Rabobank agricultural analyst Wes Lefroy.

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n its just-released Australian 2017/18 Winter Crop Production Forecast, the agribusiness banking specialist said while a repeat of last year’s record grain production was not a realistic prospect, it was hoped the crop would at least come in around the five-year average – given planted hectares were only four per cent down on last season.

Rabobank agricultural analyst Wes Lefroy said Rabobank was forecasting a 35 million tonne national grain crop – some 24 million tonnes below last year’s record production – and eight million tonnes shy of the five-year average.

“The dry winter and frost in some areas has really taken its toll on wheat, with a 20.9 million tonne crop now on the cards,” he said. “This is around 14 million tonnes smaller than last year’s wheat crop and 19 per cent below the five-year average.”

Canola has also been hit hard, Mr Lefroy said, with the 2017/18 canola crop expected to come in at 2.6 million tonnes (28 per cent down on the five-year average), while barley and oats were also expected to be below-average at 7.9 and 1.1 million tonnes, respectively.

“In contrast, pulses remain a bright spot, with production pegged to be only marginally down on average, largely due to the 11 per cent increase in planted hectares,” he said.

Mr Lefroy said although national grain production would be considerably down, the export surplus would be somewhat supported by high carry-over stocks, with Rabobank expecting 17 million tonnes of wheat to be available for export in 2017/18.

A country of two halves Mr Lefroy said while most of the country had been affected by sustained periods of dry weather, the season was vastly different in the west compared to the eastern seaboard.

“In Western Australia and South Australia, the season was dry from the outset,” he said, “forcing many to cut their planned hectares, and with much of the crop planted into dry topsoil.

“But after such an ordinary start, the season recovered, with late winter rain falling across most regions in the west.”

Mr Lefroy said the late-season rain had minimised crop losses, with Western Australia now on track to harvest a 7.9 million tonne wheat crop (around one million tonnes below the fiveyear average), with much of the Central Wheatbelt anticipating an average crop and the Esperance region looking at a bumper harvest. That said, the rain came too late in the far north and east of the wheatbelt where some crops will not be harvested.

In South Australia it was a similar story, he said, however the late rain wasn’t enough to bolster production on the Eyre Peninsula – which typically accounts for around 40 per cent of the state’s wheat production.

“South Australia is now looking at a 3.9 million tonne wheat crop, 15 per cent below the five-year average,” he said, “however pulses, largely led by lentils, are expected to be up by 23 per cent, saved by early July rain across much of the Yorke Peninsula and south-eastern areas.”

On the eastern seaboard, Mr Lefroy said, it was a completely different story, with Victoria and the Riverina “off to a flying start, while much of central and northern New South Wales was hit by one of the driest, if not driest, winters on record”.

“New South Wales is now looking at its smallest crop in 10 years,” he said, “with much of the state failing to receive meaningful rainfall until October – which was too late for many. But it is the frost that has really had a detrimental impact, with some producers reporting crop losses of 80 to 100 per cent.”

Mr Lefroy said the New South Wales wheat crop was expected to be 40 per cent below the five-year average at 4.7 million tonnes (and 6.7 million tonnes down on last year), while in Queensland the crop was set to fall by a similar percentage to around 0.8 million tonnes.

It is a vastly different story in Victoria, however, with the state benefiting from follow-up rains, he said. “Parts of north-western Victoria have experienced one of their best years in recent memory, with early October rains shoring up yields. The state’s wheat crop is pegged around 3.7 million tonnes, and while this is well below last year’s record, it is 13 per cent above the five-year average.”

High stocks globally, modest price increases For 2018, Rabobank is forecasting a small appreciation in global wheat prices, with expectations for CBOT to move to 470-480 USc/bushel by the end of next year.

“High global stocks continue to weigh on the price outlook, with 2017/18 shaping up to be the fifth consecutive year of record global production, and it is the low cost producers – the likes of Russia, the Ukraine and Argentina – who are driving much of this stock build-up,” Mr Lefroy said.

Locally, he said, supply concerns were supporting a strong basis for wheat, while local feed prices were strong, on the back of record numbers of cattle on feed – especially in NSW and Queensland.

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NEWS

$691m European growth plan for Nufarm Melbourne-based agricultural chemical firm Nufarm has outlined a A$691 million plan to buy the crop protection portfolios of European businesses Adama and Syngenta, as part of the latter companies’ involvement in a merger deal.

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ufarm, which already does business in Europe, told the Australian Stock Exchange in October it would acquire brands with over 50 crop protection formulations, and more than 260 registrations in European markets, as part of the deal.

Products include herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, seed treatments and plant growth regulators, currently sold in countries like Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Romania.

Syngenta, a Swiss agribusiness, is being acquired by ChemChina, Adama’s parent company.

As part of that deal, the two companies need to divest the assets being sold to Nufarm, in order to appease the European Commission on competition grounds.

Nufarm’s acquisition will be subject to the Commission’s deeming it a “suitable purchaser,” but assuming the deal goes through, the ASX-listed firm will pay US$490 million (A$627 million) in cash for Syngenta and Adama’s product lines, and a further US$50 million (A$64 million) for their existing product inventories.

In return, Nufarm estimates the acquisitions will add A$250 million in revenue, A$95-100 million in EBITDA, and a “mid to high single digit” increase to the company’s earnings per share, in the first full year of ownership (FY19).

Nufarm managing director Greg Hunt said the deal strengthened his company’s presence in Europe, where it currently generates its highest crop protection margins.

“The addition of the portfolio consolidates Nufarm’s position as a leading post-patent supplier in Europe and increases our relevance to the customer base by allowing us to offer a more comprehensive suite of crop protection solutions in a number of very important crop segments,” Hunt said.

“The products we are acquiring generate very attractive margins and are complementary to our existing European product range,” he added.

“They provide us with much broader offerings in the fungicides and insecticides segments and in our core European crops, including cereals, corn, and trees, nuts, vines and vegetables.”

Nufarm indicated it was also in exclusive discussions over another potential crop protection portfolio, described as a “strong strategic fit” for Nufarm. The potential acquisition would be worth less than US$100 million, and would be funded from debt facilities, the company said.

Cement Australia tagged with $20.6m ACCC fine ACCC boss Rod Sims says the competition watchdog will continue to appeal for higher fines against companies who violate Australia’s competition laws, after the Federal Court agreed to increase penalties against Cement Australia and associated companies from $17.1 million to $20.6 million in October.

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he ACCC has asked for the $17.1 million fine to be raised to $100 million.

The fine was levied against Cement Australia and its related companies for making and giving effect to anti-competitive agreements via contracts between 2002 and 2006.

The contracts were with the operators of the Millmerran, Tarong, Tarong North and Swanbank power stations, to acquire flyash – a by-product of burning black coal – for use in the cement manufacturing process.

It was alleged by the ACCC that the contracts were organised

by Cement Australia to prevent a competitor from entering the market by obtaining direct access to a source of flyash in South East Queensland.

The initial fine of $17.1 million was not seen as sufficient by the ACCC, but on appeal the total was raised to just $20.6 million by the Full Court of the Federal Court on October 5.

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Four Cement Australia companies will be fined: Pozzolanic Enterprises will be fined $2.93 million, Cement Australia (Queensland Pty Ltd) will pay $10.28 million, Cement Australia will pay $7.29 million, and Pozzolanic Industries will be fined a further $100,000.

Despite not getting anything near the fine increase he was after, Sims said the ACCC would continue to go after companies who violate competition policy.

“The penalties imposed in competition cases are hugely important in deterring anti-competitive conduct, which is why we appealed the original penalties given to Cement Australia,” Sims said.

“The ACCC will continue to make submissions to the courts for higher penalties to be imposed for anti-competitive conduct.

“The ACCC needs to ensure that penalties act as an effective deterrent for the business concerned and are not simply viewed by large corporations as a cost of doing business.”

NEWS

Stockpile at FMG’s Solomon operation.

Price discounts for lower grades hurt FMG, Cliffs, Mineral Resources Analysts believe swingeing discounts are here to stay for lower grade iron ores. This is disappointing for FMG and Mineral Resources but potentially fatal to Cliffs’ operations in Australia.

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ortescue’s next chief executive will have to deal with a harsher discount on the company’s lower-grade iron ore, with analysts reporting a wider gap between the global spot price, and what FMG is getting for its ore.

Some of FMG’s iron ore is of a slightly lower grade than the 62% standard, often coming in around the 57/58% mark.

Despite being just four or five percentage points below the benchmark, FMG’s lower-grade ore has typically attracted discounts on the market of between 10-15%.

This gap widened further in FY17, with FMG reporting a discount of 23% in its annual report, trending towards 27% in the June quarter.

The miner said it expected a discount of between 20% and 25% in FY18, but conceded prices would be “slightly below the low end of guidance in the first half before increasing in the second half of FY18.”

Through the start of the new financial year, the discount has reportedly widened further, to 32% in August, and a reported mark of 35% as recently as September 8.

UBS analyst Glen Lawcock reportedly told Fairfax he believes the wider discount figure will be a factor for the next five years, meaning “the benchmark price is no longer a good guide for the prices achieved by low-grade producers”.

FMG chief executive Nev Power reportedly told AFR the miner expects the discount to remain wide in the short term, but to return to a more reasonable figure in the longer term. “[The large discount] is expected to continue in the short term while steel mill profitability, increased coking coal prices and iron ore port stockpiles remain at current high levels,” he was quoted as saying.

“In the longer term, Fortescue expects average price realisations to revert to historic levels as market conditions normalise and steel mills maximise the value in use of their operations.”

Mineral Resources, which has operations in the Pilbara and Yilgarn, believes the discount will persist for some time.

In August 2017, the company’s managing director Chris Ellison said the discount would correct by the end of the 2018 financial year. However, speaking to the Australian Financial Review in November, he said “I don’t see it easing in the next six to 12 months. I think that these discounts are going to be engrained in the system for the foreseeable future – they (Chinese buyers) clearly want more high grade. The low grade is not as economic to use as it was.”

Mr Ellison said that if the discount increased significantly, the company, not wanting to “waste” its iron ore reserves, would consider suspending operations.

For its part, United States miner Cleveland-Cliffs says its Australian division may struggle to survive if the discount applied to lower-grade iron ore does not diminish.

Cliffs’ 11 million tonnes of local annual iron ore production is mostly 58% iron. Operations consist of the wholly-owned Koolyanobbing complex, a collective term for the operating deposits at Koolyanobbing, Windarling and Mount Jackson.

Cliffs’ Koolyanobbing operations serve the Asian iron ore markets with direct-shipped fines and lump ore. Ore is crushed and blended at a plant located at the Koolyanobbing operation, and then transported by rail for shipment from the port of Esperance “[Cliffs’ Australian iron ore division] is still alive but it is not something that we’ll count on,” company president Lourenco Goncalves reportedly told analysts recently.

“I have a competitor over there that is 13 times our size in Australia giving their stuff away … so that is the problem we have there, they will dictate the fate of what’s going on with the [discount], or how fast we are going to pull the plug.”

Cliffs is forecasting 11 million tonnes of iron ore mined in Australia, and 10.5 million tonnes of sales, during the 2017 calendar year, per its October 20 quarterly report.

Both figures are down by 500,000 tonnes, “driven by operational decisions reflecting current market conditions and quality ore availability”.

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NEWS

Investors excited about metals’ upside in electric cars

Tesla’s Gigafactory is taking shape in the Nevada desert. Elon Musk expects the facility − to be entirely powered by renewable energy − to re-cast the economics of lithium-ion batteries.

Electric cars and their batteries are expected to hoover up increasingly large quantities of copper, nickel, lithium, graphite and cobalt in coming years.

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HP’s commercial operations boss has said 2017 could be the “tipping point” for electric cars, and the copper sector with them, in an interview with Reuters in September.

BHP chief commercial officer Arnoud Balhuizen reportedly told the news agency the electric car boom would be massive for copper, but would not impact the oil market for some time.

“In September 2016 we published a blog and we set the question, could 2017 be the year of the electric vehicle revolution?”

Balhuizen said.

“The answer is yes … 2017 is the revolution year we have been speaking about. And copper is the metal of the future.”

BHP mines copper in Australia at Olympic Dam, near Roxby Downs in central South Australia. It also majority owns and operates the Escondida and Pampa Norte copper mines in Chile, and has a 34% stake in the Antamina copper mine in Peru.

While electric vehicles are a rapidly growing market, their numbers are still dwarfed by traditional combustion engine vehicles. Electric cars represent just 1 million in a global fleet of 1.1 billion.

Many metals will profit from the electric car battery boom. BHP’s Nickel West business is investing in new nickel products that will be used by battery manufacturers. Pictured is the company’s smelter.

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But BHP believes that figure could rise to as many as 140 million electric vehicles by 2035.

“The reality is a mid-sized electric vehicle still needs subsidies to compete,” Balhuizen conceded, “so a lot will depend on batteries, on policy, on infrastructure.”

Nickel demand set to take off Reports from Paydirt’s Australian Nickel Conference in October suggest some upside for nickel outwith its normal use as an ingredient of stainless steel.

In the US, Elon Musk, boss of Tesla explained “Our cells should be called nickel-graphite, because primarily the cathode is nickel and the anode side is graphite with silicon oxide…[there’s] a little bit of lithium in there, but it’s like the salt on the salad.”

Jim Lennon, senior commodities consultant for Macquarie, told The Australian newspaper that nickel demand for electric vehicle batteries will surge in coming years.

He foresees nickel used in electric vehicles growing from 50,000tpa now to 400,000tpa by 2025.

“The growth being projected suggests that in the next seven to eight years, electric vehicles are going to become a major factor in the market,” explained Lennon. “It could become a significant game-changer.”

Pictured is BHP’s new nickel sulphate powder project at Kwinana. The process is fully automated i.e. no human intervention before product is bagged for sale.

NEWS

According to The Australian, Macquarie expects a sustained and accelerating supply deficit.

BHP is looking to capitalise on nickel’s upside at its Western Australian iron ore business which comprises mines, concentrators, a refinery and a smelter.

Eddy Haegel, head of BHP’s Nickel West business, said that it was looking to bring forward stage two of its proposed nickel sulphate processing plant at its Kwinana refinery after enquiries from battery manufacturers. It is currently spending US$43m on the first stage of the nickel sulphate circuit which will produce the form of powdered nickel used in lithium ion batteries. Stage two would double stage one production of 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate.

Photo credit: Orocobre’s Olaroz operation in northern Argentina.

In addition, he said the company was mulling a move further downstream via addition of a cathode precursor plant at Kwinana.

“The new energy revolution is coming and it will be very good news for our local nickel industry,” said Haegel.

Lithium market at fever pitch Another major ingredient of lithium-ion batteries, lithium, is attracting heavy investor interest.

Electric cars will outsell fossil-fuel powered vehicles within two decades as battery prices plunge, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates. Huge battery factories are under construction by companies such as Tesla which is developing its Gigafactory in Nevada. At the same time, less heralded, are plans by Chinese companies to develop battery factories with three times the capacity of the Gigafactory.

Globally, hundreds of explorers are drilling holes. There are also dozens of companies in, or nearing production, whether from brine projects in the lithium production heartland of South America, or hard rock projects in Australia.

Pilbara Minerals is advancing its 100%-owned Pilgangoora hard rock lithium-tantalum project, 120kms south of Port Hedland. Initial production is planned for early 2018, with shipments underway by mid-year.

Diversified miner Mineral Resources is in production at its part-owned Mount Marion mine near Kalgoorlie, while it readies its 100%-owned Wodgina project for production in the third quarter of 2018.

Kidman Resources is developing its Mt Holland project 300kms south west of Kalgoorlie in association with its partner, Chilean specialist chemicals producer SQM. The pair are investigating a possible refinery, too.

Altura Mining is developing its Pilgangoora hard rock lithium-tantalum project, 120kms south of Port Hedland, on leases abutting those of Pilbara Minerals.

Orocobre is the only lithium brine producer listed on the ASX. It is in production at its Olaroz lithium plant in northern Argentina and has Toyota as a part owner.

Galaxy Resources is in production in Australia at its Mt Cattlin hard rock mine. It is also developing its 100%-owned Sal de Vida brine project in the world’s lithium hotspot of Argentina.

An Australian Financial Review (AFR) report cited a bump in market conditions since the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, which drove up the market for electric vehicles. If a boom is to take place in electric cars, there will need to be an even more rapid boom in lithium mining.

In addition to junior miners and explorers, larger mining companies are looking to get in on the action.

Fortescue Metals Group will reportedly drill for lithium. FMG boss Nev Power told reporters in October the miner plans to dip its toe into the lithium market, with plans for a drilling campaign in the Pilbara, near a known lithium deposit.

“In the last six months or so, [we’ve been working on these] in earnest,” Power was quoted as saying. “It’s a matter of getting the tenement packages together and then getting a [drilling] program together.”

Syrah Resources leads the pack in graphite Coated spherical graphite is a high value, processed graphite product which is used to produce battery anode material (BAM) for anodes in lithium (Li) ion batteries.

Syrah Resources has just finished construction of, and is commencing production from, its Balama Graphite Project in Mozambique, one of the world’s premier resources.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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NEWS

Saputo to buy Murray Goulburn for $1.3bn Canadian agribusiness Saputo will acquire Australian dairy producer Murray Goulburn (MG) for $1.31 billion, in a deal announced in late October.

F

ellow Australian producer Bega was rumoured to be in front in the bidding for the struggling MG, but Saputo has now been confirmed as winner via a binding agreement.

MG chairman John Spark said the Saputo bid represented “the best available outcome for ours suppliers and investors”.

“Saputo is one of the top ten dairy processors in the world and active in Australia through its ownership of Warrnambool Cheese & Butter,” Spark said.

“This transaction will crystallise real value for MG’s equity, whilst rewarding our loyal suppliers through the milk supply commitments.”

The deal includes the transfer of commitments to suppliers totalling roughly $114 million, along with a 40c per kilogram increase in the milk solids price to $5.60/kg, for milk supplied from November 1.

The transaction still requires approval by MG’s shareholders, the ACCC, and the Foreign Investment Review Board.

Spark said the company’s poor financial position had forced the sale. “MG has reached a position where, as an independent company, its debt was simply too high given the significant milk loss,” he said.

“Securing a sustainable future for MG’s loyal suppliers is of paramount importance to the board. We are pleased with the strong milk commitments secured as part of Saputo’s offer to reward this loyalty.

“Saputo has demonstrated itself to be a credible and trusted partner for Australian dairy farmers through its investment in WCB. The Transaction has the unanimous support of the MG Board.”

WICET in play As the year wound down, speculation mounted that there would soon be a new owner for the debt-laden Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET).

C

oal major Glencore, already one of the consortium of existing owners, was rumoured to be mulling a bid for the coal terminal.

This followed news that a grouping of Aurizon, Brookfield, and Macquarie was looking at making an offer.

Aurizon confirmed it was in talks and said its consortium bid could be worth $4bn. Its media release said it was in “preliminary discussions with a number of parties in relation to a restructuring proposal” for the terminal.

“As part of a consortium proposal, Aurizon would acquire WICET and other consortium members would acquire one or more of WICET’s source mines.

“The consortium proposal would secure long-term volumes for WICET. In addition, through restructuring and the proposed introduction of lower, market-competitive port charges, there would be incentive for miners to increase throughput at the port.

“This could also incentivise expansion tonnages from existing mines and new mines.”

According to reports, the deal would see WICET’s remaining senior lenders – who are still owed $3.5 billion – repaid within 10 months by the consortium. Without such a move, major banks – including ANZ and NAB – may be forced to write down as much as $1 billion of that debt.

“Aurizon, which operates rail infrastructure and train haulage services for coal customers in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, sees strategic alignment with the acquisition of WICET,” the company said.

“If successful, the consortium’s proposal would provide a long-term, sustainable and economic solution for this important state and national infrastructure asset.”

WICET is currently owned by a five-company consortium of: Aquila Resources, Glencore, New Hope Group, Wesfarmers Curragh, and Yancoal.

WICET provides 27 million tonnes per annum of export capacity from the Port of Gladstone. The terminal can expand to a total of approximately 120 million tonnes per annum of long-term export capacity from the existing site when fully developed.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

Kobe Steel embroiled in fake data scandal Japan’s third-largest steelmaker, Kobe Steel will cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice after it announced strength certifications on its metals products have been routinely falsified to appease standards boards.

K

obe announced in October as many as 500 companies around the world may have been impacted by the scandal, which has reportedly seen questionable materials going into construction steel, cars, aeroplanes and high-speed trains.

Japan is a major buyer of Australian iron ore, a key component in the steelmaking process.

Kobe Steel, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, initially admitted to falsifying data regarding the strength and durability of some of its copper and aluminium, but has since confessed to producing similar fake data about its iron ore powder and other materials.

“The company deeply regrets this incident and sincerely apologizes for the enormous worry and trouble this incident has caused to its customers and other related parties,” the company said.

“Causing this serious matter has brought overwhelming shame to the company.”

Kobe says it has begun contacting its customers, one by one, to explain the situation and help carry out technical verifications to survey the impact of the potentially flawed products.

FILTER UPGRADE

Collahuasi improves the availability of its VPA filter by 15% Faced with increased production demands, Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi had the goal of increasing both the availability and performance of its vertical plate pressure filters (VPA) in Puerto Patache.

I

n collaboration with Metso, Collahuasi developed an upgrade plan aimed at improving the performance of the equipment, as it was beginning to be outdated after more than 20 years of operation. With an upgrade plan based on using state-of-the-art technology, the desired objectives were met and resulted in a 15% increase in filter availability.

The project was carried out at Collahuasi’s mine in northern Chile, about 180 km southeast of the port of Iquique, at an altitude of 4,400 metres. This mining district has been in business since 1880 with the exportation of high-grade copper-silver vein systems. Currently, it is dedicated to the extraction and production of copper and molybdenum concentrate.

During 2016, Collahuasi was the third-largest copper operation in the world and has one of the largest deposits of mineral resources of copper on the planet (9.964 million tonnes). Its shareholders are Anglo American plc (44%), Glencore (44%) and Japan Collahuasi Resources B.V. (12%).

Collahuasi was facing the great challenge, common to many of the global mining groups, of optimizing its operations to achieve the highest levels of efficiency.

“In order to ensure productivity and profitability in the future, Collahuasi has decided to develop a preventive maintenance improvement program, which is comprised of a master plan to maximize availability and minimize bottlenecks. Its objective is to detect potential problems in advance and maximize the performance and availability of existing equipment,” commented Dalibor Dragicevic, vice president for processes at Collahuasi.

In addition to the VPA filters, Collahuasi also has other equipment from Metso such as semi-autogenous (SAG) grinding mills, ball mills and and Vertimills.

Ageing equipment poses a challenge Thanks to the collaborative relationship between Collahuasi and Metso, a joint diagnostic meeting was held to review the main needs and potential improvement to the filtrate-concentrate level, which was related to the requirements of its VPA vertical filters to increase their production capacity while also increasing the overall reliability of the system.

Due to the high productivity requirements and over 20 years of use since its installation, the filters were showing a high degree of wear and misalignment, which reduced their availability due to the extra maintenance required by the filters and considerable unplanned downtime.

During the review stage of the overhaul, a joint decision was made to make improvements and upgrade the control systems, lubrication and structure of the equipment in order to achieve higher levels of availability.

Equipment refurbished to as new condition The challenge for Metso resulted in upgrading the control systems to the latest technology, achieving values of over 92% availability and 100% of design capability. This involved reinstalling and upgrading equipment in less than 20 days in order to minimize lost production. The engineering coordination, parts procurement and planning activities began six months earlier.

Changing the plates of the filter.

Comprehensive technological solution and successful results The extensive upgrade of the equipment involved multiple steps.

The Metso team first proposed improving the original design capacity by updating components and systems to produce some important benefits. For this, Metso focused on the main problems that were causing the structural misalignment of the filters. In order to solve the structural problems, the filter was completely disassembled and over 80% of its parts were replaced with new parts using a nanocoating technology for corrosive environments. Using this approach would double the lifespan of the key parts and components and reduce potential downtime.

In order to achieve the optimal selection of fabric, a pilot filter was implemented at the worksite to take samples of concentrate. The samples were then used to help define the proper fabric for the filtering process given the specific mineral conditions that Collahuasi was processing. In many situations, these types of tests involve using Metso laboratories located in Brazil and Finland. However, with the pilot filter on site, it was possible to perform all the tests in situ with the client, improving the selection and making it easier and quicker to get the results.

Another technological improvement introduced was the implementation OCS-4D, (an advanced process control solution). The solution assisted in determining the optimal control

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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FILTER UPGRADE

Overhauled filter process.

modes through analyzing the interplay between the selection of fabrics and maintenance events.

Finally, the chute was also examined for possible improvement opportunities.

As the VPA filters discharge the filtered material (cake) into the chute, it was subjected to high rates of wear, causing a reduction in performance. Various designs and options were examined to improve ease of maintenance and thus reduce downtime.

“Searching for a design that improved maintainability, we implemented new, modular design upgrades to the chute, so that it could receive maintenance section by section. Thus, when a specific part shows signs of wear, we can disassemble that part and change it quickly. This is also an improvement that was tailored for the client, given

that with the original design we had to disassemble the entire equipment to be able to change some parts,” says Alejandro Bravo, manager of Minerals Process Equipment.

Expansion of the project to all VPA filters Given the success of the project, Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi SCM is evaluating the implementation of the same upgrade concept in other VPA filters as part of its asset management plan.

“With this solution, we have been able to meet some of the availability goals we set for 2017. The filter today works according to the plans drawn up with Metso, which helps us to continue operating efficiently,” says Cristián Barros, senior engineer for symptomatic process at Collahuasi.

NEW PRODUCT

“Breakthrough” product targets abrasive materials US supplier Vortex’s Pivoting Chute Diverter was awarded the 2016 Breakthrough Product of the Year from Processing Magazine in the US. Vortex’s Pivoting Chute Diverter.

D

ry bulk solids equipment specialist Vortex established its Titan Series product line in 2011 to address several abrasion concerns expressed across bulk material handling industries.

Such applications include handling materials that pose excessive abrasion or wear issues, situations that call for extremely large valves or diverters, conditions that require a valve to be successful in especially harsh environments, or other more specialized heavy-duty applications.

Per the demands of companies handling especially abrasive materials – such as alumina, bauxite, cement, clinker, coal, fly ash, gravel and rock, glass, industrial sand, lime, limestone, metals and ores, potash, sands, wood, and others – Vortex designed the Pivoting Chute Diverter to improve processing speeds and provide a valve with longevity when operating in particularly wearing environments.

According to Vortex, since its release, the Pivoting Chute Diverter has improved operations for cement, grain, mining, power generation, and many other industries worldwide.

Some features of the diverter include: • A body constructed from carbon steel and an independent, internal pivoting chute.

• Diverter’s wetted parts (eg: material contact areas) are lined with choice of abrasion-resistant metal.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

•

• •

•

• •

Optional abrasion-resistant liners, installed internally on the diverter’s inlet and outlet legs. The purpose of abrasion-resistant liners is to provide additional durability for the diverter’s internal. As a standard, abrasion-resistant liners are constructed from abrasion resistant steel. In extreme applications, liners may instead be constructed from chromium carbide.

Dust-tight to atmosphere.

The Pivoting Chute Diverter may be shifted “on the fly” while materials continue to flow, allowing a non-interrupted material flow. This is an improvement upon traditional flapperstyle diverters, which recommend material flow be shut off prior to shifting the blade.

Inspection, maintenance or repairs may be quickly and easily performed while the diverter remains in-line, from an access panel on the front of the diverter.

Removable chute, in case it must be inspected, repaired or replaced.

Material flow may be directed partially toward two different destinations at once. However, because material flow will be shared through one chute toward two destinations, flow rates toward each leg will be diminished, in comparison to typical one-to-one flow rates.

Vortex is represented in Australia by Brolton Group.

BAG FILLING

Concetti supplies packing line to seed supplier The Germinal Group recently installed a complete Concetti automatic bag filling, palletising and pallet wrapping line at its site near Lincoln in the UK.

G

erminal GB is a leading supplier of forage and amenity seeds to the wholesale agricultural trade and the amenity sector in the UK. Germinal is a seventh-generation family owned and operated business, originally formed in 1825.

The new line is intended to produce weighments of between 5Kg and 25Kg into open mouth flat plastified bags of various sizes at a minimum rate of 500 bags per hour. Plastified bags are laminated paper with an internal PP coating.

These are then closed by plain sewing.

The Concetti line begins with a small product feed hopper and net weigher for precision dosing of the weighments. An agitator in the feed hopper ensures consistent product flow and a gravity feedgate with brushless-motor drive gives precise, programmable control over the gate aperture size for accurate feeding across the entire weight range, handling a wide variety of bulk densities from 0.25 to 0.45 Kg/Litre.

Filling is carried out by a Concetti IGF600, a fully enclosed system fitted with a three-stack empty bag magazine that can be replenished without stopping the line.

According to Concettiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publicity: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The IGF600 can place, fill and close the bag without losing control of the mouth, which is gripped positively throughout the entire process, giving a consistent and reliable operation with a neat and secure closure.â&#x20AC;?

A vibrator helps to compact the contents prior to the closing operation. The sewing head is fitted with a dynamic feed-in mechanism and a thread control device automatically stops the system if the thread runs out or breaks.

Proper labelling and certification is vital in the seed sector. Concetti supplied an applicator for pre-printed fan fold labels that are computer generated off-line

by Germinal.

The applicator separates labels from a continuous fan fold stack, which are then fed automatically and securely sewn into the closure. After closing, the bags are turned, laid flat and conveyed to the palletiser label uppermost, passing over a detector on the way to make sure each bag is properly closed.

Adjustments to bag length and width in the IGF are made automatically by servomotors under control of the PLC. No

Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

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BAG FILLING

spanner adjustments need to be made for different bag sizes.

A PS3A robot, which Concetti says is its most flexible and widely used palletiser, carries out the automatic palletising operation.

“Equipped with a gripper head but also a stripper plate system with layer conformation as well as top layer compression it offers the flexibility of a robot in pattern forming combined with the neat stacking qualities of a layer palletiser,” said Concetti. Each layer is formed on the stripper plate, while programme controlled motorised side conformation plates square the layer accurately before it’s deposited onto the waiting pallet. A compression cycle applied to the top of the stack ensures a firm and level base for each new layer.

The palletiser has an automatic pallet dispenser able to handle pallets from 1200 x 800mm up to 1500 x 1200mm with a capacity of 15 pallets maximum. Length and width adjustment are made manually but pallets are automatically centred afterwards to ensure a consistent datum position. Programmes for 3, 4, 5 and 7 bags per layer are provided and pallets can be stacked up to 2800mm high and 1500Kg in weight.

Loaded pallets are conveyed to an automatic rotating arm stretch wrapper fitted with adjustable power pre-stretch film carriage, top clamp and top sheet dispenser where the pallets are wrapped to protect and secure the loads for warehousing and transportation. Between the palletiser and wrapper, for maximum operational flexibility, an infeed/removal station permits unwrapped pallets to be removed after palletising or fed in prior to wrapping. Finished pallets are conveyed out to a section of gravity roller conveyor ready for the forklift truck.

In terms of control, a network links all the different items and programme changes are made for the whole line from a single position at the IGF600 controller’s touch screen. Selecting a new programme automatically changes or updates the weighing controller to give a new target weight and at the same time the IGF600’s servomotors set up the closing line for the new bag dimensions. The palletiser programme is also automatically

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: November/December 2017

changed to suit the new layer pattern.

“All this is achieved in less than 90 seconds with no spanner adjustments involved, eliminating the risk of operator set up errors and allowing quick changeovers between programmes,” said Concetti.

If necessary, and only if a new pallet size is involved, the empty pallet dispenser is quickly adjusted manually by handwheel to the new dimensions.

The IGF600, palletiser and stretch wrapper all use Siemens PLCs and the same TP700 type of touch screen. Safety fences and interlocked access is provided for the whole installation and complies fully with the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/CE. “Sourcing the line from a single supplier like Concetti enables it to be fully assembled in the factory and acceptance tested with the client’s own products, bags and pallets before despatch,” said Concetti’s publicity. “This ensures there are no unforeseen problems during installation and commissioning, which as a result are completed quickly and efficiently leaving plenty of time for operator and maintenance training.”

Matt Stevens, operations manager for Germinal GB, said, “A lot of time and research was invested before a decision was made on which machine and supplier Germinal would proceed with on our packing line project.

“In the end we chose Concetti and are very pleased we did.

The line has vastly improved our production capabilities. One employee is capable of achieving three times the throughput of our old production line which was previously operated by two members of staff.”

GEARS, MOTORS & DRIVES

Bonfiglioli touts high power, low speed combos Australia and New Zealand have become international early adopters of combination industrial drives that combine the best features of two radically different gearbox types into a single high-performance unit.

B

onfiglioli Transmission Australia managing director Malcolm Lewis says the two drive types involved – planetary and bevel helical – are already top sellers and star performers in their own right, with the custom-engineered combination drives further extending their popularity and versatility.

“The planetary/bevel helical combination gearboxes deliver the high transmissible torque of our Trasmital 300 series along with the excellent power transmission characteristics of our locally assembled HDO series. The latest combination drives, the 3H series, are engineered in Australasia as part of a global range offering rated power up to 980kW and torque up to 1200kNw,” he says.

“These drives are increasingly popular in both Australia and New Zealand heavy duty applications that demand high power density along with medium-low output speeds. They are particularly appealing to industries such as bulk materials handling, mining and resources and metals and primary processing, including paper and sugar, for example.” According to Lewis, compared with conventional gearboxes, 3H combination drives offer significant benefits in terms of: torque range, thermal capacity, compactness, silent running, and versatility in solutions and accessories.

Lewis says engineers have known for a long time that planetary gearboxes such as the Trasmital series can produce outstanding power transmission efficiencies – with typical losses of only 3% per stage – all in a remarkably compact configuration.

This kind of efficiency ensures a high proportion of energy generated by motors to drive machinery is not gobbled up by mechanical losses within the gearbox that is multiplying and transmitting the torque produced.

Planetary construction dispenses altogether with the traditional arrangement of a pinion driving one large gear on a parallel shaft. Instead, the planetary gearbox surrounds the pinion (called a “sun gear”) with three or more smaller planetary gears mounted in a planetary carrier (which transfers drive to the next stage of the gearbox or to its output).

High torque Compared with a parallel shaft arrangement, a planetary gearbox in high torque/intermittent operations can often achieve the same ratio with one fewer reduction stage, with cost and dimension savings.

Bonfiglioli Trasmital planetaries are delivering such performance throughout Australia and New Zealand,

in applications including agitators, conveyor feeders, pumps, mixers, stirrers, scrapers and settling pond thickeners, for example. They also have applications in mobile plant, including cranes, drilling rigs and drives for hoists and luff and slew equipment. Trasmital 300 series come in 16 basic sizes, with output torque up to 650,000 Nm and transmissible power up to 450kW. “But the versatile planetaries are not necessarily the ideal gearbox in every situation,” says Malcolm Lewis. “As a producer of a full range of technologically advanced gearboxes – from the smallest worm boxes up to the biggest planetaries – Bonfiglioli appreciates that there are horses for courses.”

Which is why Bonfiglioli’s modular Trasmital 300 multipurpose planetary drives are being coupled with the latest HDO Bevel Helical units to produce combinations custom-engineered to the needs of particular industries. Bonfiglioli’s in-house Australasian engineering, assembly and testing capabilities have furthered development and acceptance of the drives, expanding their use Down Under.

“HDO drives – star performers globally, which are assembled in Australia up to the large HD160 size – produce outstanding reliability and torque densities to record values,” says Malcolm Lewis. “Tailored to customer requirements through our assembly and service facilities in Australia and New Zealand, they feature excellent torque distribution across their entire ratio range, with gear ratios laid out in close progression and the drives having a rugged capacity to cope with the shock and impact of intermittent loads.

“When combined with the 300 series Trasmital planetary, they are ideal in many slow-moving applications where high output torque is required. The advantage of the combinations over traditional gearboxes is most evident in their low weight, higher output and highly competitive price.

“Using the HDO also means we can change motors very easily and use big motors in applications such as chain conveyors, shuttle drives and apron feeders.”

HDO/Trasmital combinations are among a range of advanced and versatile heavy industrial drives engineered by Bonfiglioli in Australasia. The HD series has also been incorporated into a new series of drives, including a trio of Hi Torque, Alignment-free and Power Pack innovations.

Heavy duty Bonfiglioli combo used in an apron feeder application.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2017

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AD INDEX

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DSH Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Metso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Australian National Maritime Museum . . . . . . 27

engaccess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mideco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling. . . 49

EnviroMist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Belle Banne Conveyor Products. . . . . . . . . . . 13

Flexicon Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 (OBC)

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Bintech Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

HammerTek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ContiTech Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Kockums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Thomson Environmental Systems . . . . . . . . . 32

Dana Brevini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Lincom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2017

GEARS, MOTORS & DRIVES

Trasmital planetary construction, left, which is combined with versatile HDO parallel bevel helical drives, right, engineered in Australasia.

Bonfiglioli’s Drives Service Centre (DSC), coupled with local assembly of heavy drives, enables Bonfiglioli to respond swiftly to industry’s rapidly developing needs for drives required to avoid costly delay or downtime.

“The unique DSC facility recognizes that many non-standard heavy duty applications today require non-standard solutions to achieve best results,” says Malcolm Lewis.

Bonfiglioli is also expanding its New Zealand branch with a

25% bigger warehouse, workshop and freight transitioning area as part of an overall plan to improve logistics, optimise stock availability and better serve customer needs.

Bonfiglioli Transmission Australia custom-engineered heavy drives have won national awards for their innovation and response to local conditions, including the Gears, Motors and Drives category at the Australian Bulk Handling Awards, which it won recently for the third year in a row.

ELECTRICAL AUTOMATION

The plant is separated into four zones reflective of different plant areas – primary crushing, secondary crushing, wet zone and blending.

Electricals for Mountain View Quarries’ greenfield development Gordyn & Palmer has produced a turnkey solution for the electrical automation of a crushing and processing plant that incorporates the latest technologies in intelligent motor control from Rockwell Automation.

B

The system can be monitored and edited remotely, providing comprehensive real-time diagnostics and reporting.

arro Group is a family owned company that focuses on resources, manufacturing and distribution. Since it was established in 1946 it has developed business lines in the supply of premixed concrete, quarry products and other construction materials.

Barro operates quarries and sand pits to extract, sell and distribute quarry products, providing continued supplies of raw materials, advanced premixed concrete manufacture, concrete roofing tiles, quality control laboratory facilities and distribution.

To meet increasing consumer demand, Barro sought to develop a new greenfield quarry at Mountain View Quarries in Point Wilson Victoria and requested tenders for the project.

All four of the electrical tender packages for the new plant were awarded to Gordyn & Palmer. The packages included the Electrical Control System, Electrical

Engineering and Switchboards, Electrical Site Installation and Commissioning and High Voltage Design and Installation.

Gordyn & Palmer is a wholly owned private company operating since 1978, specialising in industrial plant automation systems, electrical engineering and electrical installations.

The challenge ahead was to use the latest technologies to deliver a state of the art crushing and processing plant that sets the benchmark for productivity and reliability.

Intelligent motor control gets smarter Gordyn & Palmer called on its longstanding relationship with Rockwell Automation and NHP Electrical Engineering Products to deliver a turnkey solution for the new 600 tonnes per hour quarry that leveraged the latest technology in networked intelligent motor control.

Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2017

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ELECTRICAL AUTOMATION

75, E300 Electronic Overload Relays with built in intelligence relay diagnostic information back to the control system for maximised uptime.

ControlLogix provides high performance control for the quarry.

The solution features ControlLogix controllers and the latest E300 Electronic Overload Relays, connected over an Ethernet communications network. According to George Boloutis, automation systems manager at Gordyn & Palmer, “Working together with Rockwell Automation we came up with a solution that helped us put every motor in the plant on the Ethernet network, which simplified the whole process.

“Using Ethernet simplified everything including the design and installation and provided a much neater switchboard. Rockwell Automation is the only supplier that could deliver a completely integrated solution.”

Working closely with NHP Electrical Engineering Products, the distributor for Rockwell Automation, Gordyn & Palmer was the first in Australia to use the new E300 Electronic Overload Relay.

“Being one of the early adopters of the E300s proved to be a valuable investment in consideration of the benefits that it would bring to the project. Gordyn & Palmer continue to be on the forefront of the latest technologies to help its customers maximise throughput with minimal downtime,” explained Nasser Hojok, automation sales supervisor at NHP. The E300 relays are the next generation electronic overloads and feature a modular design, communications options, diagnostic information, simplified wiring and integration into Logix, which makes it the ideal overload for this application.

“The network capability of the E300s provides built in intelligence that relays extensive diagnostics back into the PLC in terms of motor currents and faults. The real-time diagnostics are transformed into actionable insights that allows for preventative maintenance to help minimise downtime of the crushing and processing plant,” said Rob Campbell, OEM account manager at Rockwell Automation.

The E300 Overload Relay provides flexibility, reduces engineering time and helps maximize uptime for important motor starter applications. This technology enabled motors to be accessed and configured remotely via both the plant network and a web interface replacing the former method of manually testing and configuring.

This brought a new level of diagnostics and meant that every motor across the site was connected via the plant network.

Even though the E300 was a new product, Boloutis was confident that the benefits it would provide outweigh the risks of the learning curve associated with using new technology. “We had complete confidence that Rockwell Automation and NHP would support the solution and we also knew that the E300 would provide the most effective solution for the plant,” Boloutis says.

Making crushing and processing easy The plant is separated into four zones reflective of different plant areas – primary crushing, secondary crushing, wet zone and blending. Each zone is clearly identified by colour coding and there is an equipment list and flow chart illustrating the zones in each switchroom.

This means that to perform work or maintenance on a piece of equipment there is a single isolation point for the whole area which results in increased safety and reduced chance of error. It also mitigates the need for field isolators and a higher category safety rating as the entire zone is isolated. While one zone is isolated, the other areas of the plant can continue to run.

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Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2017

The E300s were grouped in ring networks relating to their position in the plant using Stratix switches for redundancy.

The state-of-the-art crushing and processing plant that sets the benchmark for productivity and reliability.

To add redundancy and robustness to the E300s, they were strategically grouped in ring networks relating their position in the plant flow using Stratix switches to make sure a communication fault to one module would not result in an entire plant shutdown.

“A key feature of the solution is that the PLCs, switches and the E300s are all part of the Rockwell Automation solution, providing a single programming environment within the Logix software. The plant incorporated 75 E300s which made ease of integration and programming a very important consideration in this project,” said Boloutis.

“In addition, we also have the facility to view and edit the system online, which means that we can access the system remotely and securely. The system provides comprehensive reporting because there is concurrent monitoring throughout the plant. We have also installed the infrastructure to implement power monitoring software with maximum demand capping in the future,” he said.

According to Gordyn & Palmer: “The plant is now successfully producing over 600tph of blended aggregate and the finished product is highly functional, robust and boasts a state of the art control system putting it amongst the most advanced quarries in Australia.”

Setting the benchmark Based on the success of the solution, Gordyn & Palmer was awarded a prestigious Excellence Award by the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA).

According to Ivo Rigoni, project engineer at Barro Group: “It is without reservation that we commend Gordyn & Palmer on a wellplanned and managed project from design, supply, installation and safety management. Their experience with the requirements of a modern large-scale quarry crushing plant has enabled them to deliver a plant that they should be very proud of. We have no doubt that as the end user, we will continue to appreciate the systems that have been put in place to assist with achieving maximum plant throughput with minimal downtime.”

The biggest accomplishment of this project was bringing the latest technology in motor control to the forefront of the quarry industry while still maintaining a simple and intuitive user interface to allow operators to run the plant to its maximum potential. The extensive electrical and software development completed in-house

by Gordyn & Palmer has resulted in a completely integrated system, which is robust enough to cope with the harsh environment in which it operates.

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Send news and stories to ABHR editor Charles Macdonald at email: charles.macdonald@mohimedia.com Or call him to discuss on 02 9994 8086 For advertising opportunities, contact Peter Delbridge at 02 9994 8086 or email: peter.delbridge@mohimedia.com

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