Arizona, USA mine acquires unique material handling solutionHeadquartered in Denver, Colorado, Newmont Mining Corporation is one of the world’s largest gold producers, with active mines in Nevada, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana, and Peru; and some smaller operations in Bolivia, Mexico and Canada.
Over the last 50 years, its operations in Nevada have grown to include 14 open-pit mines, four underground mines, and 14 processing facilities. Located near Battle Mountain, Nevada, its Phoenix open-pit gold, silver and copper mine began production in 2006 and boasts one of the largest milling operations in North America. Currently the operation has reached 11mt (million tonnes) of annual production.
Newmont prides itself on discovery and development, and on identifying innovative ways to extract additional value within existing operations and projects. For example, Newmont reports that the Phoenix Mine initially had a projected life of 20 years; however, current exploration may reveal deposits that will significantly extend the mine’s life. As such, the Phoenix Mine, like others owned by Newmont, is focused on a number of continuous improvement projects which emphasize equipment productivity, cost reductions, and increased mill capacity.
Throughout the Newmont organization, processing upgrades are subjected to considerable analysis, testing and validation — all with the goal of eliminating waste, re-work, and accelerating speed in arriving at a successful processing solution. Recently, the Phoenix Mine acquired a unique material handling solution — a one-of-kind portable groundline conveyor — to aid in meeting a tight testing timeframe.
The Phoenix Mine was charged with the goal of establishing an effective secondary crushing circuit to reduce feed size, hopefully resulting in an increase in SAG mill capacity. Originally, all pit-run material was processed through a gyratory crusher which fed a stockpile preceding the SAG mill. Robert Tucker, process maintenance general foreman for the Phoenix Mine, supervised the setup and ongoing testing of an additional 1,200HP cone crusher, which is at the heart of a new secondary circuit.
“Initially, we are averaging an additional 150tph (tonnes per hour) of throughput to the SAG mill,” says Tucker. He explains that from the gyratory, material is crushed down to a 5-inch topsize before being fed to the secondary cone where it is crushed down to an inch and a quarter. Oversize is screened and sent to a pebble crusher before being sent to the SAG mill. The undersize material is crushed in a single pass through the SAG mill.
Key to the whole setup was a need to convey material 500 feet from the secondary crusher to a stacker which feeds the pebble bin, ultimately providing fresh feed for the SAG mill. “This project had very strict time constraints, and our biggest concern was the potential of slowing the process by four weeks or more with the erection of a permanent or stationary groundline conveyor,” says Tucker.
Luckily, after talking with a local contractor,Tucker was told about a new portable conveyor designed and manufactured by engineers at U.S. based Superior Industries, which maintains material handling manufacturing plants in Minnesota, Arizona and Georgia.
Ahighlyuniqueinnovation,theTrailblazer® Conveyorincludes 500 feet of fully belted (36-inch belt) and assembled groundline conveyor in a mobile, one-load, towable package. Versus a traditional, stationary groundline conveyor, the Trailblazer Conveyor allows rapid deployment from road travel to working status in just about an hour. With a gravity-style take-up built into the trailer structure, the portable system simply folds in or out in an accordion-fashion from its chassis with a minimal crew required to position the supports.
In testament to the age of online media,Tucker says he first saw the Trailblazer Conveyor in operation on Superior’s YouTube channel. “Then we contacted Superior Industries and made arrangements to go to their Minnesota location to see it, as we couldn’t believe that a small crew could install a 500-foot conveyor in an hour and actually run it,” he says.
The Phoenix Mine decided to take an expedited delivery of the Trailblazer Conveyor. “Although we witnessed the hour-long setup of the system twice at the factory, we took our time (under two days) to set it up on our site. For us, we typically do not operate any portable equipment, so we wanted to make sure that we could level, adjust and align it just the way we wanted it. Superior sent a team from their Arizona plant to assist us,” says Tucker.
The Trailblazer Conveyor is engineered for easy, safe installation. The transport straps and pull-pins ensure that each conveyor system comes off the chassis in order, one at a time, as it is guided carefully onto supports. Additionally, the system features a modular take-up design with bolt-together guard rails
that pin into place. Superior-brand self-aligning idlers and Navigator® Training Rolls ensure that belt alignment is correct at the hinge points and also to eliminate any belt tracking issues. The system is also designed to accommodate variations in grade, and the hinges on the channel sections can handle significant changes in grade as long as the drive is sized accordingly. Slight to moderate grades are normally achieved with the system’s standard 50HP drive.
For the Phoenix Mine application, Superior Industries customized the Trailblazer Conveyor to include bolt-on plates to lock the joints on three sections to allow the accurate operation of a belt scale. Idlers were upgraded from the standard CEMA C idlers to CEMA D5 idlers, the latter being recommended for the specific application.
Tucker says that during the testing period, the operation ran approximately 500tph (tonnes per hour) over the Trailblazer Conveyor. “It’s been a great solution for us, and it has kept us ahead of schedule. It will remain in the current application for now, but with its portability and ease of setup, there may be opportunities for us to utilize it in additional applications,” says Tucker.
ABOUT SUPERIOR INDUSTRIESEstablished in 1972, Superior Industries has a reputation of engineering and manufacturing groundbreaking, bulk material handling conveyors and cutting-edge components. From its headquarters in Morris, Minnesota, the American manufacturer serves a diverse group of industries with portable stackers, transfers and feed systems; material processing plants; plus idlers, pulleys and accessories to lower operating costs and increase material production.
E-Crane for major Kanawha River power plant
American Electric Power’s Amos Plant on the Kanawha River in Charleston,WV — the largest coal-powered electric plant east of the Mississippi — has installed an electric-powered 1500 B Series E-Crane to unload barges of limestone used in flue gas desulfurization (FGD). The high pedestal mounted E-Crane has 95ft outreach, 15.4 US tonne duty cycle capacity, and 17.1 US tonne lift capacity.
The machine is equipped with E-Crane’s state-of-the-art Electronic Machine Management module (EMM) with screen display data for precise and efficient operator control. E-Crane provided on-the-job training at the Amos Plant, as well as training in a simulator before the crane was delivered. Amos is the sixth AEP plant to install an E-Crane in the past decade.
New technological developments from E-Crane Worldwide
ELECTRONIC MACHINE MANAGER AND REMOTE ACCESS
E-Cranes now come with a new, reliable and user-friendly control system called the EMM, or Electronic Machine Manager. This built in system is a huge innovation in data collection technology, and allows for real-time data collection of things such as running time, how many times the E-Crane hits a fault while in operation, whether there is an overload or overheat, and more. Some even stream live, real time video of the E-Crane while in operation.
This real time system data can also be transmitted to the customer’s network for monitoring. Depending on the needs of the customer, the EMM system can be set to generate reports of the E-Crane operation daily, weekly, or monthly. While the E-Crane is running, the system will constantly track data that the customer specifies. The customer can then log in to the system to view these reports.
The EMM system provides the link between the operator and the crane which is necessary for safe and productive bulk material handling. The software makes troubleshooting easy, by immediately displaying any warning or fault on the dialog module located right inside of the operator’s cab.
The EMM system also allows for the E-Crane operator to program in certain operating parameters, for more precise and safe control of the crane. For example, the operator can set a specific position of the crane into the memory of the EMM system. This is ideal in situations where the crane is dropping material into a single location or dumping material into a fixed hopper. This saves time and work for the operator — after filling up the grab, the E-Crane will automatically return to the programmed position at the touch of a button. Not only does this reduce cycle time and ease operation, it can ensure that the
E-Crane will avoid interference with other equipment. The EMM system even allows for remote access to the
E-Crane, meaning that the operating system can be monitored and repaired remotely via GPRS. An E-Crane with remote access can be diagnosed and fixed from anywhere in the world, and the system can be upgraded and updated instantly. This saves E-Crane owners from expensive and unexpected downtime and delays.
GENERAL COMPANY BACKGROUNDE-Crane Worldwide is a modern, state-of-the-art engineering and heavy equipment construction company, based in Adegem, Belgium and with subsidiary companies for sales management, technical support and service in The Netherlands (E-Crane International Europe) and Ohio, USA (E-Crane International USA). E-Crane Worldwide develops turnkey material handling solutions with engineering services, equipment manufacturing, erection, operator/maintenance training and custom tailored ongoing service programmes for its clients.
Dust Control Technology adds new VP of salesDust Control Technology has introduced Aaron Valencic as the company’s new vice president of sales. The company, which is a renowned expert in open area dust suppression, made the announcement after a lengthy search and interview process. Valencic will be responsible for key account development and management across the globe, as well as lead generation and strategic sales planning.
Valencic joins DCT after a 12-year career in sales and management, including five years at Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. where he served as account manager, selling custom-engineered products to the North American mining industry. He has extensive knowledge in the oil sands and Canadian iron ore industries, as well as coal, mining, aggregates and power generation, and was instrumental in uncovering significant opportunities in previously-untapped markets that are estimated to hold the potential for $10–15 million in annual sales.
“Aaron’s sales and management experience is a welcome addition to our team, and his knowledge of the mining industry and other key markets will be a huge asset,” commented CEO Edwin Peterson.
Dust Control Technology is a pioneer in atomized misting solutions for dust/odor control and high-efficiency evaporation equipment for wastewater applications. The company has extensive experience with customers in mining, coal handling, demolition, rock/aggregate, recycling, scrap processing and slag handling. The company’s DustBoss® and DriBoss® product lines deliver premium performance and durability, helping to reduce labour costs vs. manual sprays and free up manpower to concentrate on core businesses.
Proper liner and geometry design in ships, railcars, hoppers, bins & chutes
There are many different sizes, shapes and types of storage vessels and material handling devices within the power, rail and cement industries. Generally speaking, many of the silos, hoppers and bins are designed to store one particular bulk material.
Testing the properties of the bulk material before designing any structure is imperative to insure that the given bulk material will flow. Proper design of the structure will give the end user trouble-free service for many years. The properties of the bulk material such as the size, shape, moisture content, cohesive strength and density are used to calculate the wall angle, outlet size and the overall geometry of the structure. Many times the properties of the bulk material are changed due to blending, screening, drying and/or outdoor storage and the structure that was originally designed to handle the material may cause issues such as rat- holing, arching/bridging and erratic discharge. When this happens, a flow aid device can help improve the discharge of materials without changing the geometry of the structure. Although there are many flow aid devices out in the marketplace, one of the most effective flow aid devices is a ‘polymer’ liner. Liners have been used for over 40 years to improve the flow of various bulk materials such as: coal, limestone, sand, aggregate and FGD sludge. These liners are currently prevalent in ships, railcars, storage units, chutes and other such structures.
One of the most well-known liners in the marketplace is a materialcalledTIVAR® 88,manufacturedbyQuadrantEPP. Quadrant manufactures various plastics used in myriad industries such as: power, cement, rail, mining, dock fendering and the pulp and paper industry just to mention a few. TIVAR® 88 is an excellent flow aid device and has been successful solving flow issues in hoppers, bins and chutes. However, proper design of the liner is also imperative to provide the end user with a solution to their flow issue. Various concepts and machining techniques may be incorporated when designing a custom liner. With Quadrant’s ability to weld plastics, sheet materials can be transformed into oversized panels designed to fit almost any structure. Incorporating oversized panels in the liner design can eliminate fasteners in the flow area and create better sheet yields, therefore saving the end user capital. Oversized panels are also typically faster to install using what is called a ‘drape- hung’ liner. Corner,T, or H-Profiles can be implemented to complement the design which permits the liner to expand and contract as required with temperature change.
Score-cutting is another tool used by designers to permit liners to bend into a small radius. Score-cutting can be used to transform a square corner to round corner without changing the geometry of the structure. Incorporating this design into a lining system will reduce the chance of sticky bulk material hanging up in the corners of a hopper or bin. The image below depicts a ‘drape-hung’ liner incorporating oversized panels, fasteners,T-profiles and score-cut corner profiles. Note that the stainless steel L.E.P. (Leading Edge Protectors) have not been installed.
Additional components required for a successful lining system design are the fasteners and L.E.P. The selection of the fastener, the number of fasteners required, the spacing of the fasteners as well as the fabrication of the sheet to accept the fastener must be taken into consideration when designing a liner. The L.E.P. is a must to prevent bulk materials from migrating behind the liner. There are various designs, shapes and materials that can be used to fabricate an acceptable L.E.P. Typically, a stainless steel L.E.P. is generally incorporated to cap off the liner.
The above design criteria is transferred and incorporated onto the installation drawings. The installation drawings detail where each liner component is installed into the structure. All of the liner components are labelled so they can be easily identified as to where they are located in the structure and how they are installed. This ‘kit’ concept saves the installer much time and expense sorting the materials and trying to determine where the parts are located.
In conclusion, a quality liner material coupled with a proper liner design is essential to solve the flow issues in these structures. Proper installation of a well designed liner will not only eliminate flow issues, it will also reduce and/or eliminate downtime saving the end user valuable time and money.
Martin Engineering introduces new technology for total material flow
Martin Engineering’s new, dual solution to material flow problems utilizes acoustic cleaning technology with industry- proven air cannons. The combination of technologies helps maintain system efficiency and profitability. Dislodging build ups andenhancingmaterialflow,MARTIN
® SonicHornsandAir Cannons provide a total cleaning and flow solution.
“We’ve chosen to supply both of these cleaning technologies, because of the wide range of conditions and processes in which they might be used,” explained global business development manager Jeff Shelton. “Sonic horns can clean a larger area than air cannons when we’re dealing with accumulations of dry material,” he said. “But high sulphur and chloride content often lead to a sticky build-up that resists acoustic cleaning. In those areas, air cannons deliver the kind of burst cleaning that can dislodge blockages and send the accumulated material back into the process stream.”
In the past, some operations have adopted expensive blowers as a cleaning option, with qualified success. Steam blowers have been effective in some applications, but the process tends to be destructive. It can damage boiler tubes and typically carries high costs for operation and maintenance.
“The combined solution provides a wide range of options to match specific process conditions and operating environments,” Shelton continued. “Sonic horns are well suited to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units and process vessels, and in applications in which the bulk material is fairly dry. But in a situation where cleaning is needed in tight spaces or with moist materials, air cannons can be the better choice,” he said.
Martin Engineering has been an innovator of air cannon technology since the 1970s, and today offers a full line of field- proven traditional designs, as well as breakthrough engineering in valve design, hybrid models, and multiple-port and multiple-valve
technologies. The company offers both positive- and negative- pressure
firing valve designs to accommodate a broad range of applications and
materials.
The cannons deliver a powerful blast to dislodge accumulated material
and prevent blockages, and the only component that needs to be inside
the vessel is the nozzle. Air cannons also offer a variety of nozzle
shapes and styles to suit specific conditions.
Martin
® Sonic Horns work by producing a low-frequency,
high-pressure sound wave, which is created when compressed air flexes a
titanium diaphragm in the sound generator. This sound wave is then
magnified as it is emitted through the bell. The sound pressure causes
dry particulate deposits to resonate and become fluidized, allowing them
to be removed by constant gas flow or gravity. Especially effective
around pipes and behind obstacles, sonic energy de-bonds particulates
with a 360° sweep, cleaning inaccessible components. Sonic Horns have a
long history of performance in boilers, heat exchangers, economizers,
bag houses, SCRs, ID fans, electrostatic precipitators (ESP), silos,
hoppers, cyclones and air pre-heaters.
Both technologies contribute to lower operating costs and improved
safety, helping facilities avoid the need for personnel to access the
process and manually clean out accumulation. Reducing the need for
high-pressure washing or air lancing also helps avoid unnecessary wear
and tear on refractory walls and process vessels. By preventing material
build-up, the systems helps reduce downtime, equipment wear and
maintenance time. Backed by the company’s exclusive three-year
guarantee, air cannons and sonic horns are available in all regions in
which Martin Engineering does business, and can be custom-engineered to
suit specific operating conditions.
New cement plant boosts material flow with PLC controlled air cannons
The newest cement company in the Southwest has specified a total of 53 air cannons to prevent accumulations and ensure process flow, with the timing and firing sequence determined primarily by programmable logic control. The efforts at Drake Cement have been so successful that the plant is now running at its rated capacity of about 100tph (short tons per hour). With no shutdowns for manual cleanout in almost a year of operation, the facility has avoided the lost production time and maintenance costs associated with excessive material build-up.
The Drake plant began operations in 2011, specializing in high quality Portland cement products for the North American market. Located at the site of an old rail town about ten miles
north of Paulden, the facility includes a state-of-the-art, six-stage precalciner/preheater with a rated capacity of 660,000 tonnes of clinker per year.
Efficient material flow is a key component of Drake’s dry- process manufacturing, and accumulation in storage bins, process vessels or feed pipes could choke even this well-designed system. Blockages can create expensive obstacles to equipment performance and process efficiency, raising maintenance expenses and diverting manpower from core business activities, in some cases introducing safety risks for personnel.
Engineers designing the process at Drake Cement initially specified 15 air cannons from Martin Engineering in critical locations to control accumulation and enhance material flow. Introduced by Martin Engineering in 1974, air cannon technology has developed a proven track record around the world for relieving bulk material bottlenecks. The Martin® Extra High Velocity Air Cannons at Drake Cement fire a powerful discharge of compressed air to remove material adhered to the vessel walls.
“The original cannons were located in the entry to the kiln, cooler inlet and the preheater tower,” recalled Engineering & Projects manager Antonio Quiroz. “We were already familiar with Martin Engineering’s designs from our two other operations in Peru, and we wanted to stay with the technology that was working well for us in those plants.”
Like most new cement plants, Quiroz knew that the Drake facility would likely require some fine-tuning of material flow to optimize the process. “Any time you start up a new process, there are always small adjustments to be made to maximize material flow,” observed Quiroz. “It usually doesn’t take long to identify potential bottlenecks.”
After initial trials, Drake engineers shut down the system to examine the process and identified some additional areas where material flow could be enhanced. “Rather than running production and having to shut down for maintenance to clear accumulations, we wanted to prevent them from occurring,” Quiroz said. Martin Engineering technicians visited the site and pinpointed the optimum locations for additional cannons in the plant’s additive silos and in the bottom part of the preheater, as well as the calciner and cyclones.
“The PLC tracks variables such as pressures and temperatures, and those values dictate which cannons fire and when,” Quiroz explained. “The system is also set up to allow operators to fire individual cannons or groups of them, based on experience.”
The air cannon design requires no high-temperature discharge pipes or special mounting plates, and discharge nozzles are embedded directly in refractory linings. All of the units in the network are equipped with valves designed to deliver reliable performance and long service life in high- temperature applications.
The original cannons were fitted with Martin Engineering’s Extra High Velocity valves, while those added later are equipped with the newer Tornado valve design. The Extra High Velocity- equipped air cannons supply a quiet but powerful discharge of compressed air to dislodge material buildups and enhance the flow of bulk solids. They deliver excellent performance in high- temperature applications, even with the most challenging materials. Designed for severe-duty applications where exposure to elevated service temperatures and harsh gases can affect performance, the Extra High Velocity has proven successful in applications such as outside cement kiln pre-heaters where interior temperatures reach up to 2,500°F (1,371°C).
The negative pressure-firing valve is constructed with a rugged, high-temperature polymer seal for dependability and low maintenance. The advanced design delivers high output force and excellent sealing, as well as rapid discharge and filling. All Extra High Velocity valves are guaranteed for 200,000 firings, and a removable piston seat simplifies service.
Available in 2-, 4- and 6-inch models and ten different tank sizes, the Extra High Velocity Valve Assembly features an aluminium piston with a very short stroke (just 5/8" or 16mm), minimizing wear on the piston and cylinder. A return spring snaps the piston quickly back into firing position and prevents dust entry.
The patent-pending Tornado Exhaust Valve was designed to enhance material flow with even greater force and faster cycling. The cannons fire when the exhaust valve opens in response to a positive surge of air sent by a tripped solenoid. This positive- acting valve amplifies the discharge, providing up to 20% more force than a standard air cannon of the same size. In addition, the improved air path of the Tornado fills the reservoir 3-4 times faster than typical designs.
Drake Cement concentrates exclusively on the production of Type II / V(LA) Portland cement, conforming to the physical and chemical requirements of ASTM C-150 for Types I, II and V low- alkali cements, as well as ASTM C 1157 for Types GU, MS and HS cements. Drake Cement Type II/V(LA) can be used in any general construction application, including those with exposure to moderate or high levels of sulfates in soils and/or water. In addition, the low levels of alkalis in Drake Cement Type II/V(LA) Portland Cement reduce the potential for damage due to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR).