GOING UNDERGROUND

Hoist by
technology

Including riding one of the

most advanced in the
world, John Chadwick
looks at some of the latest
in mine hoists and shaft
equipment

A
consortium consisting of the Siemens
Industry Solutions Division and Siemag
M-Tec² has received an order from
Datong Coal Mine Group in China, to supply two
new winders for the Majialiang coal mine. The
Siemens part of the contract is worth more than
€4 million. Completion of the project is scheduled
for the end of 2010. Over 80 Chinese shaft-
hoisting installations have already been equipped
with Siemens technology.
The two new winders will be installed in a
service shaft that is 537.5 m deep. Siemens is
supplying the entire drive equipment; the medium
and low-voltage distribution systems and
transformers as well as the automation
technology, including human-machine interface
(HMI) equipment and safety systems. Siemag M-
Tec2 will supply the mechanical components. The
larger of the two winders is equipped with a
3,600-kW synchronous motor and enables a
double cage with a payload of 50 t to achieve a
speed of 9.97 m/sec. The second machine has a
power output of 435 kW. This enables the winding
of an 8-t payload at a speed of 6.67 m/sec.
Simatic S7-400 programmable logic controllers
are at the core of the automation system. For
safety reasons, the control and monitoring system
has a two-channel structure. The signals of the
two channels are compared with each other
continually. An error triggers the safety circuit,
which immediately stops the drives and applies
the safety brake. Siemens is also responsible for
system integration, supervision of the installation
work, and commissioning and will provide
customer training for the electrical equipment and
the brake systems.
Datong Coal Mine Group is one of the leading
producers of hard coal in China. The company,
which is located in Shanxi province, extracted 122
Mt of coal in 2008. The Majialiang mine alone,
which is near Shuozhou and around 140 km to
the southwest of Datong, has an annual
production capacity of some 12 Mt of coal.
EPCM engineering firm TWP, which merged
with construction firm Basil Read in December
2009, recently won a prestigious Steel Award from
the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction
(SAISC) in the Mining and Industrial category, for
its work on the Impala Platinum No 17 Main
Shaft headgear (IM, January 2009, pp18-20).
The judges commended the project for its
sophisticated design, harnessing the most modern
Although not brand new (inaugurated in 2001) IM was
very interested to go underground via one of the the
most advanced hoist systems in the world at the start of
December, at Inmet Mining’s Pyhäsalmi mine in Finland (a
forthcoming Operation Focus) – the headframe on the
left. ABB provided the mine hoist, incorporating a
number of advanced technological solutions, the ancillary
electrical equipment and the mine heat recovery and
ventilation systems.
General data:
Shaft diameter 5 m
Hoisting capacity 275 t/h and distance 1,407 m
Design speed (ore hoisting) 15.5 m/s
Men hoisting speed 12 m/s
Weight of skip 20.5 t and skip payload 21.5 t
Weight of cage 930 kg, ccapacity 20 persons
Counterweight, including rope 33.2 t attachments
Pulley diameter 4.5 m
Synchronous motor: 2.5 MW, 3 X 3,050 V, 8.7 Hz, 65.8 rpm
hoisting technology and the well-planned erection
methods built into the design. The judges also
commented on the “superb workmanship” and
top-flight corrosion protection involving galvanising,
hot metal spray and duplex paint coating to
guarantee a long, maintenance-free life.

We forge partnerships with trust and

respect.
Because that’s what you need thousands of metres below
the ground. Call TWP to forge a partnership for success.

TWP South Africa

www.twp.co.za T +27 11 218 3000 E twpinfo@twp.co.za

38 International Mining JANUARY 2010

 GOING UNDERGROUND
Unique features of the headgear
include the extensive use of tubular
sections for bracing members, cruciform
plate girders for columns and the size of
the some of the beams.
The headgear was erected with no
serious injury or lost time incident in only
125,000 man-hours, over a period of six
months. The erection of this headgear in
the required time period, called for the
mobilisation to site of two lattice boom
cranes of 400 and 225 t capacity and
nine smaller support cranes.
The headgear accommodates the
requirements of two six rope Koepe winders
and a conventional double drum service
winder and will be a dual purpose headgear
used for sinking and equipping phase and
in the permanent phase. In its permanent
condition, it will be used to hoist two 31 t
skips, one double deck man/material cage
with its counterweight and a double deck
service cage and counterweight. With a
hoisting depth of 1,900 m, No 17 Shaft is
the deepest wind for ground-mounted
Koepe winders in the world.
Expanding product line
Hepburn Engineering has secured orders
for two more large production hoists.
40 International Mining JANUARY 2010
At 81 m high to the These double drum hoists incorporate many
crane rail, TWP says aspects of Hepburn’s latest designs, and
Impala Platinum’s No 17 include these features:
Shaft is the highest
steel headgear in the ■ Medium voltage 2,390 kW AC drive
world and contains systems
about 2,000 t of steel. ■ Hepburn’s latest disc brake technology
The shaft is planned to
hoist 225,000 t/month ■ Hepburn Hoist Manager software
of ore from the ■ Hepburn’s web-based Hoist Reporter.
Merensky and UG2 The hoists’ mechanicals will be
reefs. The project has
seen a very successful assembled in Hepburn’s facilities before
start and is on track for shipping, and the control and drive systems
commissioning of the will undergo comprehensive testing, under
Main Shaft, scheduled
for December 2014 Hepburn’s quality system.
Hepburn has recently supplied a number
of large 45,350 kg rope pull shaft sinking
winches for projects in South Africa,
Mongolia, the USA and Canada. They are
designed to accommodate a rope from 38
to 57.2 mm and up to eight layers of 57.2
mm diameter rope, which will permit a pull
rating of 45,350 kg. The winches have
spring-applied, hydraulically released disc
brakes, large ratio reduction gearing, and
AC electric drive motors. Control panels are
mounted on the side for single winch
independent operation, and will be capable
of interfacing to a customer supplied remote
control console for centralised operation.
Hepburn also recently completed an
order for Resolution Copper in Arizona,
 GOING UNDERGROUND

USA; designing and supplying four 68,030 kg line
pull winches. This further expands Hepburn’s
sinking winch product line for deep shafts.
Back in Canada, the company has secured an
order for a new dual drive and control system, as
well as a braking system upgrade for a mine hoist
in Saskatchewan. Hepburn has extensive friction
hoist experience, and is well positioned to supply
and support mine hoisting equipment to the
potash industry. It has also supplied complete
shaft sinking hoists and winches for Potash
projects.
Converteam is another company working with
Siemag M-TEC2 and, last year, their partnership
was awarded a major upgrade project by
Compass Minerals for its Sifto Canada salt mine in
Goderich, Ontario. This, the worlds largest
underground salt mine, has been in production
continuously since 1959. The project to overhaul
and upgrade the mine's existing number three
shaft will see increased productivity and efficiency,
when completed the new double drum hoist will
have the ability to hoist substantially larger skips
than at present and will boost the mine's annual
capacity by nearly 25%. Converteam is supplying
the 3,730 kW overhung induction motor,
MV7000 variable speed PWM drive,
control/monitoring systems, transformers, LV
panels and associated electrical systems.
Converteam proposed an induction motor
A Hepburn double-drum hoist in shop
assembly
solution with advantages of
favourable first cost and, perhaps
more significantly, reduced through
life maintenance and costs. Its
induction motor is of a relatively
simple yet rugged construction
consisting of a wound stator and a
rotor assembly. The fixed stator
windings are electrically connected
to the AC power source, no
separate power source is required
to provide the rotor field. The major
advantage of such a construction is
that it does not rely on brushes like
a DC or a synchronous motor does.
It is considered that an induction
motor of this type will have
significantly extended life
expectancy when compared with the alternative is configured with a central operator control
synchronous motor and will also require less station and a supervisory computer providing full
service intervention and maintenance. access for production personnel as well as for
Converteam’s delivery also extends to a maintenance and supervisory functions.
comprehensive automation, control and
monitoring package with customised functions Avoiding rope whiplash
that include electronic speed and distance Siemag commissioned parallel grooved sleeves
protection, closed loop brake control and from Lebus Germany for a series of hoists
comprehensive data logging facilities. This system destined for a Norilsk Nickel in Russia, designed to

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We have your solution.
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JANUARY 2010 International Mining 41

 GOING UNDERGROUND

Using proven technology from Converteam's

comprehensive range of drives, MV7000 converters offer
compact and efficient design and are ideal to match the
dynamic and high performance demands of mine hoists:
■ Performance with high efficiency up to 99%
■ Reliability with press-pack IGBT technology, fuseless
protection and low component count
■ Compactness, modularity and front access
■ Low operating costs

Africa. This refurbishment option will reduce costs

and delivery times. The turnkey project
encompasses the complete refurbishment of a
man and materials hoist and a rock hoist from
two different mines as well as design of the
winder house and civil works. DRATS is not only
operate at 26.49 rpm to hoist loads from depths rather than the conventional 180°. Lebus is now the hoist consultant and design engineer but also
of up to 2,150 m using 46 mm wire rope. producing 12 sets of sleeves for Siemag for this the principal contractor for winder supply
One of the parameters for this project had the application, for delivery in stages to February subcontractors on the project.
potential to create a problem. The grooves of 2010. All the drums are between 5 and 6 m in The man and material hoist was sourced from
Lebus drums are parallel except for two crossover pitch circle diameter and 1,200 mm long between the Okiep Mining’s Nigramoep mine in the
points on diametrically opposite sides, each the flanges. They will carry 2,150 m of 46 mm Northern Cape and is a 1,865 kW, 4.3 m, double
moving the rope half a pitch along the face of the diameter wire rope in up to five layers. drum unit. Only the hoist drums on this unit were
drum. This groove pattern is central to the Lebus replaced; the rest of the components, including
multi-layer spooling system. It ensures that the Winder refurbishment mechanicals and electrics, have been refurbished
rope spools smoothly every time, guaranteeing DRA Technical Services (DRATS), has secured a to current specifications. Despite the age of the
hoist performance and maximising the life of the contract for the refurbishment and delivery of two electrical components (around 15 years) they were
wire rope. hoists for Great Basin Gold’s Burnstone gold mine found to still be serviceable. Plans are in place for
However, if the drum is rotated at ultra high near Balfour in Mpumalanga province, South their replacement in the future.
speeds, as in this application, the rope is
susceptible to harmonic resonance. Vibration is Constructing the foundations for
induced in the rope at the crossover points, and Burnstone mine's refurbished rock
hoist - a project being undertaken by
the fast steady rhythm of crossover points can DRA Technical Services
increase the vibration. If the vibration in the rope
coincides with vibration in the hoisting machinery
above, the result can be waves in the rope, creating
whiplash. The solution in this case was quite simple,
although the calculations leading to it were not.
Changing the offset of the crossover points, so
that they are not diametrically opposite each other,
prevents harmonic resonance. This creates an
uneven tempo in the spooling action and disrupts
the coincidence of rope and drum vibrations.
To verify the optimum offset for the groove
crossover points for the Siemag hoists, Lebus
worked with Canadian consulting engineer GL
Tiley & Associates, a specialist in analysing
material vibrations in mining equipment. Tiley's
engineers calculated that the Lebus sleeves for
this application should have the crossover sections
offset at 85° (measured from their midpoints)



   
  
 

42 International Mining JANUARY 2010

 GOING UNDERGROUND

REDUCE DOWNTIME WITH

Twiflex VMS-3 brake
The second unit, a 2,686 kW, 4.9 m double drum rock hoist, was sourced
from Luanshya mine in Zambia. While the mechanical components were
refurbished, the unit’s electronics were replaced with a new system featuring
PLC control and a human machine interface. The new system will provide the
winder with a high degree of automation as well as improvements in
performance and reliability. In addition, the mine will be able to monitor every
operational aspect of the winder, making fault finding easier.
THE LEBUS SPOOLING SYSTEM
The Lebus Spooling System guarantees that your wire rope
spools smoothly onto and off the rope drum under total control
— a dependable performance every time.
As well as winch drums for new installations, Lebus can also
upgrade and refurbish existing winches with engineered drum
sleeves, designed specifically to match the parameters of the
application. The Lebus system is so flexible that the new sleeves
can be retrofitted on site, even in the most extreme operating
conditions.

Hoist control
Todd Kennedy, Business Development Manager for Siemens Energy &
Automation, stresses the importance of hoists – they are “considered the
main arteries of underground mines. A hoist failure can cripple an entire mine
operation. Hoists are responsible for moving people, equipment, supplies,
waste and ore quickly, efficiently and, above all, safely between surface and
various underground level stations or loading pockets.”
Modern hoist controllers should consolidate all essential systems and
subsystems into a common platform to achieve best use of technology and
enable maintenance and operations personnel to work easily with the entire
system.
The controller provides safety and supervision-related functions that include
supervision of position and speed, and supervision of the load going up and
down.
“The Arnsberg District Government Department of Mining and Energy in Lebus has long been accepted as the optimum solution for
spooling wire ropes in multiple layers. For lifetime-guaranteed
Germany has developed the most stringent safety regulations for mine hoists
perfect spooling, longer rope life and reduced downtime
in the world,” Kennedy says. “Companies that place the safety of their
people and property above all other business objectives would do well to use ACCEPT ONLY ORIGINAL LEBUS TECHNOLOGY
mine hoist control systems that comply with this regulation.
“When selecting a mine hoist control system, there are characteristics that
will vary between control system suppliers. Siemens encourages you to Experts in wire rope spooling
choose a controller that provides:
■ Compliance with the world’s most stringent safety regulations for mine
hoists
■ A single technology platform comprised of PLC components that are highly
regarded by the industry Contact: Cris Seidenather
■ Absolute control repeatability Lebus International Engineers GmbH
■ Load supervision for up and down going loads
Tel: (+49) 88 06 958 950
■ A redundant visualisation system
■ Pre-torque control technology
info@lebus-germany.com
■ Positioning without using mechanical brake systems
■ Precise speed control even at very low and zero speed www.lebus-germany.com
■ Minimised stress to mechanical and brake systems
■ Jerk limitation
■ Selectable and customisable HMI screens

JANUARY 2010 International Mining 43

 GOING UNDERGROUND

■ Extensive troubleshooting guidance through
the HMI system
■ Facilities to report various data including
operations and production data.”
In South Africa, Becker Mining has secured a
contract for multi-rope Koepe winder systems for
Palaborwa Mining Co. This contract encompasses
the design, manufacture and testing of head and
tail rope attachment sets, which enhance the safety
and reliability of multi-rope Koepe winder systems.
These attachment sets consist of thimble and
wedge type winding rope cappels, friction
winding attachments, rope clamps and guide
rope systems, as well as ancillary components like
chase blocks, link plates, connecting pins and
special attachment devices. All equipment is proof
load tested in excess of twice the normal
operating loads it will be subjected to in service,
complies fully with international and local
government mining regulations and mining house
specifications. Delivery of this equipment was
scheduled for January 2010 and installation is due
for completion by June 2010.
ABB (see lead picture) claims to be the only
supplier of complete mine hoist systems - both
mechanical and electrical parts. It has delivered
complete packages including all shaft equipment
such as skips, ropes, guide ropes, catch gear and
over wind arrestors for mine hoist systems.
It has over 60 years experience of producing
advanced mine hoists and offers a complete range
of hoist systems including single drum, double
drum and friction hoists for use as auxiliary or cage
hoists and for shaft sinking. Its deliveries all feature:
mechanical equipment with high-performance
disc brakes, shaft equipment such as skips, ropes
with attachments and measuring pockets, modern
DC or AC drive systems as well as advanced
digital control and monitoring. Depending on
specific customer needs, the scope of supply can
include power supply, remote diagnostics, etc.
providing a complete hoisting plant.
Greater braking force
Twiflex has launched a larger, enhanced version of
its highly successful VMS-2-SP safety brake, aimed
specifically at the demanding mine hoist market.
Like the VMS-2, the VMS-3 is a spring applied,
hydraulically released (SAHR) safety brake, but In 2008 Alimak Hek of Sweden signed a contract to
offers faster operation and superior performance, provide an Alimak rack and pinion-driven lift for
delivering a maximum static brake force of 300 Voskhod-Oriel's underground chromium mine,
kN (with 1 mm air gap), and 230 kN (with 3 mm located in the Khromtau district, Republic of
air gap) of dynamic braking force, with the added Kazakhstan. The lift has recently been installed and is
benefit of infinite fatigue life. used for service and inspection purposes and also
The mine-ready design of the VMS-3 is serves as an emergency egress. It has a lifting height
characterised by a strengthened, longer housing, of 204.32 m and payload capacity of 1,000 kg or
which integrates additional springs for improved nine passengers. It is equipped with a single
braking force. Totally sealed to provide excellent automatic control system, auto alarm, auto return to
corrosion and dust protection, the new design base, emergency phone, emergency flashing light on
offers users the set-up and maintenance car roof, and overload sensing device
advantages of tamper-
proof pad/air-gap The operation of VMS-3 safety brakes can be
adjustment, the facility optimised by using Twiflex’s MP (Modular Range)

Put a STOP to winder

for external pad electrohydraulic power units. These provide an
retraction, on-site advanced, flexible means of brake control in the
torque adjustment and most arduous operating conditions.

PROBLEMS a park-off feature for

achieving fast seal
changes without the
Twiflex has also introduced the VCS MK 4
caliper brake, its newest model in its SAHR line of
caliper brakes. These technologically advanced
use of special tools. brakes have been engineered to provide a 50%
...with modular
The VMS-3 design increase in pad area. The units also feature
caliper brakes also integrates small increased service factors, modular construction for
for mining hoists size pistons for quicker easy assembly and maintenance, precision
reaction times, coupled monitoring options, as well as improved sealing
and elevators
with an improved and full compatibility with existing VCS mounts
drainage system and and controlled braking systems.
• On-site torque adjustment
reduced retraction As with other modular brakes from Twiflex, the
• “Park-Off” facility for fast seal
changing without special tools pressure of between brake comes as a standard two-module design.
• Microprocessor control for 120 and 160 bar The brake is provided as a complete unit with two
smooth operation (depending on rating). pre-fitted brake pads. Additional items such as
• Infinite fatigue life, even at 3mm In addition, the status mounting bolts (tie rods), optional finishes and
air gaps of the VMS-3 braking monitoring switches are available.
system can be linked to With over 4300 sets in its JK and JKMD series
www.twiflex.com a PLC, providing Citic HIC has produced various large-scale mine
+44 208 894 1161 warnings for such hoists. Its market share in China exceeds 88%.
factors as low pad Among those sold is the largest hoist in the JK
pressure and alarms for series, the 2JK-6.3/20 single-roe hoist; the JKMD-
high oil temperature, 5.7 x 4 multi-rope floor-mounted hoist in JKMD
low oil level and series and JKYB-3 x 2.5XP hydraulic anti-explosion
clogged pressure filters. hoist. IM

44 International Mining JANUARY 2010