FLS and University of Newcastle launch energy-saving conveyor in Africa mine. (Image source: FLS)

An African mine will be among the first adopters of the innovative Rail-Running Conveyor (RRC) technology, commercialised by full flowsheet provider FLS in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, Australia

Designed to dramatically reduce energy consumption, improve safety and cut capital and operating expenditure, Rail-Running Conveyors are a gamechanger for mines which must rely on extended conveying distances to move material. Any mine that carries substantial tonnages over more than 500 to 1,000 m can achieve far higher efficiencies using this technology.

The first full-scale operational system will be commissioned in southern Africa in mid-2025. It is designed to carry 5,000 mtph of copper ore over a 3,25 km run, and is expected to save approximately US$1mn each year in power costs when compared to a conventional trough conveyor.

A second system, destined for the same mining customer at a mine in the Americas, has also been under construction and will carry around 13,000 mtph, also delivering significant power savings and safety improvements.

The energy losses incurred by an RRC is anything between one-fifth to one-tenth of those experienced by traditional trough and pipe conveyor systems respectively. The friction losses on a conventional long distance conveyor largely determine the power capacity that must be installed, the size of the structures required and the downtime incurred to maintain and replace pulleys and drives. Reducing these energy losses therefore has a positive knock-on effect on the costs of a range of other aspects.

Customers achieve savings on the scope of the conveyor equipment itself, the cut-and-fill civils requirements, the volumes of concrete used, the strength of the belt and the number of drive stations necessary. Due to the lower tension acting on the conveyor belt, a lower rating of belt is possible. Faster speeds and a deeper trough also mean that a narrower belt may suffice for the same throughput. Importantly, the rating of the drives does not need to be as high.

Where a 6MW drive may be specified for a conventional conveyor, for instance, this technology may allow a 2MW drive to be installed. This then has further positive impacts on the ratings required for motors, transformers, E-houses and power supply.

The head and the tail of an RRC remain the same as in traditional systems with the rail-running section making up the bulk of the distance. The basic mode of transport is steel-wheel-on-steel-rail instead of a belt running over idlers. This fundamental difference is what cuts energy consumption so drastically.

The system uses small carriages to carry the belt and these are automatically exchanged at maintenance houses when required. This removes the safety risks associated with personnel changing out idlers out along the length of the conveyor. Having fewer transfer points also has a safety benefit as these can be sources of injury during maintenance as well as health threats from dust exposure.

BME's Dryden Innovex manufacturing plant outside of Delmas, Mpumalanga in South Africa (Image source: BME)

BME has outlined its commitment to sustainable mining by incorporating used oil, a hazardous waste, as an ingredient in emulsion explosives

“Through our scientifically rigorous processes, we convert a waste product into a sustainable energy source that can break ground to meet the demands of mining while also promoting environmental sustainability and socio-economic development,” said Sachin Govender, used oil manager at BME.

“Used oil is a major environmental risk. Just one litre can contaminate about a million litres of South Africa’s scarce water resources.”

By consuming up to 20% of all the country’s used oil for the production of emulsions, BME helps to effectively mitigate this risk – while also helping to uplift local communities from where it sources the used oil.

The company utilises used oil as a bioenergy fuel source that is completely consumed in the blasting process — a system it has honed and refined over three decades.

The well-developed and accurate formulations comply with safety regulations and adhere to the company’s ESG goals, said Govender.

He said that while used oil was readily available as it was a waste product, there were various grades, all containing different contaminants and components.

“Therefore, all of the used oil that we collect and process undergoes extensive verification, quality control analysis and validation at our R&D laboratory,” he said.

“The final emulsions that we produce using these technologies are also quality tested to determine their stability, shelf life and efficiency for mining.”

He confirmed that BME was also investigating viable alternatives to traditional used oil.

This would not only enable the company to further pursue greener and more sustainable sourcing, but would also increase its participation in the circular economy.

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Condra hoists and overhead crane. (Image source: Condra)

South Africa’s Condra has received a succession of recent orders for overhead cranes and other lifting equipment that will be deployed across Africa and beyond, as it moves to expand its agent reach across the continent

Among them is an unpack-and-go machine whose shipping containers will become the crane’s gantry, following a deal struck with the company’s agent in Tanzania, Lynx Supply and Services.

The design of this five-ton double-girder crane — a one-off currently under manufacture for mine maintenance — makes use of the two 12-metre delivery containers as gantry supports.

After hoist, crab, girders, end-carriages and other components have been unpacked for assembly, an installation team will position the containers exactly 9.8 metres apart, then bolt rails to their tops to form the gantry.

Lynx, which will carry out the installation and commissioning work, also placed additional orders for wheel blocks, miscellaneous spare parts and a separate 10-ton, 10-metre-span single-girder gantry crane for an unnamed mining house.

Condra’s sub-Saharan agent network also includes Integrated Engineering Services in Zambia, Integrated Engineering Services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Namcranes in Namibia and KL Cranes in Botswana.

Management is identifying additional potential agents in Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya, the company said in an update.

Other recent orders received by Condra in sub-Saharan Africa include a 10-ton portal crane for a maintenance application in Ghana.

The design of this crane overcomes floor loading limitations by spreading the machine mass across multiple nylon-treaded wheels at the base of the portal’s supporting legs.

The Ghanaian portal machine is linked to two further crane orders from the same customer, one of them for installation in Saudi Arabia.

Condra noted that it had also received enquiries from Chile and Peru, where the company is reestablishing agency relationships adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Service proximity and availability must be carefully considered alongside purchase price if losses due to downtime are not to negate and even exceed the initial savings of an attractive price,” said a Condra spokesman.

“Condra has long and strong relationships with agents across sub-Saharan Africa to deliver the necessary rapid response time on service calls. Our Johannesburg spares division will deliver parts anywhere in Africa in five days or less, minimising production losses due to crane downtime. In South Africa we deliver in a maximum of 48 hours.”

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