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Safe lifting
Publishing Date 03 May 2011 4:53pm GMT Author
Mine hoist systems provide a vital service in underground mines.
Not only do they take personnel, equipment and supplies into the mine, but they are used to transport the ore
produced to the surface.
A typical hoist system is comprised of a range of interconnected parts, providing both operation and control. A system
will include: a motor driving the drum shaft, either directly or via reduction gearing; a drum shaft carried in self aligning
bearings; hoist drums (single, twin with single clutch or twin with double clutches dependant on the application);
auxiliaries, such as encoders to monitor each drum; brakes; ropes; and head gear pulleys.
In designing a particular hoist system, the hoist duty must first be established: will the hoist be used for shaft sinking,
service, production, or auxiliary duties; will the attached conveyance take the form of skips for ore transport, cages for
carrying personnel and equipment or counterweights; what is the payload and frequency of operation; the number of
hoisting levels to be served; and the depth of wind. The logistics of transporting equipment to the site and handling it
once there can also dictate physical size and weight limits. Similarly, the nature of the power supply must be taken
into account.
The main factors that influence the type of mine hoist used are the intended depth of the mine shaft, the number of
levels, the expected payload, the size of mine and the mine hoist regulations in the country of supply. But, whatever the
type, hoist systems are kept in constant use, so reliability is of vital importance.
RELIABILITY VITAL
Generally, mines would expect the hoist itself to run at up to 98% reliability. However, a number of factors can impact
on the hoists performance.
Gordon Scott, sales and marketing director for hoist supplier DavyMarkham, says, A major issue with reliability is old
or redundant spares for the braking system. Many systems on larger and more complex double drum hoists are
difficult to maintain due to lack of manpower and experience, as well as availability of compatible spares. Brake
control systems can be replaced with modern systems using readily available components, re-using all of existing
mechanical components.
He also warned that hoists with geared drives often have a legacy of maintenance issues, often going back years.
Worn gears, cracked teeth and pitting are not always simply due to age. A survey showing alignment throughout the
drive train can often show fundamental problems that can be solved quickly and effectively by repositioning motors
and/or bearings. Whenever old gears are replaced, a survey should always be undertaken to check gear alignment,
he says.
For double drum hoists, worn drum bushes are often a problem and can cause ongoing maintenance issues.
Careful selection of materials, as well as the addition of automatic greasing systems can reduce maintenance
problems to a minimum.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Energy consumption and storage is also set to become a key issue. Technological advances and scalable energy
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storage solutions can provide mine operators with new choices to simultaneously enhance their facilities and reduce
overall reliance on fossil fuels, says Richard Price, business manager mining at electric drive supplier,
Converteam UK.
A mine winder alternates between acting as a major consumer of electrical energy and a major producer of electrical
energy (regeneration). Typically the energy produced by a winder is dumped and the potential for energy savings is
lost. This can also put a strain on systems in areas where power supplies are unreliable.
Both ABB and Converteam are addressing these issues through technological development. ABB, the largest
supplier of mine hoist equipment, has developed the new peak-power compensation system for mine hoists. This
offers numerous advantages to customers operating mine hoists on weak networks.
It uses a flywheel connected directly to the hoist motor drive as an energy storage medium, offering a cost-efficient
method to improve network quality by reducing peak power demand, power swing and power demand change rate.
The flywheel can considerably reduce the capital and operational expenditures of a local power station or enable full
utilisation of the hoist when the grid network is otherwise too weak, says Borje Johansson of ABB Process
Automation, Mining in Vasteras, Sweden.
Converteam has introduced its ProNRG system, which ensures that winder-generated energy can be harnessed,
stored and released on demand in order to satisfy base load, as well as peak demand.
Derek Grieve, director technology at Converteam points out: Choosing the right storage medium for the intended
application is critical. There are a number of energy storage technologies around including flow cells, lithium ion
batteries, super capacitors, superconducting magnetic energy storage and flywheels; each has unique
characteristics and each has something to offer depending on whether your need is for the storage and delivery of
electrical energy in short bursts or for its delivery over many hours or days.
DRUM TYPES
Single drum hoists are normally used for unbalanced operation, for example, as an auxiliary hoist. In unbalanced
mode, the motor must have sufficient torque to hold the weight of the rope, conveyance and payload, although it can
serve multiple levels since the rope can be coiled on more than one layer on the drum.
Single drum hoists are rarely employed in balanced hoisting but this can be done by attaching overlay and underlay
ropes, each anchored at one end of the drum, so that one rope winds off the drum as the other winds on. In the coal-
mining industry, a single drum, twin rope system has been developed, with two conveyances attached for balanced
winding.
Rope can only be coiled on one layer on the drum, limiting the depth of the wind. This arrangement is best suited for
hoisting from one level. This makes it ideal for servicing a single seam in a coal mine, but less suitable for multiple
driveways in a metalliferous mine.
Single drum hoists have a relatively small load capacity and generally operate at slower speeds. They tend to be used
for smaller applications such as shaft sinking, emergency escape hoisting and for small auxiliary hoisting duties. In
larger mines, their use is restricted to service and auxiliary duties. They have largely been superseded by the double
drum format.
The out-of-balance operation can cause a high natural retardation, which is uncomfortable to occupants. This is
overcome by reducing the speed of the drum or artificially increasing the rotating inertia. The maximum depth for a
single drum application to date is 3,150m at 19m/s. This was in a single drum Blair multi-rope application.
Double drum hoists were developed to allow multiple levels to be serviced by the same hoist. One or both drums are
clutched to the drive shaft, enabling the relative positions of the conveyances to be changed and allowing balanced
hoisting from multiple levels. If both drums are clutched, one conveyance can continue hoisting, should anything
happen to the other. This configuration is popular where there is only one hoist.
Double drum hoists are generally for single or dual conveyance production hoisting or service hoisting with dual
cages, or one cage and a counterweight.
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They can be used for moving heavy equipment loads within the shaft and are also suitable for multilevel loading
stations or mines which expect to increase in depth. Payloads can be increased with the use of multi-rope drums.
Double drum hoists are often used for shaft sinking duties, particularly as international adoption of the South African
Bureau of Standards (SABS) standard facilitates greater depths. They can be used for shaft sinking and then
converted to production duty.
Generally, drum hoists require less rope maintenance than friction types and less space is required below the
loading pocket for tail ropes. The rope is normally coiled up to four layers on the drum.
Rope cyclic loading is not affected by depth, so allowance has been made in South Africa and Canada for use at
reduced rope static factors but with limits on the true or dynamic safety factor. (Code of Practice SANS 10294). The
maximum depth of wind could be around 4,000m.
Blair hoists were developed to meet the demands for increased mine depth and larger payloads in modern mines.
These provide two ropes to each conveyance. The use of multiple ropes means smaller diameter ropes can be used
and hence smaller diameter drums may be employed to handle higher payloads.
A Blair hoist is essentially a double drum hoist with wider drums, each with a centre flange that enables it to coil both
ropes attached to the conveyance. The physical advantage is that the drum diameter can be smaller than usual.
However, the extra rope compartments integral to the Blair multi-rope hoist design increases axial length, which leads
to rope fleeting angle problems (and results in increased wear and possibly bad coiling). This is corrected with the
use of a universal joint (Hooke joint) to angle drums towards the shaft or by using a large-diameter shaft.
Compensating arrangements are required to adjust rope tensions. Rope changing and back end cutting is also
doubled. As a result, Blair hoists tend to be expensive in terms of capital cost.
With the friction or Koepe hoist, the drum has one or several grooves, lined with friction material, to accommodate
single or multiple ropes. Such winders may be ground- or tower-mounted and operate as balanced systems, with
either a single conveyance, such as a skip or cage, and a counterweight, or two conveyances. In all cases, balance
ropes are incorporated, so the only out-of-balance load is the payload, reducing the required horsepower.
With multiple ropes, the payload can be shared across several smaller diameter ropes, reducing the drum and
engine sizes still further and the space required to accommodate the equipment. However, friction hoists are
generally limited to serving only one level, making them unsuitable for hoisting from multiple loading horizons within a
shaft. They also have a depth restriction of between 1,500m and 2,000m, and require careful handling of head and
balance ropes. Nevertheless, a friction hoist is smaller in dimension than a drum hoist for the same service,
theoretically making it easier to ship and install.
The increased depth of wind also raises cyclic loading of the rope and, as such, decreases fatigue life of the rope.
The difference between maximum and minimum tension is less than 12% of the breaking load. Short winds can lead
to rope slip. This can be improved by using heavy ropes and conveyances.
ELECTRICAL & CONTROL SYSTEMS
When designing a mine hoist system, it is essential to ensure an adequate power supply. Each installation will vary
and may include a substation connected to a utility or other customer supply and will include drive isolation
transformation. The power supply must be sized to meet hoist duty cycle requirements and provide an appropriate
over capacity to ensure the power supply is never interrupted during any overload condition. The hoist control system
must include protection schemes and devices for the drive isolation transformer, motors and drives and not rely on
upstream protection for this function. Motors can be synchronous, asynchronous, or DC. As a rule of thumb, they
should be capable of 200% overloads at zero speed for 60 seconds.
Variable speed drives must also provide appropriate over capacity to ensure motor torque is never interrupted during
any designed overload condition. They must be appropriate for constant torque application and be able to decelerate
the hoist and hold it at zero speed under all designed load conditions without brakes applied. Drives must be friendly
towards the power supply and should also provide a safety torque capacity factor. By being friendly they will not
contribute unwanted harmonics nor create an unfavourable power factor condition during all running conditions.
Precise position and speed control and their supervision is vital, as is up- and down-going load supervision, self
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integrity monitoring, and pre-torque control. Jerk limitation is desirable to better manage acceleration charateristics,
rope oscillation and rope stretch. Safety monitoring and supervision is also an essential and key component of the
system. A properly designed brake controller is required to meet control and safety requirements. The Human
Machine Interface (HMI) must accommodate the requirements of hoist operators, maintenance personnel and trouble
shooting engineers. The system must provide a means of safely operating the hoist if the operators HMI fails.
BRAKES
The earliest brake systems consisted of separate service brakes and safety brakes, powered by compressed air or
oil pressure. Modern brakes tend to be hydraulically-operated disc brakes, although many older mine hoists still use
the originally supplied brake system.
The brakes on a hoist are the ultimate safety system, in that when all else has failed, the braking system must
reliably bring the hoist safely to rest, says Mr Scott of DavyMarkham. The company has developed multi-channel
brake control systems, where electronic, mechanical and hydraulic aspects are fully independent.
These multi-channel disc brake systems are designed so that the loss of any one channel will not jeopardise the
safe operation of the hoist. The disc brake units operate on discs either integral with or bolted to a drum side.
Should one brake channel fail, the remaining brake clusters remain under correct application control, to stop the
hoist safely, he adds. According to ABB: Normal retardation of a hoist from full speed to stop is accomplished
electrically with the motor and hoist control system, with the hydraulic brake system generally functioning as a parking
brake at stand still.
However, in the case of loss of motor power, over speed, over travel or any other emergency situation, the braking
system serves as the ultimate means for safely bringing the hoist to a full stop.
This retardation rate must comply to specific mine safety regulations. These often stipulate retardation in an
emergency at a minimum 1.2-1.5m/s2 for a full load in the descending direction and a maximum of 5m/s2 in the
ascending direction. In addition, the braking system must have a static holding capacity of two to three times the out-
of-balance torque.
The hydraulic brake system is therefore vital for the safe and reliable operation of a mine hoist.
The number of brake units needed for a particular hoist is normally determined by the static braking torque, since the
dynamic braking torque needed for a retardation, which is stipulated 1.2-1.5m/s2 for a full descending load, is
generally lower than for the braking torque at standstill. One exception is mine hoists in very deep shafts. In these
cases, due to the large rotating masses of the hoisting system, the number of brake units might instead be
determined by the retardation requirements.
Brake systems are normally designed to operate with a controlled braking force to ensure the same retardation levels
during all operating situations, regardless of the direction of travel, speed, load or other factors. This greatly improves
the safety performance of the hoist while reducing mechanical stresses in the equipment.
During normal stop the hoist speed is reduced by the motor drive system. When the hoist has decelerated to creep
speed and the conveyance is located about 0.5m from the final stop level, the hydraulic pressure in the brake units is
reduced to a smooth light contact on the brake discs.
The pressure is then reduced to zero in two steps before the conveyance reaches the final stop level.
Safety braking is accomplished exclusively by means of the hydraulic disc brake system. There are two possible
braking modes: braking based on controlled braking torque to give a constant retardation rate; or braking based on
constant torque.
Other factors also impact on brake selection. Steve Powell, product manager, Heavy Duty Clutch Brake Group, Twiflex,
states: In selecting brakes, the size of the mine hoist is important, as well as the inertia of the rotating parts and the
out of balance load. This information will enable brakes that can stop the hoist during an emergency shutdown or
power outage to be selected. Furthermore, if the stopping time is also known, it is possible to calculate the
temperature during the stop and from this determine the pad area required, hence the number, type or rating of the
required brakes.
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The choice of pad friction material is also important to ensure an adequate coefficient of friction can be achieved
during the stop. According to ABB: ABB has undertaken an extensive research programme where numerous full-
scale tests on different pad materials were made. This enabled us to select the most suitable non-asbestos brake
pad material.
EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS
There are a number of suppliers providing component parts for hoisting systems but the main full-solution
companies are ABB, FLSmidth, Siemag and DavyMarkham. In terms of electrical drive motors, providers include
Siemens, ABB and Converteam.
ABB is able to offer a complete electrical and mechanical hoist solution, with the others usually working with a
mechanical partner to deliver projects.
ABB
ABB provides complete electrical and mechanical equipment for all types of mine hoist including single drum, double
drum, friction hoists and muti-rope hoists.
Along with hoisting systems, ABB provides skips, cages, sheaves, skip loading systems and skip dumping systems.
ABB is the worlds largest supplier of mine hoist drive and control systems.
Although AC motors dominate the market, ABB also offers DC synchronous motors for geared hoist induction motors.
Synchronous motors offer the highest efficiency. ABB is the only supplier of completely integrated brake systems,
where the electrical control system is designed and tested as a unit with the hydraulic systems.
ABB has developed a system that continuously controls the braking torque during emergency stops. The purpose of
this is to control and reduce the retard ation to a more suitable and continuously safe level. Furthermore, it will result
in considerably reduced stresses on the mechanical parts of the hoist.
For continuously controlled braking torque at an emergency stop, the oil pressure acts against the cup-spring force in
the brake caliper units and it is controlled between two pressure limits.
The lower limit corresponds to the specified retardation, 1.3-1.5m/s2, for a full descending load, while the upper limit
corresponds to a fall ascending load, which means about 10-15% of the maximum available braking torque.
At an emergency stop the oil pressure quickly drops from full pressure to the upper control limit. It is then further
reduced following a ramp function in the control system until the required retard ation set point is obtained. The
retardation level is measured by a speed feedback device linked to the hoist drum.
Hydraulic brake units offer the optimum solution for high-performance braking of mine hoists. They have a short
reaction time due to small moving masses and since several brake units are used in parallel, problems associated
with single-line components are also eliminated. Each hydraulic brake unit has two caliper halves where non-
asbestos brake pads are secured.
ABB operates globally and has mine hoists in operation with China Coal, PCS, Mosaic, LKAB, Xstrata and Vale.
The company recently upgraded the hoisting system at LKAB Kiruna mine in Sweden. Two new hoists have been
installed. Twelve production hoists will operate as one integrated system, raising the iron ore from the new production
level 1,365m to surface.
SIEMENS
Siemens offers detailed engineering, design and supply of: power distribution systems; hoist power and auxiliary
power systems; hoist drive trains; hoist winder controllers (WTC) complete with automation and operator controls;
complete operator desks including HMI; DCS interfaces; event recording systems; hoist signalling systems; safety
monitoring/supervision systems; hoist braking systems; project management; commissioning; training; and lifecycle
services.
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The company also supplies mechanical brakes (through a strategic supplier); drive motors (conventional and
gearless); main and auxiliary control systems; loading and dump control systems; digital brake control systems;
digital safety monitor and control systems; shaft-signalling systems and event recording systems.
Siemens main markets are in Europe, China and South Africa but it is seeking to expand into North and South
America. The company offers a regional approach to hoist/ winder design, which has proven highly successful in the
Chinese market, and the company is anticipating rapid growth in the North American and South African markets.
Siemens has customised its hoist/winder control systems for different regions of the world. No longer is there a one-
size-fits-all approach that had, in the past, provided systems to customers with many features that they did not use or
need. For example, Siemens new North America mine hoist control design optimises safety and performance
features specifically desired in the north American market at a significantly reduced cost to that previously offered.
Siemens specialises in reducing the downtime required to modernise a system. Working closely with mine owners
and engineers, replacement systems can be containerised and pre-tested before shipping to site as ready for
installation during a mines planned shutdown period.
The company offers several levels of remote monitoring and diagnosis, as an alternative to on-site support.
This allows for full-time expert support to be provided in real-time by data and voice connection. Video support can
also be provided to allow an expert to visually see a system and support troubleshooting from anywhere in the world.
Siemens also offers an extensive network of power and automation technicians that can be quickly dispatched to a
customer site, or can offer embedded engineering and support services residing at the customers site.
The firm has sold hoisting equipment to a range of Chinese companies, including Luan Mining, Yanzhou Mining
Group and Shenhau Group. Other major customers include Kali+Salz in Germany; Norilsk Nickel, Russia; and Jim
Walter Resources, North America.
DAVYMARKHAM
DavyMarkhams hoisting products are custom designed to meet local conditions and customer preferences.
The company offers single or double, service, friction and auxiliary drums. They are fabricated, typically in halves, and
grooved to accept the specified rope.
The grooves are annular with twin, anti-synchronous crossover positions to avoid resonant oscillations being set up
in the rope. Fixed drums are attached direct to the drum shaft by means of hydraulically-tensioned bolts, while the
clutched drum is mounted on bronze bearings which are lubricated automatically whenever the hoist is operated with
the drum declutched.
Self aligning bearings are employed. In each style, the drive end bearing is axially fixed and the non drive end bearing
axially free to accommodate thermal expansion.
DavyMarkham supply spherical rollers; split or solid rollers in a spherical housing; and split white metalled rollers in a
spherical housing. Bearings are either oil or grease lubricated, manually or automatically.
Main drive gearing, when employed, will normally be specifically designed, but Davy- Markham essentially provide
commercially available gear reducers using either single or double input shafts and via double engagement gear type
input (high speed) and output (low speed) couplings. DavyMarkham has focused its design and engineering
resources on refining and developing its double drum technology.
The company has looked particularly at building simpler, more robust systems that will operate reliably in hostile
environments.
It has designed bearings and drum brakes that prolong service life, engineered precision grooves, crossovers and
risers that ensure optimum coiling behaviour, and fabricated drum assemblies in halves, for easier shipping and
handling on site.
DavyMarkham has designed the multi-caliper disc braking system to reduce dynamic rope loads to a minimum,
employing proportional control valve technology, thereby preventing sudden shock loads to passengers in the cage
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and optimising the rope safety factor. It has also incorporated uninterruptible power supply systems, to provide vital
back-up in case of previous power failure.
The firm sells into many markets, particularly in the Americas and Africa (Zambia Copper Belt and Ghana Gold
Mines). It is now focusing on expansions in South America, having recently secured its first contract in Peru. It is
currently planning a market strategy to enter the Mexican and Chilean market. Main customers include Opinaca Mines,
Hudson Bay Mining, Iamgold, Inco, Agnico Eagle and Falconbridge.
FLSMIDTH
FLSmidth designs and manufactures a number of the key elements of a mine hoisting system, including hoists,
sheaves, conveyances and loading stations. The main factors that are considered during the design include
operational life, safe operation of equipment, ease of assembly and maintenance, and particularly for the drum
design, stress reduction to acceptable levels.
The key factors that influence the choice of hoisting equipment are the required tonnage per year and depth of wind.
These then influence the size of ropes required, and using industry best practices, the selection of a fit for purpose
hoist can be made.
FLSmidth notes that all hoists are designed with safety as a priority. Every component is designed so that any single
malfunction/breakdown will not result in a catastrophic failure or fatality. The process from design, manufacturing,
installation and commissioning is monitored and recorded to ensure no flaws or errors are introduced during the
supply of the product.
FLSmidth hoist and shaft equipment is dominant in Southern African and North American markets. Targets for growth
include South America, Australia, Indonesia, Russia and parts of Asia. In Africa, main customers include Anglo
Platinum, Impala Platinum, Goldfields, Lonmin Platinum and AngloGold Ashanti.
In North America, FLSmidth are favoured suppliers of Agnico-Eagle, Barrick Gold, Cameco, Cargill, Consol, Goldcorp,
Hudson Bay, Iamgold, Morton Salt, Mosaic, Newmont, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Wesdome, Vale and Xstrata.
Because of the continued demand for greater levels of production, FLSmidth has been supplying the largest hoists,
sheaves and shaft conveyances in the world. The company has supplied large shaft equipment for potash and
minerals operations, including a 45t and 48t skips to Mosaic K2; a 60t skip to Ivanhoe Oyu Tolgoi; and a 130 man
cage to Xstrata Nickel Rim. It is designing a man cage to transport 300 men per trip underground.
Installations include a 6m four-rope tower-mounted Koepe hoist at Lonmin Platinum in 2008, and two 6.5m four-rope
tower-mounted Koepe hoists at Impala Platinum 16 Shaft (2009/10). The Impala hoists are installed in what is
currently the tallest concrete headgear in the world, at 131m. A man/material 5.5m double drum hoist was installed at
Anglo Platinums Styldrift site near Rustenburg in February 2011.
SIEMAG TECBERG
SIEMAG TECBERG offers the planning, design and construction of complete shaft hoisting systems, and supplies all
the component assemblies. Its product range varies from complex deep level production Blair hoists, operating at
3km depth, to simple small-scale refurbishments. The company is particularly successful in providing Koepe winders
for the highest payloads at medium and deep depths. These are often used for shaft sinking as initial duty.
SIEMAG TECBERG is pushing forward the development of modern Koepe machines in many respects, constructing
machines with disk brakes and AC drives.
It also offers brake control systems. The BE 100 and BE 200 hydraulically vented spring-loaded brake units are fully
enclosed and suitable for the hardest operating conditions. Features include precise, stepless adjustability. The
braking force is generated via cup spring packs which are rated to withstand more than two million load changes. The
braking force can be controlled hydraulically.
Displacement transducers are used to permanently monitor the operational reliability of the brake units with regard to
fault free operation, wear and spring breakage.
SIEMAG TECBERG also offers rope handling equipment, designed for the largest rope loads on Koepe hoisting
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systems. Its range includes clamping and lifting devices, mobile friction winches and mobile shaft winches.
CONVERTEAM
Converteam claims to be a technology leader in high power, low speed induction motors with variable speed drives.
The company offers induction and synchronous motors as well as overhung direct drives and automation solutions.
Converteam supplies a full range of safety systems including speed/distance protection and supervisory brake
control.
Converteams MV7000 range of high performance medium-voltage drives, offers compact and efficient design, which
makes it ideal for the dynamic and high performance demands of the mining industry. The drives offer over 99%
efficiency, high reliability, compactness and low operating costs and cover the medium and high power range up to
33MW at motor voltages of 3.3, 4.16 and 6.6kV.
Converteam is currently working on projects in Canada, South Africa, UK, Germany and Australia, with mining
companies that include BHP Billiton, UK Coal, Goldfields, Anglo American and DBE.
In Europe, Converteam supplied its FM2000i winder control system to RAG Ibbenbren. This modernisation included
a new PA75-based DC drive system, safety circuits and ATEX certified shaft signalling.
A new hoisting system was successfully commissioned at the Sifto salt mine in Ontario, Canada. The project to
upgrade the existing Number 3 shaft increases productivity and reliability.
The new double drum hoist has a capability to lift substantially heavier skips than previously employed at the mine.
The Sifto mine is the largest underground salt mine in the world and, following this expansion will increase capacity to
approximately 9Mt/y.
Converteam supplied its MV7000 medium voltage drive and high torque low speed overhung induction motor
technology to increase capacity at the mine, as well as a control and automation package.
Converteam is to supply the complete electric equipment for a mine winder at the Konrad 1 northern shaft of the
former Konrad iron-ore mine in Salzgitter, Germany. The order was placed by Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und
Betrieb von Endlagern fr Abfallstoffe mbH (DBE), a German company that builds and operates waste dumps. The
key component is a new mine winder with a 1,750kW synchronous motor and cycloconverter for the transport of
excavated material, supplies, workers and vehicles.
Converteam provides its High Performance Controller for crushers and conveyor belts. The controller will monitor the
conveying equipment on the surface, as well as equipment underground.
The delivery also includes 6kV medium-voltage switchgear, safety circuits, signal equipment and the equipment
visualization system. Converteam is responsible for complete engineering, delivery, installation and commissioning.
TWIFLEX
Twiflex (HDCB Group, Altra Industrial Motion) provides spring applied, hydraulically-released modular brakes for use
on mine hoists. The range comprises: VKSD modular brake (28kN to 119kN braking force); VS brake (81kN to 185kN
braking force); VMS modular brake (129kN to 392kN braking force). The VCS (Mk.4) modular brake (20kN to 60kN
braking force) is a new product for the mining market, which is spring-applied, hydraulically-released. The company
can also supply spring-applied, air-released or direct-applied brakes in both air and hydraulic form.
The VKSD and VMS models incorporate a parked-off feature which means the brake can be adjusted whereby there
is zero force in the spring pack. This makes it safe to install and work on during maintenance. All Twiflex brakes for
mine hoists are fitted with brake on/off and pad wear sensors.
The UK, US and Germany make up 60% of Twiflex sales. The company recently supplied six VMS modular brakes for
a 5.5m (18ft) double drum mine hoist and ten VMS modular brakes for a 6.4m (21ft) double drum mine hoist for
Iamgolds Westwood mine in Quebec, Canada.
ABB supplies hoists to Longgu coal mine
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ABB has delivered two production mine hoists to Xinwen Mining Groups Longgu coal mine, in Shandong Province,
China. The company also provided the control system, electrical equipment and brake system for the mines service
shaft.
ABB supplied both the mechanical and electrical parts for the hoists, which are for use in the mines two main
production shafts. The hoists offer a speed of 12.5m/s and operate to a depth of 835m. They can carry a payload of
30t, providing a total production capacity 950t/hr.
The mechanical equipment supplied includes a pulley, of 4.5m diameter; shaft bearings; bearing houses; deflection
sheaves; and a hydraulic brake system. The electrical equipment includes a 4,800kW synchronous motor; ACS 6000
DTC drives, as well as control and shaft signalling systems.
Using ABB as a single source supplier for both mechanical and electrical equipment facilitated smooth project
management. Both hoists are working perfectly in production and are easy to operate. Whats more, we have had
very good cooperation with the ABB people during the commissioning of these hoists, said Yao Huibo, who is the
engineer responsible for Hoist Number 1 and Number 2.
The mine, which began production in 2007, has an annual capacity of around 6Mt. It is one of Chinas largest
underground shaft mines and is listed by the Chinese Government as a National Key Construction Project. The entire
mine area at Longgu provides 1,680Mt of coal reserves, of which 510Mt are recoverable.
DavyMarkham supplies hoists to Westwood
DavyMarkham supplied a production hoist and a service hoist to Iamgolds Westwood project in Quebec, Canada.
The company also supplied associated clutch assemblies and a multi-channel hydraulic brake control system.
The 6.4m (21ft) diameter production hoist has a drum width of 2.4m (8ft) and a payload capacity of 20,000kg
(44,000lbs) and will operate to depths of 2,652m (8,700ft). The double drum service hoist is 5.5m (18ft) in diameter.
Rigorous engineering and finite element analysis allowed DavyMarkhams engineers to predict stress levels and
deflections at all critical points in the hoist and to recommend a smaller 5.5m (18ft)-diameter service hoist, as the
optimum size commensurate with duties, rather than the more expensive 5.8m (19ft)-diameter originally specified.
Both double drum hoists were manufactured at DavyMarkhams Sheffield works in halves, for ease of transportation
and assembly on site. The drum shells where precisely machined to provide parallel grooving, with two anti-
synchronous crossover sections, suitable for the specified diameter of hoist rope. The drumside assembly used
boring and face machines for accurate positioning onto raised flanges on the drum shaft.
The Westwood project is located two kilometres from Iamgolds existing Doyon Mine operation in Northern Quebec,
within one of Canadas most prolific gold production areas.
Aspermont UK (Mining Communications Ltd) Albert House, 1 Singer Street, London, EC2A 4BQ