Electricity and Control March 2024

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Gearless conveyor drives will enable increased energy efficiency

Towards the end of last year, Swedish mining company LKAB, awarded ABB a contract to install two ABB Gearless Conveyor Drives (GCDs) on the existing conveyor belt system at its Malmberget mine near Gällivare, Norrbotten County, Lapland, the most northern province in Sweden. The existing system carries up to 15 million tonnes of iron ore every year and uses a 2 800 kW wound rotor induction motor (WRIM) with gearbox to drive the conveyor. This will be replaced with ABB’s latest GCD technology, two 1 600 kW models with permanent magnet motors (PMMs), to enable an increase in annual production and, at the same time, reduce energy use. ABB’s installation engineers and project manage ment team face the challenge of working in a tight space at around 1 250 metres underground to remove the large equipment and replace it with the new units. Once the upgrade is complete in 2025, LKAB will be able to achieve energy efficiency savings of between 6 and 10%, which will translate into considerable OPEX savings per year. ABB GCDs have a motor power of between 0.2 MW and 8 MW, removing the need for a gearbox and thereby lowering maintenance costs and improving overall reliability, leading to greater uptime. A unique ABB

[Source: LKAB]

An overview of LKAB’s Malmberget mine, one of the largest operations of its kind in Europe. innovation, they are known to provide the most energy efficient conveyor drive solution. Pär Sundqvist, Engineer and Project Owner, LKAB, said: “We are managing the largest iron ore mines in Europe where productivity must remain high while we increase energy efficiency. This important upgrade will improve the throughput on the conveyor and help us to meet our energy targets. ABB’s technology will also en able us to reduce OPEX per tonne and ongoing lifecycle costs.” Ulf Richter, Product Manager Conveyor Solutions, at ABB added that the new ABB equipment will allow for an improved working environment in the mine – cleaner and safer. “Gearless Conveyor Drives are known to be the most energy-efficient solution for conveyors, enabling re liable transportation of ore. The upgrade will also mean reduced noise and heat in the conveyor drive area.” The GCDs’ permanent magnet motors are directly coupled to the existing conveyor’s drive pulley and can be adapted to meet the demands of this underground installation. The main advantages are energy savings, health and safety improvements, reduced maintenance costs and higher reliability – enabling steady production. The installation will be done during scheduled maintenance stops with the final commissioning due in August 2025. □ [Source: LKAB] partners it keeps up with changing trends and develops new trends in the hoisting industry. “Our focus is on providing solutions and systems in tegration, tailormade to address our clients’ specific re quirements. Although we have introduced a degree of modular engineering where appropriate, our projects are mostly custom engineered to address the operational needs of our clients,” Keegan says. Throughout its history the company has developed a reputation for innovative engineering, which can be seen in the many products in operation today as a result of Winder Controls’ ingenuity. □

LKAB is currently running a conveyor system that carries 15 million tonnes of iron ore every year, hauling 80% of the Malmberget mine’s iron ore.

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ongoing training of personnel goes beyond CPD and other legislated requirements. Theoretical training includes formal qualifications, short courses, and equipment- or subject specific training, and practical training includes internal technical procedures, trade test and safety related training. The company also offers specialised training courses for client personnel – in complex engineering theory, as well as operation and maintenance of its equipment. The company stays at the forefront of changing tech nologies while maintaining its ability to work on legacy systems. With cutting-edge products from supply chain

16 Electricity + Control MARCH 2024