Modern Mining April 2019

PRODUCT News

Dry-type transformers prove their worth ers. Demonstrating its flexibility inmeeting specific customer requirements, Trafo Power Solutions designed the solution to cater for the mine’s unusual voltage levels of 13,2 kV/480 V at 60 Hz.

The entry of Trafo Power Solutions dry- type transformers to the African market coincides with a growth in the use of mod- ularised sub-stations. Due to the absence of oil as a coolant in dry-type transform- ers, they are suitable for use in confined spaces without any of the conventional infrastructure usually necessary to protect the environment from possible oil spillage. Trafo Power Solutions, website: www.trafo.co.za

Four dry-type transformers from Trafo Power Solutions have been proving their worth on a mobile process plant on a Sierra Leone mine since last year; so suc- cessful have they been that the customer has ordered six more for its recent Phase Two upgrade. “The mine required a solution that would withstand the demanding condi- tions of a mobile process plant needing to be moved frequently over rugged mining terrain – as often as once a month,” says Trafo Power Solutions Managing Director David Claassen. “They could not risk using a conventional oil-cooled transformer as they needed to avoid any risk of fire or oil leaks. They also needed a product that would require little to no maintenance.” The second contract was a repeat of the initial order and comprises two 800 kVA units, one 1 600 kVA unit and one 2 000 kVA unit, as well as a further two transform- ers of 1 600 kVA and 800 kVA which will replace two existing oil-filled transform-

The transformers are installed in a 6 m long E-house on the mobile process plant, which is moved around the site on skids as required by the mining plan. “We were able to customise

the design of the transform- ers for the customer’s specific application,” says Claassen. “This required a special rein- forced frame to accommodate the constant vibration of the working plant, as well as the bumping motion when the skid-mounted plant is dragged to a new location. The design also included anti-vibration damping on the transformer feet to further mitigate the impact of the vibration.”

The Trafo Power Solutions transformers are installed in a 6 m-long E-house on the mobile process plant.

April 2019  MODERN MINING  51