Modern Mining July 2018

PRODUCT News

In the latest addition to its Vulco® com- posite range of mill lining systems, Weir Minerals Africa has introduced a new heavy-duty lifter bar to optimise service life and further contribute to lowering cus- tomers’ costs of mill ownership. “The design and strength of this inno- vation makes us confident it will compete well against steel liners,” says Kevin Sherwen-Slater, Vulco Product Manager at Weir Minerals Africa. “It will also allow us to approach the bigger mills, in the size range of 6,5 metre diameter up to even 10 to 11 metre diameter.” He notes that many process plants in Heavy-duty lifter bar helps optimise mill performance the global mining sector are starting to ramp up production in response to higher commodity prices, putting them in a better position to benefit from more advanced liner technologies that offer longer life and less downtime. New mills being built tend to be larger, single-stream units that run at high tonnages for better efficiencies and throughput; as a result, mill uptime and lifespan have become more important fac- tors in mine profitability. “It is therefore increasingly imperative that mills run continuously, reliably and efficiently,” he says. “These new liner tech- nologies – with stronger compounds and better designs – contribute significantly to mines’ efforts to achieve this.”

30 % compared to steel-lined mills in cer- tain applications. “There is also a mill noise reduction of about 9 dB due to sound deadening from the rubber material, which is an impor- tant consideration for many mines as they work towards lower noise levels as part of improving mine health and safety,”he says. The reduction of material lockup between the liners and the mill body, due to compression fit on installation, is a great benefit for low grade plant operations and reduces the risk of theft during liner replacement. The liners – which are only two-thirds of the weight of steel liners – allow for a reduced installation time due to ease of handling. An added advantage is that the bearing loads applied by the mill itself are substantially less with composite liners. “Due to the weight difference, a mill’s weight could be increased by 400 tonnes with the addition of steel liners, whereas the equivalent weight with composites would be less than 300 tonnes,” Sherwen- Slater says. “This represents a notable reduction in the pressure on the bearings, in turn improving their lifespan and reduc- ing maintenance costs.” Rajen Govender, Weir Minerals Africa, tel (+27 11) 929-2701 installed on the surface, enabling a control room operator to retrieve relevant informa- tion, such as DC line voltage, downstream RF power, the automatic gain control/ manual gain control modes and attenuator settings via a web-based user interface. Smartcom VHF leaky feeder systems are known for dependable performance and low maintenance requirements. They can be upgraded at any time, within budget restraints, to suit the changing needs of every mine. The user-friendly web-based software, which brought the Smartcom system to the forefront of leaky feeder diagnostics, is available with OPC server connectivity, allowing maximum inter-operability with other SCADA/HMI applications or any other OPC compatible client, such as Becker’s own MineView software application package. Becker Mining SA also offers multiple tagging and tracking solutions, including RFID and Wi-Fi based systems, which can provide real-time location for asset and personnel tracking. Becker Mining South Africa, tel (+27 11) 617-6300

Manufactured with the new R67 rubber compound, which boasts higher wearing resistance than compound R63, the heavy- duty lifter also incorporates Hardox 500 steel to resist wear. Vulco® composite liners have become popular for several reasons, says Sherwen- Slater, including a power consumption saving of 25 % to drive the mill compared to steel-lined mills, throughput increases of some 27 % on grate discharge mills due to minimum blinding of the apertures on the grates and service life improvements of every installation and subsequent mainte- nance procedures are safe and effortless. “The SmartcomVHF leaky feeder system has been designed with local diagnostics via three on-board LED indicators as stan- dard,” he continues. “This unit facilitates fault finding and system troubleshooting by quickly being able to identify the faulty component, thus reducing downtime and repair costs. This amplifier is suitable for smaller installations, where remote diag- nostics may not be necessary. “Remote diagnostics provides criti- cal system information helping in system maintenance, troubleshooting and over- all system confidence. Mines are usually remote to major cities and established infrastructure, which makes access to com- munication specialists and services difficult for the mining sector.” The majority of Smartcom installations worldwide make use of Becker’s remote diagnostic amplifier. This unit has the func- tionality to send information to a server

Weir Minerals’ service teams ensure maximum productiv- ity and efficiency.

Smartcom® system offers “absolute dependability” Becker Mining South Africa offers critical solutions to the mining industry, which include its Smartcom® leaky feeder system. “The company’s specialist services have evolved throughmany years of global expe- rience in the mining sector and a focus on meeting and surpassing our clients’ exact needs,” says Andrew Trentelman, Senior General Manager: Electronics, Becker Mining South Africa.“The Becker Smartcom leaky feeder system – with the highest qual- ity and safety standards expected in mining communications – is known for optimum performance and absolute dependability, in arduous working conditions.

“The SmartcomVHF leaky feeder system offers mines multiple simultaneous voice and data radio channels, with low inter- modulation noise levels, to ensure clear and reliable communications underground, at all times. This leaky feeder system, with a modular design, features the option of local and remote diagnostic amplifiers, withman- ual and automatic gain control, to ensure

44  MODERN MINING  July 2018