Modern Mining July 2019

FLSmidth to test panels at African sites

Trials of FLSmidth’s FerroCer® modular impact wear panels will soon begin in Africa, following successful trials in countries such as Australia, Peru and India, where significant increases in wear life were recorded. Tests will be con- ducted on sites in Zambia and Mozambique. According to Zwerus Voges, Ceramic & Wear Solutions Specialist at FLSmidth, the innovative FerroCer panels represent a signifi- cant breakthrough in materials technology. The cost effective solution provides much bet- ter wear life than conventional panels and also delivers safety benefits to mine operators. “The design of the panel takes advantage of the wear characteristics of multiple materi- als, and its matrix combines the strength and malleability of steel with the abrasion resis- tance of ceramics,”Voges says. Each panel weighs only 5 kg and can eas- ily be handled by one person, meeting all the safety regulations for size and weight. The compact shape also makes the panels safe and easy to install using standard hand tools. Voges says that the panels have delivered longer wear life in various applications which has meant increased uptime for customer operations. FerroCer impact wear panels are particu- larly suited to high impact wear locations in a process plant, and these include chutes, hop- pers, bins, feed boxes and vibrating screen boxes as well as reclaimer and loader buckets. The panels have excelled in nickel, gold, copper and zinc applications, and Voges cites an example where FerroCer impact wear panels provided a solution in a tripper chute application. At this mining operation the previ- ous panels in use were having to be replaced

FerroCer 22 wear panels being installed on a vibrating screen feed box. every three to four weeks, resulting in increased unplanned shutdowns with associated costs. “Since the FerroCer panels were installed over a year ago, not a single panel has had to be replaced in that application,” he says. Based on the success of the original FerroCer panel design, FLSmidth recently developed the FerroCer® 22 product for lighter applications where the material size is smaller. The larger ceramic surface area coverage on the panel reduces wear on the steel matrix. These panels weigh only 2,8 kg. All panels are secured by just one bolt and nut, and no scaffolding or cranage is required. This enhances the safety and health of work- ers during installation, while speeding up the process. FLSmidth, website: www.flsmidth.com be moved around the mine site. These substations cover three main areas on the site, namely the booster substations, mining in-pit substation and scrubber substation. Operational voltage in this instance is 480 V/60 Hz with a 50 kA fault level. Incomer sizes varied from1 250 A to 2 500 A, and vari- able speed drives up to 350 kW. Connections between the transformer and LV switchgear were done with resin-encapsulated busbars. JB Switchgear supplied its well-proven ‘Eagle’ series panels which are IEC 61439 certified. JB Switchgear, website: www.jbswitchgear.co.za

Switchgear specialist supplies rutile mine JB Switchgear Solutions was recently awarded a contract by DRA Global for the design and manufacture of numerous con- tainerised substations mounted on skids, destined for a rutile mine in Sierra Leone. What makes the project unique is the fact that the containerised substations each contain a MV/LV dry-type transformer, and the required LV panels which include MCCs, DBs, PLCs, PFC, UPS and fire suppression systems. The containers are constructed with a mid-point split between the trans- former and switchgear assemblies, and the completed substations are mounted onto heavy-duty skids to enable them to

July 2019  MODERN MINING  43