Modern Mining May 2017

CRUSHING, SCREENING AND MILLING

Weba solves plant stoppage problem

A solid reputation as the preferred supplier for transfer points on dia- mond operations has seen South Af- rican OEM Weba Chute Systems service the mines in Botswana for the last 15 years. Werner Baller, founder and CEO of Weba Chute Systems, says that the company does not rest on its laurels and he attributes its success to its philosophy of continuous improvement as well as its in-depth under- standing of material movement across the full range of commodities. “The ability to fully understand the com- plexities of crushing systems enabled our technical team to provide a fit-for-purpose solution in a retrofit application on one of the mines recently,” Baller states. Explaining the application itself, Baller says that the transfer point operates between a crusher and material stockpiles and that over the years various challenges had been encountered including high impact on the belt and excessive dust and spillage with associated high maintenance costs. In this section of the plant, some 3 500 t/h of kimberlite is transferred from the open pit to the stockpile. Although several modi- fications were done over time, the plant stoppages caused by the ineffective transfer point had become a major problem. “Due to our standing in this particular industry and our close relationships, Weba Chute Systems was called in to investigate and provide a long-term solution,” says Baller. The company’s team of skilled engi- neers visited the site with mine personnel to get a complete picture of the situation. The solution provided was a custom transfer point engineered to meet specific application requirements. Baller points out that the emphasis during the design stage was on mitigating the major issues of the past, one of which was the very high drop of 15 m which the material has to transverse before reaching the belt. Weba Chut e Sys t ems ’ pr agma t i c approach to the dynamics of bulk materials handling not only eliminates the prob- lems so often associated with conventional transfer chutes but also results in signifi- cant savings, Baller notes. He adds that it is extremely important to understand how the material flow will function in all conditions including wet and dry. “Uncontrolled drops such as this result

in high impact on the belt. It is through the abso- lute control of the material flow that we are able to reduce the impact of the product when it reaches the conveyor. This not only reduces wear on the belt but also reduces spillage and dust,” he says. “Because each Weba Chute System is tailor made for its specific application, we are confident that the plant stoppages at this mine will become a thing of the past,” Baller concludes.  An illustration of the Weba Chute System custom engineered transfer point at a diamond mine.

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May 2017  MODERN MINING  45