Modern Mining May 2022

SUPPLY CHAIN News

Increased uptake of the Sandvik DD422i development drill in Africa

A RopeCon system has been transporting platinum ore in Booysendal since the end of 2018. In December 2021, the second instal lation, Booysendal North, was handed over to the customer. For this extension project at its Booysendal site, the South African mining company Booysendal Platinum, a subsidiary of Northam Platinum, once again relied on technology from Doppelmayr, a pioneer in ropeway engineering. This second RopeCon serves another mining area situated in the northern part of the site. It transports around 400 t/h over a Saltiel Pule, business line manager for underground drilling in southern Africa at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, says there will be more than 10 units operat ing in southern Africa by the end of 2022. The Sandvik DD422i has proven to be a machine of choice for tier one mining con tractors operating at high-production mines in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. “Traditionally, mines in Africa have As mines in Africa are constantly turning to modern technologies to run more efficient operations and improve safety, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has seen renewed interest in its DD422i, the next generation mining jumbo with the widest range of automatic drilling functions. Having sold the first DD422i develop ment drill in Africa to Black Mountain Mine in 2018, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has seen a ramp up in sales in the past three years, with nine more units making their way onto local mining sites, averaging at least three machines per year.

Increased uptake of Sandvik’s DD422i development drill. always lagged behind their global coun terparts in adopting new technologies,” says Saltiel. “However, the Covid-19 pan demic has accelerated the application of

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technol ogies in the local mining industry, hence the ramp up in sales of the DD422i drill since 2020.”  directly onto the belt via a chute. RopeCon is a technology developed by the ropeway manufacturer Doppelmayr. The system offers the advantages of a ropeway and combines them with the properties of a conventional belt con veyor. By using the RopeCon system, the customer did not have to rely on trucks to transport the material, a definite advantage in this topographically challenging terrain with its sometimes very steep roads. 

RopeCon Booysendal North enters into operation distance of 2.8 km and a difference in ele vation of −160 m.

The Booysendal North RopeCon dis charges the material into the same silo from which the material is loaded onto the Booysendal South system, which makes it a perfect link in a continuous conveying line. Since early 2022, the second loading point along the line has been in use, too. The option of an alternative loading point was provided at Tower 2. A conventional feeder conveyor transports the material to the RopeCon line where it is loaded

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Doppelmayr’s RopeCon system is used at Booysendal North project.

40  MODERN MINING  May 2022