Modern Mining October 2023

DIGITAL MINE

Synertrex ® feeds growing demand for digital insights

According to Edward Jansen, Weir Minerals Africa Sales Director South Africa, the past five years have seen rapid changes in mines’ appreciation of digital platforms like Weir Miner als’ Synertrex ® digital solutions.

T he Synertrex® intelligent platform captures, monitors, and converts equipment perfor mance data into insights to optimise processing circuits. “When we introduced Synertrex to South Africa in 2018, customers were content to install it only on their critical equipment,” says Jansen. “Today, that has changed completely with our mining customers now looking to digitally enable all their equipment.” This trend is driven by the demand for insights based on more accurate operating data that can improve decision making. He explains that the Synertrex® cloud-based system gathers real time measurement data on key variables like vibration and temperature. By analysing and reporting on these parameters, it provides operators and man agers with improved understanding of a machine’s condition and performance. 360° actionable insights “Synertrex technology provides a holistic view of the equipment from a performance and health per spective to all the documentation needed when you stand in front of the machine,” he explains. “It inte grates multiple data sources, from the IIoT sensors on the equipment and process around it, as well as back-end data sources, such as our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) digital service solutions and product master data systems. It allows us to build intelligent formulas that provide actionable insights

and event intelligence beyond what any typical con dition monitoring system can do.” This represents a continuous health assessment, allowing an opportunity for optimisation and early warning of any maintenance intervention that may be necessary. By applying this level of close con dition monitoring, Synertrex® digital solutions help customers to extend component and equipment life. “Many mines take a time-based approach to equipment maintenance, which often requires replacing equipment when it is still in fairly good con dition,” he says. “We use Synertrex digital solutions to provide assurance that the equipment is still fully functional – thereby optimising its useful lifespan and ensuring lowest cost of ownership.” Differentiator as OEM He acknowledges that there are many digital moni toring systems available on the market but highlights a key differentiator for Synertrex®: it was developed by Weir Minerals for its own equipment, so it brings a much higher level of technical understanding and focus. “As an in-house bespoke solution, Synertrex has been designed with the specifics of Weir Minerals’ original equipment in mind,” explains Jansen. “The analytical functions of the platform are therefore informed by Weir Minerals experts, in their specific fields, who design the equipment itself.” This intelligence-led approach puts Weir Minerals in an ideal position to design algorithms that address the precise characteristics of the OEM products. Importantly, the system includes modules that are bespoke to the type of equipment from pumps and screens to cyclones and high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). Range of measurements In the case of a pump, for example, the vibration and temperature levels are just two of several aspects measured. The system also monitors factors such as the pump speed, the suction pressure, the discharge pressure and the amperage drawn. The value of continuous monitoring cannot be overstated, he argues, and was recently dem onstrated at the site of a mineral sands mining operation in Mozambique. Following maintenance where the mine replaced the motor on a pump, the

Edward Jansen, Weir Minerals Africa Sales Director South Africa.

Synertrex allows Weir Minerals to monitor key variables like vibration and temperature in real time.

32  MODERN MINING  October 2023