Modern Quarrying April-May 2017

Revolutionary Wirtgen surface miner The Wirtgen Group, global leader in mobile machine solutions for road con- struction and rehabilitation, as well as mining and mineral processing, has recently conducted several large-scale field tests on material degradation. Findings confirm that Wirtgen surface miners offer significant advantages in the reduction of contamination experienced in normal open cast mining methods. In the coal mining industry, the breakage of coal occurs throughout production, from extraction at the face to end use. While some of this breakage is intentional, such as during extraction and crushing, breakage occurring during transportation, stockpiling, sizing or washing is not desired. Generally speak- ing, breakage behaviour depends heav- ily on geology, but mining technology of today offers the option to reduce the amount of fines generated during pro- duction to maximise coal recovery for optimised operation as well as minimising contamination of mined coal to increase yields. In an effort to serve its customers better, Wirtgen recently conducted a number of large-scale field tests on mate- rial degradation. The company found that its surface miners offer significant advantages when it comes to minimising

below. This level of precision makes for a cost-effective and more environmentally sensitive approach to mining of mineral deposits without any drilling or blasting.. The Wirtgen surface mining concept is no longer an unknown in the southern African mining sector. Surface mining has proven to be a viable alternative in South African open-cast mines, most especially in coal mines, where these machines really prove their worth. Wirtgen surface miners are set to revolutionise the open- cast mining industry in southern Africa, as it has done across the world, by address- ing the need for safer, more environ- mentally friendly, effective and efficient mining by improving yields. www.wirtgen-group.com

contamination by selectively mining coal seams to separate the ore from the waste. A Wirtgen surface miner is a crawl- er-mounted mining machine with a rotat- ing cutting drum for rock penetration mounted at the centre of gravity, a config- uration that ensures that the full weight of the miner machine can be transformed into rock penetration force. The cutting drum transfers the material onto a con- veyor belt from which it is directly loaded onto a dump truck. The machine mines layer by layer down to the required depth and the cutting depth can vary according to seam thickness. Even thin seams of just 10 cm thick can be mined and precisely separated from the layers above and

Do you use a Proximity Detection System that can cover up to 7 different machines and 20 people all at the same time ?

Benefits of using the Booyco Proximity Detection System: • Proven fit-for-purpose technology • Proven in underground and surface applications • Can be integrated into a single solution for both underground and surface • Substantial South African reference base across commodity sectors and operations • High OEM acceptance, collaboration and integration • Skilled support teams with regional footprints

0861BOOYCO (0861 266926) +27 (0)11 823 6842 info@booyco-electronics.co.za www.booyco-electronics.co.za

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MODERN QUARRYING

April - May 2017