The first Wirtgen 2200 SM 3.8 surface miner is being used in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. With immediate effect, this newly advanced surface miner has replaced the conventional mining equipment used locally. Wirtgen experts are providing support for the project. The Yihua Xinjiang Wucaiwan coal mine is situated in the north-west of China near the borders with Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Contractor Xinjiang Jianyun Engineering has been mining coal there for about 1.5 years, making use of the eco-friendly surface mining technology. Previously, the sought-after fossil fuel was mined using conventional drilling and blasting. However, this often resulted in fires in the mine, as the coal was highly flammable at the open coal faces damaged by blasting. In order to increase safety at the mine, the mine operator decided to introduce surface mining as the new mining method. This move simultaneously boosted the cost effectiveness and quality of mining.

Wirtgen states: “However, simply choosing the right machines for the specified mining output is not the sole criterion when planning mining projects. Factors such as the geological properties of the area, sedimentation and on-site logistical conditions are also key factors. This is where expertise and best-practise experience are called for – and with more than 30 years of experience in surface mining, these are qualities that Wirtgen can contribute to every project.” Chen Jianyun, the owner of Xinjiang Jianyun Engineering stated: “The Wirtgen specialists provided us with in-depth advice right from the start and assisted us in developing the ideal solution.” He and Wirtgen first set out the requirements in preliminary talks. The area being mined is 2 x 300 x 35 m so manoeuvrability was the key factor for the machine in question. Also, the operator wanted to increase production from 3,000 t to 7,000 t per day. This proved to be the only way to meet the enormous demand from the main customers, who operate a cogeneration plant and a fertiliser plant that is currently undergoing construction.

What’s more, the coal is extremely fragile and fine-grained. Consequently, it produces a great deal of dust. Various requirements on the gradation of the cut material and the coal seam (with a thickness ranging from 1.3 to 10.63 m) had to be taken into consideration during the planning stage. “Once we’d been apprised of the underlying conditions, we advised our customer to use the new 2200 SM 3.8 surface miner. Though based on the same machine concept as the 2200 SM/3800, its production capacity is approximately 25 % higher and the specific fuel consumption approximately 15 % lower,” explained Bernhard Schimm, Manager of the Mining Division of Wirtgen. The newly advanced machine selectively mines soft rock, achieving a maximum in performance and cost efficiency. “We scrutinised the results of tests with the prototype of the new 3.8 generation in an Indian coal mine and concluded that the 2200 SM 3.8 ideally fulfils our requirements,” said Jianyun.

The centerpiece of the compact, yet powerful 2200 SM 3.8 is the 3.8 m wide cutting drum which offers numerous innovative features. It cuts coal or salt with unconfined compressive strengths of up to 35 MPa and deposits the material in three windrows behind the machine. This results in maximum cutting performance with optimum utilisation of the engine capacity. Other benefits are its low fuel consumption, the optimised use of cutting tools and minimised content of fines due to the gentle material transport system. The modified drum speed combined with a reduced cutting depth and travel speed enabled the grain size distribution to be additionally optimised on site and the fines content to be reduced by a further 10%. Two side plates which can be raised and lowered hydraulically reliably seal the cutting drum. With the drum effectively sealed, the formation of dust during milling is reduced considerably. Furthermore, the miner is also equipped with an additional dust protection plate for this application.

Wirtgen states: “The effectiveness of these measures to reduce the formation of dust was already evident during the six-day practical test. The mechanical cutting drum drive system with its three power belts also proved highly efficient on the test site. The virtually loss-free transfer of power ensures maximum efficiency and tremendous daily output rates combined with simple maintenance.” Maximum output during selective mining of the coal seam is ensured by three material discharge openings in the scraper plate that allow large quantities of cut rock to be deposited as a windrow. Wheeled loaders subsequently load the material onto trucks independently of the cutting process. The company adds: “Operating in the confined space of the mine, the 2200 SM 3.8 truly came into its own. The large steering angle of the smooth hydraulically adjustable all-track steering results in a turning radius of just 2.5 m. The crab steering mode allows rapid manoeuvring. Meanwhile, the large ground clearance with individually height-adjustable crawler tracks allows operation on uneven terrain and reversing. What’s more, the selectable hydraulic differential lock ensures optimum traction on any surface. The enormous gradability and longitudinal slope of the surface miner allow it to operate in difficult peripheral areas and to produce separate access roads and ramps. The 2200 SM 3.8 is thus also a valuable asset for job site routing.”