In future, mining companies will have to invest more heavily in environmental protection and occupational safety in order to maintain their future viability and long-term profitability. As Bernd Zehentbauer, Senior Vice-President of Mining Technologies at Siemens VAI, said, “Water shortages, rising energy costs and increasing social responsibilities in mining areas increasingly necessitate additional measures which affect profits. However, energy efficiency and water treatment technologies are helping to maintain competitiveness. We use electric drives in trucks, shovels, conveyor systems and ore-crushing mills to reduce energy consumption and therefore ease the demands on power supply systems which are already very tight in many mining areas. Broadening the technology portfolio to include wastewater treatment is helping Siemens to ease the problem of water shortage. We use Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to analyse operating data along the production chain. This not only creates transparency, but also helps management to make the right decisions that will lead to efficient and environmentally acceptable operations.”
Many mining areas are suffering from a growing shortage of energy. This is already affecting production in South Africa and Chile. Mines in northern Chile are reducing their power consumption to avoid the introduction of rationing. Zehentbauer emphasised that, “the use of energy-efficient drive solutions is becoming more and more crucial to achieving sustainable production, and it also helps to save energy.” Siemens has developed AC drive systems for haul trucks. They ensure that diesel engines run within their optimal speed ranges. Compared with conventional diesel drives, these diesel-electric drive systems not only have a lower environmental impact, but also save fuel and cut operating costs.
Gearless drive systems (GD) also help to reduce energy consumption. During the last 30 years, Siemens has been continually developing its GD systems, and has gained substantial experience with low-speed applications, such as grinding mill drives, mine winder drives, bucket chain excavators and drag chains. Zehentbauer sees additional potential in combining belt conveyors and GD technology, “Belt conveyors have proven to be a very efficient and cost-effective means of transporting bulk material in mining applications, irrespective of the distances, quantities and terrain involved. When it comes to energy efficiency and availability, gearless drives are a logical step in the further development of material handling systems.” However, measures to reduce energy consumption have to take more than the individual systems into account. Zehentbauer added, “It is important to have a comprehensive energy management system.” This means that Siemens now considers the complete drive train and the entire plant automation together, because both the drive and automation levels make an important contribution toward energy efficiency and lower operating costs.
In order to increase production and, at the same time, minimise rising costs, companies need to adopt new approaches, and that means optimising their operational procedures. Zehentbauer said, “It is not enough just to optimise one area of operations. On the contrary, downtimes have to be reduced, materials delivered even more quickly, and maintaining material quality also has to be given top priority.” Siemens MES offer a solution that analyses the machine and mining data of an open-pit mining operation, and reveals the strengths and weaknesses in the overall production and operational processes. Zehentbauer continued, “This real-time transparency enables management to control operating processes better, and to assess the cost-effectiveness of their various production plants.” MES can be used to issue instructions to operating personnel as well as helping maintenance teams to monitor risks, and thus prevent damage to the plant. This reduces plant failures and avoids unscheduled production stoppages, which not only boosts production, but also lengthens the service lives of the production facilities and the field equipment.
Speaking at the same event, the 4th Media Summit Metals & Mining Technologies in Essen, Jens Wegmann, CEO of the Siemens IS Division, said , “Rising energy prices, legal requirements and a deeper awareness of ecological responsibility are leading to greater environmental protection and higher energy efficiency. Sustainability and cost effectiveness are not a contradiction. The Eco-Care Matrix, devised jointly by IS and universities, can assess the environmental compatibility and cost effectiveness of everything from single products to complete industrial plants. New products can also be specifically geared toward sustainability, cost efficiency and environmental protection.”
In iron and steelmaking, Siemens VAI is strengthening its portfolio. In future, it will not only develop and manufacture products and solutions in China and India, but also launch them onto the world market from these countries. Werner Auer, CEO of Siemens VAI, told the conference, “Since the economic crisis, the competition in plant engineering has intensified significantly. Chinese and Indian companies are bringing their own plants onto the market successfully and ever more frequently.” Whereas hi-tech countries in Europe, the US and Japan are continuing to focus on the efficiency and flexibility of their production processes, China and India want to produce, above all else, steel with simpler and cheaper plants to develop their infrastructure. “Almost half of total world investments of almost EUR21 billion are already being invested in such plants,” Auer explained. Siemens is going to develop plants specifically for this segment of the market, and will also transfer the responsibility for design, production and marketing from Europe to China and India. Auer emphasized: “We are responding to the changes in the steel market, and strengthening our leading position for the long-term.”