Iron ore major LKAB has placed a £1 million order for a new MineVac system with the DISAB Group, a European leader in applied vacuum technology for industry. The MineVac is tailor-made to LKAB’s specifications and is meeting an unusual challenge for industrial vacuum technology in that it is being tasked with keeping the mine’s railway tracks on the new KUJ 1365 haulage level free from ore spillages from the mine wagons. While this work will be done through regular track maintenance with the MineVac, the unit will also be on standby for emergencies where larger spillages need to be dealt with as part of the mining company’s own rapid response resources.Based in Kiruna, LKAB has taken the strategic investment decision to continue mining operations 1,365 m below ground and as a key part of this decision, to build a railway system to transport iron ore from the mining area to the primary crushers. The subject of underground rail in mining is covered in detail in the March issue of IM in an article by Editor, Paul Moore.
Thomas Nordström, LKAB Project Leader, comments: “LKAB has chosen DISAB in competition with other vacuum technology application manufacturers, and price, experience and other customers’ opinions were all taken into consideration as our criteria for awarding this major contract.” Eric Hardegard, CEO of the DISAB Group, adds: “Being awarded the MineVac order by LKAB, one of Europe’s largest mining companies, reinforces the importance of our being able to design and develop industrial applications based on the latest advanced vacuum technologies.” The MineVac is built using proven and reliable components used in both the DISAB RailVac product range and truck-mounted vac-loaders such as the DISAB Centurions. Amongst the other user benefits of DISAB’s expertise vacuum technology is a very high rate of vacuum efficiency; on the Centurions, this can be as high as 90%. The 200 kW power is generated by the MineVac’s own 9 l Caterpillar diesel engine to provide more than 8,000 m³/h of air with up to 90% vacuum through a three-lobe vacuum pump. Together with the DISAB hose manipulator, the MineVac will handle any pieces of ore that can be sucked up using the 8 in diameter hose.