The huge Bogatyr Komir mine, the largest coal mine in Kazakhstan, located in the Ekibastuz coal basin, is a joint venture company between Rusal and Samruk Energy. It has total commercial reserves of about 3 billion tonnes of coal and provides 42% of the total coal production in Kazakhstan. The “Bogatyr” opencast coal mine was built in nine stages from 1965 to 1979.
The operation made a choice for a climate-friendly technology already in December 2014, when they signed a contract for one of the most modern IPCC-systems in the world to date to be supplied by thyssenkrupp Mining Technologies. Guido Hesse, Head of Mining Technologies Russia at thyssenkrupp recently outlined the background to the project and the deal in an article titled: “Top Green Solution for Open-Pit Mines – Inpit-Crushing & Conveying Systems.”
Hesse states: “It was a matter of prudence and clever strategy, when the biggest coal mine in CIS, Bogatyr Komir, headed during that time by Viktor Konstantinovich Shchukin, General Director, started a tender for a new Inpit-Crushing and Conveying System, including a stockyard and train loading station. In principal it was the aim to reduce dust emissions significantly, thus achieving an ecological much greener balance and healthier operation with less CO2 pollution and major reduced operational costs. Bogatyr intended to change the mine design and to avoid a further increase of rail wagon handling in their open-pit mine in Ekibastuz.”
Another significant character of the new line, Hesse says, is an online coal quality measurement system. “It was a strict requirement for thyssenkrupp Mining (tk Mining) and their partnering company for the electrical/automation part, BEA/Actemium, to enable the achievement of a defined coal quality level.” Directly after the infeed and crushing section a first measurement of the bulk material takes place using radiometric analysis. From the four individual crusher discharge conveyors the coal is transported to a collecting and redundant mine conveyor system. Enroute the material is analysed again using a PGNAA sensor. These conveyors transport the bulk material some kilometres away to a stockyard, which is devided in a left and right wing. The stacking, effected by the Chevron-method, enables Bogatyr to reclaim the coal with the required quality level. This is done by two drum reclaimers. Here another sampling station using EDXRF technology is included. Finally the coal is further conveyed to a two-station train loading system.
“During contract negotiations from 2013 till end of 2014 Sergey Opanasenko, Vice General Director Bogatyr Komir, pointed also out that the entire system must be designed for deep temperatures. Minus 45° Celsius is a normal condition during the long winter season. The winter in Ekibastuz is known for very harsh conditions.” Hesse, who was the commercial leader of the project. adds: “We had to pay special attention to it, as it was required to install also an automatic wagon detection and loading system. It was challenging as the wagon loading station is positioned on top of the mine, where we are facing adverse weather and unknown wagon sizes with their individual conditions. But we made it and designed a perfect fully automatic solution.”
Compared to a railway system the IPCC system from thyssenkrupp Mining has significant high cost advantages, says Hesse. “The Return-On-Investement (ROI) is remarkable. In principle all mines around the globe with a certain distance from a possible inpit crushing point to the stacking or dumping area as well as a certain conveying volume, should definitely think about an investment in such a system. It is the perfect time to achieve two major goals. The one point is a clear financial advantage with a possible very short amortisation time, and the other point is the possibility to support actively green goals and fulfill ecological requirements, which ultimately supports the future business.”
Bogatyr’s new IPCC-system is currently under construction. Depending on the global health situation it will soon, but latest in 2022 go into operation says Hesse. “Bogatyr is setting with this climate-friendly IPCC-system one more time a significant bench-mark and an exemplary example for a sustainable green-solution in CIS and beyond.”
A public available animation from tk Mining’s partner Actemium gives a short overview of the entire system. The animation pictures shown in this article are from that video: https://youtu.be/55ekBZZ1M5g
