Tag Archives: 3D scanning

DRA Global’s ‘total solutions offering’ put to the test at Exxaro’s Grootegeluk mine

Bulk handling, Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DRA Global says it has continued to sustain its long-term client relationship with Exxaro Resources through the progressive engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract at the Grootegeluk coal asset in South Africa.

Exxaro’s Grootegeluk is an open-pit coal mine, 20 km from Lephalale in Limpopo province. The mine produced 26 Mt/y final coal products, using a conventional truck and shovel operation, and has an estimated mineable coal reserve of 3,261 Mt, and a total measured coal resource of 4,719 Mt.

“A project of this magnitude speaks to the extensive experience in project development and delivery extended to the client by DRA,” DRA says.

DRA’s specialist engineering expertise and total solutions package at Exxaro’s Grootegeluk includes, but is not limited to:

  • Bankable feasibility study;
  • Installation of a new PC2 Discard Conveyor alongside the current PC1 Discard Conveyor;
  • Installation of new bifurcated transfer chutes to discharge onto either PC1 or PC2 Conveyor;
  • Seven transfers in total that requires conversion; and
  • Construction of associated infrastructure; such as stormwater control, road crossing, new spillage collection and a transfer system.

Furthermore, DRA recently completed the 3D scanning of existing conveyors and accompanying infrastructure. The compiling of the 3D model has commenced and will inform the engineering of the various transfer towers and the new PC2 Conveyor onto the next phase, it said.

Exxarro, in 2018, initially awarded DRA a contract to construct a 500 t/h coal handling and preparation plant at the Belfast Implementation project, in Mpumalanga.

“The client’s faith in DRA showcases the proficiency in implementing large-scale coal projects and further solidifies the organisations’ reputation for successful project delivery (even under these new circumstances),” it said.

Alistair Hodgkinson, Senior Vice President at DRA, said: “Grootegeluk is just one of many projects under DRA that provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our engineering capability. This is a complex brownfields project that will require attention to detail to achieve successful construction during a tight shutdown deadline; the client values our reputation for being able to deliver challenging brownfields projects successfully.”

The project commenced in the September quarter and is forecasted for completion by the June quarter of 2021.

Weba improves mining chute installation accuracy with 3D scanning

IoT, Mine surveying, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

Transfer point specialist Weba Chute Systems & Solutions is leveraging three-dimensional (3D) scanning technology to ensure there are no surprises when designing and installing its products.

“The accuracy of 3D scanning means that we can rapidly gather detailed measurements of large infrastructure on a customer’s site,” Alwin Nienaber, the company’s Technical Director, says. “This data allows us to generate highly accurate 3D models of on-site conditions, which refines the accuracy of the equipment and componentry we develop and install in that environment.”

Greater accuracy keeps rework costs in design and manufacturing to a minimum and reduces any downtime during the installation phase, according to the company. Detailed 3D scan data allows all elements of the existing infrastructure to be considered during the preliminary design stage, so the customer is assured of a reliable costing in a project’s early feasibility stages.

Nienaber highlights that there may be numerous deformations or undocumented alterations in the customer’s existing infrastructure that could complicate the design and execution of a project. Manual measurement of dimensions may also not deliver the levels of accuracy required.

“Especially when we are replacing transfer points or chutes, we can significantly de-risk the process with our capacity to reverse-engineer the solution within the existing constraints,” he says. “The scanned data is superimposed on our design intent, alerting us to interference that will disrupt smooth installation.”

One of the key advantages of 3D scanning, therefore, is it contributes to the level of certainty that Weba Chute Systems & Solutions can achieve in the design and implementation of projects. The precision and portability of modern laser scanners have made them invaluable in designing, building and extending technical facilities, the company says.

“Our decades of experience in the mining environment give us the capacity to fully leverage the value of 3D scanning to the benefit of our customers,” Nienaber says. “This means accurate costing and seamless project roll-out – on time and on budget.”

This is increasingly important as mines drive for productivity gains and prioritise uptime, with many retrofit or maintenance projects required to be conducted during the strict shutdown periods on mines.

“Our engineering know-how is central to integrating 3D scanning into our design and manufacturing processes, improving our planning and scheduling through more precise data,” Nienaber says. “We translate this capacity into reduced project risk and lower contingency costs – allowing us to work efficiently at a low margin of error even under the time constraints in these projects.”

Weba Chute Systems increases design accuracy with 3D scanning

Bulk handling, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Weba Chute Systems & Solutions says it has leveraged the latest technology to ensure high-quality results for its global customer base.

Using 3D scanning technology during on-site assessments has enhanced the levels of accuracy which has, in turn, minimised rework costs in design and manufacturing, and significantly reduced downtime during installation, according to Managing Director, Mark Baller.

“Implementing 3D scanning technology to our capabilities two years ago enabled our on-site technical teams to obtain accurate measurements from a safe distance, and allows us to inspect and survey large infrastructure in detail,” Baller said. “The technology allows us to consider all elements in existing infrastructure and this plays an important role when replacing transfer points or chutes as we are able to create an accurate preliminary design and costing in the early feasibility stages of a project.”

Design engineers can use the data from modern laser scanners to superimpose this information on their design intent, according to the South Africa-based manufacturer of custom transfer points and chute systems. “This allows them to pick up any interference, existing defects, redundant elements, structural deformation and undocumented historical alterations made to the site’s infrastructure that may lead to problems during the design and execution phases,” Weba Chute Systems said.

From this data, taken on-site, Weba Chute Systems teams can generate 3D models specific to on-site conditions enabling accurate reverse-engineering to be done. Baller said it is not just the access to accurate measurements provided by the 3D scanning technology that makes this possible, but also the level of in-depth expertise and experience the company has garnered over its more than 35 years in operation.

“Many companies offer 3D scanning, but do not have the in-house ability that Weba Chute Systems does to process and effectively use the data in a mining engineering environment,” Baller said.

“As a market leader, that is one of our strengths; and comes from our continuous investment in upgrading our systems and work flow processes to ensure that we stay abreast of best practice.”

He concluded: “Leveraging this technology allows our engineers to get to the highest probability factor, so the project can be seamlessly executed and time overruns are not incurred during the constrained shutdown periods which are normal on these projects.”