Tag Archives: mining drives

Siemens looks at the future of mining in Africa as it launches SIDRIVE IQ

Automation, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Siemens has launched its SIDRIVE IQ industrial IoT monitoring solution for drive systems at its Virtual Smart Mining Forum, seeking to showcase how the solution can increase drive uptime to improve mine site productivity.

The SIDRIVE IQ Suite has a powerful dashboard to minimise unplanned downtime with automated failure notifications, improve data transparency with easy access to recent and historical data, and troubleshoot faults.

The Virtual Smart Mining Forum the company is using to launch SIDRIVE IQ will explore new trends and the impact of technology on the African mining sector.

Taking place from August 3-5, the event brings together the mining community, industry experts, decision makers, thought leaders, technology providers, consumers, users, engineers and designers to discuss topics affecting the mining industry, with all participants exploring ways in which technology can drive effective change in the sector, Siemens says.

“COVID-19 has prevented the industry from having progressive conversations about how to move the mining sector forward,” Tim Walwyn – Head of Mineral Solutions, Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, said. “This three-day event is an opportunity for us to bring the mining community together to reignite the dialogue and share knowledge to help us sustainably transform the future of mining in Africa. As a partner to African mines, our electrification, automation and digitalisation portfolio offers a combination of deep understanding of the mining industry with state-of-the-art technologies.”

Sabine Dall’Omo, Siemens CEO for Southern and Eastern Africa, says: “Our main objective with this event was to initiate a forum for knowledge transfer to the industry and raise awareness of the opportunities created by technology. We’re excited to bring this collaborative forum, where we can showcase the latest technological innovations for the industry and explore their effects on the African mining landscape.”

Siemens has invited various South African universities and will introduce them to Mendix, a low-code rapid application development platform that enables users to build and continuously improve mobile and web applications at scale. During the forum, Siemens will launch a hackathon using the Mendix platform.

As part of the company’s commitment to enterprise and supplier development, Siemens will also provide 10 industrious SMMEs that deliver solutions and services to the mining industry a chance to showcase their companies and expertise in a separate virtual showroom.

Dall’Omo said: “The future of mining and the transformation of the mining industry depends highly on staying abreast of advancing technology and industry trends. It also depends on the sustainable development of new enterprises, collaborations, and ongoing conversations among relevant stakeholders in the public and private sector and educational institutions. Now is the time to contribute to small business growth, promote job creation and develop critical job skills required for the transformation in the mining industry.”

Rexnord adds extra layer of condition monitoring to large gear drives

Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining services, , , , ,

Rexnord Process & Motion Control (PMC) has introduced the latest addition to its line of Smart Condition Monitoring Systems, the new 1030, to continuously monitor large gear drives for oil quality, temperature and vibration, and improve uptime, cost efficiency and safety.

The 1030 can be fitted to nearly any gear drive with an oil port ¾ in (19 mm) or greater – typically on equipment with a 100 hp or larger motor, commonly used in mining, paper, cement, power and forestry industries.

“It delivers simple, robust 24/7 remote monitoring of critical assets to optimise total operating costs,” the company says.

Dan Plach, Rexnord PMC Director of Digital Solutions, said: “This is a comprehensive solution for customers with multiple brands of large gear drives, and can be used throughout your facility.”

Key benefits include:

  • Proven maintenance savings, enabling demand-based oil changes, reducing the need for scheduled maintenance;
  • Increased safety, minimising hands-on equipment inspections in challenging locations;
  • Improved uptime, avoiding asset failures through cost effective preventive maintenance; and
  • Easy integration, with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), allowing end users to quickly initiate remote monitoring via EtherNet/IP®, Modbus® TCP/IP or PROFINET® standards.

The Smart Condition Monitoring System has been engineered with proprietary algorithms to allow continuous monitoring, enabling maintenance managers to easily compare sensor data against models of healthy gear drive operating conditions, Rexnord explained. Abnormal conditions trigger automated alerts to onsite Andon lights, the PLC control system, and the Rexnord Connect Portal, delivering early warnings to clients that significantly improve uptime.

“The system puts data in context, enabling customers to focus on outcomes; teams know what action to take when and why,” it added.

Plach said: “The 1030 is the only universal large gear drive solution with oil quality, temperature and vibration monitoring capabilities. It tracks the humidity level as well as oil quality over time.”

The company added: “Customers know when to change oil or carry out preventive maintenance, better manage personnel and budget while avoiding unplanned downtime. Having the 1030 system in place may also reduce the number of spare units facilities need to keep on hand in case of breakages, freeing up much-needed space and budget, allowing customers to be more agile.”

Rexnord says it offers scalable options to fit specific applications, with future enhancements to Model 1030 including the addition of auxiliary sensors.

WEG slip ring motors to drive milling operations at Vale Verde copper mine

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , ,

WEG says it has supplied two M Mining slip ring motors to mining company Mineração Vale Verde to drive the main mill of a 4 Mt/y plant at its Serrote copper operation in Alagoas, Brazil.

The M Mining slip ring motors come with a power output of 5,400 kW and rated voltage of 13,800 V. They will be fitted to the FLSmidth-supplied plant

The WEG M Mining slip ring motor has a new automatic brush lifting system, which differentiates the WEG product from other motors on the market.

The motors were specially developed with electromechanical characteristics that provide durability, resistance and robustness, being able to operate in harsh environments like mine and cement sites.

In addition to the above advantages, M Mining line motors, with an automatic brush lifting system, incorporate operating logic, resources for fault investigation, monitoring of operation via HMI and prevention of improper manoeuvres, simplifying and reducing maintenance costs, motor installation, operation and maintenance, WEG says.

Vale Verde will be provided with technical assistance and WEG aftersales support, the company added.

Mineração Vale Verde said in early February that Serrote remained on track for first production in the second half of 2021. An August 2019 definitive feasibility study outlined a project able to produce around 20,000 t/y of copper-equivalent over an initial 14-year mine life from a low-strip, open pit mine supplying this 4.1 Mt/y processing plant.