Beumer Group has been selected by Warrior Met Coal to support the expansion of the Blue Creek mine, a new state of the art underground longwall mine, located near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A prep plant will process the metallurgical grade coal extracted at Blue Creek before it’s moved more than nine miles (14 km) to a train loadout station.
Beumer will design and supply a single-flight curved overland conveyor for this 1,500-ton-per-hour (tph) transport system. “In cooperation with Warrior Met, we addressed the project-specific challenges,” said Daniel Schmillenkamp, CEO, Beumer Group Canada. “The design and implementation are a testament to our commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions.”
The project presented some challenges due to the difficult and hilly terrain of the proposed transport corridor. To find the most efficient solution, Warrior Met explored various transportation methods, including rail, troughed, and pipe conveyor systems. Over the past 12 months, Beumer said it worked closely with Warrior Met to identify the most economical and technically feasible transport method and optimal route, resulting in a single conventionally troughed conveyor with 18 horizontal curves.
“Beumer’s holistic approach and our very close working relationship allowed us to expedite the design and procurement phase to move toward the completion of this time-sensitive project at a pace rarely seen in the coal or mining industries,” said Philip Saunders, senior vice president-engineering for Warrior Met.
Beumer is responsible for engineering and procurement of all structural, and mechanical components and multiple E-Houses with VFDs, MCCs, and PLC control systems. The conveyor system will utilize nine load-sharing drives to limit the overall belt tension.
Beumer’s Director of Sales, Peter Sehl, explained that this project uses innovative and proprietary conveyor engineering and design tools to support the fast construction schedule. “With more than 5,000 tons of steel for ground modules and elevated sections, 47% of the conveyor flight will be elevated to avoid natural features and minimize earthworks,” Sehl said.
The overland conveyor is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
