As far as productivity, the continuous miner sections would see shorter conveyor belt move times, which mean more time dedicated to production. Joy believes conveyor belt moves could be completed with one worker instead of the two or more workers needed to move feeder-breakers and separate tailpieces. The two or three additional pieces of equipment that would normally be required to move a separate belt tailpiece are freed for use on other projects. The system would also aid in the installation of conveyor structure reducing or possibly eliminating manual belt handling with belt handling devices.
The system would also improve the alignment between the conveyor and the feeder-breaker, reducing issues with coal loading (spillage) and conveyor wear. The stability jacks (roof beam supports) have sufficient traction to pull the conveyor belt. The miners would not need to anchor the feeder-breaker tailpiece to mine roof, floor and ribs.
Seeking to improve its longwall panel advancement rate, a mine in the United States recently purchased two JOY BF-14A-59-64C Feeder-Breakers with mounted tailpieces and has enjoyed increased productivity due to quicker conveyor belt moves. Joy engineers in Millersburg, Ky., designed the feeder-breakers with mounted tailpieces. The roof beam supports (stability jacks) stabilize the feeder-breakers and belt tailpieces and protect them from the high tension associated with moving several thousand feet of belt. When a conveyor belt needs to be moved, the roof beam supports are lowered and the feeder-breaker trams toward the mine face, pulling the panel conveyor belt with it. When the tailpiece reaches its new location, the roof supports are anchored back into the roof. The Feeder-Breakers are processing up to 1,200 tons per hour.
The feeder-breakers are also equipped with many other upgrades and features, including belt spreaders and crawlers with maximum draw bar pull; direct-drive breakers that reduce wear on components such as chains and sprockets; 18-inch reverse crawlers that provide maximum torque operation at low speed and are very well suited for pulling belt structure; three-way dumps for shuttle car unloading; 3.5-inch pitch conveyor chains; and umbilical remote trams.
www.joy.com
Metal Detectors
The Hawk and Eagle Metalarm Metal Detectors use pulse induction technology that offers balance coil detection sensitivity and performance. The Hawk coil is typically used for standard applications with a sensitivity equal to approximately 5% of aperture height; less sensitive settings are available. The Hawk is designed for use on steel cord belts. The Eagle is used where higher sensitivities are required, and is capable of detecting a ferrous sphere equal to 2% of the aperture height.
ww.eriez.com
LED Minibar
ECCO’s 5580 Reflex LED minibars provide a compact yet powerful warning solution that offers the flexibility of either permanent of vacuum-magnet mounting. Featuring 12-24 VDC operation, the 5580 Series uses high intensity LEDs and eight LED reflector modules to maximize light output. The permanent mount model offers users the choice of 18 flash patterns and comes with a three-year warranty.
www.eccolink.com
Mining Hose
Gates EFG6K MegaSys hydraulic hose flexes up to one-half the SAE specification, making it easier to install assemblies in tight applications. The six-spiral wire hose is recommended for extreme high-pressure, high-impulse applications on underground mining equipment. Its flexibility saves overall hose assembly length and costs, and reduces the need for bent tube fittings. To lower inventory requirements, the Gates hose is engineered with a constant 6,000-psi pressure rating in all sizes. An optional MegaTuff super-tough hose cover, offering 300 times the abrasion resistance of standard hose covers, solves abrasion and wear problems. The EFG6K MegaSys hose is designed to meet the requirements of SAE 100R15, the performance requirements of EN 856 4SP and EN 856 4SH, and has a MSHA 2G flame resistance acceptance designation. The Nitrile tube is compatible with biodegradable hydraulic fluids, including polyolester, polyglycol and vegetable oil, as well as standard petroleum-based fluids. A new, color-coded layline treatment, used exclusively for MegaSys hoses, makes Gates hoses easy to identify in stock and in service.
www.gates.com/megasys
Advanced Data Management Solution
Optimized specifically for exploration and production data, Gemcom Hub enables the rapid transmission of large data files—including geological models, drillhole data, schedules and surveys—using the Internet, even over intermittent, low-bandwidth connections common to remote mine sites. By centralizing data, critical project information is protected, auditable, and accessible to those who need it across the mining enterprise. Hub closes the gap between a mining head office and remote site, supporting the quick and easy global transfer of data to enable skilled staff to spend more time assisting the field without the need for travel. With intuitive searching and versioning capabilities, Hub makes it easy for users to locate or recover the right information in a controlled and auditable manner. It integrates seamlessly with the existing stored data generated from the vast majority of the industry’s exploration, mine planning and production software, and also manages file output from common office applications used by staff.
www.gemcomsoftware.com/hub
Battery Monitoring System
The new wireless Staco FirstLine BMS Battery Monitoring System continuously monitors UPS batteries and provides real-time information ensuring batteries are ready when needed to. Information is displayed through curves and bar graphs on the FirstLine BMS easy-to-read 6.4 inch LCD touch screen monitor. The battery monitoring system measures and records critical elements including battery cell voltage, battery string voltage, battery string current, battery room temperature, battery cell impedance, as well as battery terminal temperature. Because it is wireless, the FirstLine BMS easily integrates into existing applications, can be installed in half the time with less cost than traditional, wired battery monitoring systems.
www.stacoenergy.com
Key Improvements to Dowex Marathon C10
Dow Water & Process Solutions announces key improvements to Dowex Marathon C10, an ion exchange resin that can be used for effective removal of contaminants from water in industrial water demineralization, condensate polishing and softening. C10 is a strong acid cation exchange resin with a uniform particle size. The uniform particle size beads exhibit more uniform exhaustion, regeneration and backwash compared to conventionally sized resins. The higher level of cross-linking also shows exceptional stability to compressive, osmotic and oxidative stresses. Improvements to the resin include reduction in mean particle size increasing resin kinetic performance by 15%.
www.dowwaterandprocess.com
Multi-Gas Detector
Industrial Scientific’s Ventis MX4 multi-gas detector is a lightweight, highly configurable instrument available with or without an integral pump, and is compatible with iNet. The Ventis detects one to four gases including oxygen, combustible gases (LEL or CH4) and any two of the following toxic gases: CO, H2S, NO2 and SO2. The gas detector alerts users in dangerous conditions through an audible alarm, ultra-bright LED visual alarms and a powerful vibrating alarm.Ventis users can choose from a wide range of sensors, batteries, chargers and more. Among the battery options is an extended range lithium-ion battery which enables up to 20 hours of uninterrupted personal monitoring when used with the no pump version.
www.indsci.com
Belt Scale Integrator
The Siemens Milltronics BW500/L was developed specifically for simple applications with belt scales. It features two relays capable of calculating rate, totalized weight, belt loading and belt speed. Based on a patented electronic load cell-balancing feature, the upgraded BW500 and new BW500/L provide unequaled accuracy and improved efficiency in simple and complex applications.
When used in conjunction with a speed sensor and weigh bridge, the BW500/L is well suited for bulk weighing of product in processes as the material is moved on a conveyor belt. This measurement can be used to provide a signal to a control device that can be used for batch or feed rate control. This belt scale integrator can also be used to measure bulk inventory as is moved to and from silos, bins or storage piles.
www.automation.siemens.com
Plant Monitoring Package
The Senscape package allows users to view the status of monitoring equipment from remote locations. By removing the graphic mimic displays and logic functions found in more costly SCADA packages, users view data in a simple tabular format, making the system more cost effective for simple systems. Plant parameters such as set-point and relay states can be changed by the user where applicable. The alarm summary display ‘pops-up’ over other displays when an alarm is activated. For the display of recent data, the user can view on-screen trends, and data and events can be logged to files for offline analysis. The system connects to the plant via the Modbus protocol over an RS485 serial link network or Ethernet TCP/IP network. Multiple networks including mixing RS485 and TCP/IP are supported.
www.trolex.com
InSeT Tracking and Communication System Receives MSHA Approval
InSeT Systems’ tracking and communications system has been approved for use by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The system combines wireless technology with an innovative handheld unit carried by each miner that is accurate to within 25 ft after 24 hours of operation. It uses InSeT’s patented Inertial Sensor Tracking system with miniature inertial sensors, proprietary software, and a wireless mesh radio network to display and record the real-time location of miners working underground. The result is a robust system with the ability to accurately track miners, enabling rapid, highly targeted rescue efforts should a mining disaster occur. The handheld part of the unit also allows two-way communication with the person carrying it. The approval number for the product on the MSHA Web site is 23A110001-0. This means the system is approved for use in underground environments such as coal mines, whose gaseous atmospheres present explosion hazards.
www.insetsystems.com
AFL Adds ST Connector to FuseConnect Product Line
AFL has added the ST connector, a fusion spliced, field terminated connector designed with just four components. All connectors—the SC, LC, FC and now the ST—consist of a factory pre-polished ferrule. The field termination process eliminates polishing, adhesives, and crimping in the field, minimizing the potential for operator error and expensive connector scrap. AFL’s FuseConnect line uses a fusion splicer to terminate the connector in the field, addressing return loss concerns present in analog optical networks. Cable types include 900 µm, 2 mm and 3 mm and polish types of UPC, APC and PC. Ideal for connectorizations in RF overlay FTTP networks, CATV backbone networks, outside plant, Fiber to the Desk and MDU FTTP cabling; central office connector replacement; and data center installation.
www.AFLglobal.com
Fuel Filtration
Donaldson offers a customized approach to fuel filtration using Synteq XP media technology and Select fuel, an improved low-flow fuel filtration system with modular features. Synteq XP media technology uses an advanced synthetic, multi-layer structure to provide enhanced engine and system component protection.
The Select fuel filtration allows users to create a custom filter assembly from a collection of qualified and ready-to-use components. Select fuel uses a versatile filter to head mounting interface that can accommodate either a permanent non-metal housing with cartridge filter or a traditional spin-on. This modular head design is available with pumping, heating and sensor options.
www.donaldson.com
