Caterpillar

Caterpillar recently completed an agreement to supply a complete Cat^® longwall system to Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of India’s largest coal producer, Coal India Limited. The system will be delivered to the Moonidih mine in early 2019. The longwall production goal of the Moonidih XV Seam project is about 2.5 mt of coking coal per year.

Support services will be provided by Tractors India Private Limited (TIPL), the authorized Cat dealer in North and East India and Bhutan. Moonidih is a region in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

Caterpillar is a member of INDU SCCL CGME Consortium, which was awarded the contract to execute the Moonidih XV Seam project of BCCL. Indu Projects Limited is the leader of the Consortium, and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and Caterpillar Global Mining Europe (CGME) are the other members.

The longwall system will consist of 149 Cat roof supports, a Cat AFCPF6 armored face conveyor, a Cat BSLPF4 beam stage loader with integrated crusher, and a Cat EL2000 longwall shearer. The longwall system also includes a technology package for advanced longwall automation.

The EL2000 shearer incorporates all the features of the Cat longwall shearer range in a compact and rugged machine designed to meet the demands of high production in seams ranging from 1.80 to 4.50 m . High installed power is a main feature of the EL2000, available with as much as 750 kW. The haulage system is tailored to the needs of high-productivity medium-seam applications with up to 125-kW AC drives.

Further information:
Caterpillar Inc.
www.cat.com/mining

Two Russian longwall mines operated by the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK) recently surpassed the national monthly coal production record. The Kotinskaya Mine produced 1,050,452 tonnes of raw coal in August to set the all-time record, and Taldinskaya-Zapadnaya Mine No. 1 produced 1,020,109 tonnes of raw coal to exceed the national record of 1.007.000 tonnes that it set in 2013.

Both mines are located in the Kuzbass region, the source of much of Russia’s coal exports. In 2015 the Kotinskaya Mine had annual production of more than 4.5 million tonnes of steam coal, about 3.6 million tonnes of which were exported. The 2015 production of the Taldinskaya-Zapadnaya Mine No. 1 was over 2.5 million tonnes of coal.

Each of the two mines uses Cat^® longwall equipment—Cat roof supports equipped with Cat PMC-R roof support control, a Cat AFCPF6 face conveyor with an installed power of 3 x 750 kW (1,000 hp), Cat CST45 gearboxes and a Cat BSLPF6 beam stage loader with integrated crusher.

Kotinskaya’s current longwall is equipped with two-leg Cat shields, each with a width of 1.75 meters (5.75 feet) and support capacity of 725 tonnes (800 tons). With an operating range of 2.2 to 4.8 meters (7.2 to 15.7 ft), the supports are used in a seam that is typically about 4 meters (13 ft) thick.

At Kotinskaya mine, the PMC-R roof support control system offers special operating modes to boost both productivity and safety. The system can reactivate some regions of the face and resume production even though the face has been put into a safe condition in response to detection of an electrical fault, sometimes caused by a broken cable between two PMC-R controls. Before reactivation, strictly defined conditions must be observed.

Cat PF6 face and entry conveyers are especially designed for high performance longwalls.

With its patented trough concept and durable pan design, the Cat AFCPF6 face conveyor is particularly suited for applications in longwalls with extended face length and for panels with coal reserves of 10 million tonnes and more.

The innovative design of the PF6 line pan allows the separation of wear parts and structural parts. Very hard, wear-resistant materials are used for wear parts, while the structural parts are made of high-strength steel. The PF6 is designed to allow deflections of ±6 degrees vertically and 0.8 to 1.2 degrees horizontally, thus allowing it to be easily aligned to suit local conditions.

SUEK is Russia’s largest coal company, as it reported operating 11 underground coal mines and 11 open pit coal mines in 2015. That year it supplied 97.8 million tonnes of coal, about 26 percent of Russian coal production. SUEK also is among the largest suppliers of coal in the international market—with sales of 46.9 million tonnes in 2015.

Further information:
Caterpillar Inc.
www.cat.com/mining

The new Cat® HTD4100 High Torque Drive System (Figure 1) for longwall armored face conveyors enables a higher level of automation for enhanced speed and torque control and real-time monitoring, and its modular design simplifies installation and maintenance. The innovative system offers fast response and precise control to reduce conveyor chain wear and failures, and the high-torque motors deliver maximum torque independent of speed to optimize production while minimizing wear.

The new drive system consists of two main components – a variable frequency converter and the motor-gearbox combination. In the new Cat system, a medium voltage converter-controlled torque motor replaces the AC induction motor. The control principle of the drive is Direct Torque Control – the most advanced AC-drive control technology available.

The converter-controlled torque motor operates at low speeds, between 0 and 300 rpm versus 1,500 rpm for induction motors. Lower speed reduces inertia acting on the output shaft by a factor of eight and enables the system to react quickly, which translates to little or no damage to the gearbox and chain in the event of a conveyor blockage.

The installed motor power of the modular drive system is 1,250 kW with maximum torque of 650,000 Nm. The torque motor design reduces the need for as many gear stages, which enables the entire system to be simplified. This in turns allows smaller dimensions while retaining the same torque capabilities as systems that are as much as 20 % larger. The smaller size allows flexibility in laying out longwall entries. The system also has a reduced number of parts, which enhances reliability, and the components are standardized to simplify support of the system.

In addition to soft start and stop, the HTD4100 delivers very fast acceleration. The variable conveyor chain speed can be efficiently adapted to the production conditions – resulting in less wear on the conveyor.

The system also is about 5 % more efficient than conventional drives. The improved system efficiency means lower energy consumption and reduced cooling requirements.

Caterpillar will be able to configure the High Torque Drive System for retrofitting to existing longwall face conveyors. Plans call for supplying a range of High Torque Drive Systems to handle voltages of 3.3 kV or 4.16 kV in a mechanical power range of 300 kW to 1,600 kW. Systems for additional applications, such as longwall plow systems and beam stage loaders, will follow. The Cat HTD4100 High Torque Drive System will start field trials in 2017.

Further information/Weitere Informationen:
Caterpillar Inc.
www.cat.com/mining

CNX Coal Resources LP has placed an order for 285 Cat^® longwall roof supports destined for use in the Enlow Fork Mine in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA. The mine is one of three in the complex, which produced 20.7 million tonnes (22.8 million tons) in 2015, making it the largest underground coal mining operation in North America. Enlow Fork currently operates two longwalls and seven continuous miner units and produced 8.2 million tonnes (9.0 million tons) last year from the Pittsburgh 8 Coal Seam.

Working with the Cat dealer in the area, CB Mining, Caterpillar will supply 274 face roof supports and 11 gate end roof supports. The shields will be built at the Caterpillar facilities in Lünen, Germany, and will be delivered in the first half of 2017.

CNX Coal Resources also is equipping the longwall with the Cat PMC^®-R electro-hydraulic control system for advanced automation. The system has sufficient computing power and data transfer speed to allow adding remote and semi-autonomous face operation. The company currently operates five longwalls at the Enlow Fork, Bailey and Harvey mines, and all use the Cat PMC-R control system.

The roof supports have an expected service life of 60,000 cycles and will operate on 1750-mm centers, with a shield density of 846 kN/m². The face supports will have an operating range of 1295 to 2743 mm, and gate end supports will have an operating range up to 3048 mm.

CNX Coal Resources also will be using Cat Detect Personnel for Longwall, a personnel proximity detection system designed to enhance the safety of workers around longwall systems. Using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags worn by personnel and detection units mounted on the longwall roof supports, the system accurately and reliably identifies the presence of people on a longwall and transmits personnel location information to the longwall automation system. The control system then takes appropriate actions—such as inhibiting roof support movement and providing warning signals—when necessary to avoid potentially unsafe situations.

For more information about Cat mining products and technology, go to: www.cat.com/mining

Caterpillar will support MINExpo 2016 in Las Vegas with an exhibit showcasing machines, technology, expertise and practical knowledge that miners can apply to help address their cost, productivity and efficiency challenges in today’s mining environment.

The surface mining section of the Cater-pillar exhibit will showcase two highly auto-mated machines. A Cat 793F CMD autonomous truck will represent the fleets now operating in Australia. Cat Command for hauling is now a commercial success as fleets grow and the benefits of consistent operation and increased availability boost production.

The new MD6420C Rotary Drill is autonomy ready and optionally equipped to leverage the safety and productivity benefits of Cat MineStar™ Terrain. This drill management system optimizes utilization and improves drilling and blasting operations by accurately guiding the operator and improving precision of hole placement and drilling depth. The third-generation drill incorporates proven Cat components throughout for superior reliability and durability.

Additionally, the 794 AC Large Mining Truck will make its first mining show appearance (Figure 1). Featuring the same electric drive power train as the proven Cat 795F AC, the 291 t (320 t) capacity truck delivers class-leading speed on grade, superior four-corner braking and easier maintenance. The truck design focuses on class leading productivity and lower total cost of ownership.

The underground section of the Caterpillar exhibit will demonstrate the company’s commitment to underground mining through its presentation of machines and technology for hard rock and soft rock mining – room and pillar, longwall and hard rock cutting.

The hard rock cutting display features a wholly new underground mining approach, longwall for hard rock mining. The recently announced Rock Straight System is a fully mechanized longwall system designed for continuous mining of flat and tabular deposits and reefs in hard rock mines (Figure 2). The key to the system is the cutting machine, which makes best use of unique Cat Activated Undercutting Technology specifically developed for the extraction of bedded hard rock deposits. Rock Straight also includes a specially designed chain conveyor and hydraulic roof supports.

For coal and other soft rock miners, Caterpillar will display a new drive system for longwall face conveyors. The precision engineered system has a smaller footprint and enables slower motor speeds while delivering more torque. At the same time, the system modulates power application to reduce mechanical stresses on the chain conveyor. The result is less wear, greater uptime and higher productivity.

The underground display also introduces the R1700K underground loader (LHD). The new model features multiple systems enhancements, a new cab with enhanced ergonomics, and emissions reduction technology that meets US EPA Tier 4 Final and EU Stage IV certification requirements.

Caterpillar at the MINExpo: Central Hall, Booth 6229

Further information:
Caterpillar Inc.
www.cat.com