Modern Mining January 2016

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January 2016MODERN MINING79
PRODUCT News
In the coal processing industry,
the total cost of ownership
model is heavily dependent
on strategies that lower
the initial capital cost
of replacement screen
machines. Coupled with
this is an emphasis on an
improvement in the overall durability of the
traditional coal dewatering screen which
will then facilitate lower operating costs.
According to Kurt O’Bryan, Weir Minerals
Global Product Manager for Screens and
Screen Media, achieving these goals is pos-
sible by carefully and strategically matching
solutions to specific customer needs and
applications. He notes that the company’s
latest developments in coal screen machine
technology are focused on increasing the
size and mechanical durability of its coal
duty vibrating screen line. The Enduron®
product range (formerly known as Linatex®)
fromWeir Minerals concentrates on increas-
ing throughput and decreasing downtime.
The supply and installation of Linatex®
screening equipment in the coal indus-
try spans a number of decades. The first
Linatex® dewatering screens were supplied
in 1983 in a coal application in South Africa
to Anglo American Coal’s Kleinkopje opera-
tion. Linatex® dewatering screens have
since been successfully supplied for fine
coal applications where they have signifi-
cantly reduced the moisture content of the
fines product.
Over 450 Linatex® banana and hori-
zontal screens in single and double deck
format, sieve bend static screens and
horizontal rotary screens have been sup-
plied to the coal industry for applications
ranging from primary and desliming to
dewatering for final product. The customer
list includes Anglo Coal, BHP Billiton (now
South 32), Exxaro, JHDA and Portaclone.
“Weir Minerals Africa continues to pro-
vide support for these screens and, in a
number of installations, the screens have
operated for in excess of 10 years without
any replacement necessary,”saysWinchester
Maphosa, Weir Minerals Africa Product
Manager for Comminution and Screens.
He explains that Weir Minerals has
implemented a number of innovations
to improve the design of the dewatering
Coal dewatering solutions from
Weir Minerals
screens in order to increase their longevity
and maintainability. An example he cites is
the replacement of the corrosion resistant
(3CR12) box deck frame design with a cross-
beam and 3CR12 stringer (runner) design.
This has eliminated the downtime and pro-
duction losses which previously resulted
from premature deck failures due to latent
welding defects.
Another brand within the Linatex® range
fromWeir Minerals recently launched in the
North American coal market is the high per-
formance Fusioncast® polyurethane screen
media panels. The material is designed
to maximise service life through superior
abrasion resistance, a critical factor in coal
dewatering. The product’s properties and
wear characteristics are said to make it ideal
for use in a number of coal applications
including raw coal refuse screens and fine
screening.
“In field trials it was confirmed that the
product exhibits wear life advantages of
up to 50 % when compared to injection
moulded polyurethane screen media pan-
els. This results in a significant time and cost
saving for customers. Added operational
flexibility is provided by the product being
supplied with a wide range of openings for
separations as coarse as up to 25 mm,” says
O’Bryan.
In 2014 Weir Minerals Africa aligned its
screens brand with Enduron® comminu-
tion equipment, allowing the company to
provide 3 to 4,3 m wide screen designs for
large modular coal plants. O’Bryan says that
the Enduron® VD dewatering screen range
has been designed to ensure that maximum
efficiency and lowest cost of ownership is
achieved. Underpinned by a 40-year history
in the coal dewatering sector, Enduron®
products are manufactured according to
ISO 9001:2010 standards.
Rene Calitz, Weir Minerals Africa, tel (+27 11) 929-2622
Using finite element
analysis assists in providing
lower cost solutions to customers.