Modern Mining November 2016

PRODUCT News

SEW supplies gear units for coal terminal expansion

SEW-EURODRIVE has supplied its X-Series of versatile and powerful industrial gear (IG) units to an ongoing coal terminal expansion project in South Africa. A long-standing relationship with the coal terminal has seen the OEM’s scope of supply to the upgrade project evolve from supplying its traditional geared motors to the latest X-Series IG units. “The intro- duction of the X-Series IG units has seen our relationship reach new heights over the past five years, from the initial supply of a few smaller geared units,” says SEW- EURODRIVE’s Durban Branch Manager, Casparus de Jager. For this particular project, SEW-EURO­ DRIVE supplied its X-170, X-180 and X-210 IG units. “We managed to receive an order for a number of X-210 industrial gearboxes ahead of some tough competitors,” notes de Jager. “The scope of work included load testing at our Durban branch.” The reliability and availability of the drive unit is critical in conveyor belt appli- cations, as some conveyor belts only run occasionally, while others operate 24/7. “The X-Series provides robust, high-torque drive solutions to meet the challenging requirements of such systems,” comments SEW-EURODRIVE’s Head of Engineering, Andreas Meid. “Our modular concept focuses on pro- viding the correct IG units for conveyor belt systems, even in tough operating con- ditions and high ambient temperatures. This means a reduction in total operating costs for our customers, as well as reduced maintenance costs,” he adds. The X-Series has a torque range from 6,8 kNm to 475 kNm. It also features a large number of accessories to allow for

maximum flexibility in meeting the diverse requirements of a range of industries, and a wide range of gear ratios for helical and bevel-helical gear units. Nearly any mounting position or shaft arrangement on a driven machine can be implemented. A reversible gear unit hous- ing also facilitates variable installation. Operational safety and ease of mainte- nance have been taken into account in terms of the robust housing, low-noise gearing and cooling system in particular. “Efficient project planning tools, includ- ing the generation of 2D and 3D drawings, as well as predefined drive packages for conveyor drives and bucket elevator drives, are also available,” says Meid. The X-Series for belt conveyors com- prises three-stage helical-bevel gear units with special, horizontal housing for improved heat dissipation and increased

SEW-EURODRIVE has supplied its X-Series industrial gear (IG) units to the coal terminal expansion project. cooling capacity, thanks to an efficient fan concept. This means that external cooling units and a larger gear unit are no longer necessary in most applications. Applications include the cement and con- struction materials industries, and surface

and underground mining. SEW EURODRIVE, tel (+27 11) 248-7000

Bypass filters trialled at chrome mine Condition monitoring specialist WearCheck has now extended its fuels, lubricants, air and coolants (FLAC) maintenance pro- gramme to include unique bypass filters, which minimise contaminants, thereby extending the life of the oil and fuel.

passes through the filtration system, similar – says WearCheck – to how an individual dialysis machine would assist a patient to filter his own blood. The filters function best as part of a comprehensive condition monitoring pro- gramme, and, following the successful trials, they are being widely installed on different machines. Fuel typically passes through three filters – first the OEM water separator, next the OEM diesel filter, and finally WearCheck’s depth filter, which is last in line, and which provides extremely fine microfiltra- tion, screening particles between 0,5 and 1 micron in diameter. WearCheck, tel (+27 31) 700-5460

The filters were initially trialled at a chrome mine on three GHH machines running air-cooled motors. Once proven effective, the filters were then fitted to a further 27 machines in the same mine. The mine has already recorded savings of R1,7 million after paying for the implementation of the WearCheck programme. Also known as depth filters, the bypass filters are bolted externally on each compo- nent, and the oil or fuel of that component

November 2016  MODERN MINING  45