The Murray & Roberts Cementation shaft sinking team responsible for delivering a new ventilation shaft at Palabora Copper Mine (PMC) recently celebrated the achievement of a major milestone – the reaching of the 800 m mark. This represents two-thirds of the shaft’s final depth of 1 200 m.

The ventilation shaft forms part of the copper producer’s Lift II project which will extend mine life by more than 15 years. Originally an open pit mine, the Palabora mine transitioned to being an underground block cave operation in the early 2000s when Lift 1 was commissioned.

PMC is located within Phalaborwa in the Limpopo province in South Africa and the extension of the life of mine will increase shareholders’ value and sustain jobs and livelihoods of the surrounding communities. The mine has also initiated several wildlife management programmes to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment as well as promote the harmonious co-existence of people, industry and wildlife.

Murray & Roberts Cementation’s contract to sink the 8.5 m diameter shaft was awarded in February 2019. According to Fred Durand, the company’s senior project manager, the shaft sinking is currently making good progress, with 40 or more lined metres of advance being completed on average each month.

“Shaft sinking operations should be completed by the end of this year with final handover of the shaft to our client, PMC, taking place at the end of the first quarter of 2024,” he says.

Ground conditions have presented a challenge on the project. This has resulted in the shaft lining being taken right down to the blasted face, says Jas Malherbe, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s on-site project manager.

“Normally, we would line the shaft to within 12 to 18 m of shaft bottom and support the sidewalls temporarily with split sets and mesh,” he explains. “In practice, this did not prove viable, prompting us to change our approach. The method we’ve adopted is unconventional but has proven to be highly effective.”

Drilling is undertaken by two twin-boom Komatsu electro-hydraulic jumbo drill rigs. These are slung down the shaft from surface and nested in the four-deck stage for drilling the shaft bottom, a procedure which is repeated for each 48-hour blast-to-blast cycle.

Another key piece of equipment is a Komatsu excavator with a 0.3 m3 bucket. It is lowered from surface through the stage to shaft bottom and is used for lashing. All the waste rock is loaded into a 11 tonne kibble which transports it to surface.

The ground conditions at the shaft are such that blasting tends to produce large rocks, which can be difficult to handle. “We break these up using the excavator which has a quick coupler which allows it be fitted with a hydraulic breaker within a few minutes,” says Malherbe.

The methods being used at Palabora are based on the Canadian shaft-sinking method that Murray & Roberts Cementation has pioneered in South Africa at its Venetia mine contract for De Beers Group.

“We have adapted the method because of the very different conditions we’re facing but many elements remain the same or are very similar,” says Malherbe. “In particular, the high degree of safety offered by the Canadian method has not in any way been compromised.”

The number of Murray & Roberts Cementation personnel deployed per shift is 25. The total labour complement on site is currently just over 120 people, 46 % of them recruited from local communities.

Murray & Roberts Cementation has a vigorous CSI programme running in conjunction with its contract. The programme is being implemented in close association with PMC and has mainly focused on supporting local schools in the Phalaborwa area with infrastructure such as ablution facilities, fences, water storage tanks and boreholes.

“In addition, we have trained nearly 80 youths from local communities at our Bentley Park Training Academy near Carletonville,” says Durand. “Another 20 are currently undergoing training. This programme is giving them skills which are in high demand in mining and which could lead to them securing permanent employment within the mining industry.”

Heavy Machinery Appraisal

In the mining sector, situations arise time and again in which assets have to be evaluated. Be it when there is a change of contractor in opencast mining or when technology is to be replaced on a larger scale. Especially when there is a change in ownership or when used construction machinery and transport vehicles are to be replaced, an external valuation or technical inspection is appropriate. Sometimes an appraisal by the supplier of the technology is sufficient. However, it is often the case that each supplier can and wants to evaluate only his own products. It becomes more difficult when someone is needed to evaluate excavators, wheel loaders and mining trucks from different manufacturers and maybe additional processing plants. Here you need an appraiser who has a wide range of experience with different makes. Such an appraiser needs good management as well as technicians in different countries who are also willing to visit a mine in a distant country.

Who can inspect and evaluate mining equipment?

It is good to know that such a service exists. The German company MEVAS specialises in the appraisal and valuation of mining assets and construction machinery. Experienced inspectors are available in various countries and are ready to travel even to remote areas. The team has experience with large excavators, dump trucks, crushing equipment and anything else used in open pit or underground mining. Through the large number of projects already completed, a wealth of experience exists in both the technical analysis of condition and the evaluation of equipment.

How much does a mining-fleet appraisal cost?

The question of the price for evaluating a fleet of mining machines is not so easy to answer. It logically depends on the number of machines and their size. Another important cost factor is the location of the equipment. Which inspectors can be deployed to inspect the machines on site? By what means can the inspectors get into the mine? Are the machines still in use or have they been parked on the side-line for some time? Overall, one can conclude that compared to the value of the machines, the valuation is an insignificant cost factor. When taking over a fleet or buying individual machines, it may well be worthwhile to have the repair costs calculated in their current condition. An experienced valuer can be helpful here.

Why to choose Mevas?

A German management leads since 2006 a team of international inspectors. The team knows about equipment conditions and about valuation. Engineers are familiar with machinery of Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, Sandvik and many other brands. The range of inspected and valuated items reaches up to PC 3000, ZX 1900 CAT 777, larger rock drills, bulldozers up to D10T and any kind of articulated dump trucks.

Experienced Team of Engineers

Mevas has done a couple of asset audits and valuations for quarry, mining and open pit equipment. Engineers have been in Russia on pipeline projects, in African goldfields, in coal mines in Kentucky and on huge oil plantations in Western Africa. Upon request, some projects and clients for which the company is or was active can be named.

For more details visit the website www.mevas.net please. Sample reports can be provided and the management is available to discuss any requirement for machinery appraisal or inspection.

Many industrial facilities, mines and power stations rely too much on dust suppression and extraction systems, when the real answer is to improve the flow of material through well designed chutes.

This is the considered opinion of Weba Chute Systems technical director Alwin Nienaber, based on decades of experience in this field. His view is that 50% to 80% of the dust problem around conveyors and transfer points can be resolved by applying the right chute system design and positioning equipment correctly.

“Many of the dust suppression and dust extraction systems that are applied in these applications are expected to do more than they are capable of,” says Nienaber. “A preferable approach is to get the chute design right first, and then apply these other systems to deal with the residual dust load.”

He explains that the advantages of doing this extend well beyond the health and safety benefits. He has seen more than a few situations where the dust created by a poorly designed chute can prevent personnel from moving or working in that area. This often prevents the checking or maintenance of critical equipment during operating hours, requiring more downtime to wait – literally – for the dust to settle.

“In examples like this, excessive dust can reduce an operation’s efficiency, so there is an opportunity to improve overall productivity by fixing the dust problem,” he says. “Other equipment in these areas also gets heavily coated with dust, and needs regular cleaning to ensure optimal performance. Cleaning becomes yet another avoidable cost.”

To address excessive dust creation, a good chute design is based on understanding the physics of material flow – and avoiding uncontrolled velocity and impact. A lack of control over the way material flows will degrade the material and create higher levels of aeration – which is what leads to dust dispersal.

“Our philosophy at Weba Chute Systems is to ensure that material flows more easily and remains consolidated as a homogenous stream,” he explains. “We base our designs on the ‘supertube’ effect, which also allows the controlled transfer of material onto the conveyor belt. Not only does this reduce dust, but it also cuts down on the wear rate of the belt itself.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. embarks on the production of remanufactured parts for construction machinery, such as medium to large sized hydraulic excavators and medium sized wheel loaders, in March 2023 at Hitachi Construction Machinery Southern Africa Co., (Pty) Ltd.

In addition to parts remanufacturing for mining machinery conducted in Zambia from 2012, the target will be expanded to construction machinery to strengthen our parts remanufacturing business in Southern Africa. We will also contribute to reducing environmental impact and realizing circulating society through further reduction in CO2 emissions and industrial waste.

Our customers in South Africa can purchase remanufactured parts with warranty and thus reduce component procurement costs. The supply of remanufactured parts within South Africa shortens lead time to delivery and keeps down transportation costs. In the future, the remanufactured parts will be supplied to neighboring countries as well.

Our customers are faced with the issues of improving jobsite safety and productivity and reducing machine lifecycle costs. In addition, changes in the markets are driving up operating costs for customers to keep their machines operating.

As one approach to solving such issues, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is developing the parts remanufacturing business. Specifically, we collect genuine components such as hydraulic cylinders and pumps from machinery in use by customers, disassemble and repairing them at the works, and provides them as remanufactured parts with performance equivalent to new parts.

Currently in Southern Africa, Hitachi Construction Machinery Zambia and H-E Parts are collaborating in Zambia to remanufacture parts for mining machinery such as ultra-large hydraulic excavators and dump trucks.

As the next step, we have completed the development of necessary facilities for remanufacturing parts for construction machinery at Hitachi Construction Machinery Southern Africa’s site in South Africa, the largest construction machinery market in the Southern African region. Hitachi Construction Machinery Southern Africa also plans to provide maintenance and servicing of ultra-large hydraulic excavators and dump trucks, as well as repair work for hydraulic equipment and components, using the same facilities.

As supplying remanufactured parts to South Africa from other countries or regions takes extensive lead time and has high transportation costs, we needed to build a framework in South Africa for remanufacturing parts for construction machinery.

Going forward, in addition to strengthening the value chain business, including the parts remanufacturing business, and contributing to the reduction of environmental impact and the realization of circulating society, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will continue to work toward resolving customer issues of “improving safety,” “increasing productivity” and “reducing lifecycle costs”.

About Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6305), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a construction machinery manufacturer. The company engages in the development, manufacturing, sales, and service operations around the world for hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, road construction machines, and mining machinery. Hitachi Construction Machinery is strengthening its focus on value chain businesses other than new machinery sales, such as parts and services, rentals, used equipment, and parts recycling, and is utilizing digital technologies to provide deeper solutions at all points of contact with customers. Hitachi Construction Machinery employs approximately 25,000 people worldwide. In fiscal year 2021 (ended March 2022), the consolidated sales revenue was ¥1,025.0 billion and the percentage of overseas sales revenue was approximately 79%.

For details, visit the company’s website OR email rennie.ahnoop@hcmaf.com

Business and industry are under ever-increasing pressure to increase production, improve efficiencies, decrease costs, and protect worker safety while at the same time looking to shrink their carbon footprints. South Africa’s intermittent power supply adds a further challenge as companies look for innovative solutions to keep the lights on and ensure business sustainability. Fundamental to this is process and plant optimisation through the use of efficient machines and equipment.

To assist customers and end-users in sustainably achieving these objectives, Rand-Air is continuously looking at offering cleaner and more cost-effective renewable green energy rental solutions that will deliver lowest possible Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to customers and end-users.

“Reinforcing our commitment to providing customers with clean rental solutions, we recently added the new ZenergiZe ZBC 250-500 kVA battery energy storage system to our hire fleet,” says Rand-Air Sales and Marketing Manager, Byrone Thorne. He explains that whilst the ZenergiZe cannot replace grid power completely, this highly efficient modular energy storage unit offers a clean, reliable, and efficient short-term solution where grid power is intermittent.

The ZenergiZe can be used in combination with a generator and also has the ability to manage energy generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, offering a hybrid power solution for a wide range of industries. Moreover, micro-grids can be created to provide energy to residential, commercial, industrial or public service applications.

The escalating price of diesel is pushing up the costs of running a generator. Byrone explains how operators can reduce fuel bills significantly by alternating between the ZenergiZe and the generator. “In addition to consuming less fuel, running the generator for shorter periods will also reduce machine wear and subsequently maintenance and related costs.” Byrone also recommends using the efficient ZenergiZe when demand is high and then switching to the generator when demand is low. “Generators use less fuel when they run at lower stages.” This innovative storage system offers a cleaner energy solution for a wide range of industrial and retail applications across diverse segments – from food processing and data centres to the entertainment and tertiary education sectors.

Designed with sustainability in mind, the ZenergiZe range features a trio of zeros, delivering both economic and environmental benefits to customers and end-users. Using zero fuel and emitting zero CO², the unit will substantially reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions for operators. With zero noise levels, the virtually maintenance-free system is a particularly suitable solution for noise-sensitive environments such as events, film-making, shopping centres, etc.

At the heart of this powerful and compact unit are high-density lithium-ion batteries which are capable of providing over twelve hours of power. These batteries are lighter in weight compared to other technologies and the ZenergiZe is also 70% more compact in contrast to traditional alternatives. This facilitates effortless transportation and installation of the system.

The unit incorporates a number of connectivity features and benefits including a smart start-and-stop function, an Energy Management system (EMS) complete with battery management communication (BMS), a remote monitoring system, a Bluetooth mobile application as well as a parking mode.

Rand-Air is a trusted, professional, reliable and responsible hire partner for mining and industry across South Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa since 1973. The company has made significant investments in its rental fleet to offer customers the complete hire solution – an extensive range of high quality, reliable and efficient machines, backed by expert service. “Our comprehensive rental fleet includes mobile oil-free and oil-injected air compressors, diesel- and electric-powered screw air compressors, from 30kVA to 1000kVA diesel generators, lighting plants and pumps, with steam boilers coming soon,” concludes Byrone.

/ends

About Rand-Air

Rand-Air, part of the global Atlas Copco Group, was established in 1973.

As far more than a rental equipment provider, Rand-Air is focused on making agility count for our customers: offering an adaptable, flexible and responsive partnership to address their technical and business challenges.

With a solid national footprint and serving a diverse customer base both locally and in sub-Saharan Africa, the company has a product portfolio which includes TUV-certified oil-free, diesel or electric air solutions; nitrogen solutions; power, flow (pumps), steam boilers and lighting solutions.

Rand-Air is ISO-9000, 14000 and 18000-certified and is a Level 2 B-BBEE-rated company.