Assessing the Truckless Conveying Option in Mines

Related Vendors

DÜPERTHAL Sicherheitstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

Italvacuum, Srl

Sinclair Knight Merz

Completion of all Benches

The bench operation must take into account starting each bench and transferring systems between benches. A sizing rig and/or transfer conveyor that can complete a given bench may not be capable of creating the box cut into the next bench further down or above without the assistance of further equipment (and its associated cost) (Fig. 7).

Bench widths and the operating sequence must include the creation and possible removal of ramps to allow interbench movements. Some bridge conveyor designs for example require particularly long ramps due to the large turning radius of the machines. This may be acceptable but needs to have been factored into cost estimates for ancillary fleet to create the ramps and possible impacts on production while the ramp is created (Fig. 8).

Transferring and Relocating Conveyor and Machines

Bench sequences that require tramming of a machine from one end of a bench to the other simply to allow access to the next bench may be acceptable for operations with relatively short benches but become inefficient for longer bench operations.

Relocation of the face conveyor is required once the bench sequence has been completed. The frequency of relocation will depend on the number of benches in the sequence (e.g. one or three) but usually occurs frequently enough to noticeably influence operation cost. This is one of the most visible operations with regards to acceptance of or resistance to a new system from operations groups.

A relocation typically involves a parallel shift of the conveyor from a completed bench closer to the toe of the new face on the same level. Relocation distance is the bench width – anywhere from 40 to 70 metres for example.

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