Product category:
Industrial Drives/Controls
News Release from: ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors) | Subject: ACS 600 MultiDrives
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 12 August 2003
Drives power up world's largest mineral
crusher
Electrical control and distribution systems supplied by ABB have been installed in the world's largest mobile mineral sizer in Australia.
Electrical control and distribution systems supplied by ABB have been installed in the world's largest mobile mineral sizer, which has recently been assembled in Australia from modules shipped from the UK and manufactured in Australia from UK designs Constructed by Mining Machinery Development (MMD) of Derby, the 17,600t track mounted machine, known as the MMD 1400 mineral sizer, has been built for BMA for use at its open cast coal mine at Goonyella in Queensland, Australia
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 8 Feb 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
ABB supplies UPS for Scottish water plant
Electrical equipment from ABB Automation is being installed as part of a £20m programme by East of Scotland Water (ESW) to upgrade water supplies to central Scotland.
ABB drive saves two days of set up time
A 37 kW variable speed drive with Direct Torque Control (DTC) from ABB Automation is being used to control the speed of a motor in a friction-welding machine that manufactures valves for car engines.
Designed for a throughput of 10kt/h, the machine will be used to clear the rock covering the coal, known as overburden.
Clive Spencer, Projects Director with MMD, says: "We chose ABB because it is a world renowned supplier of electrical equipment.
The ABB name carries a lot of prestige with our customers and also reflects well on us as we are seen to be using the best.
Also, ABB can provide maintenance support all over the world, which allows us to give excellent back up to our customers".
The mobile sizer is completely electrically powered and driven and can be supplied with power either from a 4MW, 6.6kV umbilical cable up to 1km long or from a generator for maintenance purposes.
Further reading
Comp-AC drives control Dome's fountain
Low power AC drives from ABB Automation's Comp-AC range are controlling one of the first attractions that will greet visitors to London's Millennium Dome in 2000.
AC drive cuts mixer's maintenance bill by 80%
A reduction of over 80% in maintenance costs has been achieved by replacing a star/delta starter with a variable speed drive on a breakfast cereal mixer at a leading UK supermarket food producer.
ABB system helps cement works to UK first
Accurate speed control of two fans within a chimney gas scrubber, has helped to virtually eliminate sulphur dioxide emissions and reduce overall emissions by 45% at Castle Cement's Ribblesdale works.
ABB has supplied the full electrification system for the sizer, including the incoming 6600V switchgear, outdoor mounted Resibloc three-winding step down transformer and low power distribution.
The mineral sizer operates alongside a mobile electric shovel, which transfers 3m3 bites of material into the sizer's hopper up to 100t at a time.
From there, an apron feeder lifts the material to the sizer itself, a three-toothed mineral sizer, which reduces the material to lumps of rock around 350mm3.
The material is then transferred, by the outfeed conveyor to a slewing discharge conveyor, which takes the material to the hopper car of an overland conveyor.
The overland conveyor takes the material, up to 10km, to a spreader for disposal.
When the shovel has cleared an area around the sizer, the machines move on to another location to clear further strips of overburden.
The various components of the sizer are all powered by ABB drives and motors - two 430kW propelling drives, with brake motors and shared inverters, two 430kW drives for the sizer, two 430kW drives for the apron feeder with brake motors.
One 430kW drive for the discharge conveyor with brake motor, one 250kW drive for the transfer conveyor and a 90kW hydraulic power AC drive.
The drives are ABB ACS 600 MultiDrives.
These incorporate an inverter supply unit to give them a regenerative capability, used to brake the machine and allow it to move up and down inclines of up to 10 degrees and also has regenerative braking, allowing the discharge conveyor to carry material downward without running over speed.
All the drives are marine standard, designed to withstand any vibration movement caused by the mineral sizer.
Graham Smith, ABB Project Engineer for the electrical part of the contract said: "Variable speed drives were chosen for the sizer because of their soft starting capabilities, as the electrical network at the mine did not have the capacity to supply the current that direct-online starting would draw".
All motors used on the sizer were supplied by ABB.
These are mainly HxR machines, with cast iron construction to withstand the vibration and enclosed to stop the ingress of dust.
A major part of the contract was the fitting of the drives and associated distribution equipment into air-conditioned housings.
Based on three standard ISO shipping containers, these were customised for the application by coating them with a high grade UV coating in order to withstand the 46C ambient temperature experienced at the mine.
One of the containers, house a large MCC and MV switchgear, while the other two are stacked above each other and contain the ABB drives, connected by a 1kV DC busbar.
These containers are fitted with an air handling and cooling unit to deal with the 120kW heat load developed by the drives.
The containers are maintained at a positive pressure relative to the outside, to prevent the ingress of dust.
All are also fitted with filtered fans, fire detection and extinguishing system and small power and lighting.
ABB supplied the control system for the mineral sizer.
The machine can be controlled manually, through a Scada system, or remotely via radio.
• ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors): contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
