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In the mining industry, engineers regularly troubleshoot belts, draining pumps, air blowers, fans, slurry pumps, scrapers, breakers, etc. If this equipment fails, maintenance crews spend extra time, money, and resources to get the equipment back up and running. The mining industry cannot afford lengthy plant shutdowns—the costs are too high and the end products too valuable to compromise on inferior equipment. It’s important to have mechanical power transmission components in place that will run smoothly and efficiently for extended periods of time.

The following mining applications were enhanced with the addition of water-cooled ASDs provided by MagnaDrive: 

An induced draft fan at the Angang North Plant wasted energy and required multiple maintenance efforts from the crew. The airflow and pressure was controlled by a damper—this resulted in variations and contributed to wear and tear on the components. MagnaDrive installed two ASD units in 2011 (ASD26, 5 rpm, 220 kW, 1,450 r/min) which isolated the vibration, provided more than 30 percent in energy savings, and greatly reduced maintenance work and costs.

A regenerative heat fan at the Angang Gongchangling Ball Group Plant featured hydraulic coupling power transmission. After two years of operation, the coupling had severe oil leaking issues, increased maintenance work and even forced the plant to shutdown at one point. MagnaDrive provided a WH2500 ASD (900 kW, 990 r/min) in 2014 reducing vibration by 30 percent, and increasing energy savings by 23 percent. The fan is now stable and does not require extra maintenance work.

A coal-making fan at the Angang Group Mount Dagu Ball Plant featured a pressure fan that utilized a damper that resulted in pressure variations and contributed to wear and tear on the components. Energy was also being wasted. MagnaDrive installed two WH1000 ASDs in 2015 (500 kW, 1,450 r/min). This equipment lowered the damper wear-out, isolated the vibration, reduced the maintenance work and resulted in an overall energy savings of 30 percent.

A circulating water pump at the Angang Group Anshan Mount Qian Plant featured an adjust valve that wasted plenty of energy and caused high vibration on the bearings and seals. MagnaDrive provided two WH2500 ASDs in 2014 that reduced the current, reduced maintenance costs and resulted in an overall energy savings of 30 percent.

A breaker at the Anshan Group Mining Company was originally equipped with hydraulic couplings imported from Sweden. Due to the different hardness of minerals, there was always an overload situation 20 to 30 times per year. This resulted in 6-7 hours of downtime at the plant. MagnaDrive installed 20 FGC33 coupling units (600 kW, 990 r/min) in 2012. This installation resulted in a five percent uptick in energy savings and eliminated the need to buy spare parts.

A slurry pump at the Angang Group Qidashan Mineral Selection Plant had an adjustable pump valve to meet production requirements. This system cost money to repair and maintain the equipment and used way too much energy to run effectively. MagnaDrive installed 2 WH400 ASDs (1,000 kW, 740 r/min) that resulted in a 28 percent energy savings, created a closed control system based on the slurry level in the slurry pool and provided significant cost savings on valve maintenance.   

In many of these applications, the install of water-cooled adjustable speed drives provided key enhancements regarding speed adjustments and energy efficiency. By isolating component vibration, motors, bearings and fans can enjoy extended life and maintenance crews can focus on other challenges around mining sites and facilities. Visit the MagnaDrive website to learn how an ASD can upgrade fans, blowers, belts, and additional manufacturing systems at www.magnadrive.com.

Next week, we’ll examine water-cooled ASD applications in the municipal industry.