Coal Age

JUN 2013

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bauma 2013 continued president-mining excavation and transport, Siemens. "Cost is an issue. It always has been and always will be. Mining companies today are encountering more pressure as far as green issues—saving water and energy is becoming much more important. We are working to address those needs." Engineers in the mining business continue to debate continuous mining systems versus discontinuous mining processes. "At Siemens, we believe you need both," Becker said. "Truck shovel mining is flexible and scalable, but that doesn't mean the truck should have to travel 45 miles from the pit to the crusher." Siemens has developed and installed several trolley-assist systems for haul trucks, which lower fuel costs once they make their way from the shovel to the ramp. From the pit all the way through to beneficiation, Siemens believes it has the mines covered. The company's Manufacturing Execution System (MES) connects with SAP to ensure that material flows from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time and uses the least amount of energy, Becker explained. "That can only be accomplished by automation," Becker said. "The MES shows mine operators all of the bottlenecks. The mines can then take action to overcome the bottlenecks. It also allows service activi- June 2013 ties to be guided from remote offices." Becker sees automation as the key to having the best, professionally organized mining operations. Monitoring Methane RAG Mining Solutions displayed its complete mining services portfolio. The company debuted several new products, a methane (CH4) monitoring tool, an electronic explosives registry (EXR), and mine control rooms. Longwall units with high gas emissions levels must produce coal on a trouble-free, process-optimized basis. RAG engineers have harnessed the coal-face measurement technology and developed two high-performance CH4 tools for analysis and control. The analysis tool provides a program for optimized production planning that takes account of CH4-related stoppages, cutting depths and shearer travel speeds. This planning instrument is supported by a control tool that can deliver production below the CH4 shut-down limit by timely intervention in the machine control system during the active winning phase. Both tools combine to reduce on-face stoppages by keeping below the CH4 shut-down threshold, thereby helping maximize daily output. The EXR tracks explosives inventories and blasting accessories use an enterprise system. The program is an integral part of the SAP MM module and is designed to log each and every material movement so that each individual unit can be stored in a lifecycle tracking system. The company also demonstrated the latest control room technology, which is now being used to manage high-performance coal mine operations. Xylem Brings Back BIBO Xylem has launched a new series of submersible dewatering pumps modeled on its iconic and hugely popular Flygt BIBO pump. The new range incorporates several proven design features taken from the original dewatering pump, as well as innovative enhancements that give the new pumps unmatched wear resistance and uptime capability. Xylem's Flygt BIBO series has been specifically designed for the toughest dewatering environments. "We are delighted to unveil the new Flygt BIBO," said Daniel Westin, product manager at Xylem. "The reliability and capability of the original Flygt BIBO dewatering pump is renowned within the industry and set the standard for submersible dewatering when it was first launched in the www.coalage.com 37

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