Larger, more reliable, pump stations providing higher flow allowing faster longwall shield movement.
Longwalls are getting faster, longer, and deeper.
Both longer and deeper longwalls are faced with large increases in ground pressure. Engineers counter this with larger cylinder diameters, and higher hydraulic pressures. Production demands that the cutting machines (shearers or ploughs) get faster, shield cycle times get shorter, and more shields must move simultaneously.
Longwalls get more capital intensive, faster and, over time there become fewer for a given coal production target. Pump stations, therefore have to deliver higher pressure, higher flow and be more reliable.
KAMAT hydraulic stations for mining enable a fast conversion of the shields in modern face construction. Thus high removal speeds of the extraction machines can be realized.
Secure support of hollow spaces in modern face construction
For the most productive longwalls, the rate at which shields can be moved, and the conveyor advanced, are on the critical path to high production. Both of these are strongly dependent on the pump station’s performance. Our high-pressure systems for mining provide the required pressure and flow of longwall fluid reliably, and with high availability. These system designs have evolved based on KAMAT’s decades of experience worldwide, especially in USA, Australia, China and Russia.
We led the way with fewer, but bigger pumps, and frequency controlled variable speed motors. Our plunger pumps can operate at between 10 % and 100 % speed allowing for much smoother operation than conventional unloader valved systems. Smoother operation, with less pressure shocks, leads to less wear and hence longer lifetime of hoses and fittings. Our 3 x 500 kW pump units have been running since 2012, powering seven meter high longwalls, without any pump failures. Now, our 800 kW pumps are going into service. The 800 kW pump is capable of delivering up to 3,500 bar, where this is required. A classic mining system has three high-pressure pumps for longwall fluid.
Our frequency controlled pumps, with their 90 % bandwidth, allow us to control an entire pump station with only one frequency controlled master pump. This design dramatically reduces the station’s complexity, improves reliability and reduces the required investment. KAMAT’s longwall pump stations are in use in everything from central stations to power multiple longwalls, to state-of-the-art systems for individual seven meter high longwalls producing 100,000 tonnes per day.
KAMAT Brochure Mining | Brochure | 815.4 | KB | |
Hydraulic Longwall Power Packs | Application Report | 398.1 | KB |