In Q4 2021, Booysendal North commissions a RopeCon system that moves 400 mt/h over 2.8 km. (Photo: Doppelmayr Transport Technology GmbH)
In December 2021, a second RopeCon installation was commissioned at Booysendal North. It transports 400 metric tons per hour (mt/h) over a distance of 2.8 kilometers (km) with a difference in elevation of 160 meters (m).
The Booysendal North RopeCon discharges the material into the same silo from which the material is loaded on to the Booysendal South system, for a continuous conveying line. Since early 2022, a second loading point along the line has been in use.
Booysendal originally selected Doppelmayr’s RopeCon in part because it would help minimize the environmental footprint of the mine. By guiding the RopeCon over towers, the space required on the ground is reduced to a minimum. The track crosses a number of roads, and wildlife roam freely underneath the RopeCon.
By using the RopeCon system, the mine did not have to rely on trucks to transport the material on the area’s steep roads. Using the trucks only for the transport of people and supplies could cut road maintenance costs, Doppelmayr reported.
RopeCon offers the advantages of a ropeway and combines them with the properties of a conventional belt conveyor, the company said. It consists of a flat belt with corrugated side walls.
The belt is driven and deflected by a drum in the head or tail station and is fixed to axles arranged at regular intervals. The axles are fitted with plastic running wheels, which run on fixed anchored track ropes and guide the belt. The track ropes are elevated off the ground on tower structures.
The first RopeCon was installed at the mine in 2019.
Booysendal Platinum (Pty) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Northam Platinum Ltd.
