Ukranian iron ore miner PJSC Sukha Balka purchased a Railveyor material handling system for Frunze mine. The system was adopted after a 16-week engineering study by a design institute and engineers from the supplier and miner.
Sukha Balka became enamored with the system after touring Agnico Eagle’s Goldex mine, which, by early 2021, operated six Rail-Veyor trains with 408 cars that moved 7,000 metric tons per day (mt/d). The director of Sukha Balka was intrigued by the cost-savings and other advantages offered, Rail-Veyor reported.
Rail-Veyor’s flagship TrulyAutonomous haulage system is an electric train that handles corkscrew turns on a 20% grade. Cars are 2.4 m long and connect with spherical bearings. The train moves a continuous, articulated trough.
Each Rail-Veyor system is custom engineered, is run by software, and puts out no emissions, causes little dust, and presents no fire risk.
Leadership at the supplier described the sale as a step forward for both companies. “For Rail-Veyor’s part, we’re proud to mark the third contract signed since late 2019 with mining companies in this region of the globe,” Executive Chairman Jim Fisk said. “We believe that more successful applications will lead to many more agreements like this.”
The Railveyor system will be manufactured in 2022 and early 2023. Completion of the second phase is set for 2026.
The mine recently attained production of up to 65% iron commercial ore.
