Siemens announced it will suppy the world’s biggest gearless conveyor drive system to the Cuajone mine in Peru, which is operated by the Mexican mining company Southern Copper Corp. (SCC). The conveyor system is part of modernization project that also includes a new gyratory crushing system. The belt conveyor will replace a 6-km railway system currently used to transport the ore out of the mine to the processing plant. The project is expected to be completed in 2016.
The Integrated Drive System (IDS) used to power the world’s highest-powered gearless conveyor system with an output totaling 12,000 kilowatts is being supplied by Siemens. Not only does the gearless drive enable efficiency to be increased 3%, it also cuts down the necessary maintenance work and associated costs, as wear parts such as couplings, motor bearings and gearboxes are no longer required. In mid-2014, Siemens was chosen by ThyssenKrupp to supply the electrical package with a contract valued in the double-digit million Euro range.
The conveyor belt system consists of three flights, which are equipped by a total of five IDS. For the largest of the belt sections, Siemens is supplying two gearless drive systems with an output of 6,000 kilowatts each, comprising a low speed synchronous motor and a Sinamics SL150 cycloconverter. The two smaller feed and discharge belts will be driven by two 500-kilowatt low-voltage motors using Sinamics S150 inverters with regenerative feedback capability and one 1,200-kilowatt medium-voltage motor. The converters and motors as well as the gearboxes and couplings for these drives are all supplied by Siemens. The automation components as well as the drive and power distribution technology are provided in modular electrical rooms (E-houses).
Siemens is no stranger to Cuajone, where it supplied a drive system for a high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR) system back in 2013.
