Bulk material handling equipment needs to move extreme load capacities with absolute precision at high throughputs. In two new coal ship loaders supplied by Sandvik Mining to Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), hydraulic systems supplied by Hytec achieve exactly that.
Hytec was tasked with the design and supply of hydraulic equipment to control the spout levelling, spout locking, cabin levelling and conveyor belt anti-lift systems of the 11 kt/hr ship loaders.
This equipment included customised hydraulic power units with double motor pump design for redundancy; hydraulic control valves such as directional control, load holding and speed control valves; as well as hydraulic actuators, supplied by Hytec Engineering. The hydraulic and power units were manufactured from 304 stainless steel, with 316 stainless steel piping.
The ship loaders were manufactured in Tianjin, China, with cold commissioning completed in June, before being shipped to Richards Bay for final on-site assembly and commissioning, which is taking place currently.
“Besides the testing technical environments of working with such massive machinery, the Chinese assembly of the handling equipment provided additional logistical challenges,” explains Lance Tondolo, Senior Systems Sales Engineer, Hytec. “This project was an excellent example of how multiple teams from various fields of expertise were able to overcome the logistical and cultural challenges of working in a foreign country.”
For Hytec, this is the latest project in a long history of hydraulic solutions supplied to the mining and materials handling industries, which earlier this year included rake operation systems, heel adjustment mechanisms and conveyer belt adjustment systems for five reclaimers at two of South Africa’s major power stations.
Image Caption:
Hytec supplied the hydraulic solutions that will control the spout levelling and locking, cabin levelling and conveyor belt anti-lift systems of the new 11 kt/hr ship loaders at RBCT.
