TAKRAF South Africa says it has provided design, engineering and construction support services for the third phase of a major backfill project for a coal mining complex in Limpopo, South Africa. The project comprises the extension of one of the mine’s backfilling systems, which are used to convey and deposit the plant discard materials in the mined-out area of the pit, behind the mining operations.
Currently, the mine processes an average of 5 Mt ROM per month, of which 50% is discard, and depends entirely on two backfilling systems for the disposal of its waste. These systems were commissioned in the first two phases of the original project and are being extended in phases.
Phase 3 included the design, fabrication and construction of a new extendable conveyor complete with auxiliary infrastructure. The design of the conveyor caters for the full final length of 2,082 m although only 615 m of conveyor length was installed during this project. The structural design had to cater for unstable ground conditions because the conveyor is installed on previously backfilled material. The structure of the tail drive station (which houses 4 x 500 kW of installed power) has a unique jacking mechanism that allows the height and level of the drive station to be adjusted in the event of ground settlement.
The scope also included transfer of the existing shiftable conveyor with its drive station and tripper car onto the new extendable conveyor, as well as the transfer of the existing spreader with its tripper car to the new location of the shiftable conveyor.
TAKRAF was responsible for the detail design, procurement support, construction planning and construction support for this brownfield project. Construction planning on the brownfield site was particularly complex and several factors had to be considered to ensure that the shutdown, tying the new equipment into the existing system, could be completed within 30 days.
“We are delighted to have been part of this multidisciplinary project and to support the mine in the successful implementation of its backfilling strategy,” says Richard Späth, TAKRAF South Africa Managing Director. “This project is not only crucial to the mine’s efficient production and waste disposal activities but also to achieve its environmental stewardship commitments by minimising the impact of the mining operations on the surrounding area.”
