In an important development for the global mining industry and as a commitment to both groups’ efforts in achieving a more sustainable and resource efficient future, TAKRAF Group and ABB have renewed their ongoing strategic partnership, dating back to 2011, regarding the deployment of GCD technology.
Gearless drives eliminate the need for a gearbox, hereby significantly reducing the number of main wear parts, which results in increased efficiency and reliability, as well as less maintenance being required.
Further advantages include a considerable reduction in the drive system’s footprint and emissions. In fact, for a large copper mine in Chile, studies showed that CO2 emissions were reduced by 66% as compared to diesel truck engines for the same copper production volume.
In 2019, TAKRAF delivered equipment for the principal ore transport system for Chuquicamata, one of the world’s largest copper ore mines, moving ore extracted underground to an above-ground processing plant using GCD technology (11 x 5 MW gearless synchronous motors). This system, boasting a total installed drive power of 58 MW, transports crushed copper ore from underground storage bins to the surface along a 7 km underground tunnel that overcomes 1 km of vertical elevation. Once on the surface, the ore then travels along an overland conveyor that transports it the final 6 km to the distribution silo.
Thomas Jabs, TAKRAF Group CEO, had this to say recently at the strategic partnership event: “We are proud of our ongoing partnership and association with our drive technology partner, ABB. This is a relationship that dates back more than 12 years and has resulted in some incredible technology achievements, not to mention delivery of the world’s most powerful belt conveying system at Chuquicamata using GCD technology. GCD’s bring numerous benefits, which are important to us as a company and the complete solution offering we present to our clients. With decreasing ore grades, ever-deeper mines and a general tendency to move from an opencast operation to underground, powerful, efficient, and small footprint conveyor drives will only become ever-more important in an industry in which safety and sustainability are also increasingly important. We look forward to this new chapter and, together with ABB, look forward to future GCD installations.”