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Date submitted2023-03-14
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Date accepted2023-06-20
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Date published2023-07-19
A reliability study of the traction drive system in haul trucks based on failure analysis of their functional parts
The efficiency of a mining and processing plant depends on the level of complex mechanization of the production process. In mineral extraction, haulage is a major cost category, with haul trucks being the key component of the mining transportation system. To improve production performance, mining operations can increase their haulage turnover and reduce transportation costs, which necessitates making haul trucks more reliable. This can be done by improving their mean time to first failure (MTFF) indicators. This article analyzes the reliability status of the traction drive system inhaul trucks operating in the mineral resources sector. It provides a quantitative assessment of traction drive system failures resulting from part defects and discusses the associated repair costs. By examining failure data from 2018 to 2022 and the results of vibration tests performed on a diesel generator, the study reveals that the most expensive failures are associated with defects in the synchronous generator, which are primarily caused by elevated external vibrations. Based on basic vibration tests and vibration spectra tests at different operating modes, recommendations have been formulated concerning the generator’s robustness to external mechanical forces and the ways to increase the generator’s protection grade to prevent dust intrusion. The study also identifies the frequency range that poses the greatest risk of damage to the windings.
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Date submitted2020-10-05
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Date accepted2021-03-30
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Date published2021-06-24
Improving the efficiency of relay protection at a mining and processing plant
The paper presents the results of constructing effective relay protection in the power supply system of a mining and processing plant (MPP). A brief description of the MPP is given, the power supply and substitution circuits used to calculate the short-circuit currents are given. A statistical analysis of failures in the electric network of the MPP has been carried out, which makes it possible to draw conclusions about the nature of failures ranges. Analysis of the registered faults shows that a significant part of them are line-to-earth faults, which in most cases turn into multiphase short circuits, which are interrupted by overcurrent protection. In order to improve the efficiency and reliability of the relay protection, the power supply scheme of the MPP was refined and analyzed. The calculation of the short-circuit currents was made, which made it possible to calculate the settings of the relay protection and give recommendations on the place of its installation and adjustment in order to ensure the normal operation of electricity consumers. To reduce the number of failures to the cable insert on the line leaving the administrative and household complex (AHC), and to increase the reliability of power supply to consumers, it is advisable to divide the capacities of the existing 10 kV line into two parallel ones by laying a second line. It is recommended to install a current cut-off on the line outgoing to the AHC, the feasibility of the installation of which was shown by calculations. This will reduce the chance of failures to the cable gland. Data on the setting currents of overcurrent protection and current cut-off are given on the selectivity card.
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Date submitted2019-03-13
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Date accepted2019-09-19
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Date published2020-02-25
Specifying the technical state limit value of the pump pulp without disassembling
The northern part of the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is rich in vast deposits of diamonds. These deposits are developed by the mining company “Almazy Anabara”, which is engaged in the extraction of diamonds at seasonal processing plants using various technological equipment. One of the key types of equipment is the pulp pump of a foreign company “KETO”. The work of pulp pumps of this company in the enrichment of diamond-containing raw materials is accompanied by intensive hydroabrasive wear of their impellers, the service life of which usually does not exceed three months. In practice, untimely replacement of a worn impeller can lead to emergency breakdowns of sealing elements and bearings, which is explained by super-permissible deflections of the shaft of pumping equipment arising from a significant unbalance of the rotor. The main cause of breakdown of slurry pumps at “Almazy Anabara” seasonal processing plants is the inability to quickly identify their ultimate technical condition, the key sign of which is the maximum wear of the impeller. The seasonal beneficiation plants of “Almazy Anabara” currently need a simple and at the same time reliable diagnostic sign of pulp pumps reaching their ultimate technical state, the identification of which can be quickly performed without disassembling and using complex equipment, which is very important when operating pumping equipment in short wash season on the Far North.