Not only does the gearless drive enable efficiency to be increased by 3%, it also cuts necessary maintenance work and associated costs, as wearing parts such as couplings, motor bearings and gearboxes are no longer required.
Gearless drives also enable the use of a continuous conveyor belt, eliminating the need for transfer stations, reducing susceptibility to faults, cutting out the need for high-intensity maintenance and driving down costs.
The conveyor belt system comprises three individual sections which are equipped by a total of five Integrated Drive Systems. For the largest of the belt sections, Siemens is supplying two gearless drive systems with an output of 6,000kW each, comprising a low speed synchronous motor and a Sinamics SL150 cycloconverter. The two smaller feed and discharge belts will be driven by two 500kW low-voltage motors using Sinamics S150 inverters with regenerative feedback capability and one 1200kW medium-voltage motor.
Siemens has previously supplied a drive system for a HPGR (high-pressure grinding roll) system to the Cuajone Mine facility in 2013. SCC operates mines and metal processing factories in Peru, US and Mexico. The company mines and produces copper, molybdenum, selenium, gold and silver and also invests in the exploration and harnessing of mineral deposits in Peru, Mexico and Chile.
