Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting Australia

Case Study - Moranbah North Coal Mine
Client - Anglo Coal, Moranbah, Queensland, Australia

The problem
After first opening in the 1990s, the Moranbah North Coal Mine, Queensland began to experience problems with the trunk conveyor belt, which suffered splice failures and delamination. For a mine producing around five million tons of coal per year, the poor reliability of the belt was a major problem, which eventually became intolerable.

In the event of trunk belt shutdown, the costs in terms of lost production at Moranbah North were estimated at over A$1million per day. Therefore the owners needed to replace the existing belt with a completely new trunk belt system, capable of sustained, problem-free service.

The solution
The decision to change the belt system was taken in 1999 and Fenner Dunlop Australia was given the task of supplying the replacement belting and carrying out all the splicing. Only one month was allowed from receiving the order to completing the change-out and Fenner Dunlop incorporating Apex Fenner Conveyor Services met the deadline with time to spare.

The specified 2000m x 2m (6564ft x 6.6ft) S-grade belt was the heaviest type manufactured by the company at that time, which is a reflection of Anglo Coal's faith in the quality of the Apex Custom Made ply belt product and Fenner Dunlop's conviction that it could handle such a demanding job. At a belt speed of 4.1m/s (13.5ft/s) the system can be required to convey 6,500 tons/hr, with a lift height of 75m (246ft).

The mine operator's faith was rewarded by the exceptional performance of the new trunk belt. Wear measurements on the carry cover now indicate that the belt could last for 20 years at planned production rates.

The benefits
The decision to change to an Apex Ply Belt has brought conveyor belt cost down to A$0.0025 per tonne of coal. This compares with a figure in excess of A$1 per ton prior to belt replacement, when the mine was in the early stages of production.

As a result of Anglo Coal's satisfaction with the trunk belt, all belting in operation both underground and in the washery has since been fully replaced with Apex Ply Belt product manufactured by Fenner Dunlop Australia. Apex Fenner Conveyor Services was also awarded the contract for total conveyor system maintenance, with a full time workforce on site to ensure the belts continue to deliver excellent production economics.

Details at a glance