How Fenner Conveyors’ Belts are Built to Last
Published in Australian Bulk Handling Review
Sustainable operations and minimising waste are of critical importance to mining companies. ABHR looks at how Fenner Conveyors is designing its products to meet this need.
Mining operations in underground long-wall mining are increasingly considering how to enhance the sustainability of their projects. Key advancements in equipment, including conveyor belting, have helped.
Often, in underground coal mining, operators move the long wall around to different sections of coal. During service, the belt can convey coal and rocks. When cutting through faults, the rock creates high impact, cutting and gouging the belt’s surface. As a result, old sections of conveyor belt are removed and new sections are installed, which leaves the mine with the issue of waste.
The ability to refurbish the belt and reuse it on the same or another system is referred to as recoverability. A cheaper conveyor belt often sees its recoverability drop dramatically, reducing its likelihood of being suitable for reuse on the same or another system.
Fenner Conveyors’ high-quality belts are built to withstand the abuse of underground coal mining for longer durations. The company combines its premium rubber cover compounds, like FireBoss S, with unique weaves for the conveyor belt fabric carcass, to enhance the likelihood of recoverability.
Sales and branch support manager, Craig Larkin, said this brings several benefits, including reduced waste and capital costs.
“It tends to vary mine to mine, in terms of how much rock is mixed in with the coal and how much damage is done,” he told ABHR.
“Typically, our FireBoss S belt gets 85 to 90 per cent back in the first year, and typically, it’ll go to 80 per cent in the next year. With the less expensive belting, it’ll be 80 per cent in the first year, 60 per cent in the second year and they’ll be lucky to get 40 per cent in the third year because it’s deteriorating so poorly.”
“We produce multiple levels of quality too. We have a FireBoss PVC, which is used with solid woven belting and is designed for belts in shorter change-out cycles, while the premium FireBoss S product, which is a fabric ply combined with neoprene compound, will typically go on to give five to eight years.”
Fenner Conveyors has been developing the FireBoss product for over 30 years. Through decades of innovation, the FireBoss S belt has proven to withstand the harsh conditions of the Australian mining sector and provide value for money.
The FireBoss S conveyor belt cover compound is designed and manufactured in Australia for underground mining. Fenner Conveyors has constructed the compound with specific safety features to withstand the challenges of underground mining operations, including resistance to static and fire hazards.
According to both internal and external testing, the FireBoss S compound is at the forefront of the market in terms of abrasion resistance, adhesions, tear resistance, and reduced aging. In real-world applications like the Queensland mining sector, some mines have found that they can reuse 8.5-9km of every 10km of belt used in longwall mining for the next mining block.
This higher recoverability rate can lead to a lower cost of ownership for mining operations.
“There’s a lot of moving parts with underground mining, but typically, you get what you pay for, which is what I’ve seen personally and what customers tell me,” Larkin said.
“Above all, you want the longest life out of your belt; you want to avoid the unpredictable time and costs to complete repair works to splices and belt.
“The quality of FireBoss makes it much easier to run, track, and steer, and I often hear that. Customers notice when they install our belt, they don’t have the same downtime attributable to inferior conveyor belt.”
By using FireBoss, mining operations can also improve their sustainability, through increased usage. More than ever, mining operations are thinking about their environmental impact and moving away from unsustainable practices.
So are manufacturers like Fenner Conveyors, which is dedicated to achieving its ambitious sustainability commitments. With a higher recoverability rate, proven by testing and real-world applications, FireBoss can help customers reduce environmental impacts of mining operations.
Support down under
As an Australian-based manufacturer, Fenner Conveyors provides a high level of service to its customers across the country. As part of the investment with Fenner Conveyors, customers will receive complete support across the product’s lifecycle.
Fenner Conveyors employs an expert team of conveyor specialists to provide innovative and reliable solutions in all material handling situations, including emergencies and site shutdowns. The company performs belt refurbishments, site inspections and maintains a conveyor monitoring database to ensure customer systems are operating at an optimal level.
“It makes sense from our point of view that if we can help customers operate their conveyor systems at their most efficient levels, then they’re going to get value for it,” said Larkin.
“We are here for the long haul. That is the one thing I feel quite proud about working for Fenner Conveyors: if we have a problem, we fix it. If someone has an issue, we respond.
“As a local manufacturer, lead times are reduced; we can produce belting at three locations across the country, have it dispatched and at your door for when you need it. We supply the belt, we install the belt, and we maintain it.
“Because we have been specialising in this for the last 80 years in Australia, we’re able to ensure a consistent level of quality every time, and customers know they’re going to get the same (quality) time after time.”
