South Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Bucyrus International, the first mining equipment manufacturer to incorporate variable-frequency AC electric motors and controls into their machinery 30 years ago, is now offering AC electrical upgrade solutions for existing Bucyrus shovels and draglines. With the upgrade, owners of older Bucyrus equipment are now able to incorporate the latest in Bucyrus EDGE technology, an investment the company says is certain to improve productivity and availability
Drawing upon the company’s established AC technology acumen, Bucyrus is leading the way in providing AC Active Front End/Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (AFE/IGBT) AC helper drives to Bucyrus equipment owners with existing DC rotating equipped machines. Bucyrus recently completed the electrical upgrade of a Bucyrus 8200 dragline at the Wesfarmers Curragh property in Australia. This dragline was the first of its kind to be equipped with AC helper drives to the existing hoist and drag DC motions, and has been operating successfully since late April 2009.
Each Bucyrus machine considered for an AC upgrade is assessed on an individual basis by Bucyrus personnel, taking mine plan and machine design into account. With mine plan information and data in hand, along with existing mechanical and electrical data specific to the machine being evaluated, Bucyrus calculates the machine’s baseline productivity. Utilizing this information, the appropriate solution – AC helper drives, a full AC electrical upgrade, DC upgrade, or no upgrade at all – is determined.
In addition to the electrical diagnostics, Bucyrus evaluates the health of the machine’s mechanical components as they progress through the process. Equipped with the information provided by Bucyrus, machine owners are able to evaluate return-on-investment (ROI) figures to determine the best solution for their operation. Due to the scope of consideration and the meticulous process adhered to, Bucyrus is confident that all ROI and productivity figures presented to the customer will be soundly supported.
Learn more about Bucyrus EDGE technology at www.Bucyrus.com.
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