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86 www.resourceworld.com F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 8 MININGWORLD Rail-Veyor – a new direction in material haulage by Kathrine Moore B ased in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Rail-Veyor offers an innovative, flexible, cost efficient method of hauling material that has a low impact on the environment. Rail- Veyor technology, suitable for surface and underground applications, combines the flexibility of truck hauling with the energy efficiency of conveyors and the durability of rail lines without the high-cost infrastructure of heavy rail. According to the company, energy efficiency is one of the most significant advan- tages the Rail-Veyor system offers. Using a fraction of the energy of haul trucks, the system has a high payload-to-weight ratio. Rail-Veyor cars, when linked together with a spill-proof connection, create a continuous, low-profile steel trough. Because Rail-Veyor trains are powered by external, low-profile, drive stations positioned at intervals along the track, the train does not have to carry the drive mechanism. Typically, 75% of the energy is being used to move material, rather than the transport itself. Even when compared to conveyors that lose energy to friction as rubber belts run over numerous steel rollers, the Rail-Veyor is more energy efficient. And the system can "regenerate" electricity on down slopes. Another significant advantage of the Rail-Veyor system is its flexibility. The com- pany states that installation is quick and simple and, "Unlike conveyors or heavy rail lines, which are difficult (often impossible) to extend or re-route, Rail-Veyor lines can be modified quickly to accommodate changes to the mine plan." The entire system can be disassembled and relocated. According to Rail-Veyor, the rail system "requires far less aggregate than a heavy rail line and far less infrastructure than a traditional conveyor. A Rail-Veyor installation also requires less surface improvement than constructing a roadway suitable for haul trucks." Rail-Veyor states that, "installations are highly customizable and can be modified to suit the topography and material to be handled at each site. Rail-Veyor technology can be used over various operating distances, including tracks less than 1 km to over 50 km." The trains can easily operate on slopes up to 22% and can negotiate tight turns. Once the car gets to the unloading site the car tips its load as it rolls off the end of the loop and then re-inverts itself as it continues along the track or reverses along the same vertical loop. The trains are quiet and nearly dust-free, have a significantly lower fire hazard and produce no emissions. Rail-Veyor installed a system at Vale's Creighton Mine near Sudbury where they implemented a test in a marginal near-surface deposit adjacent to their Copper Cliff North mine. According to Rail-Veyor, "The mine itself was only partially developed, having been closed as a result of the financial crisis and plunging commodity prices. Vale wanted to see if they could return it to profitable excavation using new, rapid development applications." The project was a success and clearly demonstrates the effi- ciency of the Rail-Veyor system. The Rail-Veyor system installed for Vale comprises 53 eight-foot, 30-inch width cars, each of which holds a ton of material moving at 0.3m/second during the loading opera- tion. The train travels up and down a 15% gradient at up to 3m/second once loading or unloading is complete. It takes eight minutes to load the 53-car train; the total cycle time for loading, dumping and returning is under 20 minutes. Mike Van Der Hooft, Vale, Production Superintendent & Project Manager High Speed Development said "Rail-Veyor is one piece of technology that we are using along with others to achieve extremely high rates, some cases, four times what we would call a normal advance rate on a phase. So it's an intricate part of the design for rapid development." The Rail-Veyor system is automated and can be monitored using a tablet or from central control. According to Rail- Veyor, "While haul truck operators must be licensed and highly trained, operating a Rail-Veyor system requires no special training or certification. Controls are com- puter or tablet-based and can be handled remotely by a single operator." The company states, implementing a Rail-Veyor system can help mine opera- tors address long-term concerns such as decreasing ore quality and stricter environ- mental regulation, as well as shorter-term considerations such as commodity prices and fuel prices." With its unmatched combination of low capital costs and low operating costs, Rail- Veyor also allows for mining operations in locations that would otherwise be unprofit- able due to challenging terrain, ore quality, or inaccessibility." Since this installation at Vale, Rail- Veyor has been gaining recognition around the world as they have a new system run- ning at Agnico Eagle's Goldex Mine in Val-d'Or , Quebec and also new systems currently being installed with Maroil in Venezuela and with Doe Run in South East Missouri. n Load tipping off the end of rail loop. Photo courtesy of Rail-Veyor.