ENERPAC has written about a recent application of its heavy hydraulic lifting technology at a minesite in Chile.
The hydraulic system was used by P&H MinePro Chile to safely position large mining shovels.
The system itself consisted of four 500t double-acting cylinders controlled by a combination of traditional hydraulics with a digital controller, sensors and actuators giving high precision synchronised lifting.
MinePro integrated the system into both bracket-type and large frame-type lifting apparatus designed to lift its shovels.
The lifting structures were designed to be rugged in order to deal with the high altitudes prevalent in Chilean copper mines. As such areas are subject to frequent high winds and occasional earthquakes, the system included anti-vibration measures.
According to Enerpac, the alternative of manually controlling the lifting process would have required a number of reliable people individually controlling the jacks. As the lift points not visible from other points, the operation would have required a lot of collaboration over radio.
The solution lay in a combination of traditional hydraulics with a digital controller, sensors, and actuators, which together comprise Enerpac Integrated Solutions’ synchronised lifting technology.
A PLC controller monitored load position at each lift point to within one millimetre by means of a cylinder displacement sensor associated with each jack.
According to Enerpac, the synchronised lifting technology eliminates the possibilities for confusion and error inherent in a multi-operator manual control approach.
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