Wirtgen Surface Miners in Operation Around the Globe
Effi cient Mining of Rock and Professional Customer Service
Surface mining – an internationally established method for rock mining
BRAZIL› Limestone 2 SM› Bauxite 3 SM
COSTA RICA› Limestone 3 SM
FRENCH GUYANA› Limestone 1 SM
BOLIVIA› Salt 2 SM
MEXICO› Limestone 2 SM› Gypsum 1 SM › Salt 2 SM
CANADA› Limestone 1 SM› Kimberlite 2 SM
USA› Limestone 16 SM › Coal 1 SM › Gypsum 19 SM › Dolomite 1 SM
SENEGAL› Limestone 2 SM
LIBYA› Limestone 11 SM
MOROCCO› Phosphate 1 SM
GUINEA› Bauxite 9 SM
ALGERIA› Limestone 7 SM › Phosphate 1 SM
EUROPE› Limestone 32 SM› Oil shale 3 SM› Salt 19 SF› Pegmatite 1 SM› Gypsum 1 SM › Coal 4 SM› Tuff 1 SM
DOM. REPUBLIC› Limestone 3 SM
CHILE› Caliche 1 SM› Salt 2 SM
SURFACE MINERAPPLICATION BY ROCK TYPE
101Coal
169Limestone
52Iron Ore
30Gypsum
30Salt
12 6 5 4 13
OtherBauxite
KimberlitePhosphate
Granite
2 //3
UZBEKISTAN› Phosphate 3 SM › Gypsum 2 SM
CHINA› Limestone 1 SM › Caliche 1 SM › Coal 3 SM
LIBYA› Limestone 11 SM
IRAN› Gypsum 3 SM
ISRAEL› Phosphate 1 SM
LEBANON› Limestone 1 SM
EGYPT› Gypsum 1 SM
NIGERIA› Limestone 7 SM
SOUTH AFRICA› Kimberlite 1 SM › Limestone 1 SM › Coal 1 SM › Gypsum 3 SM
SAUDI ARABIA› Limestone 2 SM› Phosphate 1 SM
YEMEN› Limestone 1 SM
THAILAND› Shale 2 SM
BOTSWANA› Clay stone 1 SM › Salt 1 SM
JAPAN› Limestone 2 SM › Granite 5 SM
INDONESIA› Limestone 3 SM › Coal 6 SM
QATAR› Limestone 6 SM
AUSTRALIA› Limestone 1 SM › Tuff 1 SM › Salt 3 SM › Iron ore 52 SM › Coal 5 SM
INDIA› Limestone 39 SM › Coal 75 SM
RUSSIA› Limestone 19 SM› Kimberlite 1 SM› Coal 3 SM› Salt 1 SM
MONGOLIA› Coal 1 SM
UKRAINE› Limestone 3 SM
KAZAKHSTAN› Limestone 2 SM› Coal 2 SM
PHILIPPINES› Limestone 1 SM
In recent years, the fleet of surface miners owned by
Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), one of the world’s
largest producers of iron ore, has grown to a total of 28
Wirtgen 4200 SM. They are the recipe of success for the
economical and selective mining of high-quality iron ore
in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. “The Wirtgen
surface miners allow us to separate the iron ore from the
overburden. The bulk of the iron ore deposit could not
be mined using conventional methods, which is why the
surface miners are a key element of our success,” says
Cody Faryna, Surface Mining Manager at FMG’s Christ-
mas Creek mine site.
Surface mining entails substantial cost savings
Surface mining contrasts strongly with conventional drill-
ing and blasting methods: surface miners from Wirtgen
cut, crush and load the material in a single operational
step, creating huge potential savings. For example, the
production costs per tonne of iron ore are reduced by
around 40 %, and investment costs are also about 50 %
lower than with the conventional mining method.
As many as twenty-eight Wirtgen 4200 SM surface miners are mining iron ore in Down Under.
Project details Mining material: iron ore (ultra-abrasive) Unconfined compressive strength: 60 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 4200 SM Number of machines in operation: 28 Production rate of one 4200 SM per day: up to 63,000 t
Australia: mining iron ore on a grand scale
4 //5
4200 SM – top performance made to measure
“It is admirable how Wirtgen has succeeded in imple-
menting such a high cutting rate right from the start in
their first large-scale project in iron ore,” says Graeme
Rowley, Executive Director at FMG until March 2010.
The extremely powerful 4200 SM – a surface miner that
weighs over 200 t and offers a tremendous engine power
of 1,194 kW / 1,623 PS – is a joint development by Wirt-
gen and FMG. In iron ore mining, it has a cutting width
of 4,200 mm and a cutting depth ranging from 650 mm
to 830 mm. Depending on rock hardness, each 4200 SM
is capable of producing up to 3,800 t per hour of iron
ore. The high-performance machine achieves production
rates that are twice as high as those of the 2500 SM
which was successfully used by FMG at the beginning
of the mining operation.
Load as required
The iron ore deposits at the FMG mine are of a partly
homogeneous, partly inhomogeneous nature. However,
the 4200 SM offers the perfect mining method for both
types of material. Homogeneous iron ore of consistently
high quality is loaded directly on waiting dumpers via the
miner’s high-performance conveyor system. This method
offers the major advantage that mining and loading are
effected economically in a single operation. Inhomoge-
neous material is windrowed between the 4200 SM’s
track units after mining without using the machine’s
conveyor system, making it easier to identify and differ-
entiate its quality. Further advantages include optimized
transport logistics and better control of the material flow
at FMG. Wirtgen is the only manufacturer worldwide
offering both methods.
The ultra-strong 4200 SM deposits inhomogeneous iron ore as a windrow between the track units.
FMG uses the Wirtgen surface miners as their principal mining equipment, operating them on a 24/7 basis.
Russia: mining limestone without drilling and blasting
At the ZAO Kavkazcement mine site, cement produc-
er Eurocement has relied on mechanized mining by
means of surface miners since 2005. The impressive
mining performance of the first two 2200 SM machines
prompted Eurocement in 2008 to order the next bigger
surface miner model, the 2500 SM. Decisive factors for
Eurocement were the surface miners’ ability to mine the
specified tonnage at high productivity levels and low
operating costs and to reliably crush the material within
the specified grading range. In addition, they needed
to perfectly fit into the existing mine structures. Three
2500 SM are currently in operation at the mine.
One of the major advantages of surface mining over
drilling and blasting is that the material can be direct-
ly loaded on trucks via a high-performance conveyor
system. Eurocement also uses other loading methods,
however, if required. If an embankment needs to be
stabilized, for example, the surface miners discharge the
required limestone material to the side of the machine
for stockpiling. This offers the additional advantage of
the cutting process being entirely independent of truck
loading.
Project details Mining material: limestone Unconfined compressive strength: 35 to 70 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM Number of machines in operation: 3 Production rate of one 2500 SM per hour: 515 to 580 t
Surface mining produces accurate, stable embankments and even, easily trafficable surfaces.
6 //7
India: long-standing partnership ensures efficient coal mining
have therefore begun in 1999 to reorganize coal produc-
tion from drilling and blasting to Wirtgen surface miners.
Currently, 80 % of the coal is mined using the surface
mining process while the remaining 20 % is mined using
conventional methods.
At the Gevra mine site, windrowing has proven to be the
ideal mining method as it facilitates identification of the
material quality and is the most economical method of
coal production. When using the windrowing method,
the coal is deposited as a windrow between the miner’s
rear track units without using the conveyor system.
This makes the cutting process entirely independent
of truck loading but requires the coal to be loaded
separately at a later date using front loaders.India is the world’s third-largest producer of hard coal.
Sainik Mining and Allied Services Ltd. is a contracting
partner of Coal India, the country’s largest coal producer,
and owns 21 Wirtgen surface miners. As many as ten
2200 SM machines are in operation at the Gevra mine
site which extends over a total area of 530 km² in the
state of Chhattisgarh. The vertical coal seams at the
Gevra mine site need to be exploited by selective min-
ing. In addition, 90 % of the coal must have a maximum
particle size after cutting of 100 mm. The mine operators
Windrowing enables coal of marginal quality to be identified and removed more easily.
Project details Mining material: coal Unconfined compressive strength: 30 to 35 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM Number of machines in operation: 10 Production rate of one 2200 SM per day: 15,000 t
USA: highly selective mining of thin lignite layersThe Red Hills Mine (USA) delivers 77,000 tonnes per
week of lignite to a neighbouring power plant. In April
2010, an older model was replaced by an ultra-modern
4200 SM. The surface miner’s significantly higher cutting
and loading performance enabled the mine operators to
tremendously increase productivity levels while at the
same time reducing the fines content in the mining mate-
rial. Whereas around eight 12-hour shifts had previously
been necessary to mine the quantity of coal required
by the power plant, the high-performance miner from
Wirtgen achieved the same production rate in only six to
seven shifts.
The lignite deposit is present in the mine in layers of only
0.79 m to 1.37 m in thickness. The small thickness of
the individual layers poses no problem at all, however,
to the 4200 SM: its precisely adjustable cutting depth
enables the machine to remove the lignite with pinpoint
accuracy, at the highest purity and at production rates
of up to 2,800 t per hour. High calorific values and low
ash contents are guaranteed. The 4200 SM can even be
used to efficiently remove the 10-m thick intermediate
layers of sandy loam.
Compared with the predecessor model, the 4200 SM from Wirtgen enabled the fines content to be reduced from 20% to 8%.
Project details Mining material: ligniteUnconfined compressive strength: 15 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 4200 SM Number of machines in operation: 1 Production rate per hour: up to 2,800 t
8 //9
China: environmentally friendly coal mining
The Shengli Mine, which extends over a total area of
340 km², has become a reference project in China for
the environmentally friendly mining of coal. The lowest
coal seam comprises layers of variable coal quality.
Since 2009, a 2200 SM equipped with a 3.8 m wide
cutting drum unit has been mining these layers selec-
tively at cutting depths of up to 25 cm. In actual figures,
the 2200 SM cuts up to 5,000 tonnes of coal in a single
8-hour shift.
The 2200 SM produces small-sized material – 97 % of
the mining material has a particle size smaller 100 mm.
The smaller particle size enables the trucks to accept
10% more coal per truck load. At the Shenhua Mine,
for example, conventional mining methods require
526,000 truck transports per 10 million tonnes of coal.
If the entire coal production were reorganized to
surface mining, the number of truck transports could
be reduced to 500,000. Fewer trucks, less fuel and
less maintenance are required for the same production
volume. The 2200 SM gives an impressive demonstra-
tion of how high-quality material can be mined without
the huge environmental impacts caused by drilling and
blasting.
Selective mining ensures a high degree of purity of the material deposited using the windrowing method.
Project details Mining material: coalUnconfined compressive strength: 15 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM Number of machines in operation: 1 Production rate per day: up to 5,000 t
Estonia: selective mining of high-quality oil shale
Kiviöli Keemiatööstuse (Kiviöli) and Eesti Energia Mining,
Estonia’s leading oil shale producers, rely on the use of
surface miners from Wirtgen. These machines have given
priority to the economic efficiency of the mining process.
Four deposits are currently operated as opencast mines,
generating approximately 50 % of the country’s entire pro-
duction. In the Kiviöli mine, which extends across an area
of around 2.44 ha, a Wirtgen surface miner 2500 SM has
been in operation since 2003.
The mining material can be deposited as a windrow
either behind or next to the surface miner. Alternatively,
it is directly loaded on trucks for immediate removal.
Selective mining using surface miners enables each layer
to be removed in a separate operation. The yield of oil
shale per square metre is increased, while the material
quality is improved at the same time. In contrast to drilling
and blasting, surface mining enables oil shale of high
quality to be mined in a selective process using a single
machine. The high quality of the mining product makes
it suitable for both oil production and energy generation.
Selective mining additionally enables the limestone de-
posits surrounding the oil shale to be sold as a separate
end product.
Project details Mining material: oil shale Unconfined compressive strength: 15 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM Number of machines in operation: 3 Production rate of one 2500 SM per hour: up to 1,400 t
Drilling and blasting leads to a significant degree of mixing between oil shale and limestone – the 2500 SM mines both in a selective process.
10 //11
Mexico: rich salt harvest
The 2200 SM is equipped with a 3.8 m wide cutting drum unit and deposits the salt in a windrow, ready for loading.
Exportadora del Sal S.A. (ESSA) operates huge sea water
salt evaporation ponds not far from the city of Guerrero
Negro in Western Mexico. The salt level “grows” by about
20 cm over the course of one year. The resulting salt crust
needs to be harvested with great precision to allow for
a maximum salt yield, create an even and clean surface
and avoid damage to the newly forming salt crust. The
2200 SM, which has been designed with a maximum
cutting depth of 25 cm, a cutting width of 3.8 m and an
engine output of 708 kW / 963 PS, is perfectly tailored to
meet this challenge. The cutting drum is mounted close
to the machine’s centre of gravity to guarantee maximum
cutting performance. It produces even, stable surfaces
that are ideally suited to the use of trucks. The four track
units can be adjusted in height separately via hydraulic
cylinders to allow accurate setting of both cutting depth
and cross slope. Field operation quickly showed that the
machine is utilized to optimum capacity when operating
at an average cutting depth of 20 cm and working speed
of 15 to 20 m / min. Since 2012, the 2200 SM has been
setting new standards in ESSA’s salt mine. The fines
content of the mining material precisely meets custom-
er specifications – and the machine’s performance is
quite impressive, too: the 2200 SM harvests an average
895 t / h of salt at diesel consumption rates of only 106 l / h
or 0.12 l / t respectively. As a result, nothing stands in the
way of a profitable salt harvest.
Project details Mining material: salt Unconfined compressive strength: 10 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM Number of machines in operation: 1 Production rate per hour: 895 t
USA: mining gypsum in small sizes
Mining gypsum by cutting has been an established
process in the USA for several decades. Wirtgen sur-
face miners are in continuous operation in most gypsum
quarries in the southern United States, mining gypsum
in a selective process – 16 miners of type 2200 SM
altogether, each with a working width of 2.2 m.
The material is mined at particle sizes smaller 150 mm
– the small-sized product ensures easy processing in
the nearby production facilities. The gypsum mined in a
selective process is windrowed behind the machine and
then loaded on waiting trucks by means of front loaders.
Even surfaces created by the Wirtgen surface miners
facilitate the use of transport vehicles. The surface
miners also create precise, stable highwalls without the
need for drilling and blasting. Anhydrite, a signifi cantly
harder (70 MPa) type of rock, is mined here in addition to
gypsum which has an unconfi ned compressive strength
of only 30 MPa. No problem at all for the 2200 SM: the
surface miner is capable of mining the different materials
selectively without having to interrupt operation or alter
the cutting depth.
Selective mining produces a high yield of gypsum of high purity in a resource-effi cient process.
Project details Mining material: gypsumUnconfi ned compressive strength: 30 MPaSurface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SMNumber of machines in operation: 16Production rate of one 2200 SM per hour: 250 t
12 //13
In an opencast mine in the north of Saudi Arabia, a
2500 SM surface miner equipped with a 2.5-m wide cutting
drum has been mining large phosphate deposits in a highly
economical process since 2012. In addition to the primary
extraction of relatively soft phosphate with an unconfi ned
compressive strength of 25 MPa, the 2500 SM also mines
the surrounding hard limestone (80 MPa) and extremely
hard fl int (150 MPa) selectively in separate layers. In this
project, the surface mining technology can demonstrate its
full potential: cutting, crushing and loading the material in a
single operational step is much more effi cient than conven-
tional drilling and blasting. This has a direct impact in terms
of signifi cantly lower labour, machine and operating costs.
In addition, mining proceeds without any detonations and
at lower dust emission levels. Phosphate, limestone and
fl int are mined in a selective process, increasing the yield
quota of the entire deposit. The 2500 SM extracts minerals
of different hardness without any breaks in operation. In
addition, it precisely separates the different material layers,
thus improving both the degree of purity and the quality of
the end product. In the process, the 2500 SM produces
particle sizes smaller 80 mm which eliminates the need for
complex primary crushing.
Project details Mining material: phosphateUnconfi ned compressive strength: 25 MPaSurface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SMNumber of machines in operation: 1Production rate per hour: 800 t
After cutting, the material is directly loaded on trucks via the discharge conveyor for transport to further processing.
Saudi Arabia: economical mining of phosphate deposits
Brazil: intelligent technology and logistics for efficient bauxite mining
Three Wirtgen 2500 SM surface miners have been in
operation at the Mineração Paragominas mine in the far
north of Brazil since March 2011, revolutionizing bauxite
mining.
Featuring a cutting width of 2.5 m and cutting depth of
up to 650 mm, each 2500 SM mines up to 7,500,000
tonnes of bauxite per year. The 100-tonne machine is
driven by a 783-kW / 1,065-PS engine. The material is
loaded on trucks via the 11.0-m long discharge convey-
or – thus dispensing with the need for additional mining
equipment such as excavators or wheel loaders. “The
2500 SM achieves production rates equal to those of
two or three conventional mining sets,“ says Cláudio
Morgado, Maintenance Manager at Mineração Parago-
minas. “This not only reduces production costs but also
makes work in the mine much safer.” The surface mining
process not only saves time and costs, however, but
reduces energy consumption as well. In addition, it is an
environmentally friendly process. Vibration-free operation
and the low levels of noise and dust developing during
the mining operation are yet another mark in favour
when compared to conventional methods.
Each of the three 2500 SM surface miners is a powerhouse extract-ing around 800 tonnes of bauxite per hour.
Project details Mining material: bauxiteUnconfined compressive strength: up to 50 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM Number of machines in operation: 3 Production rate of one 2500 SM per hour: 800 t
14 //15
Qatar: routing operations for the construction of a port facility
Instead of drilling and blasting, CHCC chose the innovative Wirtgen surface mining technology.
Project details Mining material: hard rock Unconfined compressive strength: 35 to 40 MPa Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM Number of machines in operation: 3 Production rate of one 2500 SM per hour: 400 t
A total of 50 million m³ of mostly hard rock needed to be
removed for construction of the new, ultra-modern deep-
water seaport in Doha (Qatar). The project was awarded
to China Harbour Construction Co. (CHCC). The Chinese
contractor had originally planned to complete the job in a
conventional manner using drilling and blasting.
The Wirtgen team – consisting of the local dealer in Qatar,
the subsidiary based in China and the responsible Area
Sales Manager based in Germany – succeeded in con-
vincing CHCC that surface mining was the ideal method
for this project due to the economical and ecological
advantages it offered. In June 2012, CHCC purchased
a Wirtgen 2500 SM surface miner with a cutting width
of 2.5 m. The miner’s excellent cutting results and the
premium-class after-sales service offered by Wirtgen fully
convinced CHCC so that two additional 2500 SM ma-
chines reported for duty in Qatar in June 2013.
Working closely together, Wirtgen and its local dealers
have since ensured the consistently high operational avail-
ability of the surface miners and thus optimum planning
security for CHCC. In short: the three 2500 SM surface
miners from Wirtgen are the keys to success in this
multinational large-scale project.
Country / application: Japan / routing operations
Mining material: granite
Unconfined compressive strength: 140 to 260 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM
Number of machines: 4
Production rate: 20 to 200 t / h
Country / application: Libya / routing operations
Mining material: limestone
Unconfined compressive strength: 40 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2100 SM
Number of machines: 6
Production rate: 400 t / h
Country / application: Germany / routing operations
Mining material: shale
Unconfined compressive strength: 80 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2100 SM
Number of machines: 1
Production rate: 250 t / h
Country / application: Austria / quarry
Mining material: dolomite
Unconfined compressive strength: 75 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM
Number of machines: 1
Production rate: 330 t / h
Wirtgen surface mining – other international reference projects
16 //17
Country / application: Canada / opencast mine
Mining material: kimberlite
Unconfined compressive strength: 35 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM
Number of machines: 2
Production rate: 350 t / h
Country / application: Russia / recultivation
Mining material: sand (frozen)
Unconfined compressive strength: 25 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2200 SM
Number of machines: 1
Production rate: 230 t / h
Country / application: Nigeria / opencast mining
Mining material: limestone
Unconfined compressive strength: 40 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM
Number of machines: 7
Production rate: 600 t / h
Country / application: Guinea / opencast mining
Mining material: bauxite
Unconfined compressive strength: 40 MPa
Surface miner type: Wirtgen 2500 SM
Number of machines: 1
Production rate: 500 t / h
Customized service concepts ensure 24 / 7 operation
Surface miners are used as the principal mining tech-
nology and are typically operated on a 24-hour basis.
Maximum machine availability is therefore an important
criterion for success. In addition to the surface mining
technology, Wirtgen offers an extensive range of services
presenting the company as a reliable partner.
To guarantee machine availability, Wirtgen offers a
unique customer-specific service for large-scale pro-
jects: in close cooperation between the German main
plant and the Wirtgen Group’s local subsidiary, Wirtgen
sets up additional service facilities in the immediate
vicinity of the customer’s site. Service centres ensure the
professional repair or overhaul of surface miners while
enabling a comprehensive parts inventory to be stocked
at the same time. Needless to say that, as part of the
efficient service concept, highly qualified Wirtgen Group
specialist staff is present at the service centre and in the
mine all the time to ensure optimal machine support.
Maintaining communication with and proximity to our
customers guarantee short response times. New require-
ments, process modifications or machine developments
can therefore be implemented at short notice – both on
the mine site and at the plant.
Spare parts required for daily use, for long-term use and
for regular maintenance on site can be stocked at the
service centre. In addition to the repair or overhaul of
single components, Wirtgen’s service offer also includes
the complex refurbishment of entire plants or the general
overhaul of surface miners. Vital components, such as
engines or gearboxes, are always kept in stock at the
German main plant to ensure prompt delivery. To guar-
antee optimal machine utilization, Wirtgen additionally
offers a broad, ongoing training programme at the mine,
the service centre or the German main plant.
18 //19
Service technicians are trained at the Wirtgen main plant in Germany on a regular basis.
Logistics centres ensure that all required spare parts are stocked in the immediate vicinity of the customer’s site.
Cutting drums and conveyor systems are overhauled professionally in our own workshops on site.
Wirtgen service technicians, application specialists and warehouse staff guarantee smooth, reliable operation of the machines.
Illustrations and texts are non-binding and may include customized fi ttings. Subject to technical changes. Performance data depend on operational conditions. No. 2321784 43-31 EN-10/13 © by Wirtgen GmbH 2013. Printed in Germany
Wirtgen GmbHReinhard-Wirtgen-Str. 2 · 53578 Windhagen · GermanyPhone: +49 (0) 26 45 / 131-0 · Fax: +49 (0) 26 45 / 131-392Internet: www.wirtgen.com · E-Mail: [email protected]
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