The Sinarsky Quarry is in the Kurgan region (Urals) of Russia. The company has invested more than two million euros ($AUD2.95 million) on the new Sandvik crushing and screening plant, and aims to double its aggregates production.
This leap in production is required to meet the doubling of demand for aggregates for local authority road construction and infrastructure projects.
Aggregates from the Sinarsky Quarry are in high demand because they are famous for high resistance and density, due to the unique geological qualities of the local touchstone and liparite.
However, these attributes come at a price; the rock is also very demanding on crushing and screening equipment efficiency. This meant when the quarry’s management sought to improve production, they decided to source equipment from a reliable European supplier that could provide the ideal solution.
To this end they contacted Sandvik Construction, which could not only supply the equipment but develop a crushing and screening process that maximised production while ensuring accurately sized products.
{{image2-A:R-w:220}}Following discussions between Sandvik and quarry management it was agreed the best solution for improving production was to supply an assortment of stationary equipment, comprising three crushers, two screens, three feeders and one grizzly feeder.
The first stage of the process sees the rock fed to a ST1263 grizzly feeder. Here about nine per cent of fines (0–20mm) are separated. The material then proceeds to a CJ411 jaw crusher for primary crushing.
After this, the secondary crushing is performed by a CH440 cone crusher with an EC-chamber, which produces 0-5mm, 20-40mm and 40-70mm fractions. After screening by a CS108, the oversize material is then recycled. The 5-20mm, 20-40mm and 40-70mm fractions are fed into a CH440 cone crusher with an F-chamber for crushing.
The quarry initially aimed to produce 5-20mm aggregates with 10 per cent flakiness, but the first laboratory tests showed the flakiness index was below five per cent.
Thus, after tertiary crushing, the material is fed into a CS126 triple-deck screen that produces 0-5mm and 5-20mm final fractions. At first the share of the 5-20mm fraction was 36 per cent, but thanks to the flexibility of the new plant the quarry can automatically change the volume ratio of desired fractions, thereby anticipating fluctuations in market demand.
To ensure production requirements are being met, a six-month trial period has been scheduled. During this time the operators can undertake any required enhancements and find the best parameters for more efficient crushing.
However, the management of the Sinarsky Quarry foresee just a few shutdowns being required, because all constituent crushing and screening parts have been primarily selected and configured in accordance with results of geological tests performed by Sandvik specialists. This means the equipment is focused on providing the best performance under the exacting quarrying conditions.
The Sinarsky Quarry operation has been a great success. It is not the only plant Sandvik Construction has installed, but it is the first of its kind.
As Cristian Rusu, the crushing and screening sales manager for Sandvik Construction’s north Europe (Region East) division, said, there are more than 40 similar plants operating in Russia “but this one is the first modular plant. It incorporates the latest Sandvik technologies and design.
“Our vast experience in this field has made it possible to offer the most efficient solution for the Sinarsky Quarry, which will help the company to produce sufficient volumes of desired fractions”.
Source: Sandvik Construction