Australasian Mining Review
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/37922
78 Maximum effi ciency through Voith fl uid couplings Australia is one of the major coal producing countries in the world, with an production output of 409,200 Mt in 2009. In regards to productivity and effi ciency of the whole process coal mining is facing continuously new challenges. During mining the coal is transported from the seam on armored- face conveyors. For the conveyor drives, Voith has developed the world’s most powerful mining coupling with a transmission capacity of 1600 kW – the CPC 1600 (Chain Protection Coupling). T he new coupling is a further development of the 1200 kW CPC 1200 launched by Voith only about a year ago. Since their market introduction, over 30 CPC 1200 couplings have been successfully installed in various coal mines. In principle, both couplings have to fulfi ll the same requirements: they have to work reliably under extreme operating conditions in underground mines. Both are robust and cope with rough surroundings, for example high amounts of dust and debris from fallen coal. They are fi ll-controlled and use water as an eco-friendly, non-fl ammable operating fl uid. The CPC 1600 is currently the most powerful hydrodynamic AFC coupling for OEMs. In order to achieve this increase in output, Voith has developped a fundamentally new geometry of the runner parts. The CPC 1600 is the most powerful AFC coupling from Voith. A coupling of this output class offers clear advantages to operators: compared to a standard coupling of a similar size, the transmission output of the CPC 1600 is 60 percent higher. In comparison with the CPC 1200, the increase in performance amounts to approximately one third. As a result of this improved capacity, up to twelve meter high coal faces can be cut to their full height. In short, the CPC makes coal extraction even more effi cient, as none of the seams remain unexploited. It goes without saying that the CPC 1600 offers the same advantages as any other Voith hydrodynamic start-up coupling. It ensures that the armored-face conveyor starts reliably, even if fully loaded. At the same time, the coupling protects the drive motor against overloads. If oversized lumps of coal cause the conveyor to jolt, the fi ll-controlled Voith coupling “slips“ as a result of its hydro dynamic characteristics. This “slip” provides effective protection for the entire driveline and especially the conveyor chain. Should the conveyor be blocked, the CPC 1600 shows its particular strength: during several start-up attempts, it can transmit a peak output of 4 MW, until the conveyor fi nally breaks away. This output corresponds to the power of approximately 40 mid-range cars. Miners appreciate this extra strength, because they do not have to clear the conveyor by hand. Additionally, the coupling increases overall operating safety, because it is extremely reliably due to its wear-free power transmitting capabilities. [Drive Systems] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _