Spotlight Feature Articles ME Elecmetal Comminution March 16 | Page 10

COMMINUTION
activities maximises mill availability and
increases overall profitability for customers. The
QdX4 is the first alternative to a GMD and makes
it simpler for mining operations to save time and
money.
Also from Metso, the new Megaliner for
grinding mill heads provides the same benefits
as the original Megaliner: “safe installation and
maximised availability.” However, since downtime
is costly for grinding mills, now, the company
states, installation time is much faster as the liner
has much fewer attachment points and the number
of liner components is reduced by up to 80%.
Metso has expanded its lightweight Poly-Met
Megaliners concept with the new Megaliner for
mill heads. “Like Metso's other Megaliners, this
newest offering increases productivity in mills
and makes maintenance and installation work
safer than it is with traditional liners. Suitable for
AG, SAG and ball mills, the easy-to-install
Megaliner for mill heads is larger than
conventional liners - and yet still light enough to
be handled by the same seven- to eight-axis liner
handlers. The Megaliner is also less prone to
cracking than other lining types commonly found
in this kind of application.”
The Megaliner for mill heads minimises the
number of components to be installed by
integrating multiple lifter and shell plate rows
and providing the option to include filling
segments. Fewer installation points speed up the
installation and change-out process, as well. The
reference installation of the Megaliner for mill
heads on a 38’ AG mill shows that installation
time was reduced by 30%, and there is potential
for even further improvements.
Megaliner's innovative attachment system
improves worker safety during installation and
change-outs; there is no need for workers to be
in the danger-zone of the liners since the liner
bolts are attached from the outside of the mill.
The Metso Liner Positioning System allows the
liner handler operator to act alone and position
liners without the guidance of others inside the
mill.
A frozen charge can be a challenge for mill
operators, as it usually involves considerable
downtime of the mill to remove it. If the frozen
charge is not detected during starting of the mill,
it can even lead to major damage with associated
repair costs and extended downtime.
Modern Siemens Gearless Mill Drives (GMDs)
offer not only the possibility to automatically
detect a frozen charge, but also the patented
solution Frozen Charge Shaker™ (FCS), which
allows for frozen charges to be loosened in a
quick, safe and controlled manner avoiding costly
and time-consuming manual loosening activities.
The FCS has been applied successfully on various
installations worldwide. At Los Bronces for
example the FCS has been an important
MARCH 2016 | International Mining

contributor to the benchmark availability of over
95% of the Confluencia concentrator plant. Los
Bronces suffered a frozen charge at Confluencia
on September 10, 2012 at ]