RRC system for machine retrieval

HARD-LINE, an international technology company (headquarters in Canada), and Murray Engineering, an Australian mining services provider officially partnered in 2019. Murray provides comprehensive support for HARD-LINE products in Australia, Mongolia, Africa, and the Middle East. This retrieval service is one of many HARD-LINE/Murray collaborations, and for this project an LH621 Loader was buried in rock underground at a nickel mine site in Australia.

RRC was installed on an MED210 to extract the LHD that was buried by rocks in a stope. With two Murray Engineering technicians on site, the MED was towed into place 30 metres from the buried vehicle. The MED’s boom was raised as the head plate was positioned against the roof, locking the MED firmly into place. The MED is then attached to the buried machine using a set of rated slings and shackles, which in turn are connected via engineered links to the MED pulling racks. From there, the bridle plate is interlocked onto the teeth of the MED racks, which are then pulled through the MED via two hydraulic cylinders using up to 210T of pulling force.

Traditional extraction methods use other mining assets like loaders and haul trucks to pull out the buried machine. The uncontrolled movement of the vehicles can present many problems like damage to the mine or the machines, while putting operators and spotters at far greater risk. The typical process is uneconomical, normally interrupting production for weeks compared to only a few days with the remote operated MED.

Due to the dangers that come with machine recoveries, the Elphinstone MED is operated remotely from a safe distance of up to 100 metres away with critical data and live video. The risk of injury is significantly reduced even if the retrieval sling fails during operation of the MED. Also, ore production is not compromised as mining equipment can maintain operations while the remote-controlled MED is in use.

The RRC unit is equipped with a digital display showing key data including the amount of force being applied. With the RetrieveME service, no remediation to the mine is required and there is no additional damage to the mining asset after successful retrieval. This service is available at a fraction of the cost of replacing an entire machine.

Using RRC, the LHD was successfully removed at a safe distance for operators. Typically, these extractions are completed in 2 - 5 days depending on underground conditions.

Mining equipment is built to extract ore, not to extract mining equipment. Murray Engineering’s MED, which includes HARD-LINE’s industry-leading remote controls and Elphinstone’s MED, provides underground mine sites with a retrieval service that reduces costs and increases safety. This service has been used frequently in underground mines all over Australia.