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WOOD UPGRADES COBEX FLEET
00:00 21 Jul 1994
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Red Pit is the first privately owned site in Yorkshire to be
licensed to British Coal's increased production ceiling of
250,000t. To win the green field contract, Cobex had to agree to
strict environmental controls. 'We were awarded the contract in
1992, following 18 months of planning permission appraisals,' says
Cobex md Richard Wood.
'Our first task was to allay the environmental concern of both residents and the local water authority regarding noise, traffic and water course contamination. We have agreed a strict 55-hour-per-week working limit to satisfy residents and carried out extensive piezometric tests to ensure that water in the nearby Andsley reservoir would not be contaminated by the workings.
'Until recently, British Coal placed a 50,000t production limit on private open cast operators, but when the limit was raised to 0.25 million tonnes, small to medium sites such as Red Pit instantly became economically viable. Our fleet of Cat 245 excavators and D400D adts were ideally suited to the smaller tonnages, and to make the transition from a small to medium-sized operator, we needed to increase significantly the production potential of the fleet,' says Wood.
Wood's decision to move up the production scale coincided with the introduction of the 375, the largest model in Cat's 300 family. Rigged as an ME, the 82t 375 is equipped with a 6.0m3 bucket and gives a production advantage of around 20% over the 245D series II.
Leverton supplied, shipped and set up the 375, along with two 773Bs, in January. Starting from scratch allowed Cobex to develop the site to provide maximum productivity combined with minimum haulage. Irving Cobb, Cobex's production manager, commented: 'On some sites it is necessary to make the best of what is available. At Red Pit we have matched overburden removal to our equipment and to the available space.'
Cobb's attention to detail has paid dividends. Working from a 3.0m high bench, the 375 loads each 26.0m3 truck in five passes in 85 seconds. Because of the lack of space on the haul road and loading area, Cobb has built in a waiting bay some 20m back from the loading area. Returning trucks pull into this until the loaded truck passes and then reverse under the 375.
The big Cat excavator sits atop a 3.0m high bench and loads across the side of the truck body. 'The overburden is not particularly dense so we have specified a larger than standard bucket, and this allows us to load with maximum efficiency.
'Another advantage is that from his elevated position, the operator can see the whole of the target area and each truck is loaded fully, without spillage. The lack of spillage means the haul roads remain clean, and this is paying real dividends in reduced tyre damage and wear,' says Cobb.
'On a job of this nature,' says Wood, 'productivity is everything and the 375's additional engine power and higher breakout force is really proving its worth. A mass excavation machine should be able to keep working in all types of materials and conditions, and in terms of digging power, the 375 is a match for any machine in its class.' Wood should know about machine selection and matching: before forming Cobex 11 years ago he was employed in selling the equipment he now uses.
Working one bench down from the 375, an O&K RH90 with a 10.0m3 bucket is matched with a pair of 777B 95t dumptrucks; these work on the same principle as the Cat combination. Both sets of machines can dig down to within 200mm of the top seam. Overburden ratio is averaging out to around 17:1.
The overburden strip exposes the first coal in a series of three seams, each of which is around 300mm thick and split by blue bind clay. The lower seam is at a depth of some 26m. With the seams exposed, a Cat 320 cleans up around the seams, and a 225B with coaling bucket then loads 20t on-highway tippers to haul the coal to Cobex's processing site at Dewsbury. Here, after testing for calorific value, ash and sulphur content, the coal is mixed to form a batch blend to the specific requirements of National Power.
Details: enter 701 on card
'Our first task was to allay the environmental concern of both residents and the local water authority regarding noise, traffic and water course contamination. We have agreed a strict 55-hour-per-week working limit to satisfy residents and carried out extensive piezometric tests to ensure that water in the nearby Andsley reservoir would not be contaminated by the workings.
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'Until recently, British Coal placed a 50,000t production limit on private open cast operators, but when the limit was raised to 0.25 million tonnes, small to medium sites such as Red Pit instantly became economically viable. Our fleet of Cat 245 excavators and D400D adts were ideally suited to the smaller tonnages, and to make the transition from a small to medium-sized operator, we needed to increase significantly the production potential of the fleet,' says Wood.
Wood's decision to move up the production scale coincided with the introduction of the 375, the largest model in Cat's 300 family. Rigged as an ME, the 82t 375 is equipped with a 6.0m3 bucket and gives a production advantage of around 20% over the 245D series II.
Leverton supplied, shipped and set up the 375, along with two 773Bs, in January. Starting from scratch allowed Cobex to develop the site to provide maximum productivity combined with minimum haulage. Irving Cobb, Cobex's production manager, commented: 'On some sites it is necessary to make the best of what is available. At Red Pit we have matched overburden removal to our equipment and to the available space.'
Cobb's attention to detail has paid dividends. Working from a 3.0m high bench, the 375 loads each 26.0m3 truck in five passes in 85 seconds. Because of the lack of space on the haul road and loading area, Cobb has built in a waiting bay some 20m back from the loading area. Returning trucks pull into this until the loaded truck passes and then reverse under the 375.
The big Cat excavator sits atop a 3.0m high bench and loads across the side of the truck body. 'The overburden is not particularly dense so we have specified a larger than standard bucket, and this allows us to load with maximum efficiency.
'Another advantage is that from his elevated position, the operator can see the whole of the target area and each truck is loaded fully, without spillage. The lack of spillage means the haul roads remain clean, and this is paying real dividends in reduced tyre damage and wear,' says Cobb.
'On a job of this nature,' says Wood, 'productivity is everything and the 375's additional engine power and higher breakout force is really proving its worth. A mass excavation machine should be able to keep working in all types of materials and conditions, and in terms of digging power, the 375 is a match for any machine in its class.' Wood should know about machine selection and matching: before forming Cobex 11 years ago he was employed in selling the equipment he now uses.
Working one bench down from the 375, an O&K RH90 with a 10.0m3 bucket is matched with a pair of 777B 95t dumptrucks; these work on the same principle as the Cat combination. Both sets of machines can dig down to within 200mm of the top seam. Overburden ratio is averaging out to around 17:1.
The overburden strip exposes the first coal in a series of three seams, each of which is around 300mm thick and split by blue bind clay. The lower seam is at a depth of some 26m. With the seams exposed, a Cat 320 cleans up around the seams, and a 225B with coaling bucket then loads 20t on-highway tippers to haul the coal to Cobex's processing site at Dewsbury. Here, after testing for calorific value, ash and sulphur content, the coal is mixed to form a batch blend to the specific requirements of National Power.
Details: enter 701 on card
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