Mining Magazine > Panorama > ABB delivers complete electrical equipment for largest bucket wheel excavator in China

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently won the order from TAKRAF GmbH, Germany, to deliver the complete electrical equipment for a bucket-wheel excavator. The excavator is set to operate from October 2013 in the new Zhahanaoer coal open-pit mining site in Inner Mongolia, China. It is the largest bucket-wheel excavator to be used in China to date.

The Zhahanaoer open-pit mining site covers an area of around 31 km² and contains an estimated 828 million tons of steam coal. The coal will be extracted from deep layers ranging from 85 to 356 m. The frequency-controlled bucket-wheel drive delivering 1,250 kW will in future allow the bucket-wheel excavator to remove up to 6,600 m³ of overburden per hour.

ABB is carrying out a turnkey project comprising the engineering, delivery, assembly and commissioning of the electrical equipment for the excavator. This will include the medium-voltage switchgear (6.3 kV), the 400V and 660V low-voltage switchgear, motors, transformers and the ACS800 drives. In addition, ABB is supplying the control system based on the Compact 800 product series including AC800M controllers, appropriate Chinese visualization and the lighting and air-conditioning equipment.

The many years of experience and global references of the ABB centre of excellence for open-pit mining technology based in Cottbus, Germany, were crucial factors in the awarding of the contract. "ABB is thus further strengthening its position in the global open-pit mining market," explains Frank Kschamer, ABB sales director for exports in Cottbus. "Thanks to the working relationship between the companies in Germany and China, ABB is able to create a competitive advantage which benefits the customer and ABB from both a technological and economic perspective."