Open pit mining and underground solutions provider, Tenova TAKRAF, has been awarded a major turnkey contract by Secretaria Da Infraestrutura (Seinfra) - Governo Do Estado Do Ceara, for a continuous ship unloader to handle iron ore at the Port of Pecem, Brazil. Tenova TAKRAF is part of the global total technology solutions provider, Tenova Mining & Minerals. The continuous shipunloader  will have a nominal capacity of 2,400 t/h and will be able to download vessels up to 125,000 DWT (Deadweight Tonnage).

The CSU will be equipped with a bucket chain elevator approximately 34.5 m in height and with a slewing/lifting boom, which includes the transfer conveyor, of a total length of 42 m. Discharge on the conveyor jetty will be via a vibrating feeder, a solution that has proven highly successful on other machines, and which offers a number of advantages.  These include being more compact and enabling the height of the machine to be limited, considering that the jetty conveyors are more elevated than usual. The contract was awarded in March 2014, and is due for completion in September 2016. Design and construction of the CSU is being carried out by Tenova TAKRAF’s office in Italy, while its office in Brazil will be responsible for all local project activities until commissioning. The machine will be fully manufactured and assembled in China and transported to Brazil by means of special geared vessels. Transportation of the CSU fully erected from China to Brazil is one of the largest challenges of this project, considering that only a few ships in the world can accommodate the CSU’s  total weight of approximately 1,750 tons.

This major contract is the first to be received from SEINFRA and is a result of a number of factors.  As it will be installed in an area close to a city, the client selected the CSU particularly for its lower environmental impact.  Material flow is totally enclosed with the digging foot operating in the ship hold and discharging the material through transfer chutes, maximizing dust suppression and noise reduction. “Furthermore, the excellent  collaborative effort and synergies between Tenova TAKRAF’s offices in Italy and Brazil in putting together the bid were underpinned by our extensive experience and success with this technology, as well as our competitive pricing,” says Alberto Dardano, Managing Director of Tenova TAKRAF Italy. 

Tenova TAKRAF developed the bucket chain continuous shipunloader in the 1980s. Since then, with ongoing enhancement to the technology, the company has supplied 15 machines worldwide. The most sophisticated part is the articulated type digging foot, for which Tenova TAKRAF Italy owns the patent. Through the coordinated movement of dedicated hydraulic cylinders, the digging foot can modify its geometrical configuration to obtain the best bucket filling and reach the walls to remove material residual. Recent contracts for bucket chain continuous shipunloaders from, for example, ENEL, the main Italian power station in Brindisi, Italy, and Civitavecchia, Italy, have once again highlighted the excellent performances that are achieved with this technology.

Tenova TAKRAF is a key supplier of equipment and systems for open pit mining & underground solutions and bulk handling, having provided hundreds of complete systems, as well as individual machines to clients all over the world in all climatic conditions. Globally sourced air pollution control, specialised handling equipment, and technology for the cement and fly ash industries ensure selection of optimal processing options.

Tenova Mining & Minerals is a total integrated solutions provider to the global mining, bulk materials handling and minerals beneficiation and processing sectors, offering innovative technological solutions and full process and commodity knowledge across the mining industry value chain.

Tenova is a worldwide supplier of advanced technologies, products, and engineering services for the metals and mining & minerals industries. More information is available at www.tenova.com