HBT to deliver the first sets of longwall mining equipment to Australia and the United States

Luenen, August 5, 2024

HBT Longwall Technology for New Australian Underground Mine

At the end of July 2024, HBT is going to deliver the first pieces of HBT longwall mining equipment to the Australian Maxwell underground mine in Australia.

Maxwell Underground mine is located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales.
Throughout the planning process we have taken a number of practical steps to reduce our impact on the environment and the community.

The mine is operated by Malabar Resources, an independent Australian-owned resources company with several mining projects based in the Hunter Valley.

HBT will deliver an EL2000 longwall shearer, a complete HBT AFCPF5 face conveyor system and an HBT BSLPF6 beam stage loader. In addition, HBT will equip 72 roof supports with the complete electro-hydraulic system. The steel construction for the roof supports is made by ZMJ from China.

HBT GmbH delivers the hydraulic components for the roof supports such as hydraulic cylinders and rams, base lift cylinders, tilt cylinders, lifting cylinders and hydraulic valves for gate end shields.

The electro-hydraulic system also includes products such as the new HBT PMC-R 2.0 roof support control, main and auxiliary drive hardware, cables, server, and isolation adapters, HBT PMC-D, PMC-V, PMC-S, and PMC-G controls for drives, data visualization, shearer, and gateways as well as the HBT MCU2 main control unit.

Furthermore, HBT will deliver its proven HBT VSoftware for condition monitoring and asset optimization in longwall operations. The software will offer the customer the capabilities to efficiently view, manage and use machine data of the longwall mining system. So the Maxwell underground mine can make informed maintenance decisions that will help to maximize the life and availability of their equipment.

The HBT EL2000 shearer features an installed power of up to 1780 kW (at 50 Hz)/2,797 hp (at 60 Hz) in a compact, rugged machine designed to meet the demands of high productivity in low- to medium-seam applications. The haulage system of the powerful EL2000 is tailored to the needs of high-productivity medium-seam applications with up to 125 kW (168 hp) AC drives. The EL2000 can be operated in coal seam heights from 1.8-4.5 m / 71-177 in.

The HBT longwall mining equipment will be used to mine the first 2 panels of the Maxwell underground mine. This new longwall system will be the first entirely new longwall system installed in Australia in recent times.

In August 2024, compatibility testing of the longwall system will start at HBT Australia. Final delivery to customer mine site will be at the end of November this year.

US Customer Orders Roof Supports with Advanced HBT Electro-Hydraulic Control Technology

Hamilton County Coal, LLC, a leading US coal producer, has ordered 200 state-of-the-art roof supports equipped with the new PMC-R 2.0 electro-hydraulic control system for its No. 1 mine in Hamilton County, Illinois.

Hamilton County is part of the US energy group Alliance Coal Partners L.P. — one of the largest underground coal producers (longwall mining ) in the United States.

The delivery includes the complete electro-hydraulic system and related products such as the PMC-R 2.0 roof support control, main and auxiliary drive hardware, cables, server, isolation adapters, MCU2 main control unit, GPU units, and integrated KH lighting.

HBT GmbH manufactures the hydraulic components for these roof supports at its Lünen facility in Germany. The in-house production includes hydraulic cylinders and rams, base lift cylinders, tilt cylinders, lifting cylinders, and hydraulic valves for gate end shields.

The hydraulic legs for these shields — the first of their kind manufactured by HBT at their Lünen site — are named “BIG BERTHA” and are a SD600 type leg with a piston diameter of 400mm. They extend from a retracted length of 1077mm to 2379mm and weigh 1,496 kg. Under a yield pressure of 478 bar, these legs can support a maximum load of 6,006 kN (612 tons).

The customer supplies the steel construction for the roof supports. However, the final assembly takes place entirely at the Lünen facility with complete installation of the entire hydraulics and electronics including all valves and hoses. During the assembly process, all hydraulic cylinders are coated with laser cladding to protect against wear and corrosion.

Functional tests and quality control are also conducted at Lünen to ensure the highest standards.

In mid-July, the first batch of roof supports began their journey from the HBT facility in Lünen to the United States, marking a significant milestone in the partnership between Hamilton County Coal and HBT GmbH.