Genet Mineral Processing has a reputation for forming strategic alliances with industry associates which – in the case of Pilot Crushtec International – led to the development of a highly successful product, the DoppiaTrac DR400 double roll mobile crusher.

The process began five years ago, when Genet Mineral Processing made a request for us to build a mobile crusher to process coal destined for Eskom power stations. The industry standard was to use static skid-mounted machines, but they identified the need for greater flexibility, hence the call for a product that became, and still is, an industry first.

“Genet Mineral Processing originally asked us to produce a mobile tracked chassis for one of its roll crushers. This led to the first DoppiaTrac – a machine that has given them more than 17,000 reliable hours,” says CEO Sandro Scherf.

The opencast mining specialist recently came full circle by taking delivery of the latest specification DoppiaTrac DR400, which is already paying its dues in the Witbank coalfields

Producing coal for Eskom is not just a question of volume, quality is a major factor.

“Eskom requires a <50mm coal product with a prescribed and strictly enforced minimum of fines which is where the DoppiaTrac comes into its own. Traditional jaw and impact crushers process material using extreme physical actions that unavoidably produce large volumes of fines material. The DoppiaTrac’s spiked twin rollers create a crusher curtain, cutting coal rather than crushing and thus reducing the production of fines in the finished product,” says Design Office Manager Dawie Scholtz.

Genet Mineral Processing Operations Manager, Willie Humphries, is delighted with the performance of his new crusher.

“It’s working 100% trouble-free and is currently producing in-spec coal at a rate of 250 tonnes an hour, sometimes for up to 24 hours at a stretch,” reports Willie, adding that his new machine comfortably delivers between 40,000 and 50,000 tonnes a month.

IN-PIT CRUSHING SOLUTIONS

Opencast mining has its own unique dynamics, which favour the utilisation of mobile crushing equipment. Seasonal changes can affect the stability of highwalls and heavy rains may flood sections of a pit which may halt mining while equipment is moved to a more stable area. Opencast operations are continually being developed and some mines operate multiple pits. Moving static equipment is both time-consuming and expensive which is why several other contractors have also opted for the DoppiaTrac to provide their own in-pit mobile crushing solutions.