Russia Stacker Conveyor Project

Khabarovsk Krai in the Russian Far East is one of Russia's key coal-producing regions, with coal reserves exceeding 3 billion tons and an annual production capacity stably above 20 million tons. The coal produced here is mainly high-quality thermal coal, which is primarily exported to Asia-Pacific countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan. However, the bulk coal conveying in this region has long been plagued by extreme low-temperature environments and efficiency bottlenecks of aging equipment. The daily handling capacity of a single piece of equipment is less than 300 tons, failing to meet the demand for coal production capacity expansion.

In response, a Russian coal transportation group launched the "Coal Bulk Conveying Upgrade Project," planning to replace 8 sets of aging stacker-reclaimer equipment at a large coal mine in Khabarovsk Krai to improve coal loading and storage efficiency, while meeting the latest dust emission requirements of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) (dust concentration ≤ 10mg/m³). During the selection process of global international brands, Zoomry Heavy Industry (Zoomry) was ultimately chosen as the partner. The core reasons are that Zoomry not only holds the EAC Certification (a mandatory certification for the Russian market) qualification but also can provide customized designs for low-temperature environments. Moreover, the service life of its independently produced core components such as idler rollers and drums exceeds 50,000 hours, significantly outperforming the 30,000-hour standard of competitors.

Project Requirements

The Russian coal transportation group's requirements focus on four dimensions: "adaptability, efficiency, environmental protection, and stability," which can be specifically summarized as the following 4 points:

1. Equipment Specifications Matching Production Capacity: 8 sets of telescopic stackers are required, with a telescopic length of 25 meters (fixed section) + 15 meters (telescopic section), to meet the coal mine's needs for "large-reserve stacking + flexible reclaiming." The daily handling capacity of a single piece of equipment must exceed 500 tons, and the entire system must adapt to the coal mine's daily coal output rhythm of 1,500 tons;
2. Low-Temperature Environment Adaptability: The equipment must operate stably within a temperature range of -35℃ to 40℃. The hydraulic system, electrical control modules, and tires (or crawlers) must have anti-freezing performance to avoid problems such as seal aging and lubricating oil solidification under low temperatures;
3. Environmental Protection and Safety Compliance: Dust control devices must be equipped to reduce dust emission during coal stacking and reclaiming. At the same time, the equipment must be equipped with safety functions such as emergency shutdown, wire rope breakage protection, and belt deviation detection, in line with Russia's Industrial Equipment Safety Regulations;
4. Overseas Service Support: Due to the project's location in a remote area of the Far East, Zoomry is required to provide on-site installation guidance and operator training. Additionally, a temporary spare parts warehouse must be set up in Vladivostok, Russia, to ensure that spare parts are delivered within 48 hours after a fault occurs.

Zoomry's Solution

In response to the Russian customer's needs, Zoomry established a special project team (comprising 12 engineers specializing in mechanical design, electrical control, and low-temperature material research and development). With the "25+15m telescopic stacker" as the core, the team carried out customized designs from three aspects: equipment structure, core components, and control system, forming a complete bulk material conveying solution.

Core Equipment and Specifications

The entire set of telescopic stackers is upgraded based on Zoomry's ZR Series Stacker platform, with the following core parameters:

• Telescopic Length: 25 meters (fixed section) + 15 meters (telescopic section), with a maximum operating radius of 40 meters. The stacking capacity is 80% higher than that of the customer's original equipment;
• Handling Capacity: The rated handling capacity of a single piece of equipment is 550 TPH (tons per hour), and the peak capacity can reach 600 TPH, meeting the daily operating requirement of 500 tons.

Low-Temperature Adaptation Modifications

• Hydraulic System: Special anti-freezing hydraulic oil for -40℃ is adopted, and an electric heating device is installed in the hydraulic oil tank to ensure that the viscosity of the hydraulic oil meets the operating standards under low temperatures;
• Electrical Components: Siemens S7-1200 series low-temperature PLC controllers are selected. Sensors (such as temperature and pressure sensors) adopt IP67 protection level and have the capability to start at -40℃;
• Travel System: 8 super wear-resistant and anti-freezing solid tires (model 23.5-25) are used. The tire rubber formula is added with anti-freezing agents to avoid hardening and cracking under low temperatures;
• Structural Materials: The equipment frame is made of Q355ND low-temperature toughness steel, and low-temperature aging treatment is carried out after welding to prevent brittle fracture of structural parts under low temperatures.

Performance of Core Components

As an enterprise with a complete industrial chain of bulk material conveying equipment, Zoomry independently produces core components such as idler rollers, drums, and cleaning scrapers. The performance indicators of key components in this project are all higher than international standards:

• Idler Rollers and Idler Roller Sets: Zoomry's self-developed "mute and anti-freezing idler rollers" are adopted. The runout is ≤ 0.4mm (surpassing China's GB standard of 0.5mm), the axial displacement is ≤ 0.4mm (surpassing the GB standard of 0.7mm), and the bearings use customized low-temperature sealed bearings with a rotational resistance of ≤ 2N (surpassing the GB standard of 3N). They can still maintain low-noise operation (noise ≤ 45dB) in an environment of -35℃;
• Drums: The drive drums and bend drums are made of 40Cr forged material (diameter ≥ 200mm). The drum shells are processed by a CNC four-roll rounding machine, with an ovality of ≤ 1.5mm (referring to "drum shell ovality < 1.5mm" in the reference document). The surface is covered with diamond rubber to improve the friction between the drum and the belt, avoiding belt slipping under low temperatures;
• Dust Control Devices: Non-powered dust-collecting chutes and belt head sealing covers are equipped. Guide plates are installed inside the chutes to reduce air disturbance during coal falling. The dust collection rate reaches over 92%, meeting Russian environmental protection standards;
• Safety System: It integrates belt deviation switches (belt sway detection), dual mechanical limits for wire rope breakage, and emergency pull-cord switches. When an abnormality occurs in the equipment, it can trigger an emergency shutdown within 0.01 seconds to ensure operational safety.

PLC Automatic Control System

To reduce manual intervention, Zoomry equipped the equipment with a "PLC automatic stacking + remote control" system:

• Automatic Stacking Function: Based on the coal mine's coal output rhythm, the PLC controller can preset two modes: "fan-shaped stacking" and "layered stacking." It detects the stacking height through a laser ranging sensor and automatically adjusts the length of the telescopic section and the stacking angle to avoid equipment overload caused by uneven coal accumulation;
• Remote Control and Monitoring: A 10-inch touchscreen HMI (Human-Machine Interface) is equipped, supporting bilingual operation in Russian and English. Operators can remotely control the equipment's telescoping, rotation, and lifting in the control room. At the same time, the system can upload real-time equipment operating data (such as handling capacity, temperature, and fault codes) to the coal mine management platform, realizing "unmanned operation + intelligent monitoring";
• Fault Self-Diagnosis: The system has a built-in 200+ fault diagnosis module. When there is an abnormality in hydraulic pressure or the bearing temperature is too high, it can automatically alarm and display the fault location, reducing the difficulty of on-site maintenance.

Project Implementation Process

Design and Production

The project team used SolidWorks 3D modeling software to complete the overall equipment design, focusing on simulating and analyzing the structural stress and hydraulic system flow under low temperatures to ensure that the design scheme meets the requirements of EAC Certification. At the same time, the design drawings were submitted to the Russian Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (Rostekhnadzor) for review to obtain the Equipment Import Permit;

Production Phase

Core components (idler rollers, drums, PLC controllers) were produced at Zoomry's production base in Zaoqiang, Hebei. During the production process, the ISO 9001 quality management system was strictly implemented:

• Idler Roller Production: 10% of each batch is randomly selected for low-temperature rotation testing (continuous operation for 72 hours at -35℃) to ensure no jamming;
• Drum Welding: Submerged arc automatic welding technology is adopted, and ultrasonic testing is carried out after welding to ensure a 100% weld qualification rate;
• Whole Machine Pre-installation: Pre-installation of 8 sets of equipment was completed in the factory, and the equipment operating status was tested by simulating a -35℃ environment (through a low-temperature test chamber), solving 2 cases of hydraulic valve leakage at low temperatures.

Transportation and On-Site Installation

Transportation Plan

Considering the inconvenient logistics in Khabarovsk Krai, Zoomry split each set of equipment into 6 modules and transported them via a combination of "sea transportation + land transportation." GPS positioning was equipped throughout the process to ensure the safety of the goods;

On-Site Installation

Zoomry dispatched 4 senior engineers to Russia to provide on-site guidance and collaborated with the local installation team to complete the equipment assembly:

• Before Installation: The flatness of the equipment foundation was tested, and the height of the hydraulic outriggers was adjusted to ensure the equipment levelness error ≤ 0.1%;
• Key Assembly Steps: First, the fixed-section frame was installed, then the telescopic section was connected through the hydraulic winch system, and finally, the belt and electrical control system were installed. The entire process took 20 days (with 8 sets of equipment installed simultaneously);
• Personnel Training: 12 operators were trained for the customer, covering daily equipment operation, fault troubleshooting, and maintenance. The training adopted a "theoretical + practical" model, and only those who passed the assessment were allowed to work.

Commissioning and Acceptance

• No-Load Commissioning: The equipment's telescoping, rotation, and lifting functions were tested to verify the hydraulic system response speed and electrical control accuracy under low temperatures (the local temperature at that time was approximately -5℃), ensuring the telescopic section operates smoothly without jamming;
• Load Commissioning: The actual coal mine operation scenario was simulated, and coal stacking and reclaiming tests were conducted. A single piece of equipment operated continuously for 72 hours, with a stable handling capacity of 550 TPH and a detected dust concentration of 8.5mg/m³, meeting environmental protection requirements;
• Acceptance Standards: In accordance with the technical agreement signed by both parties, acceptance was conducted from 4 dimensions: handling capacity, low-temperature adaptability, safety functions, and environmental protection indicators. All 8 sets of equipment passed the acceptance at one time, and the customer signed the Project Acceptance Report.

Project Achievements

Efficiency Improvement

• The daily handling capacity of a single piece of equipment increased from 300 tons (of the original equipment) to 550 tons, and the daily handling capacity of the entire system reached 1,600 tons, exceeding the coal mine's daily output requirement of 1,500 tons;
• Stacking Time Reduced by 40%: Thanks to the increased telescopic length of the equipment and the support of the PLC automatic stacking function, the cycle of "coal mining from underground to stacking" in the coal mine was shortened from the original 8 hours to 4.8 hours, reducing the detention of coal in the transfer link.

Reduced Operation and Maintenance Burden

• Equipment Availability Rate Reaches 98%: During operation, the equipment was shut down only twice due to extreme snowstorms (totaling 48 hours), with no shutdowns caused by low-temperature faults, significantly exceeding the customer's expected availability rate of 95%;
• Operation and Maintenance Costs Reduced by 25%: The service life of the idler rollers and drums independently produced by Zoomry reaches 50,000 hours, and the core components have not yet been replaced. This saves a large amount of spare parts costs compared with the customer's original equipment (which required idler roller replacement every 2 years). At the same time, the establishment of a temporary spare parts warehouse (in Vladivostok) controls the fault repair time within 24 hours, reducing the production capacity loss caused by shutdowns.

Environmental Protection Compliance

During the operation of the equipment, the dust concentration was stably maintained at 8-9mg/m³, far below the 10mg/m³ standard required by Rosprirodnadzor. The air quality around the coal mine has improved, and no complaints have been received from the local environmental protection department. Meanwhile, the "low-noise idler rollers" (operating noise ≤ 45dB) adopted by the equipment reduce noise interference to surrounding residential areas, complying with Russia's Industrial Noise Control Standards.

The project manager of the Russian coal transportation group stated: "Before the project started, we were worried about whether Chinese equipment could adapt to the low-temperature environment in the Far East, but Zoomry's customized design and on-site services dispelled our concerns. The operation of the 8 sets of stacker-reclaimers not only has efficiency far exceeding expectations but also is simple in operation and maintenance, with timely spare parts supply. In the future, we will continue to purchase belt conveyors and truck dumpers from Zoomry to deepen our cooperation."