Svendborg BSFI 320 Braking System with SOBO® iQ for Coal Mine Conveyor

Svendborg supplied a complete braking system for use on an overland conveyor at a large coal mine in Tusimice, Czech Republic. The 1800 mm (72 in.) belt conveyor is 900 m (2,952 ft.) long and powered by 3 x 500 kW drives.

The opencast coal mine conveyor transports overburden at a rate of 3,000 mt/h with a belt speed of 4.5 m/s. The braking system, consisting of BSFI 320 dual-spring caliper disc brakes, a SOBO® iQ controller and SOBO iQ hydraulic power units, provides emergency stopping and parking functions.

The spring-applied, hydraulically-released BSFI 320 brakes act on a 0.8 m (31.5 in.) diameter disc mounted on the high-speed side of the drive. Braking time is fully programmable and, in case of power failure, can reach up to 50 seconds.

SOBO iQ, the next generation of Svendborg’s industry-leading SOBO (Soft Braking Option) braking controller combines various cutting-edge technologies to provide significant flexibility, safety and durability on mine conveyors. The controller features three-state digital modulation and a revolutionary dual-loop PI control (pressure/speed). The pressure control is based not only on speed but also on deceleration. SOBO iQ controls braking torque by comparing a preset speed ramp with actual conveyor speed feedback. Advanced functions including independent overspeed monitoring, rollback, gearbox and out-of-band monitoring are included.

Manufactured in-house, Svendborg’s specialized hydraulic power units are engineered to perform in tough mining applications. The units are equipped to monitor oil level and temperature, motor and pump function, and operational pressure.