Challenge:

A major coal mining client in Queensland's Bowen Basin faced a critical issue: unreliable coal stacker boom head pulley performance. Frequent failures, culminating in a recent catastrophic fire incident, resulted in safety concerns and production delays. At the time, a mere 6 months was considered a good lifespan for pulleys at this location.

Solution:

The client sought a solution to improve pulley reliability. DASH Engineering recommended their innovative SAPO® Seal, designed in-house to address these challenges. The SAPO® seal offers several key advantages:

• Accommodates Misalignment: The seal adapts to inherent misalignment within the pulley system, a common cause of bearing failure.
• Monitorable and Maintainable: The seal utilises a pressurised closed-oil system, allowing for real-time verification of contamination control and proactive maintenance while operational.

Implementation:

In collaboration with the client and a Mackay-based pulley rebuilder, a pulley featuring SAPO® seals was built with minimal additional assistance required from DASH Engineering. This demonstrates the ease of implementation of the SAPO® solution.

Results:

The SAPO® sealed pulley, installed in June 2022, operated flawlessly until its removal in April 2024. This translates to a remarkable 370% increase in pulley life (16 months compared to the previous 6-month average).

Success and Repeatability:

The client's success with the SAPO® Seal led to the immediate procurement of a replacement SAPO® sealed pulley. Furthermore, all future pulleys in this location will now be specified with SAPO® seals. This case study highlights the replicability and effectiveness of the SAPO® solution in addressing poor performing conveyor pulleys.

Key Takeaways:

• The SAPO® Seal significantly extended pulley life, minimising downtime and maintenance costs.
• The ease of implementation minimises disruption to existing processes.
• The solution offers a replicable approach to improving conveyor pulley reliability across various applications.