Twiflex VCSD-VR Brakes for 5.6 km Overland Coal Conveyor

Twiflex Ltd. has supplied VCSD-VR caliper brakes for a 5.6 km (3.4 mile) long belt conveyor system at the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) in Queensland, Australia. Various grades of coal are delivered via rail and conveyor, piled in a 1.9 million ton capacity stockyard area, and mixed to meet specific customer specifications prior to export. When the first-phase expansion of the massive project is fully operational, existing long-term coal export capacity will increase to 80 mt/y.

To meet the challenging application requirements, Twiflex provided the large pad version (28,990 mm2 each pad) of its popular VCSD brake designated the “VR”. The larger pads provide an increased braking path for higher rubbing speeds and greater thermal capacity.

VCSD-VR15 Model brakes, with a 15.7 kN braking force, were installed to act on a 700 mm diameter disc on the conveyor’s high-speed drives. VCSD-VR06 model brakes, with a 6 kN braking force, were specially designed to act on 1300 mm diameter flywheels of six other drives on the conveyor. All VCSD-VR brakes supplied feature special paint and stainless steel parts to meet the C5 specification for very high corrosion environments.

The Twiflex VCSD is a spring-applied, hydraulically-released disc brake which has been designed for use in harsh conditions such as mining, while providing superior heavy-duty dynamic and emergency stopping performance.

The VCSD modular brake design incorporates Twiflex’s unique “parked-off” feature. This allows the brake to be adjusted under hydraulic pressure so when it is removed, there is no stored energy, making it safe for maintenance work.