The first hybrid tracked mobile Sandvik QA452e triple-deck screen ordered as stock by a South African distributor has been sold after only being in the country for a week. This sale signifies an important shift toward the procurement of more sustainable and efficient mobile crushing and screening solutions in Southern Africa.

“The screen has been procured for a greenfield dam project under development in Lesotho. While the QA452e can be powered by either electricity or diesel, the hybrid unit will only be powered by off-grid power, reducing the carbon footprint of the project,” says Sandvik Rock Processing mobile crushing and screening equipment distributor S&R MD Stephen Smith.

Centurion-based S&R received the screen on August 4 and delivered it to site on August 22. Thereafter, a team of trained S&R technicians assisted the client with the commissioning of the screen over a one- month period. This process involved ensuring that the QA452e, which has the capacity to process up to 600 t/h, delivers optimal production output.

The hybrid triple-deck screen is a “game changer” for the industry because of its advanced screening technology, advances mining and infrastructure project equipment supplier Sandvik Rock Processing crushing and screening solutions business line manager PC Kruger.

With a double screen, the model offers users two separately driven independent screen boxes with 42 different angle combinations, increasing accuracy and screening efficiency compared with competitors’ products on the market. Efficiency is boosted by up to about 30% compared with traditional screens.

Growing Demand for Sustainable Options

S&R ordered the QA452e screen following enquiries by its clients, noting a considerable demand for more sustainable plants from the market.

Kruger explains that the machine offers a hybrid option to either run the machine on conventional diesel or renewable fuel – hydrogenated vegetable oil – but also provides the option to use an electrical power source, if that is available on site.

While the model was launched in Europe in 2022, he believes the Southern African market was previously not ready for the QA452e.

“In mining, companies are hesitant to be first adopters of new technology. However, the market seems to be ready now to adopt this technology, especially considering the stronger enforcement of climate change-related regulations across the continent. We see a greater drive toward the uptake of sustainable electricity generation and achieving environmental, social and governance targets.”

Using electricity to power the screen is also more cost-effective in comparison with the cost of diesel, reducing the total cost of ownership when operating the screen, adds Kruger.

When running on diesel alone, the QA452e uses typically between 12 ℓ/h to 16 ℓ/h compared with 50 kW/h to 60 kW/h electrical power. Depending on the cost of electricity, which varies in different countries, the screen’s electricity consumption essentially equates to one-third of its operating cost, from an energy perspective. Significantly, Sandvik Rock Processing has tools to assist customers in calculating this.

Kruger explains, however, that for remote or in-pit applications, having a machine that only relies on electricity to operate is undesirable. The QA452e’s diesel engine offers users the flexibility to reposition the almost 37-t machine anywhere on a remote site without the need for expensive rigging or cranes and this is equally convenient when loading or offloading the screen when shipping or transporting.

“Some of these machines are often relocated to different sites, especially in the aggregates sector, where screens are transported from project to project.”

Not only is the QA452e a potentially greener option but it is also user-friendly and can be set up and operated by one person, owing to multiple hydraulic cylinders used for auxiliary functions.

“The QA452e is completely remote control operated. The interface on the programmable logic controller screen is also easy to understand, as commands are pictorialised, meaning that the machine will start operating with a push of a button,” states Kruger.

The QA452 also comes with Sandvik’s My Fleet remote monitoring system and a seven-year data subscription as standard, which offers 24/7 fleet management, geo- fencing and remote support.

Maintenance is also simplified by displacing the diesel engine with electric drivetrain components needing minimal maintenance compared with a diesel engine that requires filter and oil changes, for example.

In addition, the hydraulic system has been enhanced to reduce energy waste and its hydraulic oil change intervals have been extended from 2 000 hours to 4 000 hours.