By Adrian van Wyk, Managing Director at Referro Systems (Pty) Ltd

With over 22 years’ experience representing some of the world’s most renowned industrial brands, including Rockwell Automation, Referro Systems offers a range of cutting-edge products to help mining companies improve their efficiency, reduce downtime and save costs.

Among the many solutions that Referro provides include valve interlocking systems; trapped key systems; soft starters;  variable drives for load sharing multiple motors to the same driven load to control speed; direction and torque – all of which are of particular interest to the mining industry. These products are designed to work together seamlessly, providing a cost-effective way to optimise operations and increase productivity.

Allen-Bradley PowerFlex® 755 AC Drives

The PowerFlex® 755 AC Drives provide ease of use, application flexibility, and high performance in one easy-to-use powerful package. These include multiple control and hardware options, as well as optional embedded safety features. These drives are well-suited for a wide variety of motor control applications including pumps, fans, crushers, extruders, hoists and conveyors.

With Integration on EtherNet/IP™, these drives can be integrated into the same network as many other devices including I/O, soft starters, motor protection devices and a variety of field devices. A dual-port EtherNet/IP™ Option Module supports ring, linear, and star topologies, as well as device level ring (DLR) functionality for fault-tolerant connectivity and high availability.

Advanced features allow these drives to run multiple motors on the same driven load designed to provide unrivalled load-sharing capability, allowing motors to work together and maximize efficiency without adding complexity. This is particularly useful in the mining industry, where multiple motors are often required to operate in tandem to ensure high performance, smooth and efficient conveying system operation.

Allen-Bradley Prosafe® Trapped Key Interlock Switches

The Prosafe® range of trapped key systems and valve interlocking systems are designed to ensure that machinery can only be accessed by authorised personnel. These systems help prevent accidents and reduce the risk of equipment damage.

A choice of multiple different configurations makes up this range and includes:

• Access Trapped Key Interlock Switches
• Chain Trapped Key Interlock Switches
• Bolt Interlock Trapped Key Switches, with or without electronic timed-delay
• Slamlock™ Trapped Key Interlock Switches
• Rotary Trapped Key Interlock Switches
• Miniature Valve Trapped Key Interlock Switches, amongst many others

Motor Control Centres

Referro Systems manufacturers control, motor control and power distribution centres, which include control and power distribution as well as various motor control disciplines such as direct-on-line starters, soft starters and variable speed drives  for low voltage applications.

Referro Systems designs and builds control, power distribution boards and motor control centres in house, to customer specifications utilising products from leading global brands. IEC or UL compliant Motor Control and Power Distribution centres with a fully engineered solution delivery capability.

Case Study

There are examples at a multitude of gold, platinum, iron ore and manganese mines throughout Southern Africa, where a wide variety of Powerflex® 750 Series drives, SMC™-Flex and SMC™-50 soft starters and Prosafe® trapped key systems, amongst others, were successfully implemented.

Resulting benefits include significant reduction in downtime, comprehensive diagnostic information available to operations and maintenance staff, improved safety, increased productivity and process flexibility.

These products and solutions are designed and manufactured by Rockwell Automation, a name synonymous for high quality with a design philosophy of symbiosis to seamlessly integrate efficiently and ease of implementation, leading to significant cost savings and productivity improvements.

In the mining industry, optimising production is a vital aspect of business success. That's why, at Referro Systems, we offer products that are specifically designed to help our mining customers maximise their efficiency, optimise their operations and increase productivity to make them more competitive within their various markets they compete within.