The Crawler Mounted Transfer Station from Continental simplifies continuous haulage. Continuous haulage conveyor systems typically include a continuous miner followed by a series of short, chain bridge-type conveyors, as well as a section belt that contains extremely low conveyor structure, commonly referred to in the industry as Long-John or Low-Low structure.
These systems have evolved dramatically over past the 20 years, and are a credit to innovative engineering and the industry’s technical expertise. There are, however, areas of the continuous haulage system’s performance that leave room for improvement. The most notable would be a better solution for the functional relationship between the Low-Low structure and the out-by conveyor system, which has long been a source of frustration and expense.
The Continental CMTS incorporates the drive and take-up pulleys for the Low-Low conveyor, as well as a tail pulley for the main out-by section conveyor into a fully articulated mobile transfer. This arrangement is made possible (and practical) through the use of a proprietary technology that ensures that the Low-Low belt and the out-by belt train properly, regardless of the angle between these two belts. This represents a significant capability that is clearly one of the most advanced features of this important mining breakthrough.
The CMTS, with its mobility and alignment capabilities, provides an active, yet efficient, transition between these very different haulage lines, and in doing so improves the economics and performance of this area of continuous haulage technology.