Transforming Foundation
Choosing Right Transformer For Mining Industry
Introduction
The US has one of the largest mining industries in the world - an industry closely linked with the economy. In the past, the discovery of resources such as gold and oil resulted in a major population shift and rapid growth for formerly remote regions of the country, such as California, Texas, and Alaska. Extraction of these resources, and finding new deposits, continues to provide the foundation for local economies in some regions.
Some of the minerals mined in the US are coal, uranium, copper, gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc and others. Most of the mines in the US are highly automated and thus energy intensive. To provide an example, even in the last decade of the 20th century, iron ore mining alone consumed 62.3 trillion Btu of energy across a calendar year. Because mining is such a large industry and makes a sizable contribution to the national income, mines Must Have a dependable source of power - a crucial resource for mining processes.
The mining and mineral extraction sector both in the US and worldwide relies heavily on energy to harness natural resources such as aggregates, precious metals, iron ore, oil, gas, and coal. This energy is used to power shovels and drills for excavating these products, loading them into enormous mining trucks or onto conveyer belts, sorting, sifting and crushing ores, heating, and a hundred other functions.
Both surface and underground mining operations rely on powered equipment to extract materials and load trucks. Overall, the mining sector could not flourish without the use of vast amounts of energy.
The Role of Transformers
Mine ‘Power Centers’ or ‘Load Centers’ are an essential system for underground and surface mining. Their primary function is to convert distribution voltage into utilization voltage for equipment operation, thus placing power transformers at the heart of the load center. Proper selection of transformers is imperative, and must fulfill safety, reliability, and efficiency requirements. Determining capacity rating is among the first steps for selection of a power transformer for a mining load center. A rule of thumb here is to allow 1 kVA for every horsepower of connected load. Most mining processes, however, do not produce constant loads – all machinery is not connected all the time – and therefore the 1 kVA per horsepower thumb rule will typically result in transformer oversizing. According to the SME Mining Engineering Handbook by Howard L. Hartmann, “Past experience and demand factors established by manufacturers and operators, along with the horsepower of the connected load, are essential for determining transformer capacity. For typical underground mining sections, the kVA rating may lie within the range of 50 to 80% of the connected horsepower.”
Transformer Losses
Standard transformers while under full load operate at 90 to 95% efficiency, with this figure dropping as the load lightens. This is due to inefficiencies in the transformer’s core, a main component of the transformer. The losses in the core remain the same throughout the transformer’s operating range. At 100% load, the amount of comparative loss is negligible. However, at reduced loads, the same amount of energy loss represents a higher percentage of energy being wasted. Unfortunately, average transformer loads run between 34 and 50% of the transformer’s total capacity. With the majority of the electricity used in the US being run through transformers at these lower loads, massive amounts of energy are being wasted.
This issue is of special relevance to the mining industry, simply because of its high energy usage. Mining operations also involve hostile environments full of dust, dirt, chemicals, moisture and airborne contaminants. Load center transformers need to function reliably and efficiently in these environments over a long term.
Without electric power at mining facilities, the natural materials extracted from the earth in the mining process would be much more costly than they are today. Thus, power transformers provide a lot of muscle, capacity, and stability to an essential industry. From drilling trenches to busting up rock, carting out huge loads of materials and pulling up heavy amounts of minerals, power transformers provide the strength and capability needed.
Liquid Filled and Dry Transformers: Performance Characteristics
-
Liquid-Filled Transformers
While there is still debate on the relative advantages of the available types of transformers, there are some performance characteristics that have been accepted:
• Liquid-filled transformers are more efficient, have greater overload capability and longer life
expectancy.
• Liquid-filled units are better at reducing hot-spot coil temperatures, but have higher risk of
flammability than dry types.
• Liquid-filled transformers sometimes require containment troughs to guard against fluid leaks.
• Liquid filled transformers are smaller in size than dry-type units for the same power rating
capacity and have lower losses because of their better thermal dissipation characteristics.
-
Dry Type Transformers
Dry type Transformers are usually used for lower ratings (the changeover point being 500kVA to 2.5MVA). They are usually placed indoors, serving an office building/apartment. Dry type units typically come in enclosures with louvers, or sealed.
Dry type transformers use almost no flammable materials and therefore do not constitute a fire hazard when used underground in both coal and other mines.Dry type transformers in the mining industry are housed in a steel tank and the core and windings are cooled by air circulating within the tank, transferring heat to the steel tank which is in turn cooled by the external air. In some compact designs for mounting on mining machines water cooling is added to further improve the performance of the transformers.
Correct choice of insulating materials and an understanding of the cooling system is imperative if the transformer is to be correctly designed. For example, a temperature rise test conducted on a transformer manufactured and sold as continuously rated, can reveal that the transformer only had a continuous rating of 65% of the nameplate rating.
5
The Need for Energy-Efficient Mining
With the current focus on climate change and reduction of environmental impact, government agencies around the world are making increasingly stringent demands on industries to reduce energy consumption and manage waste more effectively, among others. It is surprising how many mining operations still use twenty-year-old technology.
Regulatory pressures are already beginning to affect the mining industry – according to an article on ‘US Environmental Regulations and the Mining Industry’ on the International Development Research Center (IDRC) website, “Environmental regulations have had an effect on the US mining industry's profitability. Companies have been forced to retrofit or renovate installations or leave the market. Increasing operational costs have affected their international competitiveness, and to some extent, this may be changing the world allocation of mining investment. Employment levels have fallen substantially, and local economies have borne part of this cost.”
Mining companies in the US are thus feeling the pressing need to be energy-efficient, simply to stay competitive.
Reducing energy consumption by adopting customized, cost-effective solutions like NEMA-approved transformers and harnessing solar or wind energy to meet their future energy needs can be good ideas in the long run, especially since the alternate energy option will help mining companies keep away from fluctuating international fuel prices. Alternate sources of energy are still a very small blip on the graph, in terms of actual power provided for industries like mining, and thus the sector as a whole needs to come up with more immediate ways to conserve energy.
Pacific Crest Transformers and the Mining Industry
Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT) has been providing solutions to the mining industry since its inception in 1919. Over the last 90 years PCT has had over a 100 clients from this industry across the world. PCT has experience in building Padmount, Station and Secondary Unit Substation Transformers, and today specializes in environmentally friendly and efficient liquid-filled distribution transformers.
PCT designs custom transformers after elaborate consultative process with clients. PCT transformers are all based on client specifications and are designed to fit into existing infrastructure.
PCT custom builds various types of transformers for the mining industry:
PCT transformers can be used in various open pit and hard rock (subterranean) applications that range from auxiliary lighting loads to power for cranes, drag lines, conveyor belts and other miscellaneous dedicated variable speed drive applications. PCT also ensures reliable transformer operation in hostile environments containing moisture, dust, dirt, chemicals and other contaminants.
Conclusion
On one hand the mining industry is all set to grow to keep up with increasing demand; on the other it has to stay competitive as fuel prices zoom upwards. For an energy intensive industry, keeping a check on fuel consumption and cost is critical. Thus the mining industry as a whole is looking for energy efficient technology, including power transformers. As companies in the mining industry explore more energy-efficient possibilities, PCT has the expertise and long experience to provide custom-designed energy-saving transformers for all load center requirements.
To know more about Transformers Visit Pacific Crest Transformers Website.
About the Author
Mick Dickinson is contributing author for Pacific Crest Transformers
Review/Tutorial on Avon's Anew Age Transforming Foundation
 |
 AVON ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 ALL Shades Choose Yours NEW $10.07 Time Remaining: 14d 16h 30m Buy It Now for only: $10.07 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation COLOR BISQUE FLAWLESS COVERAGE DEFY $12.95 Time Remaining: 2d 17h 33m Buy It Now for only: $19.95 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation CREAMY NATURAL $11.49 Time Remaining: 15d 17h 30m Buy It Now for only: $11.49 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation NIB IN Sand Beige FREE SHIPPING $11.59 Time Remaining: 2d 1h 8m Buy It Now for only: $11.59 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation NATURAL BEIGE $11.49 Time Remaining: 17d 2h 25m Buy It Now for only: $11.49 Buy It Now |
 NEW Avon ANEW Age Transforming Compact Makeup GOLDEN $6.99 Time Remaining: 2d 6h 16m Buy It Now for only: $6.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming Foundation Makeup Porcelain $3.55 Time Remaining: 2d 13h 6m Buy It Now for only: $3.55 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation NIB Natural Beige FREE SHIPPING $11.59 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 12m Buy It Now for only: $11.59 Buy It Now |
 5 X Avon Anew Age Transforming Foundation Porcelain $15.95 Time Remaining: 5d 18h 12m Buy It Now for only: $15.95 Buy It Now |
 3 Boxes of Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation Toffee Caramel $22.50 Time Remaining: 4d 4h 11m Buy It Now for only: $25.00 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Concealer Natural MEDIUM $10.99 Time Remaining: 12d 13h 47m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation $7.00 Time Remaining: 1d 16h 49m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation NATURAL TAN $11.59 Time Remaining: 6d 35m Buy It Now for only: $11.59 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Concealer Natural NEUTRAL $9.89 Time Remaining: 28d 19h 4m Buy It Now for only: $9.89 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING FOUNDATIONCREAMY NATURAL $9.99 Time Remaining: 25d 13h 17m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 CHOOSE YOUR SHADE $13.89 Time Remaining: 2d 28m Buy It Now for only: $13.89 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING COMPACT MAKEUP NUDE $8.99 Time Remaining: 19d 23h 33m Buy It Now for only: $8.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation MEDIUM BEIGE $11.99 Time Remaining: 15d 17h 1m Buy It Now for only: $11.99 Buy It Now |
 ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING FOUNDATION LIGHT BEIGE Q05 $10.99 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 17m Buy It Now for only: $13.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 IVORY $11.89 Time Remaining: 3d 18h 35m Buy It Now for only: $11.89 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING FOUNDATION SAMPLES 10 $5.99 Time Remaining: 9d 1h 34m Buy It Now for only: $5.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Beauty Age Transforming Foundation Almond $7.00 Time Remaining: 18d 58m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 ALL Shades NEW $10.08 Time Remaining: 3d 1h 45m Buy It Now for only: $10.08 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SOFT HONEY $11.59 Time Remaining: 13d 1h 35m Buy It Now for only: $11.59 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation NUDE $11.49 Time Remaining: 21d 3h 31m Buy It Now for only: $11.49 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING COMPACT MAKEUP EARTH $7.99 Time Remaining: 16d 3h 43m Buy It Now for only: $7.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation SOFT HONEY 1 flo oz free shipping $5.75 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 25m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 SHELL $11.49 Time Remaining: 12d 12h 54m Buy It Now for only: $11.49 Buy It Now |
 Lancome Ageless Minerale Skin Transforming Powder spf 21 Natural Sable 20 new $16.99 Time Remaining: 1d 1h 15m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation LIGHT BEIGE $11.89 Time Remaining: 19d 16h 37m Buy It Now for only: $11.89 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation SHADE BEIGE PORCELAINE BOXED $7.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 41m Buy It Now for only: $7.99 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING COMPACT MAKEUP PURE BEIGE $9.99 Time Remaining: 19d 21h 31m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 Buy It Now |
 5X Avon Anew Age Transforming Foundation Makeup Bisque $15.95 Time Remaining: 5d 18h 3m Buy It Now for only: $15.95 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SAND BEIGE $13.85 Time Remaining: 12d 12h 56m Buy It Now for only: $13.85 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING FOUNDATION IVORY SPF15 $14.95 Time Remaining: 10d 1h 11m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 Buy It Now |
 Avon Anew Age Transforming SPF 15 Foundation Natural Tan $7.49 Time Remaining: 6d 21h 15m |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Concealer NATURAL DEEP $8.95 Time Remaining: 2d 4h 33m Buy It Now for only: $8.95 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation SPICE $11.89 Time Remaining: 13d 1h 36m Buy It Now for only: $11.89 Buy It Now |
 NEW Avon ANEW Age Transforming Compact Makeup SPF 15 EARTH $6.99 Time Remaining: 1d 2h 59m Buy It Now for only: $6.99 Buy It Now |
 Lancome Ageless Minerale Skin Transforming Mineral Powder Foundation 10g $47.83 Time Remaining: 22d 18h 43m Buy It Now for only: $47.83 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation CREAM BEIGE $13.85 Time Remaining: 25d 22h 37m Buy It Now for only: $13.85 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation PURE BEIGE $12.59 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 31m Buy It Now for only: $12.59 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING COMPACT SPF 15 NUDE MAKEUP NEW IN BOX FREE SHIPPING $10.99 Time Remaining: 1d 15h 1m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 Buy It Now |
 Anew age transforming foundation SPF FPS 15 Ivory 1 Oz $10.99 Time Remaining: 8d 10m Buy It Now for only: $13.99 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEWAge Transforming FoundationSPF 30WARMEST BEIGERRP 3999NEW $16.56 Time Remaining: 20d 9h 38m Buy It Now for only: $16.56 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Concealer Natural LIGHT $10.95 Time Remaining: 12d 13h 47m Buy It Now for only: $10.95 Buy It Now |
 Feminist Foundations Toward Transforming Sociology 1998 Paperback $1.99 Time Remaining: 20d 13h 57m Buy It Now for only: $1.99 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Concealer NATURAL GOLDEN $8.95 Time Remaining: 2d 4h 32m Buy It Now for only: $8.95 Buy It Now |
 Avon ANEW Age Transforming Foundation NUTMEG $13.85 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 30m Buy It Now for only: $13.85 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING COMPACT MAKEUP EARTHNEW $12.15 Time Remaining: 5d 22h 5m Buy It Now for only: $12.15 Buy It Now |
 AVON ANEW AGE TRANSFORMING FOUNDATION NATURAL TAN SPF15 $14.95 Time Remaining: 10d 1h 3m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 Buy It Now |
 Feminist Foundations: Toward Transforming Sociology (A Gender & Society Reader) Sale Price: $64.95  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThere can be no doubt that feminism has wrought enormous changes on the social sciences in general and sociology in particular. The contributors to this volume were asked to write about key pieces of feminist scholarship that had particularly influenced their sociological thinking...  |
 Anew Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 By Avon - Nutmeg Sale Price: $16.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionA natural finish, full coverage luxury foundation featuring ANEW Skincare Technology outsmarts the aging process. Instantly-minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, pores and age spots are visibly diminished for a more youthful finish... |
 Lancome Ageless Minerale Skin Transforming Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 21 - # Natural Ivory 20 ( US Version ) - 10g/0.35oz List Price: Sale Price: $47.50 You save: $21.80 (31%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product DescriptionAgeless Minerale Skin Transforming Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 21 - # Natural Ivory 20 ( US Version ) |
 Anew Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 By Avon - Medium Beige Sale Price: $13.95 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Foundation: Transforming Found Objects into Digital Assemblage List Price: Sale Price: $3.95 See Reviews For This Product |
Anew Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 By Avon - Creamy Natural Sale Price: $12.95 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Making Music in Los Angeles: Transforming the Popular (Roth Family Foundation Music in America Books) Sale Price: $34.95 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionIn this fascinating social history of music in Los Angeles from the 1880s to 1940, Catherine Parsons Smith ventures into an often neglected period to discover that during America's Progressive Era, Los Angeles was a center for making music long before it became a major metropolis... |
 Transforming in the Firm Foundation Sale Price: $20.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product |
|
Anew Age Transforming Foundation SPF 15 By Avon - Light Beige Sale Price: $16.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionA natural finish, full coverage luxury foundation featuring ANEW Skincare Technology outsmarts the aging process. Instantly-minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, pores and age spots are visibly diminished for a more youthful finish... |
