DavyMarkham will manufacture and supply the “largest double drum hoist supplied to North America in recent times”, with a diameter of 21ft, width of 8ft and a payload capacity of 20t. It will serve as the main production hoist at the Westwood project, operating at depths down to 8,700ft (1.6 miles).
The company will also supply an 18ft double drum service hoist, clutch assemblies and a multi-channel hydraulic brake control system. Canadian power and automation technologies supplier ABB has been sub-contracted to provide high voltage motors, industrial drive units, digital hoist control systems and a hoist operator system for both hoists. This includes a water-cooled ACS6000 series multi-drive coupled to a 6,800kW AC synchronous motor for the main production hoist, and a ACS800 multi-drive and two 1,205kW cast iron induction motors for the service hoist.
Both hoists are being manufactured in Sheffield in halves, allowing easy transportation and assembly on site. The drum shells will be CNC machined to provide parallel grooving, with two anti-synchronous crossover sections suitable for the specified diameter of hoist rope.
DavyMarkham is due to deliver the equipment in 2010, with the option to provide installation and commissioning services at a later stage.
The IAMGOLD Corp. contract is the latest in a series that has seen DavyMarkham supply more than a dozen hoists for gold and nickel mining projects in Canada.
