Specialized Products
John Crane is a recognized innovator in the design, manufacture and supply of engineered components for the mining and mineral processing industry, including:
Slurry Seal — Type 5840: Perfect for general purpose abrasive slurry applications
Heavy-duty Slurry Seal — Type 5860: Built to thrive in harsh slurry environments
Flushless Cartridge Seal — Type 5870: Allows cool and clog-free performance in light slurry applications
Type 37FS and 37FSB: Combats axial run-out and vibration problems
Process Duty Seals — Type 5600 Series: Accommodates severe O-ring expansion in harsh environments
Heavy-duty Cartridge Seal — Type SB1/SB2: SB1 is intended for typical mining and mineral industry applications; SB2 is optimized for severe applications
Light Slurry Seal — Type FFET: Ideal for abrasive and crystallizing duties
Type 4111: Suitable for use with aqueous solutions, engineered to reduce installation times, lower maintenance costs and optimize equipment performance
Styles K1730 and K1771: Constructed of high-tensile strength, abrasion-resistant fibers for excellent chemical resistance, dimensional stability, resilience and conformability
Style 1345: Constructed of abrasion- and chemical-resistant fibers that accommodate a wide range of abrasive and slurry services, temperatures, pressures and shaft speeds
Styles C1064 and 1993: Ideal for abrasive services where packing extrusion and sleeve or shaft wear are a concern
Style 1340: Cost-effective, general service graphited packing designed to handle a wide range of fluids at moderate to high temperatures, pressures and shaft speeds
Style 1335: Cost-effective, general-service packing constructed of the highest-quality synthetic fibers and lubricants
A Series: Urethane element couplings known for quick installation without moving prime mover or driven equipment
L Series: Designed for demanding industrial applications with a scalloped hub for the shaft
SafeJet — Automatic Seal Water Filter: Includes self-cleaning micro filter
Safeunit™ Ultima: Controls and monitors seal water flow
SmartFlow: Reduces up to 97% of seal water usage
John Crane's Seebach Filtration Systems help prevent pollution of hydraulic fluids leads that cause lengthy and extremely costly failures in hydraulically-operated underground mining machinery and safety shields.
Filtration Products
Our automatic high-pressure filter units and the automatic double back-flush filters are systems that serve for the filtration of freshly prepared hydraulic emulsions directly behind the high-pressure pump. These filter systems are designed for working pressures of 350 bar and higher.
Filtration in hydraulic circuits
In order to ensure the failure-free operation of hydraulic systems underground, it is essential that the medium is not simply filtered at one point, but is continually cleaned throughout the entire circuit. Thus, return filters, that clean the fluid coming from the mining machines, are essential parts of the circuit. Return filtration is often carried out in two stages that are individually adapted to the respective application. In the first stage, an economical and effective pre-filter retains the larger part of any impurities, while in the second, our Long-Life elements ensure the provision of a fluid that meets the specified level of purity.
In addition to high-pressure and return flow filtration, bypass filters help to keep hydraulic fluid in the tank clean and in motion at all times.
Water is used underground for preparing hydraulic fluids from concentrates, for cooling, and for dust suppression during face support and coal mining. Again, Seebach filter systems are used, each of which is adapted to the respective application and volume flow.
Sprinkling water filtration
A shearer loader must not be operated without continuous water sprinkling, otherwise the system will overheat and unacceptable dust generation will occur. At this point particle filtration is indispensable in order to ensure the continuous functionality of the sprinkling system and to prevent blockage of the nozzles.
Filters for sprinkling water are manually or automatically backflushable systems in a compact design, which are ideally adapted to hydraulic conditions and pressure at the point of use. This also applies to the sprinkling water filtration in the new Water Spray Technology, developed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (USA), and has just entered the market. This new sprinkling water system can reduce generated coal dust by up to 60 %.
In addition to sprinkling, water is also used for cooling the shearer loader’s two motors. The operability of both motors, one of which drives the shearer drum and the other the machine itself, is maintained by effective water filtration. We deliver filters for this application that are individually adapted to the spatial conditions in the motor compartments. High volume flows through filter surfaces with small external dimensions is achieved through the use of integrated flow optimization.
Mine water filtration
Mine water originates from a variety of sources and emerges in different amounts depending on location and depth, the ground water situation, and the rainfall above ground. Mine water contains large amounts of minerals and is often very acidic. In addition, it contains suspended solids and, potentially, organic substances. Mine water is treated above ground in a multi-stage process in order to meet existing effluent limits or cleaned sufficiently for it to be re-used as process water in the mine. Pre-filtration of mine water above ground has proven to be an effective means of reducing the loading on treatment plants underground.
Filtration at the planer
Planers, scalping mining machines, are employed as an alternative to shearer loaders, which cut the material to be extracted. Water is used for cooling and dust suppression here as well. Safe continuous operation is ensured by means of inline filters, as well as by manually or automatically operated back-flush filter systems.
Filtration in cooling circuits
Mining at great depths, together with high engine outputs in mining machines, leads to enormous heat generation that has to be counteracted by powerful cooling systems. Large amounts of cold water are pumped at high pressure from the cooling plant located above ground into the mine shaft over a long distance. The circulating cooling water is filtered in a by-pass to ensure uninterrupted operation with contaminant-free cooling water and to prevent flocculation or the build-up of deposits in the pipe system.
Tank filtration
In addition to high-pressure and backflow filtration, bypass filters at the hydraulic oil and finished hydraulic fluid tanks help to ensure that the fluids in the tanks are kept clean and in motion. Likewise, the water and hydraulic oil involved are filtered before they enter the fluid mixing plant.
Filtration at the shearer loader
A shearer loader must not be operated without continuous water sprinkling, otherwise the system will overheat and unacceptable dust generation will occur. At this point particle filtration is indispensable in order to ensure the continuous functionality of the sprinkling system and to prevent blockage of the nozzles.
Filters for sprinkling water are manually or automatically backflushable systems in a compact design, which are ideally adapted to hydraulic conditions and pressure at the point of use. This also applies to the sprinkling water filtration in the new Water Spray Technology, developed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (USA), and has just entered the market. This new sprinkling water system can reduce generated coal dust by up to 60 %.
In addition to sprinkling, water is also used for cooling the shearer loader’s two motors. The operability of both motors, one of which drives the shearer drum and the other the machine itself, is maintained by effective water filtration. We deliver filters for this application that are individually adapted to the spatial conditions in the motor compartments. High volume flows through filter surfaces with small external dimensions is achieved through the use of integrated flow optimization.
In order to ensure the failure-free operation of hydraulic systems underground, it is essential that the medium is not simply filtered at one point, but is continually cleaned throughout the entire circuit. Thus, return filters, that clean the fluid coming from the mining machines, are essential parts of the circuit. Return filtration is often carried out in two stages that are individually adapted to the respective application. In the first stage, an economical and effective pre-filter retains the larger part of any impurities, while in the second, our Long-Life elements ensure the provision of a fluid that meets the specified level of purity.
Last-chance filtration
As the name indicates, Last-Chance filters offer the last opportunity for filtration directly prior to the inflow into the component to be protected They are installed into the pressure pipe directly in front of the control valves.
Filtration at the safety shields
In underground mining, all excavated hollow spaces must be supported against the soil or rock layers above them to prevent collapses and danger to people and machinery. In modern mines, hydraulically-operated, self-propelled roof support shields are used, which follow the mining machine and are directly adjusted to the respective height of the seam.
Depending on the length of the shield alignment the supports can be controlled hydraulically, electro-hydraulically, or electrically. All hydraulic fluids used in the roof support shields are continuously filtered. This is done by in-line filters and back-flush filters which are applied directly at the point of use. The selection of filters and the type of back-flushing are individually adapted to the required face height.
Valve filtration
As well as the Last-Chance filters, bypass-filters are also used to protect the fluid.in hydraulic circuits. This means that all valves and sensitive components are protected against impurities that could cause abrasion or blockages.