When a client returns with an expanded order, it’s usually a signal that the original solution has proven itself in real conditions. That’s the case with a long-term mining client in Kazakhstan, for whom Nord Minerals previously designed and delivered three underground crushing and screening complexes.
A critical component within those complexes is the ore pass gate valve, custom-engineered by Nord Minerals together with its partner ROITECH.
No off-the-shelf solution existed for this application, as the ore passes have diameters of 3 and 4 meters, and underground delivery constraints impose strict limits on the size and weight of individual components.
The design team evaluated several layout options before settling on a slide gate with a reciprocating blade driven by a hydraulic system. All connections are detachable, so the equipment can be lowered in sections and assembled underground.
The hydraulic drives were also developed specifically for this project, as standard solutions for these parameters are not available on the market.
Following reliable performance of the first installation, the client placed an additional order: two more gate valves for other sections of the mine, each supplied with a hydraulic system. A separate hydraulic unit has also been produced for the original gate.
Deliveries are staged to match the client’s commissioning schedule. The first of the two additional valves has already been shipped and installed on site. The second remains at the manufacturing facility, where it will undergo full system testing — including a complete open-and-close cycle — before final delivery in summer.
