1. On-site performance
Typical symptoms on site
- New crushing lines, new pumping stations or new workshop equipment have been ordered, but the power generation and distribution capacity has not yet been confirmed on site.
- The old generator can support the original production, but the voltage of the new equipment will fluctuate or trip as soon as it is connected.
- Cables, low-voltage cabinets, circuit breakers and fuel tanks are still configured at the old capacity.
- The expansion plan is advanced in stages, but generators, cables, and switches are temporarily repaired at each stage.
2. Risk causes
Root cause in the power-system design
Expansion tends to focus on main equipment delivery, civil construction and installation, and the power system is regarded as subsequent supporting equipment.
The actual expansion of mine production needs to simultaneously consider the operating power of new equipment, starting impact, simultaneous operation, reserve margin, power distribution capacity, fuel supply and maintenance support.
If the parallel interface, low-voltage cabinet space, cable path and fuel tank capacity are not reserved in the first stage, the second stage expansion will become on-site rework.
3. Scope of influence
Production, fuel, maintenance, safety and environmental risks all grow
- After the equipment arrived at the site, trial production could not be carried out as planned. Funds had been invested, but production could not be achieved.
- Temporary addition of generators and power distribution transformation is costly, fast-paced, and the plan is prone to instability.
- The expansion site was repeatedly interrupted by power issues, with construction, installation, commissioning and production teams waiting for each other.
- Old generator sets are forced to carry the new load, so fuel consumption, fault frequency, and shutdown risk all rise.
4. How to avoid before construction
What to confirm before procurement or expansion
- Before purchasing main equipment, conduct a review of the power consumption for expansion simultaneously. Do not wait for the equipment to arrive before finding a power source.
- Put the equipment of this stage, the equipment of the next stage and the equipment that may continue to expand into the capacity planning.
- Confirm whether the generator needs to be paralleled, whether a circuit is reserved for the low-voltage cabinet, whether the cable path is sufficient, and whether the fuel tank and refueling route can keep up.
- Incorporate the trial production start-up sequence, backup power and key spare parts into the expansion delivery list.
5. On-site confirmation information
Site information needed for an engineering review
- The original equipment list and the new equipment list distinguish between installed, purchased and planned purchases.
- Expansion phase plan, target production volume, daily operating hours and trial production time.
- Photos of existing generators, low-voltage cabinets, cables, fuel tanks, distribution rooms or container units.
- Whether there is a power grid, whether long-term self-generation is required, and whether there are plans to continue to expand capacity in the future.
