Equipment and Suppliers News (February 01, 2003)

Big blue air pak in the oil sands

Air carbon arc gouging of damaged metal and welding repair is a big part of keeping mining equipment in operation. Transwest Mining Systems, a dealer of Komatsu haul trucks and hydraulic shovels specializing in equipment maintenance and repair, relies on a combination welder/generator/air compressor (the new Big Blue Air Pak from Miller Electric) to perform these tasks in the oil sands of Ft. McMurray, Alta.

The Big Blue Air Pak has a MIG/FCAW rated output of 600 amps at 60% duty cycle and offers 20 kW of auxiliary power. The industrial rotary screw air compressor produces 60 ft3/min at 100 PSI for carbon arc gouging. Designed and patented for work in rugged mining conditions, it weighs in at 876 kg. Transwest saves space by having one machine that serves three duties; and two can fit on the back of the five-ton service trucks. Its single circuit board has a proven 99.7% reliability rating, key to getting mining equipment up and running quickly.

High-res full-tensor gravity surveys for mining industry

Bell Geospace, Inc. (BGI) has commenced commercial airborne gravity gradient acquisition, with surveys underway in Africa. The company has been acquiring full tensor gravity (FTG) gradient surveys since 1998 on marine vessels for petroleum applications. Tests in early 2002 proved that FTG can successfully acquire high resolution full tensor gradients from an airplane, and BGI is now offering this service, named Air-FTG, to the mining industry and government agencies as well as oil and gas explorers. Air-FTG is the only commercial airborne gradiometer in the world capable of measuring all of the gravity gradients. With Air-FTG, Bell Geospace provides a clear advantage over its closest competitor, which can offer only a partial tensor gradiometer.

Air-FTG can measure gravity differences to less than 1 milligal over distances <500 m. The company has an extensive library of gravity gradiometry data covering both the Gulf of Mexico and areas in the west of Britain.

FTG surveys are scheduled for the United States, Canada, South America and Australia in 2003. Bell Geospace currently operates two FTG instruments with one based in Houston, Tex., and the other in Aberdeen, Scotland. Please visit www.bellgeo.com for more information.