Bucket-Chain Excavators

Bucket-chain excavators (BCEs) are continuous mining machines with the ability to remove coal, ash, chalk or overburden significantly below the bench or travel level.

BCEs are particularly well-suited to applications where there is significant ground instability or high ground water levels. In fact, even submerged bucket-chain operation is also possible.

Our machines are all specifically designed to our client's requirements and incorporate various solutions according to their specific application. We are able to supply a wide-range of machines with capacities up to 14,500 m³/h, which are able to work in high and deep cut operations and with varying depths and heights.

The principal components of a BCE are the bucket ladder with a bucket-chain, the bucket chute, the fixed or slewable superstructure with counterweight boom and the substructure with rail or crawler-mounted undercarriage. Material is transferred to a bench conveyor via a discharge boom or mobile conveyor bridge or directly to the conveyor. Our excavator design hence always aims to meet specific demands and requirements of the project in terms of optimization, standardization and maintenance.

BCEs can work either in bench or block operations. In bench operations, the BCE travels on rail or crawlers rectangular to the direction of pit advance along the slope face. In block operations, a crawler-mounted machine with a slewable superstructure works in high or deep cut mode and feeds the bench conveyor via a slewable discharge boom.

TAKRAF has a long tradition in delivering BCEs for specific material conditions (overburden, coal and ash) and is the only supplier of large BCEs for global mining applications. The largest BCE ever built is a TAKRAF Es 3750 with a maximum capacity of 14,500 m³/h and a cutting depth of 31 m and height of 34 m.

Efficiency
- Wide-range of machine capacities from 500 m³/h to 3,000 m³/h
- Machines are able to remove material significantly below the bench (travel) level – this is a preferred solution in the event of ground instabilities or high ground water levels
Reference
- We have been producing excavators since 1926 with an extensive reference list spanning all continents and many commodities

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References

Bucket Chain Excavator ERs 500 in Bulgaria
Customer
Project name
Bucket chain excavator ERs 500
NEK, Bulgaria
Thermal power plant Maritza-East
2000
Excavator at the thermal power plant Maritza-East
The bucket chain excavator ERs 500 is a crawler-mounted machine with low ground pressure for operation in an ash deposit of a thermal power plant. Further features are:
Ash excavating in block operation and deep cut mode
Dedusting system
Project figures
1,300 lm³/h
1,650 lm³/h
Ash
5 m
11.5 m
160 kW
28
500 l
44 min-1
1.17 m/s
24 m
76 kPa
Bucket Chain Excavator ERs (K) 800 in Russia
Customer
Project name
Bucket chain excavator ERs (K) 800
SUEK, Russia
Open-cast mine Nazarovo
1994
Excavator in open-cast mine Nazarovo
The machine is equipped with 6 crawlers for operation in a Siberian coal mine. Further features of this special design include:
Working in block mode with 3-part bucket ladder for deep and high cut operation
High specific digging force with 630 kW installed power at the bucket chain drive for excavating hard coal in winter conditions
Special design for mechanical and electrical parts for operation in a region with temperatures down to minus 40° C
Project figures
1,400 lm3/h
2,250 lm3/h
hard coal
19 m
16 m
23.5 m
630 kW
36
800 l
29.2 min-1
1.22 m/s
35 m
100 kPa