Cost-effective crushing with electrically-driven Lokotrack plants

SEINÄJOEN KTK, FINLAND

In 2014 the Finnish transport company Seinäjoen KTK made a major decision to expand its business to crushing and screening. The company has positive experiences of the two-stage diesel-electric Metso crushing and screening chain that was taken into use in March 2015. To date, KTK has been cost-effectively crushing and screening more than 450,000 metric tons of aggregate with the new Lokotrack plants.

KTK serves the region of South Ostrobothnia through a member network, which has around 70 vehicle combinations suitable for construction needs at its disposal. The company has a staff of about 10 and works closely with the affiliate company Kauhajoen KTK.

“Earlier we purchased all the aggregate we needed from external sources. Branching out to aggregate production is a way to guarantee more work for our partners. At the same time, it further supports our business, and allows us to increase our market share,” says Seinäjoen KTK’s Janne Kangas, listing the reasons for the decision. Kangas is in charge of crushing operations.

METSO – FAMILIAR AND COST-EFFECTIVE
Kangas worked with Metso’s track-mounted Lokotrack plants in his previous job at Lemminkäinen, a major Finnish infrastructure construction and building company.

“Naturally we closely screened different suppliers before making the decision, but Metso’s offering, including the equipment and maintenance, came out on top. We were familiar with the equipment concept, the price was right and the overall package was the most cost-effective for us,” Kangas explains.

KTK targets an annual production of 600,000 tons with the Lokotrack® LT120E™ jaw crushing plant and LT330D™ crushing and screening plant, which Metso’s Tampere unit delivered. Both plants are diesel-electric driven, which means that a diesel engine
drives the generator, and in turn, the crushers are electrically driven instead of the conventional hydraulic drive. When there is an external power source available, power for the Lokotrack plants can be supplied from the electricity network.

The two-stage Lokotrack train is used in the Seinäjoki region at around six crushing sites annually, which translates into a typical crushing contract of 10,000 to 100,000 tons. Of the total crushed volume, 60–70% is used by KTK itself, while the rest
goes to aggregates clients.

EXCELLENT FUEL ECONOMY
Fuel costs are a major expense in crushing contracting. Therefore, low consumption is essential.

“In this respect, our experiences with Metso’s new equipment are excellent. So far we have managed to remain below the consumption estimates that we used when making the investment decision. The quality of the end products has also been high,”
Kangas says.

Seinäjoen KTK has reached an average consumption of 22liters per hour with the LT120E jaw crushing plant and 38 liters with the LT330D. Consumption varies, depending on the stone material to be crushed.

The new IC process control system connects both plants, enabling the upstream crusher to slow down when the downstream crusher fills up. For the crusher operators, the IC system has been familiar and easy to use.

HOURLY CAPACITY OF MORE THAN 300 TONS
KTK’s new crushing chain is a familiar sight at Lemminkäinen’s Routakallio quarry in Seinäjoki, where it is used in the production of 8–16 mm (1/3–2/3 inch) concrete grades, in addition to regular grades.

The two-stage plant has reached a capacity of some 200 tons per hour. When producing 0–63 mm grades, the capacity increases to more than 300 tons.

According to Kangas, the wear parts of the new Lokotrack plants have a longer life than earlier models. The C120™ jaw still has the original wear parts after 100,000 tons of crushed material. The wear parts of the downstream GP330™ cone crusher were replaced for the first time after 120,000 metric tons.

“The new two-stage train is also cost-efficient to transport, as the number of loads is reduced. The Lokotrack plants can be transported with two trucks; only the side conveyors of the LT330D need to be removed,” Kangas points out.