Location: Ely, Nevada

Segment: Mining

Challenge: Reduce maintenance for lamp replacement on shovels

Solution: Eaton’s Crouse-Hinds Vaporgard™ Series LED Luminaires V2LCHT2/DC and V2LCHF2/DC Results: Saved over $1M in downtime.

Contact Information: Tim Gross Eaton’s Crouse-Hinds Business P: 858-663-3685 Timothy.Gross@cooperindustries.com

To contact a Crouse-Hinds sales person or local distributor, please e-mail: crouse.customerctr@ cooperindustries.com

Background

The Robinson Mine is a copper deposit located in the Robinson Mining District, adjacent to Ruth in White Pine County, Nevada.

Challenge

Robinson Mine runs P&H 2300 electric shovels 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and at a cost of $12,500 per hour. Each shovel has 10-16 luminaires; ~6 above the tracks for visibility of potential material obstructions and ~8-10 inside the interior for walkways, safety lighting and general illumination.

Problem #1

Current lighting on shovel is incandescent

• Lamps need replacing every 1-2 weeks due to excessive vibration on equipment and can take up to an hour to replace

• Lumen output is low and creates poor visibility in critical areas both inside and outside the shovel due to inadequate lighting

Problem #2

 Fines from MSHA & OSHA due to inadequate equipment lighting can range from $1000- 5000 and potentially shut down a shovel. Robinson Mine was looking for a lighting solution that provided extreme durability and high lumen output, keeping their shovels illuminated around the clock.

Solutions

Vaporgard LED Series Luminaires; ceiling mount (V2LCHF2/DC) for inside and above the tracks and wall mount (V2LCHT2/DC) for service areas.

Results

Vaporgard LEDs essentially eliminated lamp maintenance and saved over $1M in downtime:

• First shovel outfi tted has operated without fi xture failure for over 15 months

• Plant maintenance took lamp replacement off of the plant maintenance list

• Fixtures paid for themselves in roughly 3 months due to maintenance-free operation

• Project did not fall under capital expense, but was billed as an ongoing maintenance cost

• Improved safety, visibility and productivity on shovel lighting

• Eliminated potential for MSHA safety violations

Summary

• Product is currently a stock item for plant maintenance (6- 10 units on hand at all times)

• Robinson Mines’ electrical supervisor and staff were impressed with the CrouseHinds™ LED product family and have specifi ed CrouseHinds LED Luminaires for the entire mine site

• Plant fi xture replacement is done area by area – retrofi t areas include lighting for; mill plant, stackers, conveyor systems and tunnels

Because of the effi cacy of the solution, eight other shovels at three other mine sites have been retrofi t with Vaporgard LED luminaires.