Potash performance

With an annual crude salt production of 12 million tonnes from a single shaft, the K+S KALI GmbH Zielitz operation is one of the most efficient potash mines in the world. The valuable potash is used to produce two million tonnes of fertilizer, food grade salt and technical salts each year for customers around the world.

The operation is one of Germany’s largest and most modern potash mines, occupying an area underground similar to that of the city of Magdeburg. But it’s also actually Germany’s youngest potash plant, having commenced production in 1973.

Due to its thickness and high potassium chloride content, the Zielitz deposit is among the most valuable in Germany. It extends west from the Elbe River towards Wolfsburg at a depth of 1,200 metres.

Extracting 12 million tonnes of crude salt annually requires a workforce of around 1,800 employees and a fleet of productive, reliable equipment. Zielitz initiated a partnership with Sandvik in 2011 to implement mechanical cutting technology.

for the coming years,” Kohlhauser says. “We chose, therefore, to make a promise to ourselves in terms of speed. We wanted to enter the mining area Zielitz 2 quickly, to secure further production capacity for the mine.”

Zielitz invested in a Sandvik MB770 continuous miner and a Sandvik MT520 roadheader, as well as four Sandvik TH540 ejector trucks to transport excavated salt to conveyors.

Michael Kiesler is one of the Sandvik MT520 operators responsible for roadway development.

“The pure power it has is what’s fascinating,” he says of the roadheader. “And I’d say the vibration, the way the machine functions, has improved as a result of the autonomous cutting. Before autonomous cutting, we used to cut three metres per shift. That was the efficiency with one truck. Now we achieve up to 4.2 metres per shift with one truck and 5.6 metres with two trucks.”

The automatic cutting capability of both Sandvik MT520 and Sandvik MB770 has proved to be a major benefit, especially over shift change. When operators leave the Sandvik roadheader or continuous miner, a truck operator positions a Sandvik TH540 under the equipment’s conveyor. The mechanical cutting equipment stops automatically when the truck is loaded.

In addition to the Sandvik roadheader, continuous miner and trucks, Zielitz also relies on a fleet of Sandvik LH621 loaders that shovel 21 tonnes of crude salt into the mine’s conveyor system each trip.

Of the nearly 300 Sandvik LH621s in operation around the world, almost 10 percent are now used in German and North American salt and potash mining.

“In 2011, we started here with one loader,” Kohlhauser says. “We now have seven. By the end of the year, we will operate nine loaders from Sandvik. That shows the performance of the loaders.”

Dirk Güldenpfennig stands outside the cab of a Sandvik LH621. He’s been its regular operator since it arrived underground in 2013.

“It drives well,” Güldenpfennig says. “It has power. And that makes a big difference here. It’s a nice vehicle. The engine performance, which works optimally with the work hydraulics, and with the transmission and how it drives… the way that all works together is very good. And with the uneven slopes here that makes a big difference.”

The mine’s production department is pleased with the performance of the Sandvik equipment and expects the strong partnership between Zielitz and Sandvik to continue.

“I would definitely recommend the company,” Kohlhauser says.