Hydropower Systems (PTY) ltd

Hydropower Systems (HPS) manufactures the Hydrovessel drilling system, a complete instope drilling system for underground mining that replaces conventional compressed air drilling systems. The company offers two primary systems: the HV212 for white area and scattered mining operations, and the HV135 for secondary support, meshing and lacing applications.

The HV212 system allows for faster access to ore reserves with proven reliability and fast penetration rate, reducing face time required to obtain a full effective blast, reducing water usage and increasing production. It measures 2m long x 1m wide x 0.8m high and weighs 1200kg, with water requirement of 212 litres per minute at 4Bar with 50mm supply, and electricity requirement of 525Volt, 85 Amps. Operating distance extends up to 120m. The system delivers 20 holes drilled per rockdrill per hour, achieves 30 metre panel cleaning within two hours using face scraper assisted waterjetting, and enables four-hour entry to exit for face drilling. Industry-proven performance shows 30% to 50% increase in production, with water usage reduced to 0.5 tons water used per ton mined for drilling and waterjetting.

The HV135 system is a compact support drilling system measuring 1.8m long x 0.9m wide x 0.7m high and weighing 750kg, with water requirement of 135 litres per minute at 4 Bar with 50mm supply, and electricity usage of 525Volt, 60 Amps. It operates at distances up to 120m and delivers 20 holes drilled per rockdrill per hour with increased installation speed due to fast penetration rate and system availability.

Both systems are compact and modular with exceptional positional efficiency, fitting complete drilling systems on one material car. Key advantages include no compressed air required, no special excavation required, no high-pressure steel pipes required, single flexible hose instope only, one shift installation using existing electrical and water supply, on-the-job training, simple maintenance operable by conventional mining crew, reduced operator fatigue, planned maintenance allowing 100% system availability guaranteed and sustained, cool environment, no fogging, reduced noise levels, and improved safety. Both systems can power multiple instope equipment including rockdrills, chainsaws, watering down, charging up, support installation such as Hydrobolts and split sets, and water jetting.

HPS adopts a philosophy of Industry 4.0 by incorporating smart new technology, autonomous mining, intelligent asset tracking and user monitoring from anywhere in the world. All HPS systems are designed to adapt to different underground conditions in mining. HPS systems and users are connected via IOT giving live results, involving the collection, capturing and transferring of information between the underground and surface environments in real-time for smarter decision enablement, operations and control to improve the efficiency and safety of mining operations. The company is at the forefront of digital transformation and modernization using technology in the manufacturing process of HPS systems.

HPS comply with the mine health and safety act by identifying hazards and eliminating, controlling and minimizing risks. All equipment is tested for quality control to meet customer satisfaction. The company has implemented strict measurements for health and well being of employees and customers, believes good communication in the workplace is used in achieving safety goals and preventing incidents, and encourages employee participation in matters of health and safety.