Henderson PROJECT

Exclusive Lorbrand idler supply for a three-flight overland conveyor widely regarded, at its time, as one of the most technically advanced bulk conveyors ever built.

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PROJECT REFERENCE

Henderson Mine Overland Conveyor System

Henderson's three-flight overland system replaced the long-serving rail infrastructure that had moved Climax Molybdenum's ore east-to-west under the Continental Divide. The new conveyors thread through the existing rail tunnels, which demanded tight control of belt tracking, carry-side resistance and pulley performance across 24+ km of complex geometry, including a 6.3 km downhill flight with nine horizontal curves and inclines of up to 15°.
Location Colorado, USA
Operator Climax Molybdenum
Lorbrand supply 1999
Industry Molybdenum mining
Overland - PC3
Henderson PC3
PROJECT DATA

Scale of the operation.

24+ km
Total System Length
9
Horizontal Curves
15°
Maximum Incline
2,270 t/h
Throughput Capacity
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

What sets Henderson apart.

Curves and Tracking

Curves and Tracking

PC3 alone runs nine horizontal and eleven vertical curves over 6.3 km, some with radii as small as 1,500 m. Sustained tracking control at belt speeds up to 6.1 m/s, through that geometry and on grades reaching 15°, places exceptional demands on idler accuracy and alignment.

Low Rolling Resistance

Low Rolling Resistance

Lorbrand was selected for exclusive idler supply after extensive independent testing, chosen for the combination of superior quality and low rolling resistance the system's drag profile demanded across 24+ km.

A Demanding Test Bed

A Demanding Test Bed

The combination of high speed, complex curvature, sustained grade, and high altitude makes Henderson a uniquely demanding test bed for conveyor idlers, and the reason it has been adopted as a teaching case study in mining schools and conveyor design institutions worldwide.

COMPARISON

Why Henderson took a different route.

✕ Previous

Rail Transport

Long-serving rail infrastructure that moved molybdenum ore east-to-west under the Continental Divide.

✓ Now

Three-Flight Overland Conveyor

A 24+ km overland system threading through the existing rail tunnels: three flights, 1,200 mm belt running at 4.5 to 6.1 m/s, 2,270 t/h capacity.

Henderson's three-flight system is usually described in terms of its component conveyors. PC1 is a 1.2 km high-lift conveyor from the underground crushing station up to the elevation of the existing rail tunnel. PC2 runs 17 km through those tunnels under the Continental Divide. PC3 is the final 6.3 km flight to the mill on the west side, with nine horizontal curves and inclines reaching 15°, the section that gives the system its reputation.
Belt width is 1,200 mm and capacity sits at 2,270 t/h, but the operating envelope is what made the project a benchmark: belt speeds between 4.5 and 6.1 m/s on a curved, graded, high-altitude alignment over 24+ kilometres. Sustained tracking control at those speeds, through nine horizontal curves on PC3 alone, places exceptional demands on idler accuracy and carry-side resistance.
Lorbrand was selected for exclusive idler supply on the project after extensive independent testing demonstrated superior quality and low rolling resistance. The unusual combination of length, altitude, curvature, and grade has since seen Henderson adopted as a teaching case study in mining schools and conveyor design institutions worldwide. The system was commissioned in 1999.
LORBRAND SCOPE

Engineered for Henderson.

Lorbrand supplied conveyor idlers and support modules for exclusive use across the three-flight system. The selection followed extensive independent testing, with Lorbrand's idlers chosen for their combination of superior quality and low rolling resistance, which mattered particularly on a system running at up to 6.1 m/s through nine horizontal curves and grades of 15° over 24+ km.
Commissioning - PC3
PROJECT OUTCOME

Henderson is widely regarded as one of the most technically advanced conveyor systems ever built, and the unusual combination of length, altitude, curvature, and grade has seen it adopted as a teaching case study in mining schools and conveyor design institutions worldwide, a demonstration of Lorbrand idler performance under uniquely demanding conditions.

— Henderson · 1999
Covered Henderson overland conveyor through the forest
PROJECT GALLERY

Henderson on site.

Overland - PC3
Henderson PC3
Commissioning - PC3
Horizontal Curve Section of PC3
Henderson PC3
Henderson Portal tunnel exit before start of construction
Henderson PC1 / PC2 transfer chamber before construction
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