Vattenfall Europe Mining

It would be very dark without any electricity. The modern industrial company has a high energy requirement, which is covered by fossil fuels, atomic energy and renewable energies. The European energy giant Vattenfall Europe Mining AG operates mines and power generation plants in the Lausitz region. The brown coal mined in the underground mines is turned into electric energy in the power generation plants.

Highly efficient conveyor bridges are implemented in the underground mines because of the favourable geological situation. Such a unit consists of three excavation caterpillars and a conveyor bridge and is capable of excavating and loading sixty metres in one day. The entire unit runs on rails that can be stressed with very heavy loads. The rail design, axle loads, shape of the wheels and irregular distances between the sleepers wear the rails very quickly.

HSH^® rails have proven effective in long-distance railway systems as well as for streetcar lines because of their high wear resistance.

voestalpine Klöckner Bahntechnik GmbH argued for implementation of HSH^® rails. HSH R65-2 rail sections have been in use since 2001 at Vattenfall Europe Mining AG and have far exceeded their originally expected degree of wear resistance.

Because f our good experience with these rails, the HSH^® rails were used as of 2004 for the coal transport tracks.