Coal is currently the most important energy resource globally, playing an irreplaceable role in industries such as power, chemical, thermal, steel, building materials, cement, and non-ferrous metal smelting. The global coal mining market is continuously expanding, reaching approximately 6,000 MUSD in 2024 and expected to increase to 6,600–7,800 MUSD by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 1.7%–2.2%. Open-pit coal mines, as one of the main forces in coal mining, have a slightly higher market growth rate than the overall market (CAGR for open-pit mining is approximately 2.4%).
In the coal mining and primary processing industry, Feeder Breaker is commonly used as a primary crushing equipment. Feeder Breaker is a comprehensive crushing device that integrates feeding and crushing functions. It is specifically designed for the crushing of large-sized materials. Its core working principle is to evenly feed the materials into the crushing chamber through the feeding mechanism, crush the large blocks of materials using the crushing mechanism, and then transport the crushed materials to the next processing stage through the conveying mechanism.
Feeder Breaker mainly consists of a feeding system, a crushing system, a conveying system, a drive system, a control system, and a frame. The feeding system usually adopts a chain plate or plate feeder design, which can withstand the impact of large-sized materials and achieve uniform feeding; the crushing system mostly uses single or double roller crushing mechanisms, featuring a large crushing ratio and uniform output particle size; the conveying system is responsible for smoothly transporting the crushed materials to the downstream equipment.
Feeder Breaker is mainly used in the following aspects in open-pit coal mines: first, as a pre-treatment device for raw coal at the mining face, it crushes the large-sized raw coal directly discharged from the mining equipment; second, as the core equipment of semi-mobile or fixed crushing stations, it serves as the initial equipment in the material processing system; third, in the stripping material processing system, it crushes the waste rock generated during the mining process.
Advantages of Feeder Breaker in open-pit coal mines:
1. Maximizes the yield of lump coal in open-pit mines, enhancing the economic benefits and value of the mine.
2. Simplifies the process flow, achieving multiple functions with one machine, with low equipment investment cost and a fast construction period.
3. No need for foundation civil construction, easy installation. The modular design of the equipment makes it convenient to move.
4. Low installed power, low energy consumption, and low carbon emissions, in line with the trend of environmental protection.
The core competitiveness of Feeder Breaker lies in:
Front-end integration capability + coarse crushing particle control capability + high adaptability to material processing.
It has obvious advantages in coal mine systems with high moisture content, easy adhesion, and high large block rate, and is particularly suitable for projects that aim to reduce the configuration of primary crushing equipment, compress system investment, and lower the comprehensive ton cost.
Perfect control of the discharge particle size:
The feed particle size and the discharge particle size are another set of key technical parameters of the feeder breaker, directly affecting the application range of the equipment and the quality of the product.
In terms of feed particle size, the feeder breaker has a strong capacity for handling large pieces of material. Depending on the model of the equipment, the maximum feed particle size can reach ≤1,500mm or ≤1,100mm. This means that large pieces of raw coal directly unloaded from the mining face can be directly fed into the feeder breaker for processing without the need for pre-screening or pre-crushing, greatly simplifying the process flow and reducing equipment investment and operating costs.
In terms of the output particle size, the feeder breaker can crush large pieces of material into relatively uniform smaller particle sizes. Industry data shows that the output particle size of the equipment is usually controlled so that 95% passes through a 300mm screen hole or the product size can reach approximately 200mm. Some equipment can crush the material to a particle size range of about 150mm to 300mm. This ability to control the output particle size ensures that the crushed material can meet the particle size requirements of subsequent processes such as belt conveying and washing and processing.
The crushing ratio is an important parameter for evaluating the performance of crushing equipment, defined as the ratio of the maximum feed particle size to the maximum product particle size. With a feed size of 1,500mm and a product size of 300mm, the crushing ratio of the feeder breaker can reach 5:1. It is of great significance in the pre-treatment of raw coal in open-pit coal mines. More importantly, it also has the function of feeding, simplifying the process flow.
The particle size of the discharge from the feeder breaker can usually be adjusted by modifying the spacing between the crushing roller teeth or the gap of the crushing plate, which provides convenience for mining enterprises to flexibly adjust production according to product requirements. At the same time, uniform particle size of the discharge helps reduce the wear of subsequent belt conveyors and improve washing efficiency, bringing comprehensive benefits from a system perspective.
Huge processing capacity:
The processing capacity of the feeder breaker can reach up to 7000tph after professional design. Our company, based on the needs of different customers, has professionally developed and added a pre-screening stage. In the feeding section, we have set up a static bar grate. Coal that meets the requirements does not need to be crushed a second time and can directly enter the downstream belt conveyor. Near the crushing unit, a dynamic screening function in the form of a roller screen is set up. Through the above professional design, the processing capacity of the feeder breaker can be effectively increased by 30%. At the same time, it can effectively prevent coal from being over-crushed or crushed a second time, and can well ensure the uniformity of the particle size of the product.
Compared with traditional crushing solutions
Solution Complexity of the system Investment Maintenance Resistance to adhesion and moisture
Feeder Breaker Low Low Simple Strong
Feeder + Jaw Crusher Medium Medium Medium General
Feeder + Hammer Crusher High High High Prone to blockage
Operational costs have been significantly reduced:
The improvement in production efficiency directly translates to a reduction in operational costs. The advantages of the feeder breaker in lowering operational costs are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
First, it reduces equipment investment. The feeder breaker integrates multiple functions, reducing the need for separate feeders, crushers, and other equipment, thereby lowering the cost of equipment purchase and installation expenses.
Second, it reduces energy consumption costs. Research shows that the application of double-toothed roll crushers in the crushing of coal and coal blocks has increased output and reduced energy consumption. Although this is a research conclusion specific to a certain type of crusher, the feeder breaker also has a similar energy-saving effect - by optimizing the feeding control, it enables the crushing mechanism to operate under efficient conditions, avoiding energy waste.
Thirdly, it reduces maintenance costs. The high reliability of the feeder breaker means fewer downtime due to faults and longer maintenance cycles. Data shows that the maintenance time of the feeder breaker is less than 2.5% of the working time, which is much lower than that of traditional crushing systems. Moreover, the feeder breaker adopts a modular design, making the replacement of key components convenient and further reducing maintenance costs.
Fourth, it reduces labor costs. The feeder breaker has a high degree of automation and can operate with no or few personnel on duty, reducing the demand for operators. At the same time, due to the reduced number of devices, the demand for inspection and maintenance personnel also decreases accordingly.
As mentioned above, the feeder breaker is a highly suitable professional crushing equipment for large open-pit coal mines. Its large processing capacity, low risk of blockage, simple maintenance and low cost of use and investment are all important factors for global open-pit coal mines to choose it. Henan Excellent Machinery Co., Ltd. has been engaged in the research and development and production of open-pit coal mine crushing and screening equipment for over 30 years, with rich production experience and numerous customer choices. We warmly welcome people from home and abroad to visit our company and jointly promote the development of open-pit mining.