RRC - Rail-Running Belt Conveyors™
Virta is the exclusive designer and supplier of trough and pipe configurations of the breakthrough RRC system, in a close technology partnership with the University of Newcastle, Australia.
RRC's patented technology combines the advantages of belt conveying and rail haulage from mine to plant, across the plant in the pipe version, and on to the port. Using a wheel-on-rail transport mode pulled by the belt and conventional drive pulleys, the RRC system does far more useful work per kW than other high-efficiency modes such as conventional conveyors, heavy-haul rail, and tire-driven rail ore-carts. For example, data from the 5,000 mtph RRC running in Zambia showed the losses to friction to be less than one fifth of the losses in a high-efficiency conventional segment of the same conveyor.
For long overland trough and pipe conveyors, as well as plant-scale pipe conveyors, the RRC system can eliminate up to 80% of the key losses that drive CAPEX and OPEX, resulting in:
- lower power supply requirements
- fewer drives and drive stations
- lower required belt strength
- fewer transfers
- lighter structures
Compared to conventional conveyors and depending on the amount of lift, the RRC technology allows for:
- OPEX & power use 20%-80% lower
- Installed CAPEX up to 30% lower
- Idler maintenance burden & safety risk ~ 98% lower
- Transfers and elevated structures minimized
- Higher tonnages without increasing belt width
- Much tighter horizontal and vertical curves
RRC Principle - Circulating Carriages Replace Fixed Idlers
RRC Carriage Turnaround Area - 3.5km/5,000mpth System
See International Mining's Video from Visit to RRC in Zambia.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-electric-mine_the-electric-mine-2026-paul-moore-international-activity-7452250123260293120-lx0aRead International Mining's Update on Virta RRC in IPCC
April 2026 edition page 76
IM April 2026