MINING ENGINES
Never exhausted
Hybrid solutions are part of mining’ s future just as they are in on-road applications. DEUTZ exhibited its first off-highway hybrid concept at the Intermat international exhibition in Paris held April 23- 28, 2018. Combining a TCD 2.9 diesel engine and a 55 kW electric motor, the new concept is the first tangible result of the E-DEUTZ program established in 2017, and“ opens up significant potential for efficiency gains in drivetrain technology.”“ The E-DEUTZ strategy combines DEUTZ’ s low-emission engines with electric drives and its launch represents the company’ s next decisive step forward. In September 2017, DEUTZ also acquired Torqeedo GmbH, the global market leader and system solution specialist for integrated electric and hybrid drives for boats. DEUTZ will harness Torqeedo’ s extensive knowhow to benefit future developments in its offhighway business.”
To illustrate technology transfer at Intermat, DEUTZ displayed its concept of a modular, scalable hybrid drive consisting of a TCD 2.9 diesel engine and an e-motor, plus power electronics and a battery pack specially designed for this combination. The e-motor and diesel each deliver 55 kW, producing a combined maximum system output of 110 kW. The lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 40 kWh at 400 volts.“ The mechanical connection between the e-motor and the diesel engine is achieved by means of a transmission with
Cost savings of 60 %, through reduced filter and oil consumption alone, were confirmed following a 12-month field test involving a Cummins QSK60 HPI powered haul truck
EU Stage V engines have recently been presented across the board by the key OEMs, while hybrid offerings are a continuing major current focus in off-highway, reports Paul Moore integrated decoupler, which allows the diesel engine to be disconnected from the electrical system and provides the option of powering the vehicle purely by electricity. The increased maximum system output makes it possible to use a combustion engine with a lower capacity and output than a pure combustion drive in the same output class. A further benefit of hybridisation is the option to integrate additional fuel-saving functions such as startstop or crankshaft starting, and for power takeoffs to run on electricity in future.”
Cummins: reducing TCO in mining
Mining customers worldwide are requesting extended service intervals as a way to reduce Total Cost of Ownership( TCO). Requests to expand maintenance and service intervals up to 1,000 hours and beyond are being made from the mine site maintenance departments to the equipment manufacturers and their suppliers.
Cummins is tackling this challenge by employing a holistic approach to managing and maintaining the engine’ s critical systems to assure maximum performance is achieved. A retrofit program and extensive field tests across different equipment has demonstrated a reduction in equipment stops and an increase in mine productivity with minimal investment.
Whether looking at air, fuel or lubrication filtration, Cummins’ approach to the technology it applies and the innovation it achieves is
centred on three key principles to filtration design: n High filter efficiency is critical to effectively remove the contaminants that are known to cause engine wear. n A filter’ s capacity must be able to hold this contaminant throughout the desired service interval and beyond. n The filter needs the lowest flow restriction possible to ensure proper operation of the equipment, regardless of operating conditions.“ The Cummins filtration system is focused on five ways to improve within the supply chain – affordability, availability, efficiency, productivity and sustainability – to help their mining customers improve their money spent per tonne of mining products.”
Cummins products are designed to lower maintenance costs by streamlining innovative filtration systems that are efficient, productive and sustainable, so miners can get more out of less product.
Filtration optimisation extends service intervals and addresses customer concerns by providing a program that covers maintenance and contamination control with the flexibility to adjust current service practices.
Gary Johansen, Power Systems Engineering Executive Director for Cummins, commented that:“ Implementing innovative testing and technology in the field while leveraging our OEM’ s equipment expertise to help identify areas of improvement has launched us into a new era in maintenance cost reduction. Customers can see the monetary and time benefit of significantly improved service intervals of between 500 and 1,000 hours.”
As an example, a filter optimisation program carried out by Cummins Filtration and Komatsu at Anglo American’ s Dawson coal mine in Queensland resulted in major cost savings through the use of new technology Fleetguard™ filters to extend service intervals.
Cost savings of 60 %, through reduced filter and oil consumption alone, were confirmed following a 12-month field test involving a Komatsu 830E haul truck powered by a Cummins QSK60 HPI engine.
Applied to the fleet of 14 Komatsu 830E trucks at Dawson mine, savings in excess of $ 220,000 per year would be realised while slashing downtime for servicing by 74 %, or 439 hours. Add in the reduced labour costs resulting from the 439 fewer hours of servicing time, and total savings would exceed $ 250,000 across the fleet of 14 trucks. Following the 12-month test, all 14 Komatsu 830E trucks were fitted with the new technology filters.
By implementing site assessment check sheets, Cummins engineers are able to obtain baseline data and identify areas for potential
24 International Mining | JULY 2018