IM 2019 IM May 19 | Page 34

MINING TRUCKS The BAS 10x4 and 10x6 trucks have two dual Some of the NHL fleet of NTE260 trucks at Julong Copper in Tibet acting cylinders for quick tipping times (28 seconds upwards, 19 seconds downwards) and a tipper body made of ultra durable SSAB Hardox 450. Anti adherent plates can be added for sticky material like bauxite. Both models can be used for 2-40 km hauls. The larger 12x6 model based on the Volvo FH16 can be used for hauls up to 80 km. Of its four rear axles the last one is non driven. Two axles are hydraulically steered. The hydraulic suspension makes it possible to level the truck before tipping the 75 t load. Finally there is the BAS road train option based on the Volvo FH16 6x4 tractor with B- double trailer and 172.8 t payload and the option of multiple configurations up to 325 t and haulage distances up to 250 km. The company already has an impressive list of references. These include gold ore transport in Mali for Randgold’s Gounkoto mine, transporting 660 t per day over a 30 km (one way) haul with fuel consumption of only 19.5 l per hour. These trucks are operated by contractor SFTP which in total has ten BAS trucks in Mali and ten in Burkina Faso serving not only Randgold but also Endeavour. SFTP is taking another 33 BAS trucks this year. Teranga Gold mine in Burkina Faso this year is taking delivery of its own 18 BAS 10x6 Tippers as well as two water trucks and two service trucks. In Latin America as an example, Lundin Gold is using eight 10x6 trucks in Ecuador. Milpo at Cerro Lindo in Peru uses 26 underground BAS five axle 50 t trucks for hauling heavy zinc ore. Finally in Suriname contractor Boskalis used BAS trucks for haulage and delivery of bauxite for Suralco from the mine to the refinery a 12 km one way haul distance. Cummins engines perform in Tibet The most valuable mineral resources are usually excavated in hard-to-reach locations around the world. This causes difficulty not only for the miners, but also for the heavy machinery used at mine sites. Some of these mines operate at high altitude, where the air quality and severe weather conditions can compromise engine power and fuel efficiency. Cummins engines take on this challenge in a variety of applications at the Julong copper mine site. The Julong mine, sometimes called Dragon Copper, is located in Tibet and is China’s largest 24-25 SEPTEMBER 2019 SUPPORTED BY w w w . g r v g l o b a l . c o m / A M S 1 9 c o n t a c t : + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 3 6 4 0 8 2 2 2 PHAKALANE ESTATE HOTEL GABORONE, BOTSWANA