NORDIC SUPPLIERS
The drive system for the 20,000 t/h rail-mounted bucket wheel
reclaimer at BHP’s South Flank iron ore mine will be based on the
Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive technology
drive system to
thyssenkrupp,
who will design,
supply, construct
and commission
the 20,000 t/h
machine, it said.
But the drive system will be based on the
proven Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive
technology, which, Bosch Rexroth says, offers
high power density and a flexible drive layout
well suited to bucket wheel reclaimers. The
system will use the largest hydraulic motor ever
built, the Hägglunds CBm 8000.
“In addition to the bucket wheel drive system,
Bosch Rexroth will supply Hägglunds drive
systems for the slew function on both the bucket
wheel reclaimer and two stacker machines at the
same mine site,” it said, adding that each slew
drive will comprise four Hägglunds CB motors
with torque arms and brakes.
Uno Sundelin, Manager, Mining & Materials
Handling, Hägglunds Products, said: “Bucket
wheel reclaimers are among the most popular
applications worldwide for our larger Hägglunds
motors and direct drive systems.”
Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive systems
provide the high torque needed for bucket wheel
reclaimers, but they deliver it with exceptionally
low weight and a high degree of flexibility,
according to the company.
“It is only the lightweight hydraulic motor that
is mounted on the boom to drive the wheel shaft,
while the drive unit with electric motors and
pumps can be situated in a more central position
on the machine,” Bosch Rexroth said. “In many
cases, this lets equipment manufacturers
eliminate steel bulk and counterweight, which
results in a leaner, more agile and more fuel-
efficient bucket wheel reclaimer.”
In operation, Hägglunds hydraulic direct drives
supply end users with further advantages, such
as precise speed control and built-in torque
limitation in overload conditions, Bosch Rexroth
said. On a bucket wheel reclaimer, these
advantages support safer and more efficient
material handling by, for example, letting
operators adjust to environmental
circumstances and the specific materials being
handled.
The rail-mounted bucket wheel reclaimer at
BHP’s South Flank will be used to handle iron ore
to be transported by train to Port Hedland. With
first ore production targeted for 2021, the site
will have an expected output of roughly 80 Mt/y.
Sundelin concluded: “It feels especially
appropriate that our largest Hägglunds motor to
date, the Hägglunds CBm 8000, will be serving
one of the largest mining projects ever.”
Heavy hybrids
Finland-based Danfoss Editron recently
collaborated with Caterpillar and its local dealer
Pon Equipment to electrify a 26 t diesel excavator
with the help of its Editron drivetrains for
Norway-based Veidekke (read more about this in
the Loading Tools feature, IM March 2019).
Veidekkle, which since testing out a hybrid
prototype has put eight machines into
production, may be using it for construction
purpose – a totally different scale to mining – but
Danfoss Editron, Director of Marketing, Nina
Harjula, is keen to emphasise that this is by no
means the ‘ceiling’ for the company’s hybrid
solutions.
“For our technology, going bigger than a 26 t
machine is not an obstacle; our motor range
covers even large marine ferries and the
drivetrain is easily scalable,” Harjula told IM.
The battery size required to power large
machines is another issue.
“In most cases, it is not the motor size that is
the limit, but the battery size needed on board if
you need a fully-electric machine,” she said.
This is where solutions like the hybrid heavy
truck Danfoss Editron developed for Finnish truck
manufacturer, Sisu – Europe’s first – could point
to future industry developments.
Sisu makes vehicles for standard road
transportation applications,
as well as specialised
applications such as the
Finnish Defence Forces. It
manufactures a few hundred
diesel-powered trucks every
year and recently set a target
for 20% of all new trucks to
be made with a hybrid
drivetrain by 2019 – enter
Danfoss Editron.
“The main challenge for
Danfoss was to develop a
solution that reduced fuel
consumption (and therefore
lowered emissions),” Danfoss
Editron said. “At the same
time, making minimal
changes to the truck itself.
The solution also needed to
be compatible with the existing drivetrain and
easily integrated into the truck's electrical
system.”
Danfoss developed the electric power system,
including parallel hybrid drive, for a proof of
concept vehicle. Power is provided by an electric
motor and a diesel engine connected via the
same axle.
The electric motor assists the diesel engine
during peak load demand from the drivetrain. In
addition, it charges the supercapacitor energy
storage unit during off-peak periods.
The technology from the proof of concept unit
has since been adopted for use in the Sisu Polar
Hybrid truck range, with several orders already
logged and delivered.
Still on hybrids, Finland-based technology
group Wärtsilä recently announced the launch of
Engine+ Hybrid Energy, its newest solution for
global power producers looking to increase their
renewable energy power inputs.
“The solution pairs engines with energy
storage to form a fully-integrated, automated
system, and provides a reliable and
environmentally sound power generation
solution with improved efficiency for the
operators and power producers of islanded
grids,” the company said.
Wärtsilä’s remote power generation
capabilities are already well known to the mining
industry, thanks to several diesel-powered
solutions keeping mine sites operating, and this
latest launch is likely to increase its market reach.
The company said: “Wärtsilä’s Engine+ Hybrid
Energy solution integrates standardised energy
storage solutions and energy management
systems with flexible engine power plants,
leading to greater efficiencies, maintenance
optimisation, emission reductions and a more
streamlined addition of renewables into power
systems. IM
JUNE 2019 | International Mining 31