MINING TRUCKS
Truck solution on a Bell ADT
in a quarry operation
utilising sensors on the
roof, front and rear
and implementation of automated LHDs in Chile:
“Bell ADTs are perfectly suited as they are fitted
with modern electronics and a drive-by-wire
functionality, with an individual vehicle controller
firmware developed for indurad to support
commanding and automation.”
indurad started working on the project with Bell
back in 2018 implementing the ISO21815 EMESRT
Level 9 PDS Interface and advanced this in 2019 to
full command. The autonomous operation is set
for field demos this spring including full 3D
driveability analysis with radar in snowy
conditions. indurad is scheduled to finish in 2020
a Full Automation Sensor Package with software
including multi-vehicle command, driveability
analysis and a talpasolutions IoT solution with the
start of full production of autonomous Bell ADTs in
2021. IM
GFS moves into India, Russia and China
One option for alternative fuels in mining trucks has been on the table for
some time – LNG. Caterpillar has had its Dynamic Gas Blending™ (DGB)
technology out there for a while, allowing engines to run on both diesel and
LNG but the most successful “OEM agnostic” company in this area has
been GFS Corp, based in Weston, Florida. The GFS EVO-MT ® System is
comprised of patented and proprietary technologies that allow large mining
vehicles to safely operate on gas percentages that represent a substantial
portion of their total fuel requirement. The EVO-MT ® System has been
designed around an LNG on-board storage capacity equivalent to 50% of
the normal diesel fuel consumed over a single shift of operation. Diesel
Displacement Rate (DDR) will vary according to the specific haul profile and
duty cycle of the vehicle. Typical DDR for most vehicle duty profiles ranges
between 35% and 50%. Equipment converted to LNG + diesel operation
exhibit diesel-like performance in such critical areas as power, response
and efficiency.
GFS has developed retrofit kits for a number of truck models including
Komatsu 730E/830E/930E, Terex MT4400 and Caterpillar 777/785/793 as
well as Caterpillar 992 wheel loaders. Up until recently its main focus was
North America having successful fleets running mainly in Wyoming coal but
also having trialled machines with Teck in Alberta coal.
But the reality is that convincing North American mines to adopt the
technology is an uphill battle due to conservatism and in some cases LNG
infrastructure not being in place or the LNG itself not being price
competitive compared to diesel, currently anyway.
This caused GFS to look further afield to markets where the LNG price
upside and LNG availability would make it a much easier decision for
miners. The journey to looking at new markets began in 2017 when GFS
announced that it had an order to convert six Terex Unit Rig 4400 trucks at
a coal mine in India, which is owned by Reliance Energy. These trucks are
running well with the system set to be rolled out to another 50 trucks later
this year. The 730E kit is also a new development and will be running soon
on 12 trucks at a copper project in Russia. Both customers originally
approached GFS as they were in a situation with relatively low cost and
available LNG.
Beyond further growth in Russia and India, China and Indonesia are both
potentially huge markets as well due to the vast numbers of trucks running
in these countries, many of them older units where there could be major
benefits to using LNG. A pilot project is planned for later this year on a
Komatsu 830E and MT4400 at a Chinese mine in Inner Mongolia. The mine
has a mixed fleet of 60 trucks.
44 International Mining | APRIL 2020
An MTT4400 operating at a Reliance Energy coal mine in India
The next trucks in the line-up for LNG retrofits are the Komatsu HD1500
and HD785 as there is huge interest from Russia and Indonesia in using the
fuel on these models.
On the Cat 992 wheel loaders, three have been running at a US quarry
successfully for several years and GFS is now looking to market the concept
outside of the Americas for this as well where it can find the right
application for proving the technology on loading machines. GFS is also
developing a kit for the Komatsu PC4000 large hydraulic excavator which
will be announced later this year.
Proving EVO-MT ® on other vehicles beyond trucks opens up a whole new
world of potential as the more machines on a site that are utilising the LNG,
the more the savings mount. Jason Green, President and CTO at GFS told
IM: “Haul trucks can drag along other pieces of equipment into also using
LNG like loaders, drills, excavators and dozers. If the LNG infrastructure has
already been put in place for the trucks it makes sense to apply the
technology to other pieces of equipment.”
A final note on Australia, where energy groups like Woodside Energy are
setting up impressive LNG supply infrastructure in Western Australia, which
will likely first be utilised in power generation but GFS is in discussions with
several companies, miners and contractors about potential pilots for mining
truck fleets.