LOADING TOOLS
Paul Moore looks at some recent orders and
deliveries, technology upgrades and logistical
issues for large mining shovels and excavators
Banking cubic metres
t’s been a long wait but the latest ultraclass
mining rope shovel is finally here. The Komatsu
Mining P&H 4800XPC machine is now up and
running at Teck Resources’ Fording River coking
coal mine in British Columbia. Back in July 2019
the first parts started to arrive in Sparwood,
British Columbia which is also where Komatsu is
now building a brand-new facility to support the
growth of its mining business in Western Canada,
including this new record shovel. Komatsu is
investing $40 million to construct an 85,000
square-foot sales and service facility in
downtown Sparwood, where the company
already has been operating for more than 30
years. The new facility is set to open by the end
of 2020.
With a nominal 122.5 t (135 short tons)
payload the 4800XPC can three pass load a 363 t
class truck (which includes a fleet of Komatsu
980Es at Fording River) and is up there in terms
of jostling for the title of the largest shovel in the
world, though the WK-75 from
China’s TYHI which is still operating at Inner
Mongolia Datang Xilinhaote Mining has a listed
payload of 135 t (metric) so it is a close race.
Richard Whittington, General Manager at Teck
Resources Fording River said on a LinkedIn post:
“An industry first. Ultra class productivity.
Innovation through partnership. Fording River’s
new 4800XPC shovel.” It has a nominal dipper
capacity of 65.7 to 70.3 m 3 and Whittington says
I
38 International Mining | MARCH 2020
is capable of 3,600 bcm/operating hour.
Komatsu has previously also had this to say
about the machine: “The 4800XPC electric rope
shovel, featuring Adaptive Controls technology, is
specifically designed for three-pass loading of
400 short ton (360 t) ultra-class haul trucks. The
4800XPC, when compared to the 4100XPC, offers
up to 20% increase in production and up to 10%
decrease in cost per ton.” It has a direct-drive
crowd with integral fleeting sheave to help
eliminate boom jacking and an optimised boom
design for improved maintenance access. A full
suite of service products and consumables are
available, including wire rope, GET, crawler shoes
and more while mechanical upgrades, repair and
rebuild services are available worldwide.
The Fording River Operations are located
approximately 29 km northeast of the community
of Elkford, in southeastern British Columbia. It is
one of Teck’s five steelmaking coal operations in
the Elk Valley. Fording River produces
steelmaking coal – also called metallurgical coal
or coking coal —which is used to make steel.
Teck exports the processed coal by sea to the
Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. This involves
the shipment of the steelmaking coal from the
mine site to bulk port terminals in Vancouver by
rail. It is then loaded on to larger seagoing
vessels, which carry it to target markets. The
current annual production capacities of the mine
and preparation plant are approximately 9.0 Mt
The new Komatsu P&H 4800XPC operating at
Teck Fording River
and 9.5 Mt of clean coal, respectively. Proven and
probable reserves at Fording River are projected
to support mining at planned production rates for
a further 43 years, so the 4800XPC has its work
cut out.
Caterpillar continues 7495 updates
Caterpillar has recently updated the AC electric
drive system for Cat ® 7495 and 7495 HF electric
rope shovels to, it says, deliver even greater
reliability, improved maintenance access,
enhanced safety and expanded ability to perform
at high altitudes and in extreme temperatures.
The updated system also is designed to easily
integrate with advanced technologies.
“Caterpillar and our predecessor in shovel
design and manufacturing, Bucyrus, have
supplied more than 300 AC electric rope
shovels,” said Dale Blyth, Product Manager,
Electric Rope Shovels. “The most recent advances
in AC drives are integrated in this update and
demonstrate how we apply our experience to
help customers lower cost per tonne and bolster
safety.” Updates include a liquid-cooled motion
regulator cabinet for more efficient dissipation of
heat generated by electrical components.
The company said: “The new system enables
shovels to operate at temperatures of -40°C to