CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY
For the McIntosh uranium open pit clean up , contractor Summit utilised two Volvo 40 t ADTs , each pulling two K-Tec scrapers in a train configuration
( DEQ ) laid out an estimated $ 26.2 million , multiyear plan with seven project phases to reclaim the McIntosh Pit back to the original landscape , prior to uranium mining operations . Computer generated 3D models were created to ensure the land transformed back to the pre-mining vista . The goals of the program were abating physically dangerous hazards , improving drainage and site conditions to stable landforms , remediating 12 million cubic yards of mine spoils containing elevated radionuclides , and promoting diverse vegetative success for livestock grazing acres . The 2020 phase 5 of the Mcintosh Pit project was to move a total of 1.2 million cubic yards from the hillside into the bottom of the pit , thereby eliminating the groundwater lake .
Since 2014 a variety of competitive-bidding contractors have been awarded the various phases of the AML McIntosh reclamation project . These contractors have chosen different methods of earthmoving equipment to complete their respective phases , ranging from mining shovels or excavators top-loading into trucks , and traditional motorised scrapers . The phase 5 contract was awarded to Summit Excavation & Grading in April 2020 who proposed a unique new method of excavation services to complete the challenging 8-month project before November . Summit targeted the average weekly production at an advantageous 50,000 cubic yards per week .
Summit utilised two Volvo 40 t ADTs , each pulling two K-Tec scrapers from K-Tec Earthmovers Inc in Manitoba in a train configuration on the long haul from the east spoil pile . Each scraper hauls 37 cubic yards for a total of 74 cubic yards in a single pass with a single operator and engine running . The K-Tec 1237ADT train scrapers easily loaded the abrasive powdered granite material with the aggressive centre bit cutting edge stinger that allowed for deep excavation and speed loading . Summit used gravity to their advantage to dive over the spoil pile cliff ’ s steep grade ; load the lead scraper first , followed by a heaped rear scraper before reaching the bottom of the slope . “ Impressive production was realised as it took less than two minutes to load up the 74 cubic yard capacity trains in the cut zone .” Summit Excavation Owner & Manager , Mark Schmidt , feels that “ due to their 14 ’ width and four-wide wheel arrangement , the scrapers are stable and not prone to tipping even cutting down slopes up to 3:1 . The K-Tec ’ s have high ground clearance and can handle the steep gradient ramps at McIntosh .”
The loaded trains , which were fitted with 8- caliper disc brakes , travelled along an 8 % slope on Summit ’ s freshly constructed winding haul road , itself maintained by a Case 620 Tractor that pulled a 20 ’ wide K-Tec land leveller to blade the path smooth from point A to B with frequent moisture assistance from a dust control water truck . Summit emphasised the value of a wellmaintained haul road , as earthmoving efficiency and employee safety was of paramount project importance . On level ground , the loaded scraper trains travelled approximately 34 miles per hour .
Once the scrapers reached the bottom of the pit , the scrapers drove parallel to the shoreside of the groundwater lake and smoothly laid out a lift of the gritty material by dumping each scraper within 8 seconds . A D8 dozer then pushed the scraper dumps into the pit water to progressively squeeze out the water while the scrapers turned around at the rock wall to crawl back up the haul road . Full cycles of earthmoving performance clocked an average of 7.5 minutes .
Cascadia – equipment maintenance by strategy , not by schedule
Surrey , BC-based Cascadia Scientific , a leader in advanced fuel management solutions for international mining and petrochemical companies , has announced the release of a Maintenance Module in its SmartRView Portal . The maintenance module it says “ provides maintenance schedulers and planners with a highly sophisticated tool to optimise preventive maintenance scheduling for mobile mining equipment through the inclusion of measured fuel consumption , and specific operational
triggers .” SmartRView , Cascadia Scientifics ’ s fuel measurement and analytics platform , provides an augmented strategy for fine-tuning preventative maintenance schedules .
Cascadia Scientific has long advocated that the best indicator for determining maintenance service intervals is total fuel consumed . Fuel consumed by an engine represents how much work a piece of equipment has performed because buried in that value is the contribution of time , tonnage , distance , and every other factor putting load on an engine .
“ Many OEMs base their recommendations for hourly service intervals off expected fuel consumption , yet fuel consumption itself is seldom used to optimise preventative maintenance scheduling . Experience has shown that maintenance intervals are most accurately based on fuel consumption . In practice , we have observed fuel consumption vary by greater than 45 % between equal time-triggered maintenance events . Fuel consumption corresponds more accurately to engine load and should also be highly studied when scheduling maintenance .”
The company says the new Maintenance Module allows schedulers and planners to optimise preventative maintenance by scheduling maintenance events based on pre-set operational triggers , and of course , measured fuel consumption .
So how does the Maintenance Module work ? First it looks at all activities that constitute a preventative maintenance event , and describes each activity . Example : oil change , brake check , service interval , frame and body check , etc . Based on the prescribed maintenance activity it selects the most appropriate triggers . Some examples are elapsed time , runtime , fuel consumed , total distance , loaded distance , number of haul cycles , payload-distance , loading events , and many more . Once the maintenance activity and related triggers have been set , the Maintenance Module will automatically keep track of the activity accumulation and forecast
Cascadia Scientific , a leader in advanced fuel management solutions for international mining and petrochemical companies , has announced the release of the Maintenance Module in the SmartRView Portal
36 International Mining | APRIL 2021