UNDERGROUND LOAD & HAUL
Epiroc recently completed a ST1030 battery conversion in Sudbury , Canada
The trucks offered the capability to transport 25 t more per trip than Pucobre ’ s previous vehicles and the loaders ’ doubled scoop capacity to 18 t . The new trucks contributed to Pucobre ’ s monthly mineral extraction increasing from 333,000 t to 460,000 t , and the company has set itself an ambitious three-year development plan ( 2019-2021 ) to boost productivity by 40 % and reduce costs by 25 %.
This required setting up a training centre with simulators , a maintenance workshop and Epiroc staff permanently on site to jointly solve problems that arise .
Epiroc has implemented its 6th Sense technology , which includes Certiq telemetric software . Data is fed from trucks to Pucobre ’ s Mine Operations Center on the surface . Corrective action can then be taken in real time and protocols implemented to improve equipment usage in the future .
Pucobre also implemented the concept of Short Interval Control ( SIC ), which reduces slack between activities to increase uptime which , in turn , gives more production with the same crew and fleet .
Epiroc and Pucobre have also entered into a strategic supplier / customer partnership , unique in Chile , with Epiroc guaranteeing mechanical availability over the lifetime of the new fleet , which is nine years in the case of the trucks and 5-6 years for the loaders , in order to help Pucobre meet productivity KPIs .
Epiroc plans to test its first battery-powered truck in Chile in 2021 , which gives six hours of autonomy and will cut fuel consumption and require fewer spare parts . In addition , Pucobre is piloting a tele-remote LHD loader , which can continue to operate while drivers take breaks .
Moving to India , and Hindustan Zinc Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Epiroc for ‘ Zero Emission and Sustainable Mining by introduction of Battery Electric Vehicles ( BEV ) in underground mining .’ HZL ’ s underground mines are in Rajasthan & include Rampura Agucha , Rajpura Dariba , Sindesar Khurd , Zawar and Kayad .
This will help HZL to explore the possibility of introducing battery operated vehicles in underground mines which will help reduce carbon emissions , enabling the mine operations to become more environment friendly . “ Industrial activities around the globe are fast moving towards building sustainable partnerships that bring efficiency and expertise to business . It ’ s imperative for any partnership to share same values to be successful , and both Hindustan Zinc as well as Epiroc India share the values of safety , sustainability , innovation and technology in running operations .”
Commenting on the MoU , Arun Misra , CEO , Hindustan Zinc said : “ At Hindustan Zinc , we are committed to Smart , Safe and Sustainable operations and we believe that as a leader it is incumbent on us to be catalysts for transformation towards adopting sustainability driven business solutions . This partnership with Epiroc fortifies our commitment to green and responsible mining and takes us furthers in the right direction to achieve carbon neutrality , in line with our emission reduction Sustainability Development Goal for 2025 .”
Jerry Andersson , Managing Director , Epiroc India added : “ A safer and cleaner mining starts only if someone takes the first step . Epiroc has always been a leader in mining technologies . We showcase the BEV in underground mining with the broadest offerings and a mission to deliver the world ’ s greenest machines . Our memorandum with Hindustan Zinc is a step on our mutual journey for a safer and more sustainable mining operation to come .”
India has also been part of one of Epiroc ’ s first battery retrofit projects . At Epiroc ’ s Engineering centre in Bengaluru , Karnataka , India , a team led by Sathish Selvan recently helped a team in Sudbury complete the battery conversion of a 10 t class ST1030 Scooptram ..
Sandvik and Artisan continue forward charge
Sandvik-owned Artisan Vehicles and Sandvik itself have been highly successful in getting battery machines on the ground so underground mines can see and feel the benefits of battery
electric . Three great examples in North America alone are New Gold ’ s New Afton , Pretivm ’ s Brucejack mine and Sibanye-Stillwater .
Pretivm Resources Inc is now at the start of a process to replace 13 diesel-powered 30 t payload underground haul trucks with battery electric zero emissions trucks at its Brucejack gold mine in northwestern British Columbia , Canada , approximately 65 km north of Stewart . For now , the plan is still at a trial stage , with one model under consideration being the 50 t class Z50 truck with self-swapping battery capability from Sandvik-owned Artisan Vehicles based in Camarillo , California . A unit recently arrived at the mine for testing . The project is being partly funded thanks to a C $ 7.95 million investment from The CleanBC Industry Fund and is set to see emissions cut by 64,400 t CO2e through 2030 .
Following shipment from Camarillo , California , the first Sandvik electric 18 t LH518B loader in the world is now underground starting field tests at New Gold Inc ’ s New Afton block cave goldcopper mine in British Columbia , Canada . Sandvik says initial feedback from operators is that it is unbelievably quiet & they really like the instant torque . The loader features Sandvik ’ s AutoSwap technology , which allows easy battery exchange in about six minutes , as well as AutoConnect , which allows the operator to complete a battery swap without leaving the cabin . New Gold has said that that the introduction of these vehicles is an important step in its C-zone development and greenhouse gas reduction targets . The LHD is being joined by 50 t class battery electric Z50 trucks and a battery bolter – the Sandvik DS412ie . The C-zone block cave zone is located approximately 550 m below Lift 1 . Development towards the C-zone is underway with production planned to commence with the first of 143 planned drawbells in July 2023 . The C-zone block cave will be producing from 2023-2029 . Ore segregation is planned to improve mill grades while a second crusher and underground conveyor system extension for materials handling is to be installed .
At Sibanye-Stillwater ’ s US PGM mining complex in Montana , which includes the Stillwater and East Boulder mines , the company recently told IM it is currently trialling an Artisan Vehicles A4 , 4 t payload ( 1.5 m 3 / 2 cubic yard capacity ) LHD . This is an updated version machine as an initial unit was trialled in 2018- 2019 .
Sibanye-Stillwater states : “ As we engaged Artisan with this machine , we agreed to a 200 run-hour period where we were able to address minor defects and bugs while we also trained people . The next sequence of 300 run hours is actually a performance period wherein we are matching unit productivity performance , reliability , failure rates and repair rates . As well ,
24 International Mining | JUNE 2021