HIGH PROFILE
Integrated mining electrification
ABB ’ s Mehrzad Ashnagaran and Nic Beutler spoke to IM about how its eMine portfolio will allow the company to act as an integrator , bringing together its technologies but also other industry ingredients for an effective mining industry electrification transition
It has been a busy 2021 for ABB on the mine electrification front . Agreements with OEMs Hitachi and Liebherr have been complemented by product or solution collaborations with MEDATech and Stäubli Electrical Connectors . This has arguably made recent mining customer pacts with Nordic Iron Ore , Talga Resources and Copper Mountain Mining , among others , easier to sign .
Yet , for all these external agreements , the most game-changing element of the year has come with the launch of its ABB Ability™ eMine portfolio .
Backed up by the incorporation of the ABB Ability eMine Trolley System , which can reportedly reduce diesel consumption by up to 90 %, and plans to incorporate the ABB Ability eMine FastCharge solution in 2022 , eMine seeks to provide integral design planning and thinking to maximise the value of electrification , helping to design the hauling process in the most optimised way with electrical solutions that match mine constraints and help meet production targets , according to the company . eMine sees ABB extend its capabilities to the electrification of mining trucks and technologies for the full mining process , the company said in the announcement release . “ In addition to haulage , the portfolio includes the electrification of ABB ’ s more traditional hoisting , grinding and material handling solutions for mining .”
Yet , the development of this solution and the partnerships the company has signed are not predicated on having the entire mine electrification offering within ABB ’ s hands , according to Mehrzad Ashnagaran , Global Product Line Manager , Electrification & Composite Plant .
“ The market is telling us they cannot go alone , and these partnerships and the development of eMine are not about increasing our own scope . It is about providing the total , integrated solution to the industry ,” he told IM .
Nic Beutler , Global Product Manager , Power System & Charging Solutions , added : “ Miners want to have an agnostic solution that is not bound to one technical , proprietary offering . We want to make it as easy as possible to integrate these projects for the customers .”
And that is the role ABB will end up taking in the mine electrification landscape : the integrator .
With open-pit haulage electrification , specifically , the company can provide trolley assist infrastructure such as DC substations or an overhead catenary system ; underground , it is renowned for e-drivetrains – including motors , drives and vehicle control units – as well as charging solutions .
It is now ready to integrate these individual components into a greater electrification solution from multiple vendors that the industry is open to and , more importantly , looking for .
Ashnagaran said : “ We realised that , in the end , we need to work closely with the OEMs . The all-electric mine is not something that one company alone can offer , and the mining market is telling us they ’ re looking for a total solution – what we call grid-to-wheel .”
Such collaboration has not been seen in many technology developments in the industry , according to Ashnagaran .
“ The problem is that miners historically tended to see the supplier relationship as a zero sum , rather than an
opportunity that can potentially maximise value for both parties ,” he said .
“ If we look at the role of suppliers from an open perspective – as we have done in the past with the KTS ( Key Technical Supplier – a business model alternative to engineering procurement and construction ) model – strategic partners could help miners benefit from the innovation , cost reduction and a seamless and fully integrated solution .”
It ’ s easy to find evidence of this shifting industry mindset .
Take the Charge on Innovation Challenge , setup by BHP , Rio Tinto and Vale – and facilitated by Austmine – to develop concepts for large-scale haul truck electrification systems to help dramatically cut emissions from surface mine operations .
Historically , when has the industry last seen the three biggest mining companies collaborate to confront an industry-wide technology issue such as this ?
The recent tailings management initiatives have been spearheaded by associations with mining company representation , as opposed to the miners themselves . The Charge On Innovation Challenge has been developed by miners , with 18 more of them joining ‘ the big three ’ prior to the most recent deadline .
ABB was announced as one of 21 vendors to progress to the next phase of the challenge recently , with the company submitting two workable solutions for faster charging of large surface electric mining trucks . These solutions leveraged its mine electrification , traction and battery system and charging infrastructure expertise .
The company narrowed down seven ideas submitted in the challenge ’ s initial stages to two proposals for the latter stages , according to Beutler .
“ This does not mean the others will completely fall out , but the most promising ones have been filed for the second submission ,” he said .
Asked whether the eMine FastCharge or Trolley System feature in these submissions , he replied : “ The solutions we are handing in – just due to the power requirements for this challenging haul
ABB ' s stand at MINExpo 2021 , attended by IM
24 International Mining | OCTOBER 2021