UNDERGROUND LOAD & HAUL
Sandvik launched its record 65 t TH665B at The Electric Mine 2022 conference in Sweden
haulage application before commercial production of the Sandvik TH665B is expected to commence in late 2023 .
Following the introduction of the Sandvik TH550B 50 t battery-electric vehicle at MINExpo 2021 , last September , Sandvik is continuing to execute on its BEV strategy by expanding its line of battery-electric trucks and loaders to include both larger and smaller size classes , it said . The Sandvik TH665B is engineered to improve productivity , sustainability and cost efficiency in bulk mining operations .
Henrik Ager states : “ With more than 50 years ’ experience in the design and manufacture of underground mining equipment , we ’ re proud to continue to lead the way in helping customers embrace more sustainable solutions . Our 65-t battery-electric truck is our latest development in helping mass hard-rock miners and contractors to make the shift towards more productive , emission-free mining .”
The Sandvik TH665B blends proven Sandvik design and advanced technology built around electric drivelines and battery systems . Due to an extremely efficient electric driveline , a fully loaded Sandvik TH665B is expected to be up to 30 % faster on a 1:7 ramp than a comparable conventional diesel underground truck .
Each of the truck ’ s four wheels is equipped with independent drives , resulting in a simpler driveline , improved overall efficiency and maximum power output . The Sandvik TH665B electric drivetrain delivers 640 kW of continuous power , enabling high acceleration and fast ramp speeds , Sandvik said .
The truck is equipped with Sandvik ’ s patented self-swapping system , including the AutoSwap and AutoConnect functions , which enables battery swap in a matter of minutes , and without any major infrastructure like overhead cranes or other heavy-handling equipment . The Sandvik TH665B also features a new battery lifting system for improved reliability . Sandvik has redesigned the battery cage design to improve serviceability , enabling battery module changes without a need to remove the battery packs from the cage for service .
GroundHog on better underground fleet utilisation
New innovations in underground mining trucks and LHDs help mines mine more tonnes per effective operating hour . However , often production losses happen because of the time lost in ‘ hang time ’ for LHDs and ‘ queue time ’ for trucks . As LHDs and underground trucks evolve , the KPI used to calculate ROI and justify investment is tonne-kilometres per hour ( TKPH ). GroundHog argues that improvements in battery power , maintenance efficiency and electrification need to also significantly increase TKPH . “ To maximise ROI on your investments in these types of new equipment that come with significantly improved performance characteristics and a host of sensors , you need to implement strategies to maximise effective operation hours – the utilisation of availability needs to reach > 90 % and the machine needs to be doing productive work ( loading , re-mucking and even tramming ). Any minute lost by an LHD waiting for a truck , or for a truck waiting in a queue results in lost productivity and decreased ROI .”
As mines begin deploying these highly advanced equipment types , mines are using systems like GroundHog ’ s Underground Fleet Management and Short Interval Control system to increase effective equipment utilisation . “ These result in significant increases in productivity of the load-haul cycle by increasing loading efficiency and haulage efficiency . To improve loading efficiency , you need payload sensors to ensure that your trucks are loaded to optimal levels , and that the LHDs are always loading trucks optimally . Payload management enables achieving payload targets consistently , which in turn increases operator performance and productivity ,” says Satish Penmetsa , CEO of GroundHog .
Today ’ s LHDs come with some level of automation and intelligence controls to make load cycles faster and efficient . “ GroundHog can integrate with the machine data and any controls to ultimately provide better performance metrics and data visibility on target loads by operator ,” says Chankaya Rachakonda , Product Manger , GroundHog .
Efficient dispatching enables backlog tasks to be assigned to any equipment that is idle . Tasks can be assigned based on the current location of the equipment and nearest face or muckbay or stope . Thus the system is optimised to have the shortest haulage time and route at any given point . For automatic dispatch instructions to work , communication with the LHD operator is key . “ Open-pit mines have an unfair advantage – strategically located dispatch offices can continuously monitor , and in many cases , even physically see the load-haul cycles and make dispatch decisions . Underground mines , unfortunately , are like a black box . This opacity causes a lot of production losses . Systems like GroundHog enable the mine to remove the lid off the black box ,” says Penmetsa .
GroundHog believes its peer to peer technology is a game changer . “ In areas where getting WiFi for long distances is a non-starter , peer to peer helps get data by capturing data at the face or areas where there is no WiFi . P2P expands data access . Using P2P technology and GroundHog FMS , SIC , on-board OEM sensors and RTLS , a mine can continuously monitor performance of each unit of equipment and also track the location of each unit so mine control ( or dispatch ) can automate truck dispatch to maximise loading efficiency and hauling efficiency .”
By tracking TKPH consistently , insights can be provided that can drive decisions like investing in new LHDs or jumbos or even constructing a new ramp . “ Visibility into this data through GroundHog ’ s dashboards , helps make these decisions faster and easier . These dashboards also help identify bottlenecks in all work streams such as drilling and blasting . Most new equipment units today have a multitude of sensors – LiDAR , engine health , payload , TPMS , etc that have enabled tele-remote , fully-remote and autonomous operations . “ GroundHog is brand agnostic and can integrate to any equipment . At the same time GroundHog ’ s API allows mines to import GroundHog data into their data lakes and easily create their own reports using PowerBI and Tableau . Mines use GroundHog to orchestrate all work done in underground mines – across geology , mine engineering , development , production , construction , electrical , maintenance , survey and safety . By combining these various new technologies with an effective shift planning and tracking system , GroundHog can help mines significantly increase ROI on investments .”
30 International Mining | JUNE 2022