SURFACE MINING TRUCKS
From autonomy to zero emissions , Paul Moore summarises some of the big developments in the mining truck market , as open pit haulage enters the most significant transition phase in its history
High times for haulage
If ever there was a year in which there are far too many developments in the mining truck market to cover in one article – this is it ! The mining truck market is moving into a critical transition phase as the major OEMs gear up to provide the industry with credible zero or much reduced emissions solutions , whether that ’ s all battery trucks , battery with trolley , hydrogen and battery FCEV or other ; all against a backdrop of continued rollout of autonomy worldwide from
the truck OEMs but also new nimble players . In addition to this , the level of activity in more interim measures , such as dual fuel diesel and LNG trucks , as well as other options like 100 % Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil ( HVO ) is increasing . On the hydrogen side , hydrogen-based derivate fuels ( ammonia , methanol or more sophisticated E-fuels ) are also options .
On FCEV , Anglo American is close to its big nuGen™ reveal on May 6 – and stated on April 14 , 2022 : “ We are also moving towards a solution for the largest portion of our Scope 1 emissions , being the diesel used in our haul truck fleet , and we expect to see our proof of concept hydrogen fuel cell truck in action in the coming weeks . Step by step , we are changing the very nature of mining and how our stakeholders experience our business – while supporting what must be a just energy transition .” The converted 930E , which is to start up at Mogalakwena platinum mine , is set to represent just the start of rolling out these trucks across Anglo ’ s major operations ( see p . 4 ).
The big engine and electric drive players are doing their bit – in engines , Cummins as an example is expanding its industry-leading powertrain platforms , leveraging a range of lower carbon fuel types . As the industry ’ s first unified , fuel-agnostic engines , these platforms will use engine blocks and core components that share common architectures and will be optimised for different low-carbon fuel types . These new fuelagnostic engine platforms will feature a series of engine versions that are derived from a common base engine , which means they have a high degree of parts commonality . While marine and rail will come first for the larger engines , mining will be next .
MTU ’ s hybrid drive system for mining trucks is based on existing and proven mtu technologies . Rolls-Royce will equip mining trucks with battery packs ( so-called mtu EnergyPacks ), allowing for significant CO 2 emissions reductions , less noise and cost savings for the customer at the same time . For the 220 t truck , there would be 20 x EnergyPacks and 10 x DC / DC converters . There is a downsized engine – now using an mtu 16V 2000 S96 , so 3,600 kg vs 9,500 kg and 36 l vs 60 l ; 1,163 kW vs 1,865 kW ( 1560 hp vs . 2500 hp ) and Tier 4i vs Tier 2 with fuel efficiency optimised operation strategy . Plus obviously there is a reduced tank size . The 20 x EnergyPacks replace the original diesel tank so the downsized diesel tank can be moved to the opposite side ( this is one of many options , to be agreed with customers ). The batteries are recharged by recuperating braking energy when going downhill . This stored energy is used to provide power to the mining truck when going uphill loaded , which leads to fuel savings and allows for the downsizing of the truck ’ s engine . The solution is based on proven components , and it is planned as a retrofit offering for existing trucks while also being available on newbuilt trucks and will be realised in partnership with customers . The mtu Hybrid System integrates as a subsystem into the truck architecture , plus FLANDERS Inc power electronics and controls can be utilised for retrofits . The powertrain controller
Liebherr T 284 truck under trolley at FQML Cobre Panama , one of a fleet of 30 in the process of being enlarged to 38
and mtu Hybrid Controller continuously communicate dynamic power demand .
Wabtec ’ s optimised integrated AC drives in mining are behind everything from the top of the class Komatsu 980E which is seeing a great market response globally especially in Latin America , to the leading Chinese OEM NHL and its largest ever export fleet which covers 28 NTE360A trucks going to Australia ’ s Yancoal . Wabtec ’ s capabilities when it comes to electric mine haulage also extend to its own mining truck pantograph which was displayed at MINExpo 2021 – the Mining PANTO MTP100 . Its pantographs inherit all the depth of experience from acquired company Faiveley , which introduced the single-arm pantograph in 1955 and has been supplying mine operators with pantographs for over 40 years . Wabtec is involved in trolley projects including Boliden Kevitsa , where 13 Komatsu 227 t 830E-5 trucks are being converted to partially running on electricity via trolley assist on a 1.3 km line .
Siemens ’ Zero-Emission solution is already fully patented ( Patent US 10,286,787 B2 , filed September 27 , 2013 , granted May 14 , 2019 ). This solution combines on-board energy storage with an off-board power supply through its proven trolley assist offering . It offers multiple options giving mining customers flexibility to reduce and / or eliminate carbon emissions – 1 ) trolley assist with diesel / electric , 2 ) hybrid on-board energy storage with diesel / electric , 3 ) fuel cell with on-board energy storage , and 4 ) trolley assist with on-board energy storage . The latter offers the highest productivity ( highest speed on grade ) as well as the highest overall energy
50 International Mining | MAY 2022