AUTONOMOUS SURFACE MINING
Hauling for large miners . Our engineers are working toward leveraging our capabilities at both ends to provide a scalable solution across multiple customer applications ,” Forcash continued . “ The more repetitive the machine movements the more ready it will be for autonomy . This lighter weight approach to autonomy with the CTL allows Cat to bring autonomy to operations with a different cost structure – quarries and construction sites don ’ t operate with the same cost approach to big mines . Mines generally have all the network infrastructure already in place , so that every machine on the site can be connected relatively easily . The CTL can run fully autonomous without any network so is a lot easier for a quarry application from a long-term point of view . And where it makes sense , we will also drive the best elements of this technology into mining .”
He adds : “ The solution is a combination of three things . First , what we have learned and developed for autonomous mining , including components and some of the software . Second is our Command remote control technology . And third , what we acquired with Marble . Those three pieces have really come together . It has been designed not as a one off but as a technology we can integrate and grow into the Cat product line . Automotive progress has also helped drive down cost in terms of hardware to help us be able to bring these Command solutions to smaller equipment – it would not have been possible even five years ago .”
AHS and longer lasting parts
While big productivity gains combined with safety are the most obvious upsides to autonomous haulage , there are others – and one less obvious one is the extended component lifecycle that automating equipment brings with it . IM spoke at length to Tony Wickenheiser , Komatsu Mining Product Manager , Autonomous Systems about this phenomenon . He commented : “ Operating the equipment within the design parameters is critical to optimising production but also for longer life of parts . When you automate the equipment , the machine is operating within the design parameters , which brings extended tyre , cylinders , motor components , and various equipment assembly parts . This automated practice also reduces waste with fluids and other consumables for the parts . All of these seemingly ancillary benefits add up to become big cost savings and big opportunities for decreasing waste for mining companies .”
Wickenheiser said that Komatsu did an initial deep dive into this subject going back a couple of years – based on the biggest bank of data that it had which was out of the Pilbara . “ And it really correlates with what has been seen on tyre life and AHS . You see an increase in tyre life because you see an increase in change management when it comes to autonomous operation – such as better road maintenance and traffic management . Autonomous trucks drive in a manner that doesn ’ t push the limits of the truck – things like maybe not taking a corner as fast as an operator would . We see extended parts lifecycle with AHS mostly in chassis parts – in the front and rear suspensions – spindle hub and brake , and park brake .” He says Komatsu mining truck customers are typically changing out these parts depending on the application anywhere from 10,000 to 16,000 hours . With autonomy it is seeing up to a 40 % extended parts life on these components .
But of course there are always other aspects to consider – because the truck doesn ’ t have an operator to provide ‘ operator feel ’ feedback and just runs – visual inspections like walkarounds become much more important , which are typically done during the fuelling . Though this also means the truck doesn ’ t have to be brought in for issues like the windscreen wipers not working or the windows not rolling down – these can be addressed in scheduled maintenance instead of immediately .
So how is maintenance handled differently for AHS ? “ Overall it is similar . But there is an electrical component that changes on our trucks which is part of our IP that is devoted to autonomous troubleshooting and is monitored by our technicians . The rest of the truck is dealt with as normal , including the use of distributors or the mine ’ s own maintenance crews for truck repairs and the use of the onboard KOMTRAX system for both proactive and preventative maintenance . Some mining customers are also adding further sensors of their own to provide even more diagnostics in specific areas such as
Is bigger always better ?
There were some interesting comments from Rio Tinto recently in an article focussing on its transition to renewable transport in the Pilbara , specifically with regard to what is the right size haul truck for its operations – and that bigger is not always better for some applications , plus offering more electrifcation wins at an earlier stage .
The global miner stated : “ Across the mining industry , there ’ s been a long-held view that ‘ bigger is better ’. Enormous haul trucks provide economies of scale , allowing operations to move more material more quickly by leveraging the large trucks ’ power and carrying capacity . But we ’ re challenging our thinking on size and why size matters . Larger haul trucks , while already automated , consume more energy than current electric-vehicle power sources can generate . By exploring truck size , we want to assess how big and small trucks can both be a part of the solution to reduce our emissions in the Pilbara and find fitfor-purpose solutions in mining .”
At its Channar iron ore mine in the East Pilbara , Rio Tinto is now working with Scania to trial smaller automated trucks that could more readily be electrified to reduce its carbon emissions , and could improve its zero emissions speed to market . The project builds on experience gained with autonomous Scania trucks dating back to 2018 at Rio Tinto ’ s Dampier Salt operation . Both projects involve the 40 t class Scania XT 8x4 model , with the XT trucks specifically aimed at tough construction and mining applications . The trials have also offered an opportunity to use a more open autonomy approach , where the AHS rollout does not restrict the operator to a particular truck OEM or fleet management system ; and on this Rio Tinto has been working closely with Wenco International Mining Systems .
These trucks could also reduce emissions and costs while improving mining practices across site infrastructure and operations . “ Smaller trucks can operate on narrower roads , allowing us to cut steeper pit walls and reduce vegetation disturbance . This reduces the amount of earth we need to move to access the ore , which means the smaller trucks don ’ t just produce lower or no emissions – they also help reduce our overall energy usage while we ’ re constructing and operating our sites .”
Of course payload is king and Rio Tinto is also exploring options to further reduce emissions of larger trucks through its partnerships with Komatsu and Caterpillar . “ Working with Komatsu , we will pilot a fleet of their future 220 t + zero emissions autonomous haul trucks in the Pilbara . We ’ re also working with Caterpillar to advance development of their future 220 t + zero-emission autonomous haul truck , which we ’ re exploring the possibility of deploying at our Gudai-Darri smart mine .”
66 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2022