MINE POWER
representing , therefore , a world-first achievement .”
Wärtsilä is also actively carrying out engine tests with 100 % hydrogen fuel at its engine laboratory in Vaasa , Finland , with the company expecting to have an engine and power plant concept able to operate on pure hydrogen available by 2025 .
It is these tests and ambitions , on top of the ability to provide modular and compact energy storage systems used in conventional diesel engine and renewable power setups , that will allow the company to retain a leading position in the stationary power market for mining into the future .
“ Even if you choose our engine plants today , there will be a pathway to achieving carbon neutrality in the future ,” Narayan said . “ This is important as mining companies all want to reduce their carbon footprint but are in various phases of enacting this change .”
Power-to-X developments
Another potential decarbonisation option mining companies and their power providers are looking into involves technologies that turn electricity into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels . Collectively known as Power-to-X solutions , these technologies are useful for making the most of existing power generation assets by feeding them with ‘ green ’ fuels .
The Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems has been a keen supporter of developments associated with this market and recently signed a cooperation agreement with SOWITEC , a specialist in renewable energy projects , with the aim of providing Power-to-X projects with a total electrolysis capacity of up to 500 MW by 2028 .
The plants will use renewable energy sources to generate electrical power that will be used to produce hydrogen with mtu electrolysers . This green hydrogen can be used as fuel for fuel cells and hydrogen engines , to produce industrial feedstock and to produce sustainable e-fuels for marine , aviation , agriculture , mining and data centre power , Rolls-Royce says .
“ With this project , we are actively working to reduce greenhouse gases in industry ,” Andreas Görtz , President of the Sustainable Power Solutions business division at Rolls-Royce Power Systems , said . “ We are convinced that with our new sustainable mtu technologies and , through the cooperation with SOWITEC , we can successfully drive the expansion of Power-to-X plants .”
Rolls-Royce says it brings a wide range of its own new products to the cooperation for the production and use of sustainable fuels based on green hydrogen . These include mtu electrolysers , mtu fuel cell systems and mtu hydrogen engines , as well as experience with hydrogen ecosystems and in the simulation , design and optimisation of decentralised energy supply systems .
Frank Hummel , CEO of SOWITEC Group , said : “ We are pursuing the vision of a global energy supply based on renewable energies and providing access to clean and affordable energy for all people and are developing competitive projects accordingly .”
In 2021 , Rolls-Royce announced that , through its ‘ Net Zero at Power Systems ’ sustainability program , it would realign the product portfolio of its business unit Power Systems so that , by 2030 , sustainable fuels and new mtu technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 % compared with 2019 .
In the meantime , the company says it is already successfully operating an mtu fuel cell system , developing electrolysers to produce green hydrogen and gradually releasing its main engines for sustainable fuels such as HVO ( hydrotreated vegetable oils ). The mtu gas engine portfolio is currently being prepared for hydrogen as a fuel , too .
Meeting sustainable goals
Power-to-X developments are also on the roadmap for Cummins Inc , which recently celebrated the opening of its new microgrid lab , the Power Integration Center ( PIC ), at its Power Systems facility in Minnesota , USA .
The PIC allows for the configuration , integration and testing of power system technologies including diesel and natural gas generator sets , PV solar panels , battery storage systems , fuel cells , transfer switches , switchgear and system level controls , the company says .
With changing government regulations , increasing cost of operation , inclement weather conditions and the instability of power grids , customers , including in the mining industry , are driving the needs for more reliable and efficient microgrid solutions , Cummins explained . The PIC allows the ability to experiment with multiple potential power system solutions directly along with Cummins engineers .
Satish Jayaram , IDEA Program Office Leader
Cummins says its Power Integration Center allows for the configuration , integration and testing of power system technologies including diesel and natural gas generator sets , PV solar panels , battery storage systems , fuel cells , transfer switches , switchgear and system level controls
and Project Sponsor , said : “ With this centre , we ’ ll be able to enhance our offerings throughout the product lifecycle . We ’ ll reduce the cost and time it takes to test and validate solutions and have the capability to showcase these solutions with customers and partners .”
The PIC spans 20,000 sq . ft ( 1,858 sq . m ) of lab space including an outdoor test area , main switchgear room , electrical mezzanine and engineering control room . Different types of assets such as generator sets , energy storage systems , fuel cells and inverters can be brought in for testing in a wide variety of possible microgrid configurations . The outdoor test area includes five 500 kW test pads and two 2,000 kW test pads , which can be connected as sources or loads . Two 500 kW programmable load banks allow for scenarios to be run using real customer load profile data , at up to 0.8 leading or lagging power factor , the company says .
Three indoor switchgear line-ups connect the different assets in the lab , as well as tie into the site utility connection . A 500 kW permanently installed roof-mounted PV system is connected to the lab , as well as PV and energy storage simulators for testing various types of inverters . The engineering control room includes workstations where technicians can access all elements of the microgrid system and work collaboratively with customers and technical partners , Cummins said .
Gary Johansen , VP – Power Systems Engineering and Project Sponsor , said : “ We are always looking for ways to react to the needs of the market and improve our business . Our customers are placing an even higher value on flexible and well-integrated solutions and this centre will help us speed up the time it takes to deliver those new solutions .”
64 International Mining | JANUARY 2023