UNDERGROUND LOAD & HAUL
When it comes to diesel-electric machines , specifically , Söderlund was able to reference recent test work on Sandvik ’ s Toro™ dieselelectric technology demonstrator truck – informally known as the TH66X – which customers first saw in Turku , Finland , in 2022 .
This machine has progressed from testing at the Test Mine in Tampere , Finland , to the Callio FUTUREmine ( formerly referred to as the Pyhäsalmi mine ).
“ The trials have been very good ,” Söderlund said , reporting that performance and productivity benefits had already been recorded against the diesel baseline . This included a significant increase in average acceleration and climbing speed , depending on the incline variation and ramp conditions , with the same engine powering the truck , along with better fuel efficiency than the diesel equivalent .
“ We also want to prove the reliability and total cost of ownership benefits ,” Söderlund said . “ This comes from removing the transmission and torque converter , which on a diesel machine , require more maintenance and are susceptible to failure . With the electric drive , you get longer equipment lifetime and higher reliability .
“ Then , from the operator ’ s perspective , there is instant torque , faster acceleration , better control and a more comfortable ride .”
Outside of this testing and the progression to a commercialised diesel-electric offering , Söderlund highlighted the potential to add ‘ e- Drive ’ capability to create a hybrid solution .
“ You could use it for full e-Drive over certain distances or for a booster on the performance side of things ,” he said . “ That will become a future option for customers .”
Looking to the future , more of the company ’ s electric driveline-based machines would come equipped with AutoMine ®. As it stands , the Toro™ LH518iB is the first battery-electric loader in the company ’ s offering to have this capability , which Söderlund provided an update on .
“ A lot of these LH518iBs already out in the field are equipped with on-board automation kits and we are currently working with customers in northern Europe to bring automation into the use case ,” he said . “ These first implementations of battery-electric and autonomous technologies take a bit more time and effort than the diesel equivalent , but we ’ re expecting to have this up and running soon .”
Ramping up the automation ante
Automation is also coming into the mix for Epiroc , with the Scooptram ST18 SG 18-t loading product line also being equipped with elements of Scooptram Automation .
On the truck side of things , Epiroc has as mentioned also been working with ABB and Boliden on the first battery-electric truck trolley system at Boliden ’ s Kristineberg mine in northern Sweden , which it says is “ automation-ready ”. And its collaboration with BluVein on the BluVein1 trolley infrastructure , which comes with nominal power requirements of 1-3 MW , also offers an easier path to automation , according to BluVein .
It was an automation project on a conventional diesel-powered Minetruck MT42 that led IM to get in touch with Vladimir Sysoev , Global Product Manager – Truck Automation at Epiroc .
In this case , Epiroc achieved a significant milestone by successfully automating this vehicle operating at the Odyssey mine in eastern Canada , a mine which hosts a 2-km spiral ramp . This saw the Minetruck MT42 autonomously tramming from surface to underground , where it was loaded by a teleremote Scooptram ST18 loader before it returns to the surface to dump its load .
Sysoev talked through some of the specific challenges automating the MT42 on this ramp : “ First , the length of the route presented a significant challenge . We needed to enable autonomous tramming for the entire distance without stops or interruptions . This required recording the entire route and then playing it back , necessitating substantial data processing and significantly greater storage and computing capacity on the vehicle compared to the shorter routes typically handled by loaders . We addressed this challenge effectively by upgrading the software and hardware to support longer autonomous routes .
“ Secondly , the route includes a spiral ramp from the surface to underground , requiring 3D localisation of the truck , as opposed to the 2D localisation used for flat surfaces . To display the vehicle ’ s real-time position on the map , we had to make substantial changes to the software ’ s graphical interface . Although this update is not yet complete , we are in the final stages of preparation .
Epiroc says it has achieved a significant milestone by successfully automating an MT42 truck operating at the Odyssey mine in eastern Canada , a mine which hosts a 2-km spiral ramp
“ Finally , transitioning the truck from surface to underground in the northern region posed difficulties due to the significant temperature and humidity differences , which cause heavy fog and condensation on cameras and laser sensors . This can impair the truck ’ s sensors , leading to interruptions in autonomous operation . While we have not yet found a definitive solution , we are testing several promising approaches . This challenge has driven us to develop more advanced scanning and data processing techniques , which is a very exciting prospect .”
In the current phase , Odyssey is only using autonomous tramming during shift changes and when blasting occurs , with regular shift work involving trucks and loaders operated manually . This is allowing the mine to carry out haulage operations for a few additional hours per day where time between the shifts can be used efficiently .
The truck is operated manually on the surface since it is not currently possible to isolate the truck from personnel and other manually operated vehicles . Therefore , in the shift changeover scenario , the operator drives the truck to the portal and hands it over for remote operation , jointly performing the ‘ check-in procedure ’ into the automation zone . The remote operator then activates the truck ’ s autonomous mode and sends it down the ramp . During the descent , the operator monitors the truck and takes control when it reaches the lowest point of the ramp . The process is reversed for the return journey to the surface . Before handing over to the manual driver on surface , the check-out procedure is completed .
To carry out this change , Epiroc and the customer ’ s team jointly conducted a risk assessment to determine the necessary safety
18 International Mining | JULY 2024