MINING ENGINES
An LF14 loader using a EU Stage V engine ( pictured on the left in a salt mine ) and a second LF14 fitted with a Tier 3 engine ( pictured on the right in a hard-rock mine )
GHH Group is well known for its ability to provide customised solutions for customers , and this is no different when it comes to engine packages .
Service availability , engine footprint , and regulatory and legislative guidelines can drive changes in engine strategies from time to time . GHH , therefore , continuously adds more engine packages to its offering to stay abreast of these changes .
The 14 t LF-14 loader is an example here . The LF-14 loader can be fitted with a US Tier 3 Mercedes OM 470 engine offering up to 280 kW of power , as well as the Volvo TAD1351VE Tier 3 and Volvo TAD1371VE Tier 4 engine to satisfy all global markets .
Similarly , the 8 t SLP-8 loader , originally powered by a Deutz Tier 3 engine , is now optionally available in EU Stage V with a Cummins QSB 6.7 engine able to generate 173 kW of power .
The newly developed LF-10 NEO is also available with US Tier 3 or EU Stage V engine , as are the MK-A20 , MK-A35 and MK-42 trucks .
Mine Master , part of the GHH Group , currently uses EU Stage IIIA engines in most machines , but the low-profile machines are prepared for Stage V engine packages , as are all new machines . Due to the standardisation across all sizes of fleets like ultra-low profile , low-profile and mass mining , Mine Master is also able to offer battery-driven solutions which are modular across each product size . And , in line with global trends to “ go green ”, Mine Master is equipping nearly its entire fleet with battery-electric drive options .
Machine downtime due to engine-related maintenance and failures represent unnecessary costs for GHH clients , and is something being
addressed by the machine OEM . In a drive to support reduction of these issues , GHH LHDs offer ground-level maintenance and have , for example , additional ambient temperature sensors on machines to detect poorly ventilated areas that could lead to catastrophic failures and engine smoking . Although engine suppliers provide sensors of this nature , GHH ’ s add-ons are able to improve the notification speed of such issues , also logging the information in an easily-accessible database .
To support customers with their engine maintenance-related activities , the GHH inSiTE digital analytics system can be deployed .
“ The engine can be described as the heart of the machine yet can also be a source of life for the machine ‘ brains ’,” GHH says . “ Most of the engines , regardless of the energy source they use , generate valuable data that can not only show the health status , but also describe the activities the machine is performing .”
Typically , an engine can provide up to 200 different data points over the standardised J1939 protocol . GHH is making active use of these signals , in addition to the OEM on-board sensors , with the help of the end-to-end GHH InSiTE solution , which , it says , allows data to be logged at high frequencies , while various types of near-real-time or retrospective analysis can be carried out on the cloud .
Users of GHH InSiTE at various levels – such as mine production and maintenance crews , service partners or even GHH representatives – receive technical insights about the performance and conditions of single machines or an entire fleet in a web-based interface that is configurable to parts ordering , maintenance planning or machine downtime .
distributor Penske Australia .
Rolls-Royce stated : “ The results overwhelmingly convinced the operators : the initially estimated 25,000 hours of engine life were increased to 36,000 hours . This is a benefit that Yancoal is now extending across two more mines , with a total fleet of 75 trucks being repowered across the Yancoal fleet .”
Close cooperation between Penske Australia and Yancoal , and comprehensive monitoring of the mtu engine revealed further benefits : in addition to the longer time between overhauls , resulting in lower expenses , the mtu engines at MTW mine also consumed around 6.8 % less fuel than the previous conventional engine while maintaining the same performance , accompanied by equal emission savings , Rolls-Royce reported . At two other mines , Yarrabee mine in Central Queensland and Moolarben in New South Wales ,
Yancoal operates fleets comparable with the one at MTW Mine . After a successful tender process , Yancoal and Penske Australia developed a plan to bring the reliability and performance of the mtu engine to the 19 Komatsu 830E trucks at Yarrabee as well as to the 17 Komatsu 830E and five Komatsu 930E trucks at Moolarben .
By mid-2022 , 46 Komatsu 830E / 930E trucks had been repowered and were operating with an mtu Series 4000 engine across the three Yancoal mines . The initial repower project at MTW was launched in 2018 with a total of 75 repowers expected to be delivered across the three mine sites by 2025 .
The repowers of the 930Es was also part of the plan . As they accumulate service hours , they will be monitored in similar detail as the initial 830E truck repowers were to accurately assess and validate the business case cost benefits for
Yancoal partnering with Penske Australia and powering their mining trucks with an mtu 16V 4000 C01 engine .
Rools-Royce concluded : “ Engineered and built specifically for mining , the mtu Series 4000 is widely regarded as the industry ’ s ideal engine for high-horsepower applications , due to its superior durability , fuel economy and low total cost of ownership . In order to meet this standard , even after the first lifetime of an engine , we provide fully customised repowering solutions for every possible requirement and any application .”
The efficiency of the company ’ s repowering process results in a typical equipment outage of one week or less , with many equipment operators having saved enough in fuel , maintenance and repair costs to return their repower investment before the first overhaul , it added .
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JULY 2023 | International Mining 55