UNDERGROUND RAIL
BJS Slovakia lithium battery locos at KGHM
Slovakian OEM BJS Slovakia offers battery locomotives with Li-ion battery modules , and several of these locomotives are being used in Poland with copper and silver mining major KGHM . BJS told IM that its electric accumulator mine locomotives with Li-ion battery modules are specifically designed for horizontal rail track haulage in mines , and for the dusty mine environment with explosion hazards from coal dust and natural gas , so they are also ATEX certified . These locomotives can operate in humid environments and at ambient temperatures ranging from -10 ° C to + 35 ° C .
The locomotives are driven by two asynchronous electric motors with independent cooling and with speed regulation by frequency converter that guarantees both steady drive and braking . Braking is organised by two independent braking systems for both axles - an electrodynamic brake using electro motors and a mechanical double circuit brake directly on the running wheels . The locomotives also have lockable cabins with view and steering in both directions .
BJS Slovakia lithium battery locomotive similar to the type used at KGHM ' s mines in Poland
haulage , with 248,290 t of ore hauled in May 2022 . According to Agnico Eagle ’ s Q2 2022 report : “ During the second quarter of 2022 , gold production [ at Goldex ] was above forecast as a result of higher productivity from the South Zone and higher throughput from the Railveyor system .”
Additionally , the fully electric Railveyor system also continues to reduce potential greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions at Goldex mine when compared with traditional diesel truck haulage solutions .
The low measured direct and indirect emissions generated by activities at Goldex support the statistic presented by AEM in their 2021 Sustainability report that their operations in Quebec are responsible for just 4 % of their overall emissions .
In the Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd 2021 Sustainability Report , Executive Vice-President of Operational Excellence , Carol Plummer stated : “ We continue to be leaders in operating greenhouse gas ( GHG ) -efficient gold mines with render trolley lines redundant at underground mines globally and is available for retrofit on any brand of locomotive . Organising the haulage so that when a locomotive is dormant and able to connect to a power supply using Trident ' s onboard technology means short charging periods will keep the battery charged during shifts ." Trident says this will enable a battery locomotive to offer the service of a trolley line machine without the infrastructural investment and daily maintenance required to support trolley lines . Longer haulages will not require complicated electrical reticulation installations to allow for this charging as the Trident system only requires a basic power connection for its system to function and the off-rail installation is small and easily fitted .
It adds : " Trolley lines require expensive control systems on the locomotive to handle peaks and troughs in the delivered current and quite often these systems require a stock of expensive IGBT cards to ensure reliability . This is also eliminated using the Trident lithium technology . Motor failure is also greatly reduced for the same reason ."
The system ' s Wi-Fi technology allows fleets of batteries to be monitored live on the cloud so that engineers and mining managers are able to see the state of their locomotive batteries above ground in real time . Electrical Infrastructure ( battery bays ) in mines that have battery locomotives can now be utilised for other uses as the Trident lithium battery remains on the locomotive and is only periodically removed for scheduled maintenance .
Opportunities for reductions in queuing times for lead acid batteries to be swopped are huge as well as huge reductions in possible injuries that often occur during these exchanges .
Trident now has 200 + lithium power systems in the field in South Africa and growing numbers in Africa , South America and the Pacific Rim . As an example , it has recently delivered four 25 ton lithium-powered units to Ghana and is working on several South American options that it says should see the Trident system as the defacto standard for this technology in underground mining .
Railveyor system at Goldex passes 10 Mt hauled
Rail-Veyor Technologies Global Inc in December 2022 announced that the Railveyor™ TrulyAutonomous system operating at the Agnico Eagle Goldex mine in Val d ’ Or , Quebec , has hauled over 10 Mt of ore since installation and commissioning was completed in 2018 . Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd announced in July 2022 that 1 Moz of gold has been processed from the Goldex mine since 2013 .
“ In partnership with our customers at Agnico Eagle , we at Railveyor are proud to have made a small contribution towards achieving their notable milestone of 1 million ounces of gold mined ,” said Railveyor CEO Jim Hawkins .
Initially designed to haul at a capacity of 6,000 t per day , Railveyor continues to exceed expectations and set monthly records for
a combined intensity of 0.4 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent for every ounce of gold produced and 8 of the 11 operating mines in 2021 below the industry average .”
“ Since 2018 , the implementation of the Railveyor system at Goldex has had a positive impact on our operations . This innovative project has had a unifying effect among our teams because all departments were able to participate in it . It also allowed us to raise the bar on our production , and it helped us achieve our environmental and health and safety goals . Today , we are still improving the system by integrating new technologies that will allow us to reach new milestones ,” reported Christian Lessard , Maintenance Superintendent of Agnico Eagle ’ s Goldex mine .
Railveyor ’ s Hawkins also noted : “ Agnico Eagle has a clear commitment to delivering solid economic results while emphasising sound stewardship of the environment , local communities and its workforce . We are proud of
At Agnico Eagle ' s Goldex , Railveyor - an automated , rail-based underground conveyor system to transport ore - eliminated the need for 14 diesel trucks and in December 2022 passed 10 Mt hauled
54 International Mining | JUNE 2023