CONTRACT MINING back and leakage with its fully sealed and scrapable material-carrying surface . The SPF has already proven its worth in the field , with Fortescue Metals Group Project Director , Matthew Erceg-Hurn , remarking : “ Having the SPFs means we have a lot more uptime , which means we can keep running tonnes through the plant and produce more revenue as opposed to stopping and maintaining the plant more regularly .”
The SPF was recently showcased at MINExpo 2024 , in Las Vegas , where it garnered significant attention from industry leaders , according to the company , with Alister MacPherson , Head of Strategy , Growth & Innovation at RCR , characterising the interest as “ phenomenal ”.
Rebuilds and more
Thiess is also open to getting its hands dirty on behalf of its clients , with the company ’ s mobile equipment expertise often being leveraged across the globe .
It recently announced it had successfully exported its first fleet of rebuilt trucks – five Cat 789 trucks – from Batam Island , in Indonesia , to Perth , Australia , with more enroute to support the ongoing demand for hauling fleet .
It stated : “ Our Thiess Rebuild Centre team in Indonesia resets the usage clock on each truck to zero hours , extending each truck ’ s service life by 40,000 to 60,000 hours , with a full rebuild that includes overhauling all major components and refurbishing the chassis and electrical systems . Since opening in January 2024 , the team has completed 17 trucks , with six more near completion . A total of 31 trucks are expected to be completed and exported by the end of the year .”
Thiess Group Executive Chair and CEO , Michael Wright , said : “ Our truck and component rebuilds underscore Thiess ’ commitment to sustainable solutions and innovation in mining . The rebuilt equipment and components will result in improved machine productivities , incorporating product updates and technology improvements , delivering reliability and enhanced mining efficiencies at lower costs for our clients .”
He adds : “ The centre also serves as an incubator , allowing us to explore decarbonisation and alternative fuel technologies , with future opportunities to offer these services to our clients . Our rebuild team has successfully developed innovative solutions such as building diagonal stairway control boxes from piece parts , helping circumvent global supply chain issues .”
RCR says the Sealed Pan Feeder is a world-first , industry-leading product that redefines the future of apron feeder technology
During the event , U & M Mineração e Construção Project Coordinator , Lucca Machado , said the company was confident in scaling up a new battery-electric hybrid truck platform and retrofitting the country ’ s second biggest surface mine diesel vehicle fleet in the next two years , remarking , “ We really want to get into a future where mining becomes safe , intelligent and sustainable .
“ We see that our initiatives , along with other projects around the world , are going to help us get there . And hopefully sooner than later .”
U & M has been working for about seven years on heavy vehicle automation and , in 2020 , it initiated a hybrid diesel-electric truck program focused , initially , on getting a suitable power-toweight balance on a Komatsu 730 186 t truck using LFP lithium-ion battery cells made in China and hybrid platform system components developed with partners in Brazil .
The latter included Semikron Danfoss on the truck ’ s DC-DC converter ; transformer and reactor specialist AQ Trafotek ; and local electromobility hardware and software start-ups MVP e-solutions and EVPV Power .
U & M has two autonomous trucks running at a gold mine site in Brazil , and Machado said the company has been “ trying to explore as much as possible the synergy ” between autonomous and hybrid-power vehicle systems .
Machado said back in May that the company was looking to move towards validation of its hybrid platform system at a client site by the end of 2024 .
“ We are hopeful that we can get in the next couple of months this [ test 730 ] truck running at our proving ground ,” he said . “ After that , focus will shift to stress-testing the truck at one of our mine sites in Brazil . That ’ s where we see whether the technology is working or not . That ’ s where we see the performance of the new components . Next year is where we really focus on system optimisation . And there is quite a bit to be done .”
Machado said downsizing the truck ’ s diesel engine – perhaps by as much as 50 % to circa- 1,000 hp ( 746 kW ) – would be part of the project ’ s ongoing optimisation focus . As would exploring the impact and timing of different battery charging options , including regenerative braking , on the energy profile of a truck in a production cycle .
“ Our focus is to get that done at the beginning of 2025 and , after that , moving into scale ,” he said . “ We know that [ scaling ] is tough . We have quite a lot of experience with our autonomous project . But we are confident that , working with the partners that we have , we can bring this to our clients at the end of next year .”
U & M wants to develop a commercial 730 truck retrofit kit costing under $ 200,000 , sans the
battery pack .
IM
Scaling innovation
Brazil ’ s largest mining contractor , U & M is on its own decarbonisation and automation journey , something it described during The Electric Mine 2024 , in Perth , Western Australia , earlier this year .
“ We really want to get into a future where mining becomes safe , intelligent and sustainable ,” U & M ’ s Lucca Machado said at The Electric Mine 2024 , in Perth , Western Australia , earlier this year
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024 | International Mining 53