INTERNATIONAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
The new Cat trolley assist system for
Cat electric drive mining trucks is now
available for mining operations seeking
a means to reduce carbon emissions,
lower fuel and engine costs, and boost
speed-on-grade for greater productivity.
The Cat trolley assist retrofit kit is currently
available for the 795F AC truck, and the
trolley design is compatible with the three
other Cat electric-drive mining trucks—
794 AC, 796 AC and 798 AC.
The commercial introduction of Cat
trolley assist comes at the conclusion of
a nearly two-year pilot project conducted
with four 795F AC trucks using 700 meters
of electric trolley line at Boliden’s Aitik
mine in Sweden.
“The Cat trolley assist program at Aitik
have been a real success story” says
Jonas Ranggård, a program manager
at Boliden. “Availability has been high
despite the arctic conditions, and we’ve
had good support from Caterpillar and
all other partners involved. There are few
projects that can show both environmental
and productivity improvements of this
magnitude. This is why Boliden has
decided to expand the trolley infrastructure
in Aitik and equip its entire 795F AC truck
fleet with trolley assist systems.”
“We thank Boliden for their work in
demonstrating the capabilities of the Cat
trolley assist attachment. The benefits
of trolley can be significant in the right
conditions, and we would be pleased
to discuss site-specific scenarios with
customers.” said Eric Ruth, electrical
senior product team leader with
Caterpillar. “We feel that trolley assist can
play a role in achieving mining companies’
greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Simultaneously, trolley assist boosts
productivity by increasing speed-on-grade.
In fact, testing at Aitik mine has shown
that a 795F AC equipped with trolley
assist is the most powerful mining truck in
the world!”
The trolley system significantly reduces
diesel engine emissions at the mine via
substitution of electricity during the most
demanding part of the truck work cycle.
Powering a 337-mt-payload 795F AC via
trolley on a 10 percent grade as it climbs
the ramp out of the pit saves up to 40
litres of diesel fuel per kilometre of trolley
line. Fuel and engine costs are reduced by
more than 90 percent while the truck is
on trolley.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
Trolley assists electric drive
Caterpillar’s 795 AC mining truck on a trolley at the Boliden Aitik mine in Sweden.
Trolley assist pantograph on Cat 795 AC truck at the Boliden Aitik mine in Sweden.
The trolley system also boosts
productivity. Operating with trolley assist,
speed-on-grade increases as much as 100
percent versus diesel-only mode. Using
trolley, a loaded 795F can run at 28 kph on
a 10 percent physical grade with solid haul
road conditions.
The Cat trolley system is fully machine
integrated, bringing the benefits of
optimised performance and system
serviceability to the 795F AC. Caterpillar’s
higher voltage truck and trolley system
is designed to bring advantages through
lower infrastructure capital costs and lower
power distribution maintenance costs.
Other advantages come from the
rugged Cat pantograph, designed to
deliver superior uptime and reduced repair
costs. A quick-drop feature helps protect
the overhead trolley lines.
APRIL 2020
7