SURFACE DRILLING
Autonomous Epiroc Pit Viper 351
Pull down force
Paul Moore spoke to all four of the major blasthole drill OEMs as well as the two leading third party OEM-agnostic drill autonomy players to understand how the latest drills function and what they bring to the mining customer
Still the market leader in autonomous blasthole drilling , Epiroc says it continues to accelerate the transformation of the mining industry toward lower emissions , strengthened safety and higher productivity with its autonomous drill rigs having achieved another milestone in successfully drilling the equivalent length of more than once around the world .
The company ’ s drill rigs , used by mining and construction customers across the world , are increasingly operated autonomously . The company ’ s Pit Viper surface drill rigs have now drilled holes totalling more than 41 million metres autonomously , exceeding the world ’ s circumference of 40.1 million metres .
The societal benefits generated so far are significant , including a reduction in CO 2e emissions of more than 100 000 t . An equivalent in effect would be to plant a new forest the size of the Swedish capital , according to Epiroc . The reduction in CO 2e emissions is achieved through increased efficiency of autonomous drilling , higher-precision drilling and a significantly reduced need for travel to the rigs , which can be at a far distance from the control room .
In addition to lower emissions , other benefits of autonomous drilling include a safer and more comfortable work environment for operators , and higher productivity .
“ Our autonomous drilling solutions are one example of how we are accelerating the transformation toward a more sustainable future ,” Helena Hedblom , Epiroc ’ s President and CEO , says . “ We have a rigorous innovation agenda , also within digitalisation and electrification , to find new ways to reduce the environmental impact , while increasing safety and productivity .”
The company has also led the way in the supply of large tethered electric blasthole rigs . In December 2022 , First Quantum ’ s Cobre Panama became the mine with the most significant number of electric drills in the Latin American region by acquiring another Epiroc Pit Viper 351 E drill rig , the largest zero-emission surface drill rig in the world .
The acquisition of this advanced drilling equipment marked another significant milestone :
it was the 200th electric machine of its class manufactured by Epiroc at a global level . It highlights the advancement towards sustainable mining that reduces and mitigates the impacts of producing equipment with advanced technologies .
The Pit Viper 351 E drilling rig is the largest drilling rig Epiroc makes and the largest on the market .“ Reaching the 200th electric drill makes us proud . Mining is evolving to be increasingly sustainable , and at Epiroc , we are accelerating that process ,” said Jose Manuel Sanchez , Epiroc President Surface division .
Planning for a battery powered drilling future
But battery as a power source is also a focus area . Back in July 2022 , Epiroc took a big step forward in its battery electric roadmap in surface equipment when it announced it had entered an agreement with Skanska Industrial Solutions AB to trial the first ever tophammer battery-electric rig in Sweden . Trials commenced in early October 2022 and are ongoing . Another unit was then shown off at the Bauma 2022 event in Munich . IM recently caught up with Ulf Gyllander , Global Product Manager , Epiroc Surface division both at Bauma and in a subsequent interview , to get
some more insight into the machine in terms of its development and potential for quarry operators and going forward for mine operators .
First off , why start now and why with this drill model ? Gyllander told IM : “ The basis has been the SmartROC T35 . It ’ s a well-proven rig and was also a suitable size to start with . At the same time , we had requests from customers for this type of rig . The SmartROC T35 E that we now have s a result of a successful collaboration between Epiroc and our customers , including Skanska Industrial Solutions in Sweden who have provided us with valuable input making sure we delivered a rig with optimised performance and flexibility .”
He says the SmartROC T35 E model was the ideal size to be able to offer both a drill with both tethered electric and full battery electric operation . The machine for all intensive purposes is very much the same as the SmartROC T35 aside from the powertrain ; the cab , wagon frame and track frame are very similar as are the boom , hydraulic and drill system and dust collection system . But of course , the diesel engine has been replaced with two electric motors plus the battery pack is mounted inside the machine .
It is fitted with the same type of well-proven Epiroc batteries and subcomponents as already deployed in the Epiroc underground electric solutions – Boomer rigs , Scooptram loaders and Minetruck trucks . This streamlines spare parts handling across all of its customer segments , both surface and underground .
The battery never has to be removed until it is worn out . In terms of power delivery alone , the battery or cable electric operation with electric motors is actually much more efficient than a diesel set up due to more precise control over the hydraulic system and air compressor that accounts for most of the power demand during drilling . The rig also comes with a range of smart features , options and enhanced automation solutions for high safety , reliability , and performance .
Two SmartROC T35 E units have now been built , one that is still being trialled with Skanska at a quarry near Stockholm , with the second as stated having been shown at Bauma 2022 in Munich which then came back to Epiroc for more internal testing . Gyllander comments : “ The second unit incorporates some adjustments based on the trialling of the first unit taking into account customer and operator feedback as well as our own technical teams . We have regular meetings to talk about the machine progress and performance .”
He adds : “ In terms of its operation – the main 8 to 10 hour production drilling set up for these units is cable power , plus it can drill on battery
International Mining | APRIL 2023