MINING TRUCKS electrical energy is generated than is required for the ascent . As a by-product , CO 2-free electricity is generated . eMining had previously IM that it was working on a 110 ton ( 100 t ) class eDumper and Lithium System CEO Roger Miauton confirmed that it is currently evaluating the 100 t truck chassis and is also set to produce more of the 65 t version .
And autonomy …
As stated , AHS is moving far beyond a few early adopters , mainly due to a number of years of proven success and the rise of the retrofit market together with pressure on available operators in remote mining regions .
Starting in the oil sands in Alberta , Imperial Oil was the first operation globally to automate Caterpillar 797F 363 t ultraclass trucks , beginning with one truck in June 2018 , then reached seven by the end of that year , and now says it has reached 22 and was aiming to have retrofitted 25 797F units by end-2020 . It has also transitioned from using the autonomous trucks for waste haulage to actual oil sands haulage including dumping into the crusher . By 2023 it is committed to automating the whole Kearl fleet which could be as many as 75 to 80 trucks .
Working with Komatsu dealer SMS Equipment , Suncor has rapidly rolled out its autonomous haulage program across its sites – the Fort Hills fleet of 980Es is now all autonomous . Millennium will have the largest fleet of 85 autonomous trucks running by 2023 ( 930E and 980E ) while North Steepbank was the first and saw its fleet of 18 trucks ( mainly 930E ) switch to AHS in 2018 .
At Teck ’ s Highland Valley Copper , the company expects that 35 of its 52 Caterpillar 793F trucks will be autonomous by the end of the year after ongoing success . This project is notable as it was the first AHS project worldwide involving a deep , steep sided pit in a cold climate . Elsewhere , there is a six-truck AHS pilot using Komatsu 930E trucks underway at the Elkview Operations so Teck can assess the use of AHS at its steelmaking coal operations . The pilot is set to complete this year .
In Chile things are really taking off now with something of a domino effect – and it is appropriate as the first autonomous ultraclass haulers started out in Chile first at Codelco Radomiro Tomic for tests and then at Gaby , way back in 2008 . At the end of 2020 , Chile ’ s Minera
New concepts – Loadpro
Australia ’ s Loadpro has been testing the 65 t class X60 Loadpro mining truck since early 2020 and says the new design trucks have performed better than expectation . On short pit hauls with grades off 12 % operating alongside 55 t off highway trucks the X60 hauled 3,055 t compared to the OHT figure of 2,500 t in a nine hour shift using 16.7 % less fuel with 22 % more production . Similar efficiency was seen in short downhill loaded applications which the company says was very encouraging . On medium and long hauls it adds that the efficiency will increase . The first fleet of nine X60 Loadpros were recently delivered to major mining contractor PT Madhani Talatah Nusantara in Indonesia and are operating in coal hauling applications on Kalimantan in medium to long hauls from pit to stockpile and from pit to port . Loadpro says the trucks have excelled in what they were designed for in delivering lower cost haulage . The overall flexibility of the truck is key in that it is suitable for short hauls right up to extended pit hauls up to 30 km . It can be dissembled and reassembled in 40 hours and can be used as a water tank up to 56,000 litres . It is equally capable of handling steep gradients and soft and slippery conditions . It also has a highly efficient powertrain with a low fuel burn plus tri braking system with large cooling capacity . The X60 offers one truck for many haul applications reducing spare parts storage needs .
Truck bodies – SSAB strength in Schlam Hercules HX
When Schlam introduced Hardox ® wear plate in its Hercules dump bodies in 2016 , joining the SSAB ’ s member program Hardox ® In My Body was a natural next step . Hardox ® is a well-known brand in Australia for abrasion-resistant steel . The program adds even more value for Schlam ’ s customers . Supported by SSAB ’ s team of wear expert and design specialists , Schlam developed an optimised designe to make the best possible use of Hardox ® 500 Tuf . The Hercules HX body for mine dump trucks made in Hardox ® wear plate is lighter and stronger than competitor bodies . In fact , it has a 10 to 20 % higher load capacity . This number has been independently verified in actual mining scenarios . When returning unloaded , the lower tare weight also saves on fuel and tyre wear . A 20 % longer service life is another figure with a positive effect on the bottom line . Depending on the load ’ s abrasiveness , the dump body may even last 50 % longer or more by using Hardox ® 450 and Hardox ® 500 Tuf instead of any conventional AR steel .
Nine 65 t class Loadpro X60 trucks are now hauling coal in Kalimantan , Indonesia for contractor PT Madhani Talatah Nusantara
Centinela , part of Antofagasta PLC , approved the implementation of autonomous haulage at the Esperanza Sur open pit copper operation , with which it will target high utilisation and average speeds . The company said at the time , “ we are targeting specific performance improvements to come from these changes .” The company has now told IM that the contract has been awarded to Komatsu for a fleet of 11 980E-5 autonomous
trucks , which will be delivered between July 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 . Over at Collahuasi , a six truck trial with AHS is set for H2 2021 . Both mines are implementing LTE networks to support the autonomy programs , in Collahuasi ’ s case from Nokia .
Across in Peru , Southern Copper Corporation , part of Grupo Mexico , operates Cuajone , one of the largest copper mines in Peru , which could be one of the next major mines in Latin America to deploy autonomous trucks – it is in communication with both Caterpillar and Komatsu ahead of planned trials . However , these trials are still under the consideration of the Chairman ’ s office . If they are approved , they would take place in Zone 8 of the mine , which is away from the current active mining area . The initial plan would involve six new autonomous trucks , not retrofits . The company said initially they would not interact with the conventional driver operated trucks . Any official date for the beginning of trials is still pending .
Back in Australia , AHS activity continues apace . BHP Mitsubishi Alliance ( BMA ) last year announced a A $ 100 million ($ 69 million ) investment and new jobs as part of the introduction of 34 autonomous trucks at its
Daunia coal mine in central Queensland , Australia . The first retrofit trucks began working
in February 2021 , with the rollout expected to be completed by the end of the year . The 4.5 Mt / y Daunia coal mine opened in 2013 and has a
MAY 2021 | International Mining