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Mr Horgan said the underground fleet they bought from the contractor was nearing the end of its life-cycle which presents an opportunity to go electric when purchasing a replacement fleet in the next 18 months
One of Canada's largest underground mines is transitioning to one such electric & automated system - details here:
https://im-mining.com/tag/minetruck-automation/
Fascinating but knowing what I know about mining equipment I would need to look at the pros and cons of introducing the technology into Egypt. I know the likes of Caterpillar have trial fleets with major mining companies around the world to ensure product reliability, performance and costs work for their customers.
It must be the way to go but not sure if Centamin are ready for the leap into what could be the unknown but 18 months is quite a long time and considerable advances and knowledge will be gained during that time.
It is interesting how automation is linked to electric drive equipment, I remember in 1980 seeing automated equipment running in a proving area and 40 plus years on we only see a limited number of machines working in the Industry.
Will Health and Safety acts around the world move with the times to allow machines to run around mines without drivers/operators? Yes I am sure one day it will happen is Centamin ready to introduce this technology I am not sure but certainly wouldn't rule it out.
I would however like to see numbers particularly around performance and reliability based on actual mine site conditions and applications but I have been out of the market for quite a while so maybe need to chat with people who have first hand experience.
There is an awful lot more to cost effective mining equipment than an electric motor turning the wheels as also need to provide power to hydraulics to lift the tools to do the work. Larger the machine and the heavier the work brings in additional dynamics.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone on this forum who has first hand experience of truly battery powered mining equipment Mr BC if you are still reading the contributions.
The use of electric equipment is underway in Australia albeit on a relatively small scale so far.
The initial feedback is very positive, although there is increased capital cost up front, the reduced operating costs particularly maintenance is well & truly compensating. The benefits in underground mining have been highlighted as the use of electric vehicles dramatically reduces the ventilation requirements which can save big bags of cash.
Although the above sounds good so far I have had comments from friends who work hands on with the equipment suggesting quite a bit of the positive feedback is due to companies wanting to be seen waving the green flag rather than true practical benefits - only time will tell how beneficial electric equipment will be to the mining industry but I am quite hopeful :)
Should I buy an electric car?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=135&t=1982601
Good news Cowichan, thank you!
Hi Dasut,
Good points about how to power the lifting gear etc,
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/990290
https://electrek.co/2019/01/29/caterpillar-electric-excavator-giant-battery-pack/
https://www.angloamerican.com/futuresmart/stories/our-world/environment/mining-with-renewable-energy
On January 27 2022, Sany Heavy Industry’s first 300 t electric-drive front (face) shovel, SY2600E, officially rolled off the production line in Kunshan Industrial Park in Suzhou, it says “once again achieving a technological breakthrough in the field of super-large excavation.
https://im-mining.com/2022/02/09/sany-heavy-industry-unveils-new-sy2600e-300-t-class-electric-drive-hydraulic-face-shovel-suzhou-factory-china/
Tibbs appreciate the developments in electrics have moved on but can't get my head around a 300 tonne shovel when a 26 tonne needs a battery pack weighing 3.4 tonnes. This means the 300 tonne unit battery pack will be approaching 40 tonnes. Charging time would be days.
What I think Sany have is the age old hybrid diesel electric but unfortunately difficult to find a spec sheet of the machine so can't confirm either way.
Mines dictate machines providing maximum production and nothing unusual for a mine to run 3 x 8 hour shift and efficiencies along the same lines as pit stops at a grand prix, albeit longer change overs because they would normally do fuel and service top ups and operator walk round, similar to a pilot does his checks before take off. There are extremes as have seen a mine where they have drive too gantry systems and the operator walks off and new guy walks on and doesn't have to climb the steps.
Many other extras such quick fill diesel tanks and lube clusters.
So waiting over night for a machine to be charged won't work so as have said we need considerably more information to understand how productive and therefore cost effective the equipment really is. Also how many additional machines would be required to meet production plans.
Hi Dasut,
Thank you for your explanation, I had feeling that you would be able to enlighten us on the feasibility of this monster battery powered shovel, doesn't surprise me considering the way the public are being hood winked over how environmentally friendly electric cars are, when in fact the production of the batteries and their disposal at end of life is hugely damaging to the environment.
I really appreciate all you have taught me about the realities of the at the face side of mining!
I always enjoy your lessons on actual at the pit face mining and I am sure I am not alone!
Cheers!
Tibbs
On e of my sisters bough an Electric Range Rover .
The electricity bill made it no longr¡er viable and the range pathetic. And many more maintainance issues.
In fact they told the company to take it back, after a few weeks of problems ,Range Rover refused .
Until they come up with far better batteries , with prices for electricity as they are they are not viable for many reasons .
Pit ponies would be greener . ha ha.
For indoors and confined spaces LPG is normally used ,no toxic gasses, water vapour and co2.
Dasut…. Yes still loitering in the shadows ??, Emissions in mining Mmmm lots of headlines and noise, basically most majors manufacturers have come out with various partnership announcements with most major miners of one form or another, the way I see it in the market currently the majors are hedging their bets - exploring full battery, expanding diesel power - electric drive, expanding hybrid configurations and investing in Hydrogen, but the simple reality is the bigger the equipment the greater the complexity of scale, CAT, Atlas Copco and Sandvik all have full battery smaller UG boggers today deployed, trialling etc, full battery large mining equipment will need dramatic technological advances for shift duration, performance, recharging tech, maybe quick change battery modules etc all of which to replace 1000’s of diesel horse power in large mining equipment - no easy task, that said manufacturers and miners alike are actively pursuing these options to explore the alternatives or be seen to be exploring such tech as part of their ESG expectations and or disruptive investor perception pressure - judge for yourselves. Now wrt Automation this is expanding at a pace, in the early stages specific applications lend themselves to autonomy e.g Large Iron Ore mines in WA where mine plans are quite consistent and it huge volumes of material being moved, hence most early fleets have been deployed in much applications, more recently - last 12 months or so mining truck automation has started to gain momentum in coal fields of Qld, with one of the first fleets being converted and many new machines being specced “autonomous” ready, furthermore applications like strip dozing have seen degrees of automation such as 1 control room and operator operating multiple driverless Dozers, or in more risky applications or tasks line of sight remote control - but this has been around for some time. Often the two topics are linked up Electrification (full / partial) and Autonomy but with no direct interdependency. The bottom line is large scale mining needs to be productive, efficient, effective and demonstrate a commercial return to owners / shareholders, with greater and greater emphasis on ESG - large mining trucks could in theory run on 50 000 AA batteries… but they don’t for all the obvious reasons. Enough of my ramblings hope this gives a few perspectives to current activity related to battery, power alternatives, electrification and Autonomy, take care - look after yourself Dasut.
Hi Cholly,
Very interesting thank you for sharing your knowledge and gained professional experience on this very relevant and topical subject !
BC great to hear from you and thanks for your current knowledge I am sure technology has moved on so much it is a good thing that the dinosaur called Dasut retired. I trust life is treating you well down under and best to you and your family. Stay safe.
Hi Mr Bond,
I'm afraid that today's Range Rovers are overpriced and have far too many electronics, apps and other semi conductor built in obsolesce on them for my liking, not the vehicles they once were and the new ones certainly won't last as long as their predecessors.
You might find this of interest though.
This car isn’t being brought to market by Land Rover, but instead by Liberty Electric Cars. Liberty is a relatively recent start-up company, and the E-Range is the firm’s main product.
Everything about the E-Range is high-end. The car itself starts life as a new Range Rover, then Liberty removes the diesel engine and replaces it with electric motors and batteries. The main lithium-polymer battery pack sits underneath the car and there are four electric motors, one for each wheel. At 75 kW, the battery is the largest battery pack that has ever been used in an EV, and the unit is expected to have a life of 300,000 miles or 13 years. Liberty manufactures its own batteries in-house.
https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/features/liberty-electric-range-rover/
This is the Ineos Grenadier – an all-new car from an all-new company, but one with a distinctly familiar look. Just three years ago, in 2017, Ineos Chairman and car fan Sir Jim Radcliffe decided to do something other car makers seemed to be shying away from: produce a vehicle with off-road ability at its heart, a utilitarian car where form followed function. This is the result, the first model from Ineos Automotive, and a car that takes its name from the pub where the idea was first formed. Auto Express was invited to Ineos HQ to take a look at the Grenadier and meet some of the team behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJguNBmlvuot
MR tIbbles ,I have no intention of buying any all electric vehicle.
not only lack of range and charging times but doubling my electric bill.
Maybe another 10 years before batteries are built sufficient for heavy duty.
The same applies to heavy equiptment for mining.
As Dasut said ,to much downtime, and not at all practical.
Hi Mr Bond,
Oh I wasn't expecting you to buy one, neither shall I !
Just thought you may find the article interesting considering the problems with your sisters Range Rover, it would be interesting t see how these eclectic versions got in in the outback ?
Yes not many charger in deserts are there.
As a previous article explained modern petrol engines have much less polution and far less hidden pollution to the environment-
I short nowt is cheaper , just pressure groups and bent politicions pushing their agendas , for the benefit af their friends.
Tesla is overprised hype ,another big con.
IMHO.
Your article was interesting marketing.-
Thank you.