Turkey’s Talpa Maden based in the Izmir district of Çiğli is the country’s leading mechanised underground load and haul equipment manufacturer and its lithium battery LHD LE110 project is exciting for the industry as is it is one of only a few examples of this type of BEV equipment in the world especially at this compact size of a 1.25 m width (length 4.9 m, height 1.67 m) and a tramming capacity of 1 t.
The first battery LE110 machine was delivered to a Turkish narrow vein chromite mine in late 2018. The initial request came as the mine was having a hard time with ventilation costs and in addition introducing mechanisation was a serious issue for them since the market offering at the time did not have a compact machine that met their requirements in size.
Talpa says its machines are designed and engineered from the ground up and that its new battery powered LHDs are not only cheaper to maintain, but they’re also tough and reliable, requiring less maintenance than a diesel fleet. The first prototype was disassembled outside and carried piece by piece through the small diameter shaft. It was reassembled underground, and since then it has been working in tough conditions at -240 m in narrow galleries where it is vastly increasing productivity in the mine. Following the first prototype the customer has now bought three more machines. Talpa told IM it has been testing this model for a high number of working hours and is confident that the LE110 is now ready for international market.
The company adds: “Our battery powered LE110 costs less to maintain and operate than diesel equivalents, primarily because of the simple, efficient and highly reliable design. Electricity is cheaper than diesel and there is zero cost for fuel transportation and storage. Venting out the heat and toxic fumes generated by the diesel equipment costs a fortune. Switching to all-electric provided the customer with a safer working environment while cutting ventilation costs and increasing production by nearly three times.”
Usually a major complaint about BEV technology is the perceived downtime for charging. Talpa states: “The options for fast refuelling are to either quick charge or swap batteries completely. The 2020 model offers a fast battery swap system of 20-30 minutes and a total recharge time of two hours. Estimated operational time is around 4-6 hours depending on the conditions.”
Concluding, the company says: “We believe the future of mining is battery powered; the diesel powered machines will be obsolete at some point. Our LE110 exceeds the safety and productivity requirements of underground mining operations with none of the harmful emissions and a fraction of the heat produced by today’s diesel powered machines. The industry mindset is slowly changing and therefore so do our designs as well. We are aligning ourselves with the customer demand. We have some way to go but we believe we are getting there.”
