Vale’s first Carajas autonomous truck now running tests adding to 13 at Brucutu; auto drill rigs now number 11 across three sites

Brazilian iron ore mining major Vale confirmed to IM recently that its current autonomous truck fleet stands at 13 in the Brucutu mine with a further truck under test at Carajas. Overall, the company said that the first production autonomous truck will start up in Carajas in H2 2021 but that by 2024, the Carajas fleet will reach 37 as planned, bringing the total to 50 across both mines.

The Carajas trucks are Komatsu 930E-ATs using its FrontRunner technology & Modular DISPATCH fleet management system while the Brucutu units are Caterpillar 793F CMD models using Command for hauling, part of its MineStar™ suite of technology. Vale added that the Brucutu trucks have performed well with a 50% increase in tyre life, which it says was 20% higher than expected, while it also saw lower fuel consumption. Trucks aside, the company has also been rolling out autonomous blasthole rigs and now has 11 across three mines – six at Itabira, two in Brucutu and three in Carajas.

Network wise, things are also evolving. Telefónica working with Nokia have deployed a private LTE network at Carajas, which will also be Vale’s first operation to rely on the 4G LTE network. Vale says this will help optimise the operation of the three autonomous drilling rigs already running there while also permitting the mentioned start-up of autonomous trucks . After Carajás, the next operation to receive the 4G LTE network will be Serra Leste, where the network will help streamline operational functions. Serra Leste along with Carajas and S11D form the Northern System of Vale’s iron ore mining assets. Brucutu was earmarked for LTE but is sticking with its WiMAX wireless broadband network there as it is working well with the auto truck fleet. Vale and Nokia are also working on the concept of a 5G laboratory to test use cases for Vale’s operations.

Vale told IM it is also developing a private network on the Vitória-Minas railway. In partnership with Brazilian company Trópico, it will operate in the 250 MHz band in a Private Limited Service (PLS) range with testing starting H1 2021. This will enhance safety as it will support the train drivers with real-time information about the railway, while expanding the possibilities of using telemetry.