Belarussian mining truck major BELAZ has secured its first order from Chile for some years from Codelco for its Rajo Inca project. The order includes 18 trucks including the 7531C with a payload capacity of 240 t, the BELAZ-7513 with a payload capacity of 136 t, and the BELAZ-75320 with payload capacity of 290 t. All these models will be supplied to Chile for the first time. Rajo Inca is the expansion of Codelco’s Salvador Division in Chile’s Atacama.
Codelco said earlier this year that Rajo Inca will require 25-30 300 t capacity trucks, hydraulic shovels and large tonnage front end loaders. The project includes a 22-month pre-stripping period and a seven-month ramp up of the concentrator plant. Commissioning will begin in the second half of 2022, with production reaching a annualised rate of 90,000 t/y of copper in the first half of 2023. It involves the treatment of around 900 Mt of reserves from the division’s Indio Muerto deposit.
BELAZ said the technical characteristics of the trucks are specially adapted to work in high altitude conditions. In order to exclude air deficiency, the BELAZ-7531С is powered by a Cummins QSK60-C engine with two-stage turbocharging. The Wabtec transmission features electrodynamic brakes with increased power of 3,000 kW. The safety of the trucks is also enhanced : the frame is designed for the installation of the quick-release protective buffer, extended body canopy and diagonal ladders are installed. The operator’s cab features a new climate control unit with air conditioner and heater, and informational LCD display.
The BELAZ-75320 is powered by Cummins QSK 60-C engine with power rating of 2850 HP and equipped with a Wabtec AC drive system. The BELAZ-7513 is powered by 1,300 HP Cummins QSK45-C engine and also equipped with a Wabtec AC drive system. The basic configuration of dump trucks includes options that improve operational effectiveness and safety: a fire-fighting system with remote activation, tyre pressure monitoring system, payload and fuel monitoring system, video surveillance system, and high-voltage line proximity alarm.