BHP has announced that it has a new low emissions equipment trial underway at the Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium mine in South Australia. It includes two Normet machines – the Utimec XL 1100 Agitator ED, the first in Australia, and the MF 050 VC Spraymec.

The Utimec machine is built on the new low-emission Normet ElectroDynamic platform – which Normet says combines the best features of its battery-electric Normet SmartDrive platform and state-of-the-art low-emission engine technology. The architecture “allows for increased payload capacity with astonishingly compact outer dimensions while also ensuring superior driving dynamics, high performance, superb fuel efficiency and less need for maintenance.”

The engine generates electricity, which is then used to drive the electric motors at the axles. This power conversion decouples the engine RPM from the speed of the machine and, consequently, enables optimising it for both best possible fuel economy and performance. The need for a driveshaft and gearboxes are eliminated through driving the externally cooled mining axles directly with permanent magnet motors in a highly efficient direct-drive configuration. This not only renders a low and compact load end design, instant torque and economical electric retardation possible, but also significantly increases component lifetime.

The Spraymec MF 050 VC is an electrohydraulic self-propelled mobile concrete sprayer which can be operated either with electric hydraulic power-pack or with diesel engine. It features a new Normet NSP 30 concrete spraying pump with maximum theoretical concrete output of 27 m3/h with electric operation. “What sets these machines apart is the ability to operate on electricity instead of diesel while spraying,” said David Johnson, Mine Development Olympic Dam.