All posts by Paul Moore

Autonomous trucks and R&D mark 25th anniversary of Minera Lomas Bayas

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

Compania Minera Lomas Bayas, a Glencore company, recently celebrated its 25-year history with a ceremony held at the facilities of the operation, which included a special moment to recognise the founding members of the mining company and to present the initiatives that will chart the road along the path of operational and technological excellence.

One of the milestones announced during the event was the presentation of Lomas Lab, an R&D proposal implemented by Lomas Bayas to develop and promote various innovations and automation projects that Glencore will subsequently replicate globally, placing it at the forefront of copper mining worldwide.

Enrique Caballero, Technology Manager at Glencore Copper presenting Lomas Bayas technology initiatives

Pablo Carvallo (pictured at the start of the article), General Manager of Lomas Bayas, highlighted that: “We are celebrating a legacy and a prominent future. Twenty-five years ago, a group of people believed in a project and, after long years of hard work and dedication, today we can say that we are a leading company in low-grade copper mining. We are also very proud of the launch of Lomas Lab and the other technology initiatives that will help us to grow always putting people at the heart of our business.”

This pioneering initiative was supplemented with the announcement of the startup of the autonomous trucks and drills project, which is an improvement in terms of safety and operational efficiency. The project of trucks powered by electricity via an overhead wire (trolley), one of the most important technologies in the industry, was also presented. This project will be thoroughly studied using digital analytics metrics, to move Mining 4.0 forward in the Antofagasta region.

“We want to emphasise that the technologies we are developing include the possibility of becoming one of the first companies in the world to use autonomous trolley trucks, in line with our decarbonisation and sustainable development goals,” added Carvallo.

According to Enrique Caballero, Technology Manager at Glencore Copper, “the Lomas Lab program regards Lomas Bayas as a global learning and technology development site; in other words, the company will become an exporter of technologies, methods and models that contribute to a safe and efficient deployment of future projects at other Glencore sites worldwide. This makes Chile and the Antofagasta region knowledge and technology leaders.”

The celebration for the 25th anniversary of Lomas Bayas was attended by the employees and their families, union leaders, representatives of the leadership team and Glencore, civil society members and various authorities, who showed their deep appreciation of these announcements.

Luis Felipe Ramos, Chile’s Undersecretary of Energy, said that “initiatives such as those promoted by Lomas Bayas to achieve net zero, are aligned with the objectives of President Gabriel Boric’s Administration and with the Climate Change Framework Law to achieve the decarbonisation goals by 2050. These instances contribute employment, investment and progress in areas of the territory such as Sierra Gorda, incorporating and involving the communities and people in the benefits obtained from these developments, particularly in a region such as Antofagasta, where 60% of the energy demand comes from mining, and also set an example to be followed by other industries.”

While Willy Kracht Gajardo, Undersecretary of Mining, stated that “mining allows making in Chile what the aerospace industry makes in the United States, that is, to develop world-class technologies and solutions. In recent years and decades, mining has made an important effort to incorporate technologies and automate processes, to which it now adds the challenge of reducing emissions. In our opinion, what Lomas Bayas is doing with the launch of Lomas Lab points in the right direction, and we are interested in the replication of this exercise at other mining companies that operate in the country.”

The group of initiatives launched during the anniversary of Lomas Bayas is aligned with the values and goals of its parent company, Glencore, focused on a responsible and tangible transition to full decarbonisation by 2050, a strategic target for all its operations worldwide.

History of Lomas Bayas

Lomas Bayas dates back to 1981, when the company Minera Pudahuel Ltda wrote a call option for the property. Years later, the land was acquired by various companies, and Gibraltar Mines Ltd became its sole proprietor in 1994. After many years, transfers and overcoming great obstacles, Lomas Bayas produced its first cathode in 1998, which was quite an achievement for a mining operation that works with the lowest copper grades in the country.

This mining company attracted the interest of several economic groups over the years. In 2006 Xstrata Copper acquired the assets of Falconbridge (including Lomas Bayas), and expanded the throughput to 75,000 t/y in 2008. Xstrata merged with Glencore in 2013, and Lomas Bayas became part of this conglomerate, closing that year with a production of 74,174 t of high purity copper cathode.

Currently, Lomas Bayas stands out for its developments and contributions to the national territory, and is the mining company with the lowest copper grade that operates in Chile. Approximately 1,750,000 t of cathode have been produced between 1998 to date.

About Lomas Bayas and Glencore

Minera Lomas Bayas is located 110 km northwest of Antofagasta and at 36 km east of Baquedano. It is among the operations with the lowest ore grade (an average of 0.25%) in the national industry and extracts oxide ores from an open pit deposit.

Its annual production averages 73,000 t of fine copper in the form of high purity cathode. It ships its product through the Port of Antofagasta, and Glencore markets it directly to its customers.

Glencore is one of the world’s leading natural resource companies present in six continents, 35 countries, with more than 150 mining, metallurgical operations and oil assets. In Latin America, it has high-end operations such as Antapaccay in Peru and projects underway in Argentina.

First Mode to produce 36 nuGen™ systems annually from new Seattle facility

Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

Carbon reduction company First Mode has announced construction of its first manufacturing facility in Seattle, Washington, USA. The factory will produce zero-emission powerplants and associated ground infrastructure for First Mode’s nuGen™ haulage solutions, which replace diesel engines in mining haul trucks and locomotives by retrofitting customer’s existing fleets with battery and hydrogen fuel cell solutions.

“Our First Mode manufacturing facility is a crucial step towards fulfilling our mission to eliminate diesel from heavy industry,” said First Mode CEO Julian Soles. “This factory allows us to demonstrate our zero-emission powertrain solutions at scale and enables our customers to deliver on their decarbonisation commitments.”

At scale, the manufacturing facility will produce components to retrofit 36 vehicles with nuGen™ systems annually, the equivalent of removing 25,000 passenger vehicles from the road each year. The factory will also validate the company’s manufacturing processes and establish a foundation for expanding First Mode manufacturing capacity near customer locations.

“We’re incredibly pleased that First Mode is establishing its first manufacturing facility in Seattle,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Seattle has always been known for big, progress-driving ideas, and this announcement speaks to our continued status as a hub for innovation and being on the cutting edge of world-changing technology. We look forward to how this state-of-the-art facility helps First Mode achieve its mission of decarbonising heavy industry, brings clean energy jobs to our city, and builds a more sustainable future for the next generation.”

Set to begin operations later this year, First Mode’s manufacturing facility will be the largest clean technology manufacturing facility in the city of Seattle. In recognition of this investment, First Mode recently received the Evergreen Manufacturing Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support factory construction.

“First Mode represents one of the largest clean tech companies in Seattle and I’m thrilled that they chose to invest in our city by building a manufacturing facility here,” said Markham McIntyre, Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development. “Seattle is uniquely positioned as a leader in sustainability and clean technology deployment. We’re excited to continue working with First Mode as they bring new clean tech manufacturing and engineering jobs to our city and help shape the future of Seattle’s economy.”

By utilising smart manufacturing, the 45,000-square-foot facility will enable concurrent development and production of multiple nuGen™ engine configurations – also allowing the company to digitalise and automate workflows for a smarter, safer, and more efficient factory with a high level of adaptability to design changes – crucial to First Mode’s rapid product development roadmap and design iteration.

The first factory-built nuGen™ engines will be transported to First Mode Proving Grounds in Centralia, Washington, USA, in 2024. The engines will then be integrated into Komatsu 930E haul trucks and become the largest zero-emission trucks to drive on US soil.

The factory will help First Mode fulfill its supplier agreement with Anglo American to decarbonise their global fleet of ultra-class haul trucks with the nuGen™ Haulage Solution, which includes haul truck retrofit with the company’s nuGen™ haulage solution and supporting infrastructure such as battery charging, hydrogen production, and refuelling.

New ABB facility in Virginia to produce converters & batteries for mining BEVs

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

ABB has opened a new manufacturing, distribution and repair centre in Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA, to support its Motion Traction business. ABB’s Motion Traction division offers a comprehensive range of high-performance products for use in passenger railway cars and e-mobility commercial vehicles. From individual components to highly integrated traction systems, the product portfolio includes compact converters and auxiliary converters, battery chargers, energy storage systems, as well as service and retrofit solutions.

The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to produce converters and batteries for the railway and transportation industries as well as electric off-road construction machinery for mining as well as electrical buses. The $6 million investment includes more than 65,000 square feet of operational space and will employ nearly 100 skilled production workers when at scale. This venture follows ABB’s recent announcement to invest $170 million in the US to meet increased demand from industry-leading customers, while supporting the clean energy transition and the trend towards reshoring of production.

ABB BORDLINE battery pack

“This investment demonstrates ABB’s commitment to bring more products and solutions closer to customers and use technology to enable OEMs and operators to improve reliability, performance and energy efficiency,” said Peter Basile, President, US Traction Division, ABB, Inc. “This facility provides a comprehensive offering to our customers that will allow them to enhance their business by utilising ABB technology and support.”

Since 2010, ABB has invested $14 billion in the US for plant expansions, operational improvements, state-of-the-art equipment, products and people, making it the company’s largest market. With approximately 20,000 employees in more than 40 manufacturing and distribution facilities, ABB says it is investing, growing and serving customers across America through industries that create jobs, encourage innovation and achieve a more productive, sustainable future.

ABB’s BORDLINE® Energy Storage System (ESS) is a lithium-ion based onboard energy storage system that it says is characterised by its high safety level and achievable lifetime. Up to sixteen battery modules can be connected in series to form a battery string and multiple strings can be connected in parallel. The series connection of modules are realised with insulated quick coupling power connectors and with a wired serial bus between the modules and the master control unit. BORDLINE Compact Converters are main propulsion converters with integrated auxiliary supply. All power electronics found on a vehicle are integrated in one product. This yields a very compact design with one interface to the vehicle.

In May 2023, First Mode ordered 80 ABB BORDLINE ESS for use in its FCEV nuGen™ zero-emission mining haulage trucks. The batteries, with a total 2.6 megawatt-hours (MWh), will be assembled into larger battery packs and used in the construction of hybrid hydrogen and battery powerplants to power the new ultra-class haulage trucks.

ABB is also working with Hitachi Construction Machinery on its development of an all battery mining truck. ABB is developing the on-board energy storage systems “by customising an existing product” and Hitachi Construction Machinery is leading the overall design and development of the dynamic charging battery dump truck utilising the technology of its existing rigid dump truck with trolley as its base, effectively allowing the accelerated development of this solution.

COSOL secures major asset management services deal with Ok Tedi

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral project development, Mining services, Mining software

Australian asset management and digital transformation company COSOL Ltd has signed a major contract to deliver Asset Management Services to Ok Tedi Mining Ltd, owner of one of the world’s biggest copper-and gold mines, located in Papua New Guinea. The contract has a value of A$17 million and will run for three years.

This contract extends and deepens the existing relationship, which has spanned almost two decades, delivering operational efficiencies and cost savings. Under the contract, COSOL will deliver comprehensive, end-to-end Asset Management Services, leveraging the combination of COSOL’s proprietary software and services.

COSOL says it will generate major operational efficiencies, material cost savings, and assist the company in its drive to achieve zero waste in its operations and supply chains. CEO Scott McGowan said: “COSOL is delighted to solidify the long-term relationship and it is pleasing that we have again been entrusted by a leading asset intensive business to continue providing crucial asset management software and services to a global scale mining operation.”

COSOL describes itself as a global Enterprise Asset Management technology-enabled solution provider that optimises operations in asset- intensive industries such as natural resources, energy and water utilities, public infrastructure and defence. “COSOL continuously invests in its ecosystem of software and services to help large-scale asset owners get more from their networks and to capture quantifiable business improvements measured in sustainability, efficiencies and profitability.”

Wenco Open Autonomy installed on wheel loader at Rio Tinto’s Channar mine

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services

At the Channar iron ore mine in the Pilbara, Rio Tinto continues to collaborate with partners, Scania and Wenco, to create an interoperable haulage solution for its autonomous haul trucks. The current project remains centred on what Rio Tinto calls a ‘Right Sized Autonomous Haulage System,’ part of its focus on new thinking on truck sizes in mining.

The work to date has been on Scania 8×4 XT 40 t class tipper trucks and a major part of the work has been looking at the issue of the sweet spot in truck size and class. Rio Tinto has stated: “Larger haul trucks, while already automated, consume more energy than current electric-vehicle power sources can generate. By exploring truck size, we want to assess how big and small trucks can both be a part of the solution to reduce our emissions in the Pilbara and find fit-for-purpose solutions in mining.”

Ben Rogers, General Manager Services & Delivery Technology at Rio Tinto recently added in an online post on the project drivers: “Because we’ll have the flexibility to take the best autonomous haul truck offerings from our vendor partners to deliver the best outcomes in our operations. This includes accelerating the use of smaller, civil class electric trucks which will help to reduce our mining and operational footprints. This means narrower roads, a smaller mining pit and smaller mobile equipment maintenance infrastructure, creating less waste through the mining process and minimising our impact on the landscape and environment.”

He continued that it has successfully tested spot loading integration using Scania’s autonomous trucks with Wenco’s Open Autonomy system installed on a wheel loader and says it will continue to trial the joint solution over the next 12 months. Using Wenco’s software, the driver defines a loading bay, where the autonomous truck is sent to be loaded. Once the autonomous truck is full, it leaves the loading bay and carries on to the dumping point. 

Wenco and parent company Hitachi are championing open standards including the implementation of ISO 23725 — the standard that decouples autonomous fleet control from OEM systems and enables customers to use existing haul trucks, FMS, machine guidance, hardware, network and other infrastructure already in place. The open systems platform provides the necessary FMS, spotting, mapping, traffic management, situational awareness, and controls to enable both traditional ultra class trucks and new entrants offering smaller or electrified trucks. Wenco is partnering with Oxbotica and other autonomy vendors to create Global Mining Group defined Level 5 autonomy for any ISO 23725 and open Drive-by-Wire standard supporting OEM vendor.

 

 

UMS capitalises on skills & equipment to offer best economical sinking solution

Equipment maintenance, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services

As open-cast mining operations face the inevitable shift to underground due to depleted shallow deposits, increasing surface environmental requirements, and an increased call for minerals to support the transition to low-carbon energy, United Mining Services Group has equipped its operations in preparation for the surge in demand for specialist underground mining skills.

The company says it is concentrating its efforts on making underground mining as cost effective for clients as possible while increasing productivity, as quickly and safely as possible.

Murray Macnab, Group Executive Technical Director for UMS, says that as a multi-disciplinary specialist underground mining and metallurgical processing services company, with 60 years of institutional knowledge and extensive front-end expertise, UMS is capitalising on its experience, intellectual resources and equipment to get the best economical solution for its clients. By combining the extensive engineering and consulting ability of the UMS engineering as well as the UMS contracting businesses, UMS can complement clients’ technical teams’ short and long-term requirements.

“Traditionally, Tier 1 mining houses would start planning for an underground mine five to ten years in advance and commission feasibility studies five years ahead of time,” says Macnab. “Through the engineering and consulting arms of our business, we have the capability to do feasibility studies for our clients within one year, as well as complete early engineering and procurement concurrently to ensure reduced timelines on long-lead time items.”

He adds: “Furthermore, shaft sinking requires a lot of expensive equipment. Besides the capital cost of hundreds of millions of dollars for the equipment alone, it can take in excess of 24 months to manufacture a new winder for example, a minimum of two of which are typically needed for a new underground mine. These timeframes are no longer feasible in current times and with varying mine owners, this is where UMS can assist by decreasing timeframes and costs. UMS Group has recently invested substantially in mining equipment which we can use during a project, and it can then be made available to the client afterwards if it fits their long-term requirements.”

He explains that UMS has been purchasing equipment, including many winders, from various sources including the heritage shaft sinking businesses and local mining houses. The equipment will be refurbished with the latest electrical technology to make the machines fit for the specific application. The replacement value of this equipment runs into multiple billion rands.

“We have specialist expertise in mining equipment and winders, and have an internal winder division that specifies what needs to be done to the winders so that they can be modified accordingly. These teams are also available to consult and audit mine winders and mining equipment.  Our clients are realising the benefits of using refurbished machines, as it can be much more cost effective and can save them up to two years on the lead time for equipment,” says Macnab. “For example, for our client in Brazil, we already owned the Kibble winder, amongst other equipment required to sink the shaft, and have shipped it there where it is now being used to sink the shaft. It will then be converted to the permanent man winder to save the client money and schedule.”

Macnab emphasises that the best way to save clients time and money is to increase efficiency and productivity, but never at the expense of safety. “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, South Africa was setting shaft sinking advances and competing for world records. Everyone was trying to sink over 100 metres a month, and safety was a casualty of this competition. The world has changed for the better, and safety has been prioritised. However, eliminating risks resulted in some sinking rates reducing across all sinking companies, in some cases, by to up to 30 metres a month.”

He continues: “Safety imperatives have resulted in a significant rethink about the viability of certain mining ventures. At UMS, safety is part of everything that we do. We are constantly exploring innovative ways to improve productivity while making sure safety is never compromised. We’re now achieving monthly sinking advances again that are starting to be on par with sinking advances of the ’80s, recently achieving 105 metres in a month at one of our sites and looking to increase this,” says Macnab.

“We’re also rethinking and re-engineering innovations of the past and seeing how we can upgrade or modify them to increase productivity and save money, while still prioritising safety. For example, we have rigorously changed the way cactus grabs are used to comply with and increase on modern safety regulations. Cactus grabs are the most efficient machines to load rock, but we changed the sinking method to make it safer by, amongst others, completely removing people from the shaft bottom when loading.”

Macnab provides a further example of adapting old technology by putting a modern spec on a mobile escape winder that was initially only suitable for shallow mines, modifying it to reach a depth of 1,500 m. He says that UMS is using one of these units at their Botswana project as an emergency escape winder. It will eventually be used in the ventilation shaft for this purpose to 800 m below the surface, saving the client from having to build a headgear on an emergency escape shaft.

“We are constantly innovating within UMS. We’re much more than a sinking contractor, and have the right people and equipment to offer competitive and smart solutions to our clients. This puts us in a strong position to undertake several more long-term underground projects in the future, safely, expeditiously and cost effectively,” concludes Macnab.

Barrick’s Lumwana copper mine in Zambia gearing up for the future

Base metals, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment

Barrick’s drive to transform the Lumwana copper mine in Zambia into a Tier One asset with a life extending beyond 2060 is picking up speed with a strong performance in the past quarter adding impetus to its continuing production ramp-up.

Briefing media at a site visit here on July 7, Barrick President and Chief Executive Mark Bristow said the mine’s full potential was only now being revealed. Additional expansion opportunities, identified through an updated geological model, are currently being assessed, while drilling at the Kababisa prospect highlights potential mining flexibility through higher grades. The Lumwana pre-feasibility study is progressing in line with its plans to transform its long-term copper profile through the delivery of the envisioned super pit.

“Since Barrick refocused its strategy in Africa in 2019, Lumwana has become a key element in the expansion of our strategic copper portfolio and a significant contributor to our bottom line. At the same time its importance to Zambia has grown. Since 2019 it has contributed more than $2.3 billion to the country’s economy in the form of royalties, taxes, salaries and purchases from local suppliers,” he said.

Barrick has a global policy of sourcing its suppliers locally and last year it spent $432 million, 83% of its total procurement, with Zambian suppliers and contractors. It has also launched a ‘Business Accelerator Program’ to build the capacity of Zambian contractors in the mining supply chain.

A slide summarising production improvement at Barrick Lumwana

Similarly, Barrick is committed to local employment. Currently 99.3% of Lumwana’s employees and 98% of its contractors are Zambian nationals, both industry-leading statistics. Lumwana is a participant in the United Nations’ REDD+ project, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, and the mine has engaged with its communities on this initiative.

Looking at the mine itself, in the presentation accompanying the announcement, Barrick said that Lumwana is on track to achieve 2023 production guidance as the operation ramps up after the wet season, reopens the Malundwe pit, and smoothly transitions to owner miner operations. There is also a plan to to transition away from contract mining in 2023 – with an investment of US$115 million being allocated to implementation of an owner miner waste stripping fleet.

Barrick recently stated: “During the fourth quarter of 2022, we began a transition to an owner miner fleet at Lumwana following a study which concluded that this option could result in a 20% cost reduction within the first five years versus contracted services. Separately, an owner miner strategy positions the operation well for future potential expansions including the Super Pit, which has the potential to extend Lumwana’s life into the 2060s.”

From the processing side, there has been a continuous improvement of processing stability leading to higher throughput and the mine is working to exceed the new base set as it moves into the second half of 2023. Recovery has also stabilised following the higher blend of fresh ore from the pit as mining ramps up. Significant investment has been made over the last few years in the new fleet leading to continuous improvement in availabilities, with the latest batch coming into production in April 2023. A new stripping fleet started arriving in Q2, which will continue throughout the year and is expected to see the stripping increase with the fleet arrivals.

Mining originally began at the Malundwe pit in 2008 by Equinox Minerals (Barrick acquired Equinox in 2011), and the operation ran successfully for some years as a trolley assist mine, with trucks going up ramp to feed a primary gyratory, then the ore utilising a 4.5 km conveyor to the plant. The lower grade Chimiwungo or ‘Chimi’ pit (in fact now three separate South, Main and East pits) some 7 km away was then developed starting with South in 2012 and a new primary gyratory crusher and its own 3.5 km conveyor built to allow the Chimi pit to feed the existing plant. Malundwe and Chimi both operated for some years – Malundwe was higher grade but the initial pit closed due to being mined out leaving only the Chimi operation. Malundwe is now set to be reopened and expanded.

Planned Lubwe starter pits to the north could potentially provide a high-grade, low strip ratio plant feed further enabling the unlocking of the value within the envisaged Chimiwungo Super Pit and the potential 40-60 year mine life. Two other prospects – Kamaranda and Kababisa have potential as additional satellites. The Super Pit PFS began in Q4 2022.

The mine initially operated with a fleet of 31 Hitachi 254 t class EH4500 trucks and five 27 m3 EX5500 shovels – four of them face shovels and one backhoe.  Trolley assist was discontinued after mining moved from Malundwe pit. Barrick told IM that the main ramp to Malundwe is equipped with the trolley lines which are still in place however the pantographs were removed from the EH4500 trucks as they are now operating under full diesel power.

The current EH4500 trucks are reaching end of life and a competitive fleet replacement tender was held in 2021 where the Komatsu 290 t class 930E-5 was selected as the main new fleet truck type, with the EH4500s gradually being phased out. There are 15 of there running currently – the final new fleet will be a combination of 930E-5 and Hitachi EH5000 trucks – 30 in total. Four of the EX5500 shovels have been retired and one remains. The mine now operates three Komatsu PC8000 and three PC7000 shovels.

With emissions targets set by Barrick just as other top tier miners, IM asked if there was any plan to look again at running a trolley line: “In line with our commitment to reduce green house gas emissions we are in close discussions with our technology partners and OEMs on how to substitute fossil fuel with renewables. The feasibility of trolley assist is under investigation and consideration to ramp design is part of the expansion PFS that is underway.”

Aside from adding new equipment, Barrick added that its people are its greatest assets and training and upskilling is of cardinal importance. “This process starts with modern simulators we acquired to ensure that we can pick those with the best potential and continuously hone their skills to ensure they get the best out of our new assets. We have also reviewed our maintenance practices in close collaboration with our OEMs and sister operations in NGM to learn from past experiences.”

Huawei & Shandong Energy to launch AI-based Pangu Mining Model

Automation, Bulk handling, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mine shafts and equipment, Mine ventilation, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software

Huawei says it is bringing forth new industry opportunities and technological advancements driven by the AI wave. During a keynote speech at Huawei’s Developer Conference, Zhang Ping’an, Huawei Executive Director and CEO of HUAWEI CLOUD, unveiled the Pangu Model 3.0 and Ascend AI cloud services. These innovations aim to empower industry customers and partners and unlock the potential of artificial intelligence for transformative growth across a range of sectors, including mining.

Pangu Models 3.0 is a system of pre-trained models that can be quickly adapted to meet scenario-specific needs and address complex challenges across multiple industries. By leveraging large-scale data sets and machine learning algorithms, Huawei says Pangu 3.0 “is set to revolutionise the industrial application of AI” in diverse areas such as weather forecasting, drug development, fault identification in trains, and the mining industry.

Zhang said: “Huawei Cloud Pangu models will empower everyone from every industry with an intelligent assistant, making them more productive and efficient. We will uphold our mission of ‘AI for Industries,’ and use Pangu models to reshape all industries with AI.”

On July 18, Huawei and Shandong Energy Group will jointly launch the first commercial case of Pangu Mining Model in Jinan, Shandong province. “It is a ground-breaking solution that will enhance safety, efficiency, and productivity. Traditional mining operations are inherently risky, requiring extensive manpower and posing significant technical and safety challenges. However, with the implementation of digital technologies, augmented by the Pangu Mining Model, the industry is witnessing a transformative shift.”

By importing massive amounts of data for model pre-training, the Pangu Mining Model enables unsupervised self-learning, covering over 1,000 sub-scenarios in coal mining operations. From digging and drivage to machinery, transport, and communication, the model streamlines AI applications in numerous coal mining scenarios.

Transportation system failures in coal mines are a significant issue, resulting in decreased coal output and financial losses. Addressing this challenge, Huawei’s Pangu Mining Model incorporates an AI-based intelligent monitoring system that accurately identifies exceptions in the transportation system, such as large coal blocks and anchors, with an exceptional accuracy rate of up to 98%. Big data and AI technologies can increase refined coal recovery rates by 0.1%. In a coking coal preparation plant that processes 10 Mt/y of coal, a 0.1% increase in refined coal yield can result in an annual profit increase of over US$1 million.

Chile’s CMP commits to four Yutong electric trucks for filtered tailings transport

Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining

The first battery-powered haul truck at the operations of Chilean iron ore miner Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), a CAP Group company, recently arrived at its pellet plant facilities in Huasco and successfully completed a series of pilot tests which were carried out to assess its suitability for future operation at the site. The truck is a 55 ton capacity Chinese made Yutong YTK90E.

The main driver is a commitment to maximise energy efficiency and reduce emissions. The vehicle is the first of a total fleet of four that are to be used by CMP. Their main function will be to transport filtered tailings from the filtration plant to the final disposal area in the Filtered Tailings Deposit (DRF). The tests simulated the transfer of the filtered tailings, which is an easy to handle, solid material with a low percentage of humidity. As a result of the successful results obtained, CMP opted to purchase of the fleet of four trucks.

“Given our goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030, it is very important to announce the arrival of the first all electric truck at our facilities, which is also the first Yutong mining vehicle in mining operations in Chile. The use of this technology helps us to have more sustainable processes, thus helping to fulfil our purpose of creating a different type of mining for the development of the territory and its people,” said the General Manager of CMP, Francisco Carvajal. A 28 t Yutong battery truck has already been used in Chile by SQM but for potassium nitrate haulage.

Regarding the characteristics of the vehicle, the head of CMP’s Filtered Tailings Deposit project, Isabel Morales, explained: “We are going to go down with the truck loaded and that will act as an electricity generator, which will allow us to charge the batteries of the vehicle while we descend. Then, we will go up empty using the energy we have generated during the descent. The arrival of this type of transport represents a step towards a new concept of electromobility in mining, optimising energy efficiency in our operations.”

To this, Yutong Group Sales Manager Joyce Ren added: “If we compare it with a diesel truck, the energy efficiency is more than 60% and the protection levels are higher than IP68, which is the highest level.”

According to the company, the filtered tailings project provides a sustainable solution for the final disposal of the tailings generated in the processes of the pellet plant in Huasco. These are inert and harmless, since no polluting or toxic elements are used in iron recovery, but rather physical and magnetic processes.

The tailings will be arranged in five terraces, 10 m high each, which will be progressively closed by covering them with granular material and sand, which will allow the native vegetation of the area to be replenished through an innovative phytotechnology program that is being developed currently in conjunction with the Pontifical Catholic University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, the University of Santiago and the University of Atacama.

CMP will process the tailings with three vertical plate-type filter presses, which will unload the material with less than 20% humidity in a confined transport belt that will take it from the filtering plant to the unloading building, to then be transferred in electric trucks to its final disposal at the site of the deposit.

Meanwhile, the recovered water will return to the process, reducing the consumption of fresh water in the pellet plant by approximately 5,200 m3 per day. All this is possible thanks to the filtering technology applied to the tailings with which a drier and much safer material is achieved to be collected.

Specifically, the project involves three Diemme Filtration filter presses of model GHT2500F with membrane plates, capable of treating 6,000 t of solids per day with a minimum residual moisture. The units are equipped with feeding pumps, feeders for material handling, and a double washing system (rinse and high pressure).

An orchestrated ecosystem

Automation, Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

All four of the world’s leading large mining truck OEMs, namely Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr and Hitachi, attended The Electric Mine 2023 conference in force in May and all gave presentations on their technologies and outlook relating to mining’s energy transition.

Caterpillar’s Group President of Resource Industries Denise Johnson opened the conference with a really upbeat keynote showing how far Caterpillar has already come with its Early Learner program but also outlining its ambitious targets going forward. Titled ‘Together – we are mining more sustainably,’ her opening comments highlighted that the industry is very much in an era of collaboration and partnership. “We are still competitors in many ways…but there’s going to need to be, now more than ever, at the interfaces and certainly as we think about how the ecosystem moves forward – there’s going to have to be more and more collaboration.”

The unveiling of the battery electric 793 prototype was a big moment for Caterpillar

She emphasised Caterpillar has no intention of stopping producing all the equipment it produces today – for those customers that are not yet ready for the energy transition – it will continue to build diesel equipment for the foreseeable future. “We recognise the complexity of this transition – it’s going to take years and not everyone is going to be ready, so we want to be in both camps, supporting existing customers with traditional methods but then also maybe providing solutions that get us halfway or three quarters of the way there; and then of course the full solution.”

Power generation and autonomy will play a critical role in site energy management for those mines deploying electric trucks. “It becomes a lot more complex – without a doubt a lot more electrical energy will be required to power the site. In some cases, our simulations indicate two to three times the amount of electricity…the truck charging is going to be required on a 24/7 basis and because it’s going to be spread across the minesite, you have a lot more power required, and that power needs to be distributed in a way that it isn’t today. We do see when you look at battery electric a combination of dynamic charging and static charging. If you just rely on one or the other you’re going to need a lot more trucks and a lot more idle time at various queues.”

Caterpillar is adding additional solar, wind and energy storage capabilities at its Tucson Proving Ground

On automation Johnson added that to optimise an electric mine’s output and safety in addition to the fact that you will have to maintain a state of charge for each one of the trucks – when does it need to be charged down to the minute, when does it need to go to the charger, etc. So overall the new mine ecosystem will take a lot more power, plus automation – to be able to anticipate what will happen next. A combination of all of these will allow the mine to operate differently than it does today. In the electric minesite, everything is more interdependent, so it needs to operate as an integrated and well-orchestrated ecosystem. This cohesive electric mine system will also be customised to meet each customer’s needs.

Back to the trucks themselves and Caterpillar’s transformational product development. Johnson emphasised the challenge to get there in a relatively short space of time. As an example, when you talk about the number of new parts – in a standard new production introduction for Caterpillar – what it calls an NPI – this typically would involve new content of less than 20%. For the electric trucks it’s significantly more new content along with a lot of new software and interfaces. Agile engineering has been a big part of this – getting prototypes to the customers faster and getting them into their sites sooner to allow for all the learning and iterating to advance as quickly as possible. These iterative loops have already begun with the prototype which will progress through the Early Learner models which are the units that will be deployed to customer sites, then pilot units and finally production units.

The prototype truck has already been successfully demoed, including in November 2022 with a range of partner customers present. Over a 7 km (4.3 mile) course, Caterpillar monitored over 1,100 data channels, gathering 110,000 data points per second, to validate simulation and engineering modelling capabilities. Fully loaded to its rated capacity, the truck, a battery electric version of the 793, achieved a top speed of 60 km/h (37.3 mph). The loaded truck travelled one kilometre (0.62 mile) up a 10% grade at 12 km/h (7.5 mph). The truck also performed a one kilometre (0.62 mile) run on a 10% downhill grade, regenerating that energy to the battery and capturing the energy that normally would have been lost to heat.

The Early Learner truck designs, Johnson said are also already complete – and these will start to be built in 2024 for transport to partner sites. These units are intended to refine requirements and complete the process development as well as beginning the process of in-depth validation. The Early Learner partners, which include Teck, BHP, Newmont, Rio Tinto and Freeport McMoRan, also offer a wide range of different commodity and application exposures including high altitude, plus cold and hot climates.

At these Early Learner sites, additional trucks will be added as part of the pilot phase. This will demonstrate integration – how these trucks will work together, including from an automation perspective, and how they can work alongside non-battery trucks. The focus will also be on fleet optimisation and infrastructure learnings. Caterpillar engineers and dealers will be on customer sites from the get-go beginning with the Early Learner phase. For the planned production starting in 2027, Johnson was clear that certain KPIs have to be hit for that to happen.

Finally, Caterpillar is also creating what it calls its own minesite of the future at its Tucson Proving Ground. It will have the ability to demo the electric technology in a way not possible before as TPG isn’t connected to the local utility grid and previously relied on six gensets. This is changing to meet the increasing energy demands of electric truck development and testing. Caterpillar is adding additional solar, wind and energy storage capabilities to provide a buffer between the site’s energy supply and demand. Infrastructure to support stationary and dynamic charging will also be added and everything will be managed using a digital system to orchestrate the site energy ecosystem in real time. This all helps Caterpillar better understand how customers will use renewable energy sources, and the impact this will have on people, processes, technology and infrastructure.