Tag Archives: C32

Hastings Deering, Cat and Rio Tinto carry out Australia’s first 777 D to E conversion

In what it says is a first for the Australia market, Hastings Deering has successfully completed the conversion of 777D haul trucks into 777E models for Rio Tinto’s Gove bauxite operations in the Northern Territory.

The 777D to E conversion process includes an engine upgrade from an older Cat 3508 to a C32 Tier 2 engine, a transmission upgrade to electronic clutch control, torque converter upgrade and an upgraded cab with the latest electronics and safety aspects.

Nearing the end of mine life, Gove was looking at innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact, extend fleet life and optimise return on investment, Hastings Deering said.

Brendan Coleing, Superintendent, Mining Maintenance, said that the Gove operation has focused heavily on building safe and reliable machinery to meet the targeted life of its assets and has been working to reduce environmental emissions.

“With a 24/7 operation, we need to plan and strategically think about our assets, their maintenance and lifecycle,” he said.

“All machines have availability targets. Ultimately, we want to keep them in the field as long as possible. The 777D to E Conversion project was a way we could continue the journey to do that, with the added benefit of providing improved technology to our operational teams.”

He concluded: “We’re excited that Gove operations was the first Australian mine to undertake this project, and only the second in the world. With a significant reduction in our carbon footprint, fuel consumption and maintenance costs, and an improved operator experience, really, we were challenged with: why wouldn’t we?”

With the first of the 777 trucks now back on site, the Rio Tinto team has seen a 5-6% fuel reduction, proving that effective planning for this fleet conversion has improved economy on site, Hastings Deering said.

With Cat equipment built to perform over multiple lifetimes, the Cat Certified Rebuild (CCR) was the most efficient way to help get the most economic value out of the asset investment, according to Hastings Deering.

A CCR is a full machine rebuild that provides a like-new machine, inclusive of all Cat updates, to help achieve a full machine life supported by the Caterpillar warranty.

In early 2020, the Hastings Deering team worked with Rio Tinto on an alternative solution for engine replacement in its D11R fleet that, it says, reduced costs, fuel use and emissions while extending lifespans. This incorporated replacing the 3508 engines with the newer C32 engines.

“Recent success with repowering our D11 fleet with C32 engines has helped our mining operations move more bauxite due to increased power in the machine,” Coleing said. “This, in turn, allowed us to plan for the 777D to E conversions to take place in the workshop to complete the CCRs.”

Chris Polkinghorne, Mining Support Rep at Hastings Deering, said that the 777D to E conversion was brought about through collaboration with Caterpillar, Rio Tinto Gove and Hastings Deering.

“As a team we worked through what the benefits of this conversion would be, what was required, the planning phase and then how to execute the project in as little time as possible,” he said. “The 777D to E conversion redefines performance adding all the advancements of the 777E truck model.

“For the operator, improved ergonomics provide enhanced comfort, safety, and visibility, to maximise productivity and reduce fatigue.”

New Cat 6040 hydraulic shovel receives added engine configuration, new undercarriage

Caterpillar has revamped its 6040 hydraulic mining shovel with an added engine configuration to meet US EPA Tier 4 Final and EU Stage V emission standards, new heavy-duty undercarriage, as well as enhanced integration to improve servicing efficiency and parts sourcing.

The new engine configuration includes two Cat C32 engines, offering a total gross power rating of 1,550 kW. The engine package includes maintenance-free diesel oxidation catalysts and does not require diesel exhaust fluid/AdBlue or diesel particulate filters.

The new engine option joins the twin C32 configuration with optimised fuel efficiency settings to meet China Nonroad Stage III emission standards, equivalent to US EPA Tier 2, as well as China Smoke Category III limits. An engine oil extension option, plus new Cat Type 4 filters for both engine configurations, help to further reduce maintenance costs.

Connecting to Cat MineStar™ Solutions’ suite of integrated technology, new Product Link Elite comes standard on the 6040 shovel.

Product Link Elite delivers enhanced communication through a dual data path, allowing data transfer to both the local server and cloud simultaneously. Caterpillar’s next generation of on-board hardware, Product Link Elite features an easily configurable interface and customisable data-push frequency, Cat says. Information transfer from the equipment can be configured via cellular, satellite or mine network connection to meet the mine site’s needs.

The new 6040 shovel delivers increased uptime with its heavy-duty undercarriage, Cat claims. Improved heavy-duty load rollers and idlers now feature duo cone seals, steel-back bronze bearings and fixed axle technology to increase service life and eliminate overheating during travel. Track pad, tensioning and wear updates deliver a higher level of durability and reliability to lower operating costs. Retrofit kits for the heavy-duty rollers are available for field units to improve existing fleet reliability.

Like previous series, the new 6040 shovel can be equipped with backhoe or Cat TriPower™ Face Shovel front end designs. To deliver high machine reliability in harsh mining conditions, the rugged front attachments feature high-strength steel and castings, joined and thermally stressed-relieved, to extend service life and achieve production targets. With its 39.6 t bucket payload, the 6040 shovel offers an optimal four-pass match with the Cat 785 haul truck, five-pass match with Cat 789 and six-pass match with Cat 793 mining trucks, Cat says.

For the first time, the new Cat 6040 hydraulic mining shovel fully integrates the undercarriage, engine module, superstructure main frame, carbody and crawler frames, hydraulic lines and motors, and counterweight into Caterpillar systems to improve servicing efficiency and parts sourcing.

Hastings Deering rebuild program pays off for Rio Tinto’s Gove operation

Hastings Deering has been sustain output at Rio Tinto’s Gove bauxite open-pit operation in the Northern Territory of Australia by boosting engine power during the rebuild of dozers.

The Cat D11T dozer is purpose built to move more material and ensure maximum availability through its planned life cycle, the Caterpillar dealer says. For Rio Tinto, Dozer 79, had built up over 37,000 hours ripping and pushing bauxite at its open-pit operation.

Rio Tinto knew it wanted to undergo a Cat Certified Rebuild for its dozer but had to come up with an innovate way to do this while minimising equipment down time, Hastings Deering said.

Brendan Coleing, Superintendent, Mining Maintenance, said the Gove operation has focused heavily on building safe and reliable machinery to meet the targeted life of its assets and maintenance schedules.

“With a 24/7 operation, we need to plan and strategically think about our assets, their maintenance and lifecycle,” he said. “By planning large maintenance projects in advance, at Rio Tinto, we’ve been able to compensate for machinery downtime and achieve some great energy efficiencies.”

One of the key projects that helped to allow for the nine-week Cat Certified Rebuild (CCR) was the D11R repower project.

In early 2020, the Hastings Deering team worked with Rio Tinto on an alternative solution for engine replacement in its D11R fleet that reduced costs, fuel use and emissions while extending lifespans. This incorporated replacing the 3508 engines the machines originally came with, with the newer C32 engines.

“Recent success with repowering our D11 fleet with C32 engines has helped our mining operations move more bauxite due to increased power in the machine,” Coleing states. “This in turn allowed us to remove Dozer 79 out of production, and into the workshop to complete a Cat Certified Rebuild.”

Alongside the increase in machine availability, this project presented a budgeted fuel burn reduction of up to 25%.

“Our like-for-like material movements are now done with significantly less fuel which is a great environmental outcome,” Coleing said. “They’re also quieter, making them a little more comfortable for the operator.”

With Cat equipment built to perform over multiple lifetimes, the CCR was the most efficient way to help get the most economic value out of the original asset investment.

A CCR is a full machine rebuild that provides a like-new machine, inclusive of all Cat updates, to help achieve a full machine life supported by the Caterpillar warranty, Hastings Deering says.

Brad Read, Service Manager at Hastings Deering, said the CCR program is an efficient way for customers to improve the planned lifecycle of their machines.

“Given Dozer 79’s upcoming power train, hydraulic and major component change outs, a CCR was a cost-effective way for us to maintain the asset through to the end of its target life,” he said. “Customers opt for a CCR as it provides the ability to rebuild their machine, including all technological advancements, over purchasing a new machine. This helps to reduce capital expenditure.”

Read said that the CCR offered an extended scope or work over a standard rebuild and took careful planning between the Rio Tinto and Hastings Deering teams.

“The CCR takes up to nine weeks to complete and covers an extended scope of work including power train replacement, hydraulics and electrical components, cab overhaul, work implement overhaul and ET testing and painting,” he said.

“Effective planning is critical to the success of a large-scale project like a CCR. The team needs to ensure all stages of the rebuild have been planned, scheduled and are on time to guarantee machine delivery back to the customer.”

“It is essential to support our customers in their operation.”

By successfully planning the CCR after the success of the C32 repower project, Rio Tinto and Hastings Deering were able to improve the performance of its equipment and compensate for the removal of Dozer 79, Hastings Deering said.

Coleing said: “By undertaking work in this manner, we’ve removed a massive amount of forward log of work that not only gave us immediate availability but provided us with an improved asset through to the end of the machine life.”

Cat offers performance and fuel efficiency boost with new 777E haul truck

Cat has released its new 2021 Cat® 777E haul truck, a machine that, it says, features improvements in power, torque and transmission control to deliver best-in-class productivity, on top of a configurable Eco Mode operation to reduce fuel consumption and drive down cost-per-tonne of material moved.

One of the most popular trucks in its class, the new 777E offers the highest in-class payload of 98.2 t.

It comes fitted with an updated Cat C32 engine that delivers increased horsepower and a 7% improvement in torque to increase hauling performance. Optimised fuel mapping of the engine and adaptive economy mode, meanwhile, determine the most efficient operating point to improve truck fuel economy.

Additionally, operators can select a variable engine derate from 0.5% to 15% in Eco Mode operation to further reduce fuel consumption ‒ and the new automatic engine idle shutdown feature reduces fuel use and wear on engine components, Cat says.

Today’s 777E truck improves productivity by up to 5%, Cat claims.

“The new Advanced Productivity Electronic Control Strategy improves transmission and engine coordination to better utilise available engine power,” the company says. “The result is as much as 7% more torque delivered to the drive wheels for improved hauling performance. The new control system also provides smooth shifting for greater operator comfort.”

The 777E now offers a second gear start when underfoot conditions and grade allow. This feature enables the truck to reach optimum speed more quickly, lowers cycle times and minimises the number of transmission shifts. To save fuel, a new auto neutral idle tool shifts the transmission into a “neutral-like condition” when the truck is idling in drive, Cat explains. The transmission’s speed limit feature allows the machine to run at optimal gear for selected speed.

When working in cold conditions, the new auto-stall feature assists in quickly bringing the transmission to operating temperature at start-up. The effect is less non-productive time and reduced fuel consumed for warm-up, according to Cat.
The 777E also features a new gearshift lever with integrated hoist and park brake controls, which eases operation. The auto hoist feature delivers controlled truck bed descent to prevent body slams and increase component life.

A new touchscreen display features enhanced user interface options, the company says.

“Easy to read, it delivers improved navigation through machine control systems,” Cat says. “The new display allows operators to monitor key machine operating parameters, like tracking payload, as well as upcoming scheduled service intervals.”

Productivity enhancing technology

A host of newly integrated Cat technologies help to improve hauling efficiency and truck longevity on the 777E, Cat says.

The new Truck Production Management System (TPMS) integrates strut pressure sensors and on-board computing and displays truck payload to the loading machine operator. The system helps attain target payload, Cat says.

The Vital Information Management System on board the 777E allows operations to proactively manage machine health and production. Real-time machine performance, operating data and diagnostics are displayed on the in-cab monitor for easy viewing and troubleshooting. Integrated prognostics develop trends from cumulative collected operating data to help increase truck cycle efficiency.

A new “Tonne-Kilometer” feature helps ensure that truck operation falls within the operating range of the tyres. The system monitors payload, speed and ambient temperature to calculate operating conditions, and the operator receives an audible warning when conditions exceed tyre limits.

The updated 777E comes standard with Product Link™ with either cellular or satellite reporting options to meet the needs of the mine. Product Link captures critical machine operating data – location, hours, fuel, etc – and reports it back to the main office through VisionLink®, helping to improve productivity, truck use, safety and maintenance efficiency, Cat says.

Elevated safety

With integrated TPMS, the overload speed limiter works in conjunction with the improved truck payload system to automatically reduce travel speed when the truck is overloaded, according to Cat. Brake actuation is now fully hydraulic and delivers fast response and smooth application.

The new adjustable mirror package for the 777E improves rear visibility for the operator. An optional camera system delivers enhanced visibility for the operator to the machine’s front, rear and sides with the video feed displayed on the in-cab monitor.

Engine crank and machine lockouts disable the engine starter/secondary steering and implements to improve servicing safety, meanwhile. Lockout engagement is conveniently located at ground level and an indicator light display ensures lockout is effectively engaged, Cat says.

The new optional automatic lubrication system provides grease for all lube points on the machine, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The tank fill-point is conveniently located at ground level to improve refilling simplicity and enhance safety, the company added.