Tag Archives: Cat 777

EPCA demonstrating real-world battery haulage business case at Bakers Hill mine

Environmental, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Electric Power Conversion Australia (EPCA), a Perth, Western Australia-based company, is gaining attention for its advancements in electrifying heavy machinery, with its biggest project to date, a fully retrofitted Caterpillar 777 haul truck operating entirely on battery power, taking another step towards becoming a commercial proposition.

Founded by Clayton Franklin, who also leads its engineering team as Chief Engineer, the company plans to retrofit up to 70 trucks annually from diesel to battery-electric.

Having initially showcased this vehicle at The Electric Mine 2024, in Perth, in May, followed by an appearance in Kalgoorlie at Diggers and Dealers, the company has now progressed to trial operations.

At Bakers Hill, a sand mine located just 40 minutes north of Perth, EPCA’s fully battery-electric 91 t haulage truck has been hard at work for the past month. This test phase marks a significant step forward for the company, demonstrating EPCA’s commitment to sustainability, efficiency and innovation while enhancing operational efficiency and cutting costs, the company says.

The retrofit of the CAT 777 represents a complete overhaul, not just a minor upgrade. The diesel engine has been entirely replaced with an electric motor powered by high-capacity batteries (supplied by Xerotech), marking a radical shift in the truck’s operation. More than 5.9 t of components were removed and replaced by six batteries, each weighing 1.4 t. In the end, the truck is now 2.5 t lighter, thanks to the reduced weight of the custom-designed tray made by Austin Engineering, EPCA says.

This transformation offers far more than environmental benefits; it significantly enhances efficiency and operational viability, the company explains. Additionally, the electric truck is expected to reduce maintenance and operational costs for mining companies compared with the diesel equivalent, providing a cleaner, more cost-effective alternative to traditional diesel-powered trucks. EPCA assures that, over 20 years, the total cost of ownership for a diesel truck will be approximately A$25 million ($17 million), while the battery-electric truck’s total will come in at A$11.5 million.

Performance data and results

Bakers Hill, a privately held sand mine, provides the perfect environment for EPCA to push the limits of its technology, according to the company. The eastern side of the mine was prepared for testing, with a grader pushing up a ramp featuring a 17% incline and a turnback. Though it is a sand mine, the conditions and setup at Bakers Hill are comparable to a bauxite mine in terms of depth and incline, offering a realistic representation of the challenges this truck might face at commercial-scale mining operations.

In these conditions, the electric truck has shown impressive performance metrics, according to EPCA. During standard operations, the truck has consistently delivered over 10 hours of runtime on a single charge, with the battery taking just 50 minutes to fully recharge. This quick turnaround time ensures that the truck can maintain its productivity, minimising downtime while still offering substantial energy savings.

One of the key tests involved driving the truck on a 17% incline, where it consumed 252 kWh of energy. On the descent, the regenerative braking system was able to recover 35 kWh (15%). When stationary, with the auxiliary systems running, the truck consumes around 20 kWh/h.

The truck is designed for 91-t payloads, with the testing at Bakers Hill revealing that it can handle inclines of up to 27% under full load. This makes it an ideal candidate for some of the most challenging mining operations where steep inclines and heavy loads are standard, EPCA says.

Scalable fast-charging solution

Delivering charging infrastructure on mine sites is challenging. Mining companies are forced to deploy large and expensive infrastructure to be able to charge large electric fleets. EPCA has collaborated with Western Australia-based integrated energy solution provider UON Pty Ltd, who has developed the SMART™ (Scalable, Modular, Automated, Renewable, Temperature controlled) CELL DC Fast Charging solution, which can charge the CAT 777 haul truck in less than 50 minutes, according to the company. The UON charging solution has been designed to operate in harsh Western Australian mining conditions, ensuring reliable charging power at all times.

The UON SMART DC Fast Charging can be seamlessly connected to the existing grid or be powered completely by 100% renewable energy, such as solar, providing much-needed charging infrastructure in grid-constrained locations, the company says. Its all-in-one mobile Battery EV charging solution is fully mine-compliant and can be easily redeployed on any brownfield or greenfield mine, which enables mining companies to avoid a large investment in infrastructure, UON says.

Real-world demonstrations and future steps

EPCA has already showcased the truck at Bakers Hill to several Tier-One mining companies, all of whom have expressed very positive reactions, according to EPCA. “These real-world demonstrations are designed to showcase the truck’s capabilities and the benefits of electrification in reducing carbon emissions and operational costs,” it says.

Following the Bakers Hill trials, EPCA plans to move into endurance testing in 2025 and run this design for many thousands of hours before moving into mass production.

The company concluded: “EPCA is well positioned to meet the increasing demand for battery-electric mining trucks. Supported by a robust distribution network, the company is set to fulfil its order book of over 600 trucks, reinforcing its leadership in the electrification of the mining industry.

“The future of mining is electric, and EPCA’s work is leading the way in making that a reality.”

EPCA to produce 50-70 battery-electric mining trucks a year, Xerotech says

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Having showcased its “Green Machine” to attendees at two major events in Australia recently, Electric Power Conversion Australia (EPCA) now has plans to produce 50-70 battery-electric mining trucks annually, according to a recent case study from one of its suppliers.

EPCA, located in Perth, Western Australia, recently electrified a CAT 777 100-ton (91-t) mining truck using a Xerotech Battery System. Known as the “Green Machine”, this project marks a significant advancement in mining truck electrification and showcases EPCA’s expertise in converting diesel mining equipment to fully battery-electric systems, Xerotech says.

EPCA faced the challenge of delivering high power levels for extended operations within the constraints of the existing truck design. Space is a key factor in battery system integration and the widespread adoption of battery-electric applications. The solution was to install six 290 kWh Xerotech batteries, its largest single pack, running in parallel to generate a total of 1741.8 kWh and 671 V. This installation transformed this CAT 777 into the world’s highest energy density, battery-electric mining truck, the supplier claims.

Clayton Franklin, Chief Engineer and Founder of EPCA, said: “We’ve now got the world’s highest energy density, full battery-electric mining truck.”

This truck was first showcased at The Electric Mine 2024, in May of this year, with attendees of the event at Crown Perth able to see the machine in the iron. The company has since gone on to display the machine at Diggers & Dealers, in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, this week.

Switching to battery-electric power increased the truck’s horsepower from 1,000 hp (746 kW) to 1,120 hp and improved the torque from 4,700 Nm to 5,200 Nm. This performance boost, along with an efficiency leap from 35% to 95%, underscores the advantages of the Xerotech battery system, the company said.

The Green Machine offers numerous benefits to operators, including reduced noise and vibration, enhancing comfort and safety. It can run for eight hours on a full charge and recharges in just 50 minutes using smart charging technology, making it ideal for continuous mining operations, EPCA says. “For an operator operating this machine, the advantage is no noise, low vibration,” Franklin said, emphasising the improved safety features, including a SIL2-rated functional safety system.

EPCA plans to produce 50-70 battery-electric mining trucks annually. With 5,500 mining trucks in Australia and 55,000 globally, the potential impact is substantial, it says. Franklin said: “Our mining clients here in Australia are ecstatic that this truck’s being built and manufactured right here in Western Australia.”

Xerotech’s vision of a fully electric future is, the company says, supported by its scalable and configurable battery platform, enabling every OEM and integrator to embrace electrification. With no recurring engineering and design costs, electrifying prototypes or entire fleets is both feasible and cost-effective.

Caterpillar looks to reduce haul road dust with new Cat 777 (05) Water Solutions Truck

Automation, Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , , ,

Caterpillar has released a new water truck that, it says, provides an integrated solution to help reduce haul road dust by solving overwatering and underwatering issues.

The new Cat® 777 (05) Water Solutions Truck is built on the Cat 777E truck platform, proven at mine, quarry and construction sites globally. An innovative truck that uses less water for controlling haul road dust, the design integrates the truck, tank and water delivery system, connected with technology, the company says. Its Cat Water Delivery System (WDS) combines with Cat MineStar Edge™ connectivity to help operations manage the site more safely and productively with flexible levels of technology to meet site needs.

Boasting a 75,700 litre Cat-branded water tank, the 777 (05) comes complete with spray system, splash guards, fill chute and rock ejectors. It is powered by the 765 kW Cat C32B engine that meets China Nonroad Stage III emission standards, equivalent to US EPA Tier 2.

The new water truck’s exclusive Cat WDS features a self-contained hydraulic system that controls spray patterns independent of engine rpm for consistent watering, Caterpillar says. Variable water flow, based on the truck’s speed, automatically starts and stops when the truck slows or comes to a halt, preventing overwatering and subsequent poor traction at road intersections. The pump features soft start-ups and automatically shuts off when the tank is empty to prevent system damage.

WDS components include a water cannon, oil cooler, variable displacement pump, hydraulic oil tank, electronic control boxes and hydraulic motor/water pump. Covering up to a 24-m-wide road in a single pass, the system sprays at rates reaching 0.8 litres/sq.m at speeds from 4-40 km/h. With its maximum 61 m spray distance, the truck’s water cannon offers a maximum flow rate reaching 4,732 litres/min.

Factory-installed, ergonomic water controls are integrated into the truck’s design for convenient system operation, Caterpillar says. Its automated water delivery feature enables the operator to remain focused on driving and site traffic to enhance safety. Complete with auto shut-off to prevent overfilling, the water tank is filled remotely, allowing the operator to remain inside the cab during the cycle to reduce potential operator slips and falls.

Flexible levels of the cloud-based MineStar Edge technology are integrated with the Cat WDS to collect and communicate machine data, allowing site supervisors to monitor the water truck to know where and when it’s spraying water. Asset management options include productivity, water usage, fuel and water tank levels, when and where to apply water, geofencing, asset location and remote management of water distribution.

Providing tracking capabilities without the need for infrastructure investment, Edge Equipment Tracking delivers basic connectivity without interfering with existing fleet management systems. Equipment Tracking helps to achieve a lower total cost of ownership, providing insights to help mines better manage their assets, the company said. It features service meter readings, fuelling and recording data, location accuracy and replay, time utilisation tracking with downtime and operator tracking, automatic stoppage measurement and health event recording.

Paired with Equipment Tracking, MineStar Edge Production Recording delivers premium connectivity with an accurate and automated near-real-time measurement solution that reports on every aspect of the watering cycle without requiring operator input. Giving visibility to the entire operation, it helps to discover opportunities for improving productivity. This premium package also includes water usage by truck/fill station, volume and rate of water put down over time and area covered, water delivery system setting by location, truck, and conditions, activity breakdown with time and distance – watering, not watering, stopped, etc.

This integrated system with Cat-branded tank options is fully supported by the Cat dealer and parts network. Covered by the Caterpillar factory standard warranty, the water truck, including tank and components, is eligible for Cat equipment protection plans and customer value agreements. Cat dealer installation of the integrated system is available, and retrofit kits for existing Cat 777E truck platforms in the field have planned availability in the future.

The Electric Mine Consortium and EPCA to run Cat 777 electric truck trial

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Electric Mine Consortium is looking to bridge the gap between the testing of electrified ultra-class haul trucks and continued rollout across industry of battery-electric underground trucks with a project to develop and trial a retrofitted 100-ton (91 t) haul truck as part of its consortium work in Australia.

It has teamed up with Electric Power Conversions Australia (EPCA), an Indigenous electric battery conversion company in Australia, to run a Caterpillar 777 haul truck electric vehicle demonstrator project.

The consortium explained: “The Electric Mine Consortium are focused across all fleet sizes when it comes to electrification. In our recent work, we have uncovered that in the area of larger surface in-pit trucks, there are some trials underway, however there is a lack of focus on the smaller trucks. Making sure we understand and trial electric technologies in smaller fleets is important to our members, and we were recently presented with an opportunity to do so by Electric Power Conversions Australia, an Indigenous electric battery conversion company in Australia.”

The conversion of the vehicle – one of the most commonly used surface trucks across the Tier 2 and Tier 3 mining company market, according to the consortium – will see the 750 kW diesel motor switched out with a 1,000 kW electric motor and 2 MWh of batteries, according to Clayton Franklin, founder and CEO of EPCA.

Franklin said he was expecting this configuration to allow for an eight-hour average run time, providing 30% more power than the diesel equivalent and the ability to move material quicker. He also predicted a 50% reduction in total cost of ownership on the battery-converted truck when compared with the diesel truck.

EPCA was founded in 2021 with the vision of providing a practical solution to the growing environmental impact of the Australian mining industry. Franklin himself was the lead engineer on a 220-t hydrogen-battery hybrid mining truck and also for an Epiroc D65 drill rig that was electrified.

The Electric Mine Consortium is a growing group of leading mining and service companies. These companies are driven by the imperative to accelerate progress towards the fully electrified zero CO2 and zero particulates mine. Mining companies Gold Fields, South32, OZ Minerals, IGO Ltd, Evolution Mining, Iluka Resources, MMG and Sandfire Resources are among the participants.

In the short time since the establishment, the consortium’s membership has grown almost two-fold, with over 40 ongoing equipment trials in 15 different locations having been mobilised.

U&M and Hexagon ready to deploy AHS solution at Brazil mine

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

U&M Mineração e Construção S/A, as the largest native open-pit mining contractor in the Americas and one increasingly focused on sustainability, is about to embark on a major autonomous haulage project that could prove transformational for all sizes of mine sites across the globe.

The company has been busily working on an in-house Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) for several years, enlisting the help of Hexagon’s Mining division back in 2020 to ensure what it delivered to the market was a commercial proposition with widescale applicability, IM discovered this week at HxGN LIVE Global 2023 in Las Vegas.

Now the companies are ready to deploy their combined OEM-agnostic AHS solution at a mine in Brazil, starting next month, as part of a plan to bring two AHS-enabled retrofitted Caterpillar 777 trucks to the operation.

The collaboration is seeing U&M carry out all mechanical changes to the 100-ton-class payload trucks to make them automation-ready without disturbing the OEM system. The contractor is also in charge of the navigation system and software that the trucks will run on – the ‘autonomous driver’ as it could be termed.

Hexagon, for its part, provides the HxGN Autonomous Mining Mission Manager Solution to optimise the movement of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, and mine production activities through one interface; the World Perception solution to enable object detection, operator vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-person awareness; and some additional on-board infrastructure – such as sensors and an antenna.

This, according to the companies, makes for an autonomous contractor solution that can be rolled out anywhere in the world.

“What we are creating is a scalable platform that can be used on any truck,” Mauricio Casara of U&M says

“The first project may involve Cat 777s, but what we are creating is a scalable platform that can be used on any truck,” Mauricio Casara, Commercial Director at U&M, told IM. “We are looking to improve on the legacy AHS solutions by making automation available to any size of mine with any type of trucks.”

As part of the company’s R&D work to this point, it has also retrofitted an autonomous solution on a Komatsu 730E, with that truck running at its proving grounds in Brazil.

Interestingly for this proof of concept involving the two Cat 777s, the plan is to enable the trucks to interact with both autonomous and manned vehicles in the haulage cycle from the off: an interaction that the traditional AHS providers have only just started to work on after more than a decade of industry deployments.

This is just one of the hurdles the solution will overcome, according to Andrew Crose, Vice President, Autonomous Mining, Hexagon’s Mining division.

“The world perception sensor stack that we have on board these machines will allow us to distinguish between trucks, light vehicles, berms, people and many other objects,” he said. “By leveraging this, we can ensure the trucks operate as safely as possible while being as productive as possible. That is key to achieving buy-in from all stakeholders involved.”

While the official partnership for this project was not signed until 2020, U&M has been utilising the GNSS positioning smarts of Hexagon – through the NovAtel business it acquired – for many more years.

This same GNSS solution is being leveraged in the two-strong autonomous truck trial along with V2X, 4D Radars,  ultra-wideband time-of-flight systems and more.

Crose added: “It’s worth mentioning that around 60% of the autonomous machines running in the field have some Hexagon solution on them. We are sometimes providing the positioning, world perception, fleet and mission management, onboard autonomy and by-wire, all part of our interoperable strategy.”

While this initiative is inevitably going to pique the interest of those companies in charge of running these autonomous trucks, U&M has no plans to compete with the likes of Caterpillar and Komatsu when it comes to manufacturing automation-ready trucks.

“There are so many existing trucks out in the field that our clients are running; all of which can be retrofitted with the solution we are working on,” Casara said. “The whole industry talks about sustainability and how to mine sustainably, but the sustainable solution to achieving autonomous operations is not to build brand new trucks and equip them for automation; it is to retrofit the smarts onto them to enable that automation.

“This is the sustainable way to roll out the automation needed across the sector to achieve mining companies’ productivity and decarbonisation goals.”

West African Resources spells out Kiaka gold mine potential

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

West African Resources has released the results of a feasibility study for its 90%-owned Kiaka gold project in Burkina Faso, heralding a potential open-pit mining operation that can support a processing plant throughput of 8.4 Mt/y.

Kiaka is 140 km southeast of Ouagadougou, and 45 km south of the company’s existing Sanbrado gold mine.

The Kiaka mining study is based on conventional open-pit mining methods, with run of mine ore being directly fed to the crushing circuit. Mining operations will use a combination of 140 t (Cat 6015) and 230 t (Cat 6020) hydraulic excavators matched to 95 t dump trucks (Cat 777s).

Drill and blast will be required from near surface, with the parameters selected based on the relatively hard rock mass qualities and the required selectivity for mining of the ore. Given the broad mineralised zone, a portion of the blasting will be able to be undertaken on 10-m benches with more selective zones blasted on 5-m benches, the company noted. As such a combination of top hammer (Sandvik Panterra DP1500) and downhole hammer (Sandvik Leopard DI650) capable blast hole rigs will be employed.

To achieve the targeted processing rate, a total material movement averaging 21 Mt/y is required for the first seven years of the production schedule. With the pit staging deferring waste movement, this increases to an average of 35 Mt/y for the next six years of production before reducing to an average of 15 Mt/y for the remainder of the mine life.

The production profile is suited to an initial fleet of 2 x 230 t excavators and 1 x 140 t excavator matched to 95-t class trucks. The fleet will increase to 3 x 230-t excavators with 2 x 140-t excavators for the higher production requirement. Further work to investigate bulk mining scenarios and optimise fleet selection will be conducted, with further refinement of the drill and blast parameters also being undertaken in conjunction with fleet optimisation.

Kiaka’s free-milling gold ore is intended to be processed through a conventional single stage gyratory crushing and semi-autogenous ball mill crusher (SABC) milling circuit followed by carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing. Extensive metallurgical test work indicates Kiaka will deliver life of mine gold recoveries of 90% at a nominal 100-micron grind size.

Following review of the option studies the company selected the following major equipment:

  • Primary gyratory crusher – a Metso Outotec Superior™ MKIII 54-75;
  • SAG mill – 18 MW; and
  • Ball mill – 9 MW

The crusher can achieve 8.4 Mt/y for the design blend at 65% availability. At a 70% loading, the throughput rate ranges from 9.2 Mt/y to 10.2 Mt/y on the design blend. The selected mills also have higher than typical design margin for the nameplate throughput rate with modelling conducted by OMC showing the selected comminution circuit is capable of a throughput of:

  • 8.4 Mt/y (1,050 t/h) for 100% fresh ore feed when the 80th percentile ore characteristics are used;
  • 9 Mt/y (1,125 t/h) for 100% fresh ore when modelled at the average (50th percentile) ore characteristics;
  • 14 Mt/y (1,750 t/h) for 100% oxide ore feed; and
  • 10 Mt/y (1,250 t/h) for a blended feed of 23% oxide and 77% fresh ore.

On a 100% basis, life of mine (18.5 years) production is scheduled to come in at 219,000 oz/y of gold.

West African Executive Chairman and CEO, Richard Hyde, said: “Kiaka will access power from the Burkina Faso grid predominantly supplied by low-carbon hydroelectric power from Ghana and the Ivory Coast with large Burkina Faso low-carbon solar projects planned to come online early in the mine life to supplement the grid.”

Hyde says WAF will investigate expanding Kiaka to plus-10 Mt/y through the addition of secondary crushing and debottlenecking the process circuit, as well as evaluating tenders for key major equipment received during the feasibility study, which had ranged widely in price and delivery lead times.

“There remains scope to reduce the capital expenditure and cost contingencies on this equipment, as well as shorten the lead times,” Hyde said. West African Resources is also looking at an owner-mining versus contractor (the current plan) study looking to lower mining costs and VAT working capital.