Tag Archives: Caterpillar

Evolution Mining to evaluate fleet as part of emissions reduction pathway

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Evolution Mining, like many of its gold mining peers, has made a commitment to emissions reduction by 2030 on the way to achieving ‘net zero’ status by 2050. This relates to Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared with its FY20 financial year baseline.

Evolution’s recent FY24 Annual Sustainability Report shows the company’s progress on this journey, demonstrating it is almost halfway to achieving the 2030 goal of a 30% reduction, with the circa-12% reduction in emissions in the last year against the adjusted FY20 baseline.

The company’s emissions reduction pathway includes leveraging partnerships, including a new one with Caterpillar’s Pathway to Sustainability program, as part of its broader focus on emissions reduction, which is a fleet-agnostic approach.

The Caterpillar program was officially launched at The Electric Mine 2024, in Perth, Western Australia. It is a four-year program with multi-pronged experience that provides companies with holistic learning opportunities, energy transition project advisement and additional benefits related to sustainable product access, Caterpillar says.

The emphasis of the program is on understanding each participating company’s sustainability objectives and providing participants with information and tools that will help them understand where they are on their own unique journeys and where energy transition strategies may need to be customised to support individual actions.

Other notable companies to have signed up to the program include NRW Holdings and Yancoal Australia.

As Evolution explained in its Annual Sustainability Report, “We also identified opportunities to improve our understanding of, and partnerships with, low emissions fuel manufacturers and suppliers to assist with planning and assessing future fleet transition needs.

“Our long-term strategy is detailed in our Net Zero commitment. It includes the investigation, trial and shift to renewables, as well as energy storage, low emissions and diesel replacement, hybrid and battery-electric fleet, and nature-based solutions. Four major sources of emissions present opportunities for decarbonisation: power supply, mobile equipment, stationary combustion and process emissions. Activities that deliver cost-competitive decarbonisation reductions continue to be integrated into our business cycle.”

One of these initiatives the company is investigating is the use of diesel-electric loaders. Evolution acknowledges there is more work to do in understanding the benefits that electric and hybrid vehicles can bring. Some research currently suggests this could theoretically reduce felt emissions by 30-35%.

Evolution has already introduced battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) for trials at its Red Lake operation, in Canada, becoming one of the first miners to take advantage of Epiroc’s battery-electric conversion kits to transform diesel-powered loaders to battery-electric driven operation.

The company has also engaged Sandvik as part of its fleet transition plans, with the potential of carrying out a trial on DL422iE battery-electric longhole drills at Red Lake.

The Sandvik DL422iE is a fully-automated, battery-powered top hammer longhole drill designed for underground mass mining in 4 x 4 m or larger production drifts, Sandvik says. It can drill vertical and inclined fans and single or parallel Ø89-127 mm longholes up to 54 m in depth using ST58 and ST68 tube rods.

The drill’s electric driveline includes a battery package and electric motor to allow for zero emissions while tramming and also reduced thermal load. The DL422iE also features Sandvik’s patented Charging While Drilling technology; an innovation for reduced battery charging time without the need for additional infrastructure.

Evolution added in its report: “Application of technologies to reduce Scope 1 emissions from mine fleet is a complex decarbonisation challenge for the industry. A number of short, medium and long-term solutions are currently being assessed, trialled and considered across our operations. These include solutions that are technologically mature, such as hybrid vehicles, as well as technologies that have high potential but have limitations at present due to their practical application within Evolution operating mines and their commercial competitiveness (eg battery-electric vehicles).”

First Early Learner Cat 793 XE battery-electric truck arrives at Newmont Cripple Creek and Victor

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Newmont Corporation has announced the commissioning of its first battery-electric large mining truck at the Cripple Creek and Victor (CC&V) mine in Teller County, Colorado, USA.

The vehicle, dubbed the Early Learner Cat® 793 XE, is an important milestone for Newmont, made possible through its strategic alliance with Caterpillar Inc.

“The arrival of the Early Learner Cat 793 XE underscores our ongoing commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our business,” Natascha Viljoen, Chief Operating Officer at Newmont, said. “As we look toward the future, our focus remains on creating a safer and more productive mining environment and this battery-electric large mining truck is one more step we are taking to further advance our safety and sustainability commitments.”

Currently, surface and underground mining diesel combustion machines are responsible for a significant portion of Newmont’s carbon emissions. Introducing innovative solutions like the Early Learner 793 XE at the mine-site level demonstrates Newmont’s ongoing commitment towards reducing emissions, it said.

Denise Johnson, Group President of Resource Industries, Caterpillar, said: “As the mining industry navigates the energy transition, we know a diverse set of solutions will be required for our customers to achieve their operational and sustainability objectives. We are excited about our collaboration with Newmont and working with them to truly understand the implementation and impact of the Early Learner 793 XE at CC&V.”

Newmont and Caterpillar will focus on validating and testing the Early Learner 793 XE. These efforts will provide insights into how mining operations can incorporate battery-electric large mining trucks, setting a new standard for the industry.

Newmont and Caterpillar’s strategic alliance, signed in 2021, covers the delivery of a fully connected, automated, zero carbon emitting, end-to-end mining system. Together, the companies have been collaborating to create a safer, more productive mine, and substantially support Newmont in reaching its 2030 GHG emissions reduction targets of more than 30%, with an ultimate goal of being net zero carbon by 2050.

Energy management to become ‘the’ mine electrification talking point

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Running through the three halls at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas last month, the electrification theme was everywhere – numerous booths pulled in attendees with battery symbolism or, in some cases, actual electric machines; others presented new concepts, with variations of dynamic trolley being a particular talking point.

While it is clear there is a wider ‘electric’ offering coming to the market, it is also becoming apparent that the discussion must move on from individual electric machine capabilities to the wider infrastructure at hand and how to manage a site’s available energy constraints.

For IM this was crystallised during several meetings around the show, with the two notable examples coming from a discussion with Joachim Braun, Division President at ABB Process Industries, and a presentation from Brian Weller, Vice President of Electrification for Caterpillar.

Real eMine progress

“It is hard to imagine any company being able to sell an electric vehicle without an awareness of how this vehicle will affect a site’s energy balance,” Braun told IM on the final day of the three-day show in Las Vegas. “Part of the equation now is the power management system piece. No operation is going to tolerate a major drop in productivity with the introduction of these new vehicles and increased renewable energy generation.”

ABB has been aware of this for some time, using the backdrop of MINExpo 2021 to launch its eMine™ portfolio of fully integrated electrification and automation systems, covering mine to port.

IM Editor, Dan Gleeson (left), with Division President at ABB Process Industries, Joachim Braun (right)

The company is in the somewhat unique position of serving both OEMs and mine sites with this offering, with the most recent publicised agreements struck with the likes of Komatsu and Hitachi Construction Machinery in the former category, and Codelco and Antofagasta in the latter.

On the availability of renewable energy generation, Braun acknowledged the potential to carry out “power-hungry activities” during the day when solar irradiation might be highest in, say, Australia or Latin America, as one option to consider.

He also expected the introduction of new levels of autonomy and artificial intelligence to play key roles in making decisions on site based on planned activities and the energy required to carry those activities out.

“Whatever happens, there has to be an interaction with the fleet management side of things,” he added.

Stitching it together

Caterpillar is one of those companies looking to sell electric machines, as well as chargers, energy storage systems and other supporting electrical infrastructure, to the mining sector. As Weller made clear during a pre-MINExpo 2024 tour of the company’s Tucson Proving Ground and Tinaja Hills Demonstration and Learning Centre in Arizona, the OEM is working closely with key customers to explore the complexities of managing the power needed to keep electric sites running optimally.

“When we think about the energy balance here, it is not just about consuming energy; it is about where am I getting the energy, and how much and when I am getting this energy,” Weller said during a demonstration of the company’s electric site simulation and modelling capabilities.

This Caterpillar demonstration included a simulated customer site that had 26 battery-electric trucks being charged by six 4-MW stationary charging systems and eight 8-MW Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) points.

Caterpillar wasn’t the only one showcasing such solutions at MINExpo, with Fortescue highlighting a 6 MW charger and Liebherr Power Rail also being featured. During IM’s conversation with Braun, a high power eMine FastCharge under development was mentioned, as was “more flexible solutions on trolley systems”.

All these new solutions – in addition to some of the existing ones on offer – are high consumers of power.

This was displayed in the simulation Weller played on screen in Arizona, where the site energy transfer capacity related to just the haulage fleet came in at 88 MW.

The energy transfer shown over a 4.5-hour period in this simulation swung from 70 MW capacity at the top end and 5 MW at the low end.

“That 65 MW swing is the equivalent of having a city of 40,000 people turn their light switches on and off,” Weller said for context. “That is the magnitude of the variation the site has to absorb.”

This is where the integration of electrification and autonomy are going to prove vitally important, according to Weller, and is where the “assignment engine” the company is developing, in tandem with its advanced simulation capabilities, is expected to come into the Cat® MineStar™ Fleet management system fold.

“When we look into the mine site of the future, and the idea of electrification and autonomy, it has to all be stitched together,” Weller said.

“We can’t have trucks stop because of a dead battery; we can’t have trucks back up on a haul route waiting for a charger. In some instances, you might be better off coming in for a charge right now – regardless of your state of charge – as in 10 minutes you might have 10 trucks lining up waiting to be charged. How do you know that? You have to tie it to the fleet management system. This enables you to know how much energy you need and how much energy you have to complete your next assignment.”

These tradeoffs will likely impact production, but having a system like the assignment engine Weller highlighted allows the site “to make that decision very dynamically”, he added.

Industry consensus

There were others talking up such integration around MINExpo 2024.

Oliver Weiss, Liebherr Mining Equipment SAS’ Executive Vice President, R&D, Engineering and Production, says control and command of zero emission mining technologies are included in the autonomous haulage system (AHS) the company has been working on with Fortescue.

“The fleet management assignment engine at the core of the AHS monitors fleet energy levels so that jobs and energy replenishment tasks can be assigned efficiently within zero emission fleets equipped with this system,” he said.

Komatsu’s new Modular ecosystem, which builds on the DISPATCH fleet management system, also has an expanding set of interconnected platforms and products built in. Included within this is a new app called “Replenish” to refuel and recharge mining equipment while minimising impacts to production.

Considering ABB and Komatsu recently signed a strategic collaboration agreement to, they said, “jointly develop and bring to market integrated solutions that will help move net-zero emissions for heavy industrial machinery a step closer to reality,” one would expect ABB’s expertise and technologies for automation and electrification to integrate into this new open platform from Komatsu.

It is becoming clear that the energy management paradigm will require mine sites of the future to have even more integrated workflows underlined by higher levels of autonomy.

And it is this understanding that will lead to an accelerated uptake of electric solutions from where the industry is today.

More XE underground loaders on the way, Caterpillar says

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Having additional success selling underground loaders to mining customers, Caterpillar is gearing up to release more machines that leverage that same “architecture” technology as the Cat® R2900 XE diesel-electric LHD, Mike Berry, Vice President and General Manager of Load and Haul for Caterpillar, says.

The diesel-electric R2900 XE is built on the R2900G’s platform, Caterpillar’s most popular underground loader. It features optimised lift arm and component geometry plus load-sensing hydraulics to improve breakout force by 35% over the R2900G, Caterpillar states.

The 18.5-t payload R2900 XE features a switch reluctance electric drive system alongside a Cat C15 diesel engine, which offers up to 335 kW of power. Caterpillar says the machine comes with about 30% increased fuel efficiency compared with the R2900G, with its lower engine revolutions per minute resulting in reduced fuel burn, heat, noise, vibration and exhaust emissions.

These traits have, so far, gone down well. In Australia, there are units at mines owned by Gold Fields, Westgold Resources and MMG. Newmont recently confirmed an order for nine R2900 XEs to the Subika gold mine, in Ghana, while Centamin also added at least one of these LHDs to its underground fleet at Sukari, in Egypt. In Canada, Alamos Gold recently purchased two of these machines for its Young-Davidson mine, while Cementation Americas added the diesel-electric machine to its roster, deploying it at New Gold’s Rainy River project in Ontario, Canada.

Speaking to IM at MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, in September, Berry said that the company planned to build on this momentum with more models set to join the platform.

“Similar to rolling out this technology from the surface with the 988 XE wheel loader to this machine [the R2900 XE], yes, we plan to take that technology up and down the underground loader product line,” he said.

Berry’s colleague, Paul Bitter, Product Value Stream Manager at Caterpillar, said the architecture of the XE platform – which also includes a battery-electric loader in the form of the R1700 XE – leaves a “great degree of freedom from a design perspective both for hauling and loading”.

He added: “We see it as platform for loaders and trucks, where, because of the electric drive, you can change power source. This means you can have a diesel machine, a hybrid machine or a fully electric machine.”

The most likely haulage and loading candidates for the ‘XE treatment’ are machines that currently only come in diesel form, have not recently been updated and have large populations out in the field.

On the theme of hybridisation, Berry said the company had no plans to combine the electric drivetrain with a small diesel energy and an on-board energy storage element for load and haul equipment. He and colleague Thad Litkenhus, Director of Product Management at Caterpillar, did raise the prospect of a form of the Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) solution currently equipped for surface haul trucks being converted for underground use, however.

Designed to both transfer energy to large mining trucks, as well as charge a machine’s batteries while operating with increased speed on grade, the system “provides the industry with options to support both near-term and long-term sustainability strategies”, Caterpillar says.

Litkenhus added: “We define hybrid as having multiple energy sources and, if you think about the fundamental notion of a DET system, that is effectively a hybridisation of your machine to bring more energy to the machine. It just happens to be an off-board one.

“We actually think such a combination could provide the hybrid element that diversifies the power source without any drawbacks that come with having it all happen on board the machine.”

Cat Job Site Solutions partners with mines, Cat dealers on R1700 XE ownership

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Particularly for the underground mining environment, battery-electric machines offer significant operational benefits over their diesel counterparts in terms of exhaust emissions and heat generation. However, battery-electric machine technology is still relatively new to underground mining, and miners need to stay focused on maintaining production targets, Caterpillar says.

Battery-electric loaders like the Cat® R1700 XE LHD with portable MEC500 fast charging capability represent a new way of charging and operating. When should the operator top off the battery? How can the LHD operate in the most efficient way to optimise run time between charges? Where should the battery charger be located? What are the different safety and regulatory issues with a battery-electric solution? What unknowns will surface along the way that can be resolved through collaboration?

This is where Cat Job Site Solutions and the Cat dealer bring value, according to the OEM. Cat Job Site Solutions provides battery equipment and incoming power management expertise, and leverages the dealer’s equipment maintenance and repair experience, delivering assurances on R1700 XE productivity and machine availability. “This allows miners to focus on what they need – keeping site goals aligned with corporate goals and maintaining day-to-day operation of site and staff,” the company says.

The R1700 XE site solution program manages battery and charger optimisation and provides data to efficiently operate the machine. “We are basically taking Cat Job Site Solutions’ ‘site solution’ model that has been very successful for surface operations and adapting it to manage the battery electric R1700 XE and power requirements in the underground environment,” Brandon Croegaert, New Product Introduction Manager for Caterpillar, explains.

Brandon Croegaert, New Product Introduction Manager for Caterpillar

Better together

The R1700 XE site solution model simplifies the miner’s responsibilities, making costs manageable, increasing uptime and optimising battery management, according to the company. This model alleviates the burden of in-house fleet management, as Cat Job Site Solutions and the Cat dealer assume responsibility of ownership cost, training, charging strategy and battery management, maintenance, service, parts and the supply chain.

The program also mitigates some of the uncertainty surrounding new technology and processes, Caterpillar says. The Cat Job Site Solutions team first conducts a site optimisation study to help maximise productivity through determining optimum charging locations. The portable Cat MEC500 charging station offers the advantage of minimum production loss, as it eliminates the need of travelling to a permanent, expensive charge bay. It also allows operators to take advantage of breaks and delays with quick opportunity charging.

Central to the R1700 XE site solution model is a dedicated fleet manager provided by Caterpillar. The fleet expert offers equipment, industry and applications knowledge, lifecycle planning and management experience, leverages data from sites around the world, and offers a single point of contact for the R1700 XE LHD.

“Offering complete transparency of operating data, the program’s fleet manager shares machine and productivity data gathered daily with key mine site personnel,” Caterpillar says. “Weekly status updates allow the fleet manager, mine site personnel and the dealer to review data and make any necessary adjustments to machine operation and charging site location. Plus, planned maintenance on a bi-weekly basis helps to increase machine uptime and availability.”

Croegaert added: “Some of our R1700 XE loaders are logging more than 400 hours per month. The data show these machines can demonstrate the same or better availability than the diesel fleet.”

Change management

Croegaert also mentions that change management is critical to the success of running battery-electric equipment in the underground environment. “Operators are used to running diesel machines for eight to 10 hours at a time before refueling,” he says. “However, the battery-electric models need to be charged throughout the shift.”

The Cat Job Site Solutions R1700 XE site solution model is paying off for mine sites, as it is offering uptime availability guarantees for the battery-electric R1700 XE similar to that of its diesel-powered counterpart, Caterpillar says

Operating efficiency is key to running battery-electric models successfully. The R1700 XE site solution model helps operators know when to come to the MEC500 for charging. They need to be aware of the schedule and take advantage of production downtime to top off the charge without impacting the production schedule. Predictive modelling using machine data also helps optimise the charging strategy.

The Cat Job Site Solutions R1700 XE site solution model is paying off for mine sites, as it is offering uptime availability guarantees for the battery-electric R1700 XE similar to that of its diesel-powered counterpart, Caterpillar says.

It added: “The fact that the machine runs with no exhaust emissions and lower heat generated is a bonus for those working near the machine. And this management model allows the mine site to focus on its core strengths while leveraging the expertise of Cat Job Site Solutions and the Cat dealer for machine management.”

Orica setting digital groundwork to open up new mining frontiers

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The integration of a digital backbone into the explosives, blasting and related processes will continue to result in miners accessing new deposits and potentially developing new mining methods, Orica’s Angus Melbourne and Rajkumar Mathiravedu told IM at last month’s MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas.

Reflecting on a digitalisation journey that started eight years ago, Melbourne – Orica’s Chief Technology Officer – said the original ambition was about taking a very manual process like blasting and digitising the workflows.

“Essentially what we wanted to do was anchor into the design and connect the on-bench activities for a verification process as to where the drill pattern was and how this reconciled with the actual outcome,” he said. “The key was always to link this back to the hub of the machine.”

Bringing data and insights into this equation resulted in better placement of energy (ie explosives), which has since become part and parcel of Orica’s aim of “mobilising the Earth’s resources in a sustainable way”.

The second element underlying this digitised push was the acceleration of automation.

“You cannot automate unless you have a digital foundation,” Melbourne said.

This led to the company – both organically and through M&A – building up a suite of software, sensors and data science applications to enable processes within the explosives and blasting process to be automated.

Just what processes to automate has always been dictated by safety and productivity.

“Getting people off the bench, face, voids, high walls, etc becomes a clear motivator for automating certain processes,” Melbourne said. “It is a bit more difficult on the productivity side of things; you have to be generating value, not just automating for the sake of it.”

From Orica’s initial point eight years ago, the company has progressively moved into adjacencies such as post-blast outcomes, geology and more, bringing the same mindset to each part of this distinct process, while integrating it into the wider work patterns.

Mathiravedu (Orica Digital Solutions Senior Vice President) explained: “What we are seeing in the digital space is the fact that, with blasting, you can either create or destroy value. With all the tools and expertise we have, plus the ability to connect the physical and digital components, we are making the whole process more productive, as well as optimising the use of consumables like water and energy.”

Rajkumar Mathiravedu presenting Next Gen SHOTPlus at MINExpo 2024

And as Orica has opened further to the wider mining ecosystem – think of recent tie ups with Epiroc on the Avatel™ semi-autonomous explosives loading solution showcased at MINExpo or Caterpillar on a potential integration between Rhino™, BlastIQ™ and FRAGTrack™ technologies with Cat® MineStar™ Terrain – its influence across the whole flowsheet continues to expand.

Melbourne said: “If I go back a decade, Orica would have been doing a lot of these things itself…but both Raj and I have worked in other industries that, for various reasons, were collaborative. As a result, we were far more open to working with others.”

This openness is seen with one of Orica Digital Solutions’ latest launch, Next Gen SHOTPlus™, which unlocks the power of the Model Through Time; a cloud hosted, spatiotemporal, digital replica, Orica says. Incorporating the proprietary physics engine, Helfire Damage Model and Advanced Vibration Management solution, Next Gen SHOTPlus enables drill and blast engineers to model and predict blast movement, damage and vibration.

Predictive blast movement modelling is enabled by Predict Physics Engine, allowing engineers to understand the impact of decisions on the post-blast muck pile. The Blast Damage, meanwhile, feature provides 3D damage modelling, allowing engineers to evaluate the predicted damage generated on both blasted and in-situ rock masses.

As the Avatel system loomed over the Orica booth at MINExpo (it was on the adjacent Epiroc stand, see below), it seemed only right to ask about the potential to fully automate the explosives loading process based on the safety and productivity drivers Melbourne outlined.

“The goal is to go fully autonomous,” he replied. “If you look at the safety and productivity drivers, semi-automation advances both of those, but there are opportunities to improve upon both – we are clearly still underground at the moment, which comes with risk, and there are other elements of cleaning, priming and loading that could be accelerated in the development headings through full automation.”

One of the underlying technologies of the Avatel platform is the WebGen™ wireless initiation system, which has been key to unlocking new mining methods and techniques, with numerous case studies detailing a strong value case.

A fully autonomous Avatel unit could do similar, according to Melbourne, ticking that productivity box.

“With full autonomy, you can start to employ new mining methods and go to different parts of the mine you couldn’t previously,” he said. “On a case-by-case basis, you can look at individual mines where they understand the mineralisation that, because of safety constraints, cannot currently be classified as a resource or reserve.

“If we’re able to remove that constraint, we can start to tangibly assess bringing that into a resource or reserve and mining that.”

WesTrac expands autonomous training centre to help shape future workforce

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Caterpillar® dealer WesTrac has announced that construction of new facilities at the WesTrac Technology Training Centre in Collie, Western Australia, will be complete by November, offering further training opportunities.

Speaking during a visit to the facility by the Premier of Western Australia, WesTrac CEO, Jarvas Croome, said the State Government supported the project by providing A$1 million ($672,764) from the Collie Futures Industry Development Fund.

“It is fantastic to have Hon Roger Cook MLA at the WesTrac Technology Training Centre to see the progress we have made with our expansion of this state-of-the-art facility,” Croome said.

“As the only autonomous training centre in the Southern Hemisphere, our centre offers industry-leading practical training on machines like the Cat® 789D Autonomous Haul Truck in a safe, controlled, and authentic environment. Demand for our world-class training has skyrocketed as mining and construction companies look to educate the next generation of their workforce.

“The expansion of our facilities will ensure WesTrac can meet this demand, as well as offer new courses and pathways for workers in the resources and civil construction sectors.”

The expansion includes construction of two new buildings, with an additional five new training rooms, a virtual reality room, a remote operating station room, reception and practical labs tailored to deliver training in Cat MineStar Technology.

WesTrac is also in the process of commissioning a new Cat D10 Dozer with remote operating capabilities, allowing students to operate the machine from a classroom located 500 m away or further – replicating a real-world mine site environment.

Croome said the new addition at the centre will replicate the latest technology available on a mine site which is designed to keep operators safe.

“WesTrac and Caterpillar are leading the charge when it comes to delivering world-class training by utilising the latest technology and equipment to provide a second-to-none level of education,” he explained. “Since our centre opened in 2020, we have delivered training to more than 900 people from Australia and overseas, and we expect to see even more come through the door as industry demand increases for technology and electrification experts.

“The WesTrac Technology Training Centre and the team of experts who deliver our world-leading education and training are a beacon for the mining and construction industries as they look towards tech-driven operations of the future.”

Construction of the new facilities was also supported by the Motivation Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing hands-on training and practical experience for young people, as well as securing future employment opportunities.

Croome says the group played a vital role in the expansion performing key earthworks as part of their on-the-job practical training, including developing the new dozer training area and building footings.

He added: “Since commencing in Collie, Motivation Foundation have successfully helped over 50 local young people gain employment. Through our partnership with the Motivation Foundation and this expansion of the WesTrac Technology Training Centre, we hope to ensure this pathway continues for young people continues.”

The WesTrac Technology Training Centre was recently recognised during the WA Training Awards last month, when WesTrac was awarded Large Employer of the Year for its industry-leading approach to education and training.

BHP to trial Cat Dynamic Energy Transfer solution at Escondida

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BHP is the first customer to announce plans to trial Caterpillar Inc.’s Cat® Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) system on battery electric and diesel electric mining trucks at BHP sites.

Caterpillar announced the launch of the Cat DET solution last week ahead of displaying a Cat 798 AC with a DET attachment at MINExpo 2024, this week. The technology can transfer energy to both diesel-electric and battery-electric large mining trucks while they are working around a mine site. It can also charge an electric haul truck’s batteries while the machine is on the move, and the system’s infrastructure is flexible, which allows it to be easily relocated when compared with current commercialised offerings, including large, fixed overhead trolleys.

The planned trials are the result of over two years of close collaboration between BHP and Caterpillar to find sustainable and viable energy transfer solutions. The trials include validating the solution in BHP Iron ore and Copper businesses, including CAT 793 fleet at Jimblebar and CAT 798 fleet at Escondida. BHP also intends to trial Cat DET as an integrated system with Cat autonomous solutions.

BHP announced in 2021 a collaboration with Caterpillar to deploy zero-exhaust emissions mining trucks at BHP sites to reduce operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, enabling more hands-on learning opportunities to ensure successful deployment at BHP sites. The collaboration has helped shape the processes, technology and infrastructure that will be required to support diesel-electric and battery-electric mining trucks and the mine sites of the future, the company says.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ragnar Udd (right), said: “We are pleased to be able to trial the DET technology that Caterpillar has developed, and it is a welcome addition in our plans to enable zero-emissions mining truck deployment at BHP. Innovation and technology will play a crucial role as we work towards BHP’s goal of net zero operational emissions by 2050, and we are determined to keep building partnerships like this to achieve this objective.

“This collaboration is testament of our commitment to find solutions that are sustainable and viable – for us and the broader industry.”

Denise Johnson (left), Caterpillar Group President, said: “BHP has been part of our Early Learner program from the beginning, providing valuable feedback. We look forward to continuing that collaboration as we work together to trial the Cat DET system on both diesel-electric and battery-electric trucks at BHP’s sites. This is an important next step to validate the crucial energy management solutions needed to support not only BHP and Caterpillar, but also the broader mining industry.”

Cat developing 1.6-km ‘Tinaja 10’ test track for DET solution

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The unveiling of the Cat® Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) solution to transfer energy to both diesel-electric and battery-electric large mining trucks while they are working around a mine site was deemed as significant for an industry in need of solutions to transition to net-zero operations.

Designed to both transfer energy to large mining trucks, as well as charge a machine’s batteries while operating with increased speed on grade, the system “provides the industry with options to support both near-term and long-term sustainability strategies”, Caterpillar said.

During a visit to Caterpillar’s Tucson Proving Grounds (TPG) in Arizona over the weekend, IM witnessed just how advanced this solution is.

The company orchestrated a ‘drag race’ between two 798 ACs – one fitted with the DET system and another with the normal diesel-electric drive – on the “Tinaja 10” test track at the facility. This haul road has been developed to showcase the system’s speed on grade, as well as ability to seamlessly transition on and off the DET rails. It boasts an average 10% incline – hence the name – and will eventually stretch out to 1.6 km (it is currently 400-m long).

Cat DET is comprised of a series of integrated elements, including a power module that converts energy from a mine site’s power source, an electrified rail system to transmit the energy and a machine system to transfer the energy to the truck’s powertrain. At TPG, the DET system on the Tinaja 10 was powered mainly by diesel generator sets.

Like other trolley showcases before, the drag race at TPG saw the DET-enabled 798 AC beat its diesel-electric companion to the top of the ramp, with Caterpillar estimating that 1 MW more power was going into the motors of the 798 AC on the DET line than the diesel-electric-only equivalent.

Caterpillar has plans to conduct field-follow trials of the DET solution in 2025, followed by commercialisation in 2026, Denise Johnson, President of Resource Industries, told IM during an interview on the same day as the demonstration.

This solution will, no doubt, be discussed in depth in Las Vegas, this week, with Caterpillar set to showcase a Cat high altitude arrangement (HAA) 798 AC electric drive truck, equipped with the on-board DET hardware at MINExpo 2024.

With its 372-t nominal rated payload, the Cat 798 AC electric drive trucks deliver the highest standard payload available in its class size, higher speed on grade, easier maintenance and excellent resistance braking performance, the company says.

The HAA 798 AC to be displayed in the Caterpillar exhibit at MINExpo 2024 features a 363-t payload, refreshed cab plus the latest performance, maintenance and safety upgrades.

The 798 AC truck at MINExpo will be positioned with the prototype onboard attachment arm connected to a 73-m section of the Cat DET rail system.

The diesel-electric design of the 798 AC, as well as all Cat AC-drive trucks, delivers high payload, fast speeds and excellent acceleration, so miners get the most from the fuel burned, Caterpillar says. Equipping the truck with DET to make use of electric power on certain sections of the haul road provides opportunities to reduce fuel burn even more.

To optimise fuel consumption at the mine site, the 798 AC offers a range of engine power options from 2,050 to 3,095 kW. Engines are compatible with diesel blended with lower-carbon intensity fuels like biofuels and renewable fuels, as well as blends with synthetic fuels.

Cat’s Denise Johnson on solidifying the electrification solution set

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

In the leadup to this week’s MINExpo 2024, Caterpillar has been making headlines across the mining technology space with a string of announcements related to mine site electrification. IM got a chance to sit down with Caterpillar Resource Industries Group President, Denise Johnson, to talk through these and more.

The following Q&A picks up from a discussion Editorial Director, Paul Moore, had with Johnson and Brian Weller, Vice President of Electrification, in the leadup to MINExpo 2021, in Las Vegas.

IM: When comparing where the industry is now with the electrification trends and indicators seen just before MINExpo 2021, what do you view as the major energy sources for ultra-class haul trucks to allow miners to achieve some of their net-zero, scope one emission targets? Has your viewpoint changed over that three-year period?

DJ: I don’t think it has changed. Three years ago, we had a vision of the predominant choice for zero exhaust emission haul trucks being battery-electric. Three years later, that vision has been maintained.

You could argue that the battery chemistry has evolved over that time frame, but the expected solution set has broadly remained the same. If anything, we have been able to further validate battery-electric trucks as the optimal choice over that three-year period.

What has changed though is the approach to this from mining companies. There is much more of an interest in ‘stepping into’ the electrification journey, versus just ‘flipping a switch’. In other words, we’re seeing more customers being interested in transitioning over time, which is one of the reasons why we have accelerated the development of our Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) solution, which can already be leveraged with diesel-electric (AC) trucks. This allows customers to start to transition their site infrastructure now, without having to progress all the way to where they need to from an electrification perspective. It allows them to hit their interim greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets at the same time, ahead of those longer-term net zero ones.

I think that strategy is very appealing to many customers as they start to look at how to implement electrification effectively over time.

IM: Does this approach differ from region to region (as well as site to site) based on, for example, diesel price benchmarking, access to renewables, energy infrastructure, etc?

DJ: Absolutely. There are some places in the world where sourcing renewable energy is very easy – whether that is through hydropower, solar, wind, etc – and there are others where it is much more challenging. So, we still see that spread with our customers; everywhere from wanting to continue with traditional equipment, all the way to going fully electric.

I would say Australia is probably leading the movement towards electrifying and going all out to achieve zero GHG emissions. A lot of that is driven by carbon tax, government incentives and other aides.

IM Editor Dan Gleeson with Caterpillar’s Denise Johnson

IM: Of the solutions out there, do you see diesel-electric, progressing to battery-electric integrated with stationary charging and DET as the most viable commercialisation route?

DJ: I think mining companies are interested in exploring all the solution sets. From an economic perspective, there is still a lot to figure out in terms of how those will be commercialised.

While I don’t think the commitment towards electrifying has changed, the timeline around when they want to introduce electrification remains the biggest question mark. That is something we are working on, especially with our Early Learner customers. We want them to give us feedback on what timeline they would like to move forward with commercialising. We, in turn, want to make sure we’re meeting what our customers dates are.

IM: Within this electric haulage evolution, is there also a case to be made for exploring a ‘hybrid’ electric solution including battery pack, energy storage component and a smaller on-board engine?

DJ: We’ve studied that heavily and it depends on the mine site as to whether it would be an effective and economically viable option. We have done a lot of simulations around what would be required and, for some mines – especially deep pit mines – the amount of energy you need to pull the truck out of the pit would require the same size engine as you have on a diesel-electric truck today. A smaller engine, combined with an acceptably sized battery and an energy storage source, would not allow you to achieve that same haulage route.

There are other applications that could technically work, but the economics do not make sense now.

We really look at the DET with the diesel engine as our ‘hybrid’ solution. As you see today, we’re basically taking the engine down to idle when it is being propelled on the DET line. The ability to do that allows you to hit that hybrid ‘sweet spot’.

A Cat 798 AC on a DET line at Caterpillar’s Tucson Proving Grounds in Arizona

IM: And DET could also, in theory, allow you to use a smaller battery on board these trucks in certain applications…

DJ: Yes, which allows you more payload potential in those applications as well.

IM: I read that you have now built and tested seven Early Learner 793 XEs to date. What stages are these at in terms of getting to site for testing? Am I right in thinking the one at Newmont’s Cripple Creek & Victor has now been assembled?

DJ: Yes, that one [the Early Learner 793 XE at Cripple Creek & Victor] is going to start running soon. Another one has just arrived in Western Australia too; they are in the midst of transporting that to the test site.

IM: In terms of those Early Learner mine sites, how selective have you been able to be with the applications chosen to give you a wide breadth of knowledge as to how these battery-electric trucks may perform across different types of mine sites?

DJ: We, with our customers, have intentionally chosen the Early Learner site locations to hit ‘corner cases’ for battery truck validation: we have deep pit, we have high altitude, we have cold temperature, we have hot temperature, etc. We are really trying to ensure we hit all those corner cases so the validation that we are doing of not only the technology, but also the application, allows us to understand and learn. We have full confidence that iterations will be required, and we want to do that as soon as possible, so that is why we are sending these machines to the broad corner cases we are.

The customers are also looking for reassurance, as well. One of the things we are doing with the Caterpillar Early Learners is sending engineers to the site to help with that learning cycle. Our team will be right there at the mine site watching, first hand, the development and evolution of the technology as it iterates.

IM: Is that information – in terms of application performance – going to be shared across the Early Learner partner framework as well?

DJ: So, both our Early Learner customers and our Pathway to Sustainability customers are going to be learning with us and finding out what we are seeing at these sites. It is intended to be an industry learning opportunity. There are certain details that cannot be shared, but, when it comes to things like change management for people, and certain processes, technology and infrastructure, we will be sharing that information. It is important to spread this across the industry, and that is the intention of these specific programs.

IM: Might some of these Early Learners and Pathway to Sustainability customers also use DET within this process? Is that part of the conversation?

DJ: In some of these applications, yes, DET will be part of the solution. We will be carrying out field-follow trials on DET in 2025, intending to go into production with it in 2026, so that aligns well with our Early Learner trials.

IM: When it comes to batteries, has your thinking around the supply chain and creating the volumes needed to rapidly bring down the cost changed over this time period (2021 vs 2024)? Could you, for instance, look to acquire more off-the-shelf battery packs/modules, instead of creating customised battery solutions, to lower the cost of the overall battery truck?

DJ: No, our thinking hasn’t changed. We have a number of development agreements with various companies around battery technology that we’re continuing to build on. We think deep integration in this supply chain is important. We won’t be manufacturing cells; we will procure those from a variety of sources around the world, not just one source. The intention would be for us to take the battery cells, make the battery packs and racks, integrate that into our software, the cooling and all the controls. We think it will be a competitive advantage for us, and benefit our customers best, if we do it ourselves. That control system will allow deeper integration into the machine platform and the energy management component. We think it is a core part of what will make our product the optimal solution for our customers.

IM: Does that also come with an extra cost element?

DJ: It could. Caterpillar could buy battery packs off the shelf, but then, what would be the difference between Cat’s solution and anyone else’s? If we think Caterpillar’s control system – through cooling and battery management, for instance – will allow batteries to last longer, then that will allow our customers to achieve the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). This is important as the battery represents a substantial cost, especially with the scale of the machines we are talking about. We need to be mindful of trying to make them last longer, while servicing and repairing them in an optimal manner.

The lifecycle of the battery is important to achieving this low TCO – from procurement of the cell through to secondary use, which we can leverage oftentimes in a stationary energy storage system application, through the recycle process. We may not do every piece of this – the recycling piece, for instance – but we want to be able to operate that complete lifecycle ecosystem in the way that makes the most sense and provides the best customer value.

IM: How advanced are you in terms of simulation, design and fleet management integration for the deployment of battery trucks? How important will this element be for customers achieving the results they want?

DJ: We have developed a completely in-house simulation software for this, which I am really excited about. The simulation tools will help us in ways we would never have imagined before, and it will be integrated into our autonomy solution as well. This will allow it to be used for advanced planning of the mine site itself, but also for decision support as to when to, for example, move the DET around the site, select how many trucks will be needed around the site, and how to optimise productivity within those confines.

We have already learned a lot from the Early Learner customer sites as a starting point for simulations, visualising their mine sites to help inform them of what they might need from a site infrastructure and energy management perspective. This is where we’re pulling in our energy & transportation expertise to help such analysis, as well as our digital team. It is an enterprise-wide focus that allows us to pull in a lot of skillsets from the entire team.

IM: Could such a solution be rolled out to customers as well?

DJ: We think it will be a very important tool for our customers. We think it will drive down the cost and ensure site optimisation is done at a much broader level than it is today.

IM: Lastly, you mentioned to Paul three years ago that you did see cabless trucks coming in the future. How far away from this future are we now?

DJ: It will depend on our customers pull for it; right now, we’re still putting cabs on trucks! Customers still want that versatility.

But there is a huge advantage to taking the cab out of the equation – in terms of weight and cost. It also allows much greater freedom in design iteration. Additionally, payload increases could be reaped.

We have some cabless designs out there already, but we are waiting for the customer pull. It is the customers that will ultimately help us decide when they are ready for those.

IM: I guess you could give the ultimatum of, ‘You can have a cab on the truck, but you’ll have to forego, say, 500 kW of additional battery capacity to have that cab.’ That may also focus their minds…

DJ: That sort of trade-off may be an option for our customers to consider. I also think as autonomy adoption continues to increase; it will help facilitate the likelihood of that taking place. There will have to be a way to remotely recover those units, but we already do that today.