Alkane Resources has joined a growing list of mining companies adding Caterpillar R2900 XE loaders to their mining fleets, with the New South Wales-focused miner recently upgrading from the R2900G LHDs it was using at the Tomingley gold operations with four of the new diesel-electric LHDs.

With four Cat R2900G underground loaders fast approaching the rebuild/refurbishment decision after several years of working underground, Alkane, in partnership with Caterpillar dealer WesTrac, started to consider upgrading to the R2900 XEs – currently then in the field-follow stage.

The R2900 XE features a switch reluctance electric drive system alongside a Cat C15 diesel engine, which offers up to 335 kW of power, with Caterpillar saying 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 features are being proven out across several operations, with, in Australia, the likes of Gold Fields, MMG and Westgold Resources adding these machines to their underground fleets.

Alkane Resources General Manager of Operations, Jason Hughes, said the productivity and efficiency advantages of this new model, compared with its predecessors, immediately caught the company’s interest.

“There are a number of advantages to these new machines; they are a step change from the old Cat 2900G series and the smarts on these machines will see us get a lot longer life and lower operating costs,” he explained.

“We realised if we made the decision to change in another three years’ time after we had rebuilt the current series, the waitlist probably would have been a lot longer and we would have missed three years of lower cost production.”

Alkane Resources Technical Services Superintendent, Dylan Ullyett, says the loaders have gone to the Roswell underground mine, part of the Tomingley operations, where the company has been developing an ore pass system.

He said the more fuel efficient loaders will make the company’s operations more sustainable, while also creating a better working environment for the 260 workers on site.

“We’re consuming less diesel, so we don’t have to use as much ventilation [underground], which is a benefit for us in the long run,” he says. “Our carbon footprint has been reduced as well by using those Cat R2900 XE loaders, we should be seeing a reduction of about 30% across our fleet in fuel consumption – that’s huge.”

Alkane has also invested in Cat MineStar™ Command, which Hughes first witnessed in use at the Caterpillar Proving Grounds in Burnie, Tasmania.

“The technological gains that this new Command system has from where it was in the underground space even three or four years ago is a large change,” he says. “We’ve used an aftermarket remote system previously, but when we went down to Burnie and saw how Caterpillar have fully integrated the remote system with the technology upgrades on the Cat R2900 XE, we then realised the benefits of using the technology as the OEM intended rather than as an aftermarket setup.”

Cat MineStar Command allows workers to operate the machines remotely, improving navigational accuracy, boosting productivity and optimising shift changes.

Caterpillar Senior Regional Representative, Terence Reeves, says while relocating operators from the cab of loaders improves site safety, the ability to customise the system has been an additional benefit for mining companies.

“It’s no secret that underground mining presents special challenges when it comes to safe and efficient operation,” Reeves explains. “That’s why Caterpillar tailors the MineStar solution to the unique needs of the environment – no matter the size, type or complexity of the underground operation.

“We put it on a building block approach, so depending on what the customer needs; they could have a base level of technology all the way up to full autonomy. Especially in an underground environment, the safer we can make operations, the better.”

According to Hughes, this customised approach to the Cat MineStar Command solution, along with the improvements to productivity and uptime, were key for Alkane.

“Caterpillar were very open to our suggestions on some of the other things we wanted to do on the remotes within the operation,” he says. “We were very happy that Caterpillar wanted to work with us to develop other areas of remote capability on other machines in our operations.”

WesTrac Mining Sales Manager, Richard Peck, believes more mining companies will soon be turning towards diesel-electric machines like the Cat R2900 XE and supporting systems like Cat MineStar Command, as the industry increases its focus on safety and sustainability.

“As mining customers try to remove people from underground operations, more are going to an autonomy-type system or having remote operations where we can have the machines being operated from the surface or from a safer area,” Peck explains.

“I can see autonomy being rolled out a lot more. We’re already talking to a lot of other customers and using Tomingley as a stepping stone to show them that we can do it.”

This next generation of mining equipment also complements Alkane’s sustainability strategy, as the company works towards making its operations more sustainable for years to come.

“Sustainability is important to Alkane, as with all mining companies, and we see the Cat R2900 XE as a step in the right direction for being able to use this new technology and show that not only does it have an economical saving, but an environmental benefit as well,” Hughes explains.