Tag Archives: DGB

Fresnillo completes conversion of Herradura haul truck fleet to Cat dual-fuel system

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In its recently released 2021 financial results, Fresnillo confirmed it had completed the conversion of its haul truck fleet at the Herradura gold mine in Mexico to a dual-fuel system leveraging both diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The company started its dual-fuel journey all the way back in 2016 when, together with Caterpillar, it trialled/piloted the mining OEM’s Dynamic Gas Blending™ (DGB) dual-fuel technology on two prototype trucks as part of a strategy at Herradura to reduce both its carbon footprint and costs.

Caterpillar’s dual-fuel DGB technology works by blending lower cost LNG with diesel fuel, with the resultant improvements in fuel, emissions and maintenance adding up to millions of dollars each year in cost savings, the mining OEM says.

Following some good initial results from Herradura, the company made plans to roll out this technology across its fleet, converting its haulage fleet’s diesel engines to a dual-fuel system, which optimises consumption by automatically switching between diesel and LNG depending on the terrain.

The Herradura fleet consists of Cat 785C and 793D haul trucks, among others.

A Fresnillo spokesperson told IM: “The 785C series consume approximately a 40:60 diesel-LNG mix, while the 793D has a 65:35 ratio, thus achieving, in 2021, a reduced energy factor of 20.97% and 18.68%, respectively.

“To date, we’ve recovered 35% of our investment through fuel savings, which considers both the LNG conversion kits and the biomodal supply station.”

The company has now converted 31 of its 785Cs to run on this mix, along with 10 793Ds. It has also invested in infrastructure to ensure it has the appropriate LNG storage capacity at Herradura.

Cat energy storage, microgrid and Dynamic Gas Blending solutions on show at MINExpo

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At MINExpo 2021 next week, Caterpillar Inc is highlighting the company’s wide range of industry expertise combined with power solutions that, it says, deliver the reliability, efficiency and sustainability for boosting the performance of mining operations.

MINExpo 2021 is set to run from September 13-15 in Las Vegas, USA.

These power solutions range from Cat® Energy Storage, Cat Hybrid Microgrid Systems and fuel-flexible Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) solutions, which are all included in the company’s portfolio of renewable power solutions. The wide variety of these solutions supports customers’ sustainability goals and can be configured to minimise their greenhouse gas footprints while also reducing total cost of ownership, according to Cat.

Jason Kaiser, Vice President, Caterpillar Electric Power Division, said: “Power needs vary widely from mine site to mine site, and they are becoming increasingly complex as mining companies address the sustainability requirements of their environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives. With our decades of experience in the mining industry and full portfolio of technologies – including numerous solutions that readily incorporate renewable energy sources – Caterpillar can supply integrated power solutions designed, installed, and supported from a single source to ensure superior performance over the long haul.”

Caterpillar says it offers a complete technology suite of hybrid energy solutions designed to reduce fuel expenses, lower utility bills, decrease emissions and reduce the total cost of ownership while increasing energy resiliency in even the most challenging environments. Key components include Cat Photovoltaic Solar Modules, the Cat Master Microgrid Controller, Cat Connect Remote Asset Monitoring, Cat Bi-Directional Power inverters, Cat Energy Storage System modules and Cat generator sets.

Centamin looks for partial diesel displacement with Cat DGB LNG trial

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Centamin is to trial Caterpillar’s Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) technology at its Sukari gold mine in Egypt as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs.

The mine will trial the technology on three or four its haul trucks next year, Centamin CEO, Martin Horgan, told attendees at its capital markets webcast today.

The DGB conversion kits, available on Cat 785C and 793D haul trucks, are a dual-fuel technology that enables miners to substitute diesel fuel with LNG, according to Cat. The use of LNG has been proven to reduce emissions by up to 30%, as well as lower costs by up to 30%, Cat says.

Just last week, Gold Fields’ CEO Nick Holland told a panel at IMARC Online that the company would trial DGB technology on four of its haul trucks at its Tarkwa gold mine in Ghana.

While the use of DGB technology will partially displace Centamin’s use of diesel fuel with LNG, the company said it was also working on “full displacement” with LNG as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The company has already committed to delivering a Stage 1 30 MW solar plant at Sukari, expected to replace 18–20 million litres of diesel consumption per year through operation during daylight hours.

In other areas of technology development, Centamin said it would soon be adding new Cat 6040 hydraulic face shovels to its existing fleet at Sukari, it had four “lightweight truck trays” currently operating at the mine, and it was trialling Metso Outotec Poly-Met mill liners on ball mills in its processing plant.

Gold Fields to trial Caterpillar dual-fuel solution on haul trucks at Tarkwa mine

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Gold Fields plans to test the use of LNG to power haul trucks in a trial at its Tarkwa open-pit gold mine in Ghana, CEO Nick Holland told attendees of the IMARC Online event this week.

Speaking on a panel reviewing progress of the Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles (ICSV) initiative – a supply chain collaboration between the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – Holland said the trial would involve a mix of LNG and diesel fuel at the operation, and four trucks would initially be tested with the fuel combination in 2021.

Gold Fields later confirmed to IM that the trial would take place in the second half of 2021 and involve the use of Caterpillar’s dual-fuel LNG Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) retrofit system on four of the mine’s Cat 785C 146 t payload dump trucks.

The DGB conversion kits, available on Cat 785C and 793D haul trucks, are a dual-fuel technology that enables miners to substitute diesel fuel with LNG, according to Cat. The use of LNG has been proven to reduce emissions by up to 30%, as well as lower costs by up to 30%, Cat says.

DGB vaporises liquid fuel into natural gas, then replaces diesel fuel with LNG when possible. On average, DGB replaces about 60-65% of diesel with LNG, according to Cat.

Tarkwa, which is 90% owned by Gold Fields, produced 519,000 oz of gold in 2019, 1% lower than the 525,000 oz produced in 2018. It employs Engineers & Planners Co Ltd as mining contractor.

While this trial will potentially lower the company’s carbon emissions – as will Gold Fields’ plan to fit “diesel filters” on all its machines underground in the next 12-18 months – Holland pointed to a much loftier long-term goal during the ICSV panel.

“The challenge to our teams and OEMs is to move away from diesel completely,” he said.

Such a move could see the company employ both battery-powered and hydrogen-powered solutions at its underground mines, he added.

Cat continues to see LNG interest for large mining trucks

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Caterpillar’s focus on minimising the environmental impact its large mining trucks have on operations has seen it pursue many new and old technologies of late, one of which is the use of alternative fuels.

In a recent Viewpoint post, David Rea, General Manager for Cat Large Mining Trucks, said the company is looking throughout its supply chain to reduce the emissions associated with using and building its vehicles.

“We’re meeting the most stringent emissions regulations,” he said. “We’re offering trucks that can run on alternative fuels, and others that can be electrified using our trolley conversion kit. We’re also making sure we get the most out of parts and components so we’re reducing waste and energy usage.”

On top of this, the company is pursuing Project Verde, a project “focused on energy and emissions reduction, and helping customers decrease their carbon footprints through machinery and power solutions that contribute to lower greenhouse gas”, Brian Weller, Chief Engineer, Surface Mining & Technology, Caterpillar Inc, told IM earlier this year.

In the meantime, Cat said it continued to see interest around the world for alternative fuels and was researching various solutions both in the lab and field in response to this.

One solution, liquefied natural gas (LNG), is a clean-burning fuel that can be sourced locally and is produced more naturally than diesel. It has been discussed as a diesel fuel alternative in the industry for more than a decade, but it is yet to find widespread industry appeal.

Nic Tegtmeyer, Senior Product Specialist at Cat, says the company’s Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) conversion kits for mining trucks are a dual-fuel technology that enables miners to substitute diesel fuel with LNG.

“Not only has LNG been proven to reduce emissions by up to 30%, it also costs about 30% less than diesel,” he said. “Physical ability remains over 90% and DGB has no impact on unplanned downtime.”

DGB vaporises liquid fuel into natural gas, then replaces diesel fuel with LNG when possible. On average, DGB replaces about 60-65% of diesel with LNG, according to Cat.

One place where this technology is being utilised is Fresnillo’s Penmont division in Mexico, where Cat and its Mexico-based dealer, Matco Cat, has converted the entire fleet of large mining trucks at the La Herradura open-pit mine, in Sonora.

Tegtmeyer says DGB is relatively new in mining, but it has over 10 million operating hours of proven data to its name.

“Testing and customer trials have resulted in zero recordings of unplanned downtime related to DGB,” he added.

DGB kits are currently available for Cat 785C and 793D trucks, but this offering could expand beyond that, according to Tegtmeyer.

“We’re listening to our customers and gauging interest in offering the kits for additional truck models,” he said. “Not every mine is an ideal candidate for this solution, but if a natural gas supply is nearby, it can provide significant savings.”

This article is an edited version of this story here.