Tag Archives: Jari Kolehmainen

Agnico’s Kittilä clocks up full year of autonomous haulage with Sandvik

Automation, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Agnico Eagle’s automation journey at the Kittilä gold mine in northern Finland has recently seen the operation run a full year of autonomous truck haulage using Sandvik’s AutoMine® system.

The operation has been using the AutoMine automation system for Sandvik loaders in production for several years, but the autonomous truck haulage fleet milestone is more recent.

Kittilä, the largest gold mine in Europe, uses AutoMine on its Toro™ TH663i truck to keep running as long as possible. It is loaded by an autonomous Toro LH621i up to surface dumping.

Jari Kolehmainen, Production Manager at Kittilä Mine, said: “Nowadays our miners can monitor the machines’ operation and autonomous production cycles from the comfort and safety of the control room. The mine’s productivity and safety have increased, and we are excited to see what the future will bring, as we know that there is even more potential to be gained with Sandvik’s cutting-edge technologies.”

Back in February, Agnico said production in the December quarter came in around 6,000 t above forecast thanks, in part, to improved fleet management and an increased usage of automation. It said the operation had been testing autonomous trucks and tele-remote equipment and was targeting to achieve 50% of production drilling and 15% of hauling remotely in 2021.

Kittilä mine leverages SIMS electrification experience as Boltec E Battery units start-up

Automation, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , , , ,

Having tested out Epiroc’s battery-electric vehicles over the past two years as part of the SIMS project, Agnico Eagle Finland’s Kittilä gold mine has now started up its own Boltec E Battery bolting units.

The European Union-funded SIMS project and the related field tests of Epiroc’s battery-powered mining machines turned the eyes of the mining world to Kittilä, in northern Finland.

As part of the project, which took place during 2017–2020, Epiroc’s ‘green machines’ – the Boomer E2 Battery, Scooptram ST14 Battery and Minetruck MT42 Battery – were put through their paces.

Andre Van Wageningen, Manager of Technology and Development at the Kittilä mine, said: “The collaboration with Epiroc has been great and Epiroc has taken away all the concerns we had regarding battery-electric equipment. I believe that we also have supplied a very good test site.”

Tommi Kankkunen, General Manager of the Kittilä mine, added that the benefits with battery-electric equipment are obviously the reduction of fossil fuels and the reduction of carbon footprint, but also major advancements made to health and safety for its employees.

After the tests, the mine purchased its first battery-powered rigs, Boltec E rock bolting rigs selected as the first battery-powered units in line with the mine’s investment plan. The important drivers behind the decision were sustainability of the rigs and the opportunity to create a better work environment, according to Epiroc.

The first bolting rig arrived at the Kittilä mine in early November, with another similar bolting unit joining the club a couple of weeks later.

According to Jari Kolehmainen, Production Manager at Kittilä, the first messages were very positive: “The performance of the machines is at least at the same level as that of diesel machines. Productivity has improved with the development of equipment.”

The arrival of this new equipment will also benefit operators’ wellbeing at work as exhaust fumes, heat, vibration and noise have decreased.

“For example, a rock bolting rig is moved several times during a shift, and, in the past, it has always meant starting diesel engines and blowing up an exhaust cloud,” Epiroc said.

Also, in terms of maintenance, the equipment lacks a large component (diesel engine), and, as a result, oil and filter changes are omitted. Also, for fire safety, the use battery-powered machines mark a step forward in the absence of hot surfaces of the diesel engine and moving oils.

Air quality improves piece by piece when diesel-powered equipment is replaced by battery-powered equipment, according to Epiroc.

Kolehmainen said: “Especially on the loading and haulage side, the change in air quality is clear. In the future, we want to reduce our carbon footprint and move towards zero-emission technology, as well as move forward in wellbeing at work.

“The SIMS project showed that battery technology has made great leaps forward.”

In terms of infrastructure requirements, the mine’s electricity network should accommodate the electrification of the equipment. Battery-powered machines also require a battery replacement location.

Epiroc added: “Agnico Eagle Finland’s Kittilä mine wants to profile itself also towards the introduction of other new technologies in addition to battery-powered equipment. A remote control room has been completed for the mining office, from which several machines are controlled simultaneously.

“Since the beginning of October, it has been a permanent turn for two people to operate mining machines remotely. The mine firmly believes that investing in new technologies will bring long-term benefits.”

Robit diamond button bits to go stronger for longer in top hammer drilling

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

Robit is launching diamond button bits for top hammer drilling applications as it looks to increase the life and reduce the maintenance associated with these consumables.

The company plans to commence mass production and deliveries by the end of the year, but it has already signed up its first mining customer.

Traditionally, drill bits for top hammer drilling have been made of hard metal, but, while they may often prove effective when it comes to penetration in the initial stages, these bits can be worn down easily depending on the application.

The Robit Diamond Button Series bits have an industrial diamond coating that lasts many times longer than a regular bit and does not need to be sharpened, according to Robit’s R&D Engineer and Materials Specialist, Niko Ojala.

The diamond coating is applied to the buttons in much the same way as diamonds are created; namely by subjecting it to high pressure and heat, which makes it even more durable than natural diamonds.

Ojala said: “The coating has several layers, which ensures adherence and enables the diamond bit to withstand the shocks and heat fluctuations of top hammer drilling. Robit Group has previously used the diamond coating with success in oil and gas operations in softer substrates. Now the durability of diamond is offered for the first time for shock drilling in hard rock.”

Robit has been developing these buttons for five years, and field tests have been conducted extensively “with ever-improving results and great success”, Robit Sales Manager, Kimmo Kangas, said.

“Mass production and deliveries will begin during the latter part of the year; initially 89 mm and 102 mm diamond bits will be offered,” Kangas said, adding that Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä gold mine, in Finland, is to start using the Robit Diamond Button series later this year.

Agnico Eagle Kittilä Production Manager, Jari Kolehmainen and General Supervisor, Janne Saukko, remarked: “Test cooperation with Robit in these new innovative products has been productive. The goal is to use diamond bits to make remote drilling more efficient in terms of use of resources and productivity than drilling using regular bits.”

In test cases, the new diamond bits have yielded outstanding results, according to Ojala: “When drilling hard granite you may have to sharpen – ie change – a traditional hard metal button bit, for example, after 80 m, while with the diamond button bit you can drill nearly one kilometre.

“And, as the diamond buttons do not, in practice, wear out, then their penetrating ability does not deteriorate like regular hard metal buttons. Drilling speed, therefore, remains the same throughout the bit’s time of use. Similarly, the diameter of the borehole does not decrease as the bit ages, resulting in a more consistent and predictable end result in production drilling.”

He concluded: “The many times longer change interval of the bit saves time and is particularly important for remote-controlled drill rigs in fully automated mining environments where people are not present during the process.”

Epiroc books battery-electric orders from mines in Finland, Australia and Canada

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

Epiroc says it has recently secured orders for its second generation battery-electric machines from miners in Finland, Australia and Canada.

The orders come less than a year since the mining original equipment manufacturer launched the new range at an event in Örebro, Sweden.

In Finland in the September quarter, Agnico Eagle Mines ordered the Boltec E Battery rig for use at its Kittilä mine, Europe’s biggest gold operation.

The company, as part of the EU-led Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS) project where Epiroc is serving as a coordinator, has also been testing Epiroc battery-electric equipment. A Boomer E2 Battery has been operating for some months at the mine and, in August, a Minetruck MT42 Battery (42 t truck) and a Scooptram ST14 Battery (14 t LHD) arrived as part of the project.

Jari Kolehmainen, Production Manager at Agnico Eagle Mines, said the Boomer E2 Battery had been performing well and a diesel engine had not “been missed”.

He continued: “Operator feedback has been positive and we are looking forward to expanding our fleet with more electrical powered equipment in the near future. Therefore we are also very excited to be testing the battery-powered mine truck and loader. These tests are giving us the confidence to be a successful early adopter of this new and exciting technology.”

In addition to the orders and testing at Kittilä, several orders from other companies have been booked in previous quarters for battery-electric versions of the Boltec rock bolting rig, Boomer face drilling rig, Scooptram loader and Minetruck hauler, the company said.

Epiroc, upon launching its second generation machines in November 2018, said it had clocked up more than 60,000 hours of operating time with these electric machines. It is being helped along the way by battery maker Northvolt and ABB. Epiroc has committed to its Batteries-as-a-service offering that sees the mining OEM provide a warranty for the battery and provide both software and hardware updates on an annual basis.

The company launched its first battery-electric machines in 2016, adding, in November 2018, 14 t and 18 t LHDs, a 42 t truck and a mid-sized drilling family including face drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement rigs. Epiroc aims to be able to offer its complete fleet of underground mining equipment as battery-electric versions by 2025.

The benefits of this technology include improved health and safety, lower total cost of operation and higher productivity. The advantage is especially significant for deepening underground operations where mining companies traditionally must invest heavily in ventilation to air out the diesel fumes.

Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s Senior Executive Vice President Mining and Infrastructure, said: “We see very strong customer interest for our new battery-electric mining machines. The technology is now well established, and more and more mining companies are realising the significant benefits that come with using electric machines instead of diesel. We are proud to spearhead the mining industry’s drive toward a fossil-free future.”