Tag Archives: Miller Technology

Miller Tech’s battery-electric Relays start up at BMA’s Broadmeadow coal operation

13th July 2021Coal technology, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable miningbattery management system, battery-electric vehicle, BEV Underground Grader, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Broadmeadow, Combined Charging Strategy, Darren Wood, graphite anode, James Palmer, light duty vehicles, Miller Technology, nickel manganese cobalt cathode, Queensland, Rechargeable Energy Storage System, RelayDaniel Gleeson

Miller Technology has announced the sale and delivery of the first BEV Relays to BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Broadmeadow operation in Queensland, Australia.

This battery-powered light duty vehicle (LDV) is capable of completing its bulk charge in less than 20 minutes, providing enough range to complete a typical mining shift of 10 hours, according to Miller. The regenerative braking capability, meanwhile, can add up to two hours in a mine with optimised topology.

This run time and fast charging is made possible by an advanced battery management system (BMS), which monitors battery temperature, with its enclosed refrigeration temperature monitoring system keeping the temperature within the optimal narrow temperature range. The BMS responds instantly to varied demands, while charging and in use, helping the Relay to provide 10 years of battery life, according to Miller.

James Palmer, BMA President, said: “The new electric transporters are a major step towards safer and more sustainable underground workings. This is another positive step in our journey to achieve zero emissions by the year 2050.”

Darren Wood, Project Manager BMA, added: “Diesel machines create a real hazard in an underground mine and we’ve been on a journey over the past four years to reduce these diesel particulate matter emissions in the ventilation system. We’re thrilled to have found the perfect solution in these battery-electric vehicles, which will be used by our maintenance personnel to travel in ‘negligible-explosion risk zones’ throughout the underground mine.

“Hopefully, within the next two years, we will have electric vehicle options available that can enter all areas of our underground coal mines. We couldn’t be more excited to be at the forefront of these new global initiatives.”

Miller’s BEV Relays are not yet certified as ‘Explosion/Flame Proof’ in Australia, but IM understands the company is working on achieving this certification in around the next 18 months. The electric LDV has previously had a trial run at Alamos Gold’s Young-Davidson mine in Ontario, Canada.

Miller Technology said: “Unlike traditional battery-electric vehicle mining LDVs, which are modifications of donor vehicles, typically Toyota’s Land Cruiser, the ground-up design of the Relay BEV has meant ‘everything that is mining’ has been incorporated into every aspect of the design and production.”

The Canada-based company says it has invested over a decade of research and development into the Relay BEV, focusing on serviceability and modularity, with a rugged design and construction. The Relay BEV was designed completely in-house by Miller Technology and uses an RESS (Rechargeable Energy Storage System). The system is rated for a maximum continuous 3C charging rate and maximum continuous discharge rate of 5C.

“Utilising the CCS (Combined Charging Strategy) protocol via Combo-2 connection and NMC-G cells (nickel manganese cobalt cathode and graphite anode) offers charging with the most convenient and most widely adopted chargers worldwide,” the company said.

Power is directed to a mid-mounted motor with dual drive output shafts providing 150 kW (peak) to both front and rear differentials. With a drive shaft exiting each end of the electric motor, the 4×4 system minimises moving parts and negates the need for a transfer case, capitalising on drivetrain reliability and power efficiencies, according to the company.

The dual-cab configuration can accommodate four mining-equipped, work-ready adults comfortably and can carry a 2 t payload. Around 1,550 Nm of torque is available from the motor, with the ability to offer the same drivetrain in the Miller Technology BEV Underground Grader.

A ROPS/FOPS Level 2 structure is integrated into the cabin structure, while telemetry diagnostics are data logged on board and transmitted to a control room through Wi-Fi or LTE networks. The data transfer is bi-directional, enabling on-board software to be updated remotely from a control room or mobile tablet.

Paul Summers, Lead BEV Engineer, Miller Technology, said: “The technology in the Relay creates a game-changing vehicle. The unique BMS battery management system and cooling/temperature monitoring process offers a vehicle at the top of its game that is environmentally friendly and the safest, most efficient vehicle of its kind available today.”

Miller Technology’s Relay battery-electric utility vehicles heading to Australia

23rd November 2020Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for minesAlamos Gold, Australia, battery-electric vehicles, Dean Robinson, Miller Technology, Paul Summers, Relay, Toyota Land Cruiser BEV, underground grader, utility vehicle, Young-DavidsonDaniel Gleeson

Miller Technology has sealed a significant contract for its Relay battery-electric utility vehicles, with units set to start up underground at an operation owned by an Australian major miner.

Having passed the evaluation stage and been selected for purchase over competitors’ units, the Relays are en route to Australia, Miller Technology’s Dean Robinson, Vice President (Asia-Pacific & Africa) Director, Global Sales, told IM.

Designed for the harsh environment and rigorous duty cycle required to operate in underground mines, the Relay features an industry first dual charging system allowing for both off-board DC fast charging and on-board AC opportunity charging, according to the company. This can see a single 25-minute charge time provide enough power for a 10-hour mining shift, according to Robinson.

The Relay comes with a mid-ship mounted dual output motor, 100 kW continuous mechanical power output rating (170 kW peak), 680 Nm continuous mechanical torque output rating (1,770 Nm peak) and IP67 ingress protection.

At least one Relay unit has already had an outing in the industry, running at Alamos Gold’s Young-Davidson mine, in Ontario, Canada. On reviewing data from this trial, Paul Summers, Lead Developer, Electric Drive Systems, at Miller, previously told IM that it was clear battery-electric vehicles were suitable for utility and support applications, even in hard-rock mines with steep ramps.

On top of the Relay, Miller Technology also produces a Toyota Land Cruiser BEV, “believed to the best of its type by all those miners who have compared the three major units on the market”, Robinson says, while the company is also preparing to release a battery-electric underground grader.

“Around Q2 (June quarter) next year, we’ll also have an underground grader available utilising the same drivetrain as the Relay and, therefore, the same fast chargers,” he said.

The company has also received requests from the unnamed major Australian miner to produce 12-seat personnel carriers based on the Relay platform, according to Robinson.

Drillco Mining, Miller Technology and Epiroc receive Ontario government funding

31st August 2019Diamond mining, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining finance, Mining policy, Mining services, Power supply for minesDrillco Mining, Epiroc, Foraco, Miller TechnologyDaniel Gleeson

Ontario’s government has invested over C$2.3 million ($1.7 million) in seven local businesses in North Bay, northern Ontario, the majority of which has gone towards mining equipment technology and service (METS) companies.

Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing (pictured), was at Drillco Mining on Friday to announce C$250,000 to develop a diamond core drilling rig that can drill in reverse circulation, resulting in potential cost savings for the mining industry, the government said.

“Our government continues to foster a strong future in North Bay by supporting economic growth, creating jobs and reaffirming the North as a great place to live and work,” said MPP Fedeli. “It’s one more way we are signalling to the world that northern Ontario is open for business and open for jobs.”

Other investments include:

C$962,520 for Premier Mining Products Inc to expand its manufacturing operation of diamond drilling components and diversify its market;
C$400,000 for Foraco Canada Ltd to purchase additional drilling equipment to expand its business;
C$251,277 for Miller Technology Inc to develop a battery electric vehicle to replace the diesel vehicles currently used in most mines, and;
C$140,003 for Epiroc Canada to improve the resistance and performance of its mining equipment.

The Electric Mine conference shifts gear

19th December 2018Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining project news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metalsABB Canada, Adria Manufacture, battery-electric; mining equipment, Caterpillar, CEMI, Energetique Mining Vehicles, GE Transportation, Global Mining Guidelines Group, Goldcorp, Kirkland Lake Gold, MacLean Engineering, MEDATECH, Miller Technology, mine electrification, Mining OEM, Mining3, NORCAT, Nouveau Monde Graphite, Sandvik, Schneider Electric, Siemens, The Electric Mine conference, University of British Columbia, Vale, Volvo Construction EquipmentDaniel Gleeson

With just under four months to go, The Electric Mine conference is charging up to full capacity.

IM has been able to assemble a world-class speaker line-up covering the entire mine electrification process – from R&D and power infrastructure, to battery charging and electrified equipment.

The conference, to take place on April 4-5, 2019, in Toronto, Canada, will host the great and the good in this fast-evolving sector and hear case studies from real mine trials or applications.

This includes a presentation from Kirkland Lake Gold, which is currently running one of the largest in-production underground battery-electric fleets in the industry at its Macassa gold mine in Canada.

Just last month, IM heard that some 33 units were active underground at the deep and high-grade mine in Ontario and Andrew Schinkel, Senior Electrical Engineer of the Macassa Mine Complex, will most likely be able to add to that number, as well as comment on the fleet’s productivity, come conference time.

The soon-to-be-in-production Borden gold project, also in Ontario, will be under the spotlight at the event, with the involved OEMs and mining company collaborating on stage as they have during mine development.

Maarten van Koppen (pictured, left), Senior Project Engineer at Goldcorp Porcupine Mines, Jeff Anderson, Senior Mechanical Designer, MacLean Engineering, and a Sandvik Mining co-speaker (to be confirmed), will present: ‘The Borden Gold Project – lessons learned from the ‘mine of the future’ and the crucial role of partnerships in building an all-electric underground mine’.

The major mining representation does not end there.

Samantha Espley, Director of the Technology & Innovation Centre for Mining and Mineral Processing, Vale Base Metals Operations, will chart the mining company’s roadmap to underground electrification in Sudbury during her talk; expect the OEMs in the room to ask questions about the future fleet for the Creighton deep zone!

Caterpillar’s Product Manager for Underground Technology Solutions, Jay Armburger, is also set to take to the stage at the Radisson Admiral. The focus of his talk will be on heat generation, comparing battery and diesel LHDs underground. A few passing references to the proof of concept R1300G LHD trials it ran not all that long ago at an underground mine in Sudbury, Canada (pictured, right), are likely.

We’ll also hear about developments above ground.

A joint presentation from Karl Trudeau (Nouveau Monde Graphite), Michel Serres (ABB Canada) and David Lyon (MEDATECH) will shed some light on what it will take to create an all-electric open-pit mine able to produce 100,000 t of graphite concentrate at NMG’s Matawinie project in Quebec, Canada.

Those three speakers could be in the front row for Per-Erik Lindström’s talk on The Electric Site project in Sweden.

Lindström, Vice President Global Key Account Management for Volvo Construction Equipment, has seen first hand how battery-electric equipment can move the needle in terms of cost and emissions at the Skanska Vikan Cross quarry, just outside of Gothenburg, and there are more than a few miners interested in the prototype machines (pictured, left) the OEM has manufactured for this purpose.

These presentations will be complemented by a talk from Heather Ednie, Managing Director, Global Mining Guidelines Group, on the second edition of the group’s Battery Electric Vehicle guideline; an opening keynote from Ali G. Madiseh, Canada Research Chair in Advanced Mine Energy Systems, Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, titled: ‘The Electric Mine: a new norm in mine energy systems’; Erik Isokangas, Program Director, Mining3, discussing the value proposition for autonomous electric haulage; and Doug Morrison, President and CEO, Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), looking at electrification to maximise productive capacity.

Meanwhile, Justin Bain, Chief Executive Officer, Energetique (Energy/Mobility), will fly in from Australia to pronounce the death of diesel Down Under – his firm has recently been involved in the conversion of diesel utility vehicles to battery-electric drive.

Along similar lines, Paul Miller, of Miller Technology, will talk about what goes into developing an innovative fully-electric light utility automobile, designed for continuous underground operation.

IM then has two behemoths in the mine power sector, Siemens and Schneider Electric, looking at the all-important infrastructure that goes into electrification.

Dr Bappa Banerjee, General Manager, Mining Equipment, GE Transportation, will look at the electric future for load and haul in his keynote, Mathieu Bouffard, Project Manager, Adria Manufacture, will cover battery charging and power management of battery-electric vehicles, and Don Duval, CEO of NORCAT, will showcase some of the new technologies that have come out of the organisation’s Underground Centre in Sudbury.

This speaker line-up is only set to improve as we move into the New Year, with IM in advanced discussions with more OEMs and miners looking to present.

The first global event on mine electrification continues to charge ahead…

If you’d like to hear more about The Electric Mine conference – including presenting and sponsorship opportunities – please feel free to get in contact with Editorial Director Paul Moore ([email protected]) or Editor Dan Gleeson ([email protected]).

To view the full speaker line-up, venue details and to take advantage of the soon-to-expire Early Bird attendance rate, please visit the event homepage here.