Tag Archives: Saft

Saft develops NMC ARROK battery tailored for off-road vehicles

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , ,

Saft has launched ARROK® as a new breed of lithium-ion battery tailored, it says, for off-road industrial vehicles.

ARROK is designed to deliver both high energy content and fast charging within one hour. It maximises the availability of heavy-duty vehicles for all off-road markets including mining, the company says.

Vehicles for these sectors are produced in low volumes, but with a broad array of applications and requirements compared with the car industry. Therefore, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need a battery solution that can easily be adapted to multiple vehicle types. Adopting a unique flexible approach reduces the lead time and expense of developing new vehicles and cuts down the requirement for type testing and certification, according to Saft.

The ARROK batteries are based on lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide electrochemistry to offer the highest energy density for longer autonomy, it says. Saft’s century-long experience also ensures reliable operation over a long cycle life across a wide range of temperatures.

Franck Cecchi, Executive Vice President of Saft’s Mobility division, said: “Saft’s ARROK battery systems bring a new level of modularity. By combining top-notch voltage and energy capabilities, with a compact size of 216 Wh/L and one-hour charge, ARROK opens up new opportunities for OEMs to easily electrify their existing diesel vehicles or to design new electric models.”

ARROK batteries can be combined to create battery systems rated at 48-900 V, providing from 4.2-750 kWh energy storage capacity, enough to power small, medium or large industrial vehicles over a full day, with a one-hour break for recharging, it says.

XEMC, ABB, 3ME, BluVein, Hitachi and more make Charge On Innovation shortlist

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Charge On Innovation Challenge, formally launched on May 13 as a push for industry, OEMs and other stakeholders to come up with workable solutions for faster charging of large surface electric mining trucks and spearheaded by Austmine, has shortlisted 21 vendors to progress to the next phase of the challenge.

These 21 vendors are matched by 21 mining companies who have joined as patrons. This includes founding patrons BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale, alongside Roy Hill, Teck, Boliden, Thiess, Antofagasta Minerals, Codelco, Freeport McMoRan, Gold Fields, Yancoal, Barrick Gold, CITIC Pacific Mining, Evolution Mining, Harmony Gold, Mineral Resources Ltd, Newcrest Mining, OZ Minerals, South32 and Syncrude.

The 21 vendors to have made the cut were selected from more than 80 organisations that submitted expressions of interest.

The list of companies to make it to the next stage (one of which who declined to be named) includes:

  • 3ME Technology;
  • ABB;
  • Altreonic-Kurt.energy;
  • Ampcontrol/Tritium;
  • Australian Turntables;
  • BluVein;
  • DB Engineering & Consulting with Echion Technologies;
  • Farmboro Consulting;
  • Hitachi Group;
  • Infosys;
  • InvertedPower Pty Ltd;
  • IT & ES Industries (OZ) Pty Ltd;
  • L&T Technology Services;
  • Midwest Energy Pvt. Ltd;
  • Mitsui & Co. with Forsee Power and AVL;
  • Saft;
  • Shell Consortium;
  • Siemens;
  • Solar System Resources Corporation Sp. z o. o.; and
  • Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Group Heavy-Duty Equipment Co. Ltd;

The next phase of the challenge will comprise of a pitch session followed by a deep dive into the innovative solutions proposed to charge haul trucks powered by battery instead of diesel, Austmine says.

Saft tech helps Gold Fields make the renewable energy switch at Agnew

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , ,

A Saft lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) is playing a key role in helping Gold Field’s Agnew mine make the switch from fossil fuels to wind and solar power, according to the Paris-based company.

In Saft’s first project for EDL, the BESS has been installed within a hybrid renewable microgrid with an installed capacity of 56 MW. This is the first microgrid to incorporate wind power on a large scale at an Australia mine, the company said, with the energy storage critical in enabling the EDL microgrid to maintain power quality as it integrates an increasing level of volatile and unpredictable renewable energy.

EDL Chief Executive Officer, James Harman, said: “The Agnew hybrid renewable microgrid was completed on May 1, 2020, and has proven to be a great success – under the right weather conditions, the microgrid has delivered up to 85% of the site’s power requirements with renewable energy.

“The BESS is critical to this success. That’s why we selected Saft’s Li-ion technology – it offered a complete solution with a proven track record. We’d be happy to work with Saft again.”

The Agnew gold mine is an underground operation 1,000 km northeast of Perth in Western Australia. The site covers over 600 sq.km and has the capacity to process 1.3 Mt/y of ore.

The remote off-grid location means the Agnew site must generate its own electricity, with Gold Fields committed to sustainable and innovative power solutions. It engaged EDL in a 10-year agreement to build and operate Australia’s largest hybrid renewable energy microgrid.

The first project phase involved the construction of a 4 MW solar farm and a 21 MW gas/diesel engine power plant. This was followed by five wind turbines for 18 MW of generation, a microgrid controller and Saft’s 13 MW/4 MWh energy storage system.

The turnkey BESS at the Agnew mine comprises six of Saft’s Intensium® Max+ 20M, 20 ft (6.1 m) containers together with a power conversion system, transformer and MV switchgear installed in three 40 ft containers. Its main role is to provide power quality support for the microgrid to maximise the usage of variable renewable energy, according to Saft. It also provides “ultra-fast reacting spinning reserves” to help maintain grid stability and minimise the need for fossil fuel-based generation units to run idle for this purpose.

The Intensium Max+ 20M design meant no modifications were required to ensure a long operational life in the demanding dusty and sandy desert conditions, where peak temperatures can reach 48°C, Saft said. To maintain maximum uptime and availability for the BESS, Saft is providing remote monitoring together with a service contract including yearly on-site maintenance.

The Intensium Max+ 20M is fully fitted out and tested by Saft at its manufacturing hub in Jacksonville, Florida. As a result, the containers were delivered to site ready to ‘plug and play’.