Tag Archives: truck and shovel

DRA Global’s ‘total solutions offering’ put to the test at Exxaro’s Grootegeluk mine

DRA Global says it has continued to sustain its long-term client relationship with Exxaro Resources through the progressive engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract at the Grootegeluk coal asset in South Africa.

Exxaro’s Grootegeluk is an open-pit coal mine, 20 km from Lephalale in Limpopo province. The mine produced 26 Mt/y final coal products, using a conventional truck and shovel operation, and has an estimated mineable coal reserve of 3,261 Mt, and a total measured coal resource of 4,719 Mt.

“A project of this magnitude speaks to the extensive experience in project development and delivery extended to the client by DRA,” DRA says.

DRA’s specialist engineering expertise and total solutions package at Exxaro’s Grootegeluk includes, but is not limited to:

  • Bankable feasibility study;
  • Installation of a new PC2 Discard Conveyor alongside the current PC1 Discard Conveyor;
  • Installation of new bifurcated transfer chutes to discharge onto either PC1 or PC2 Conveyor;
  • Seven transfers in total that requires conversion; and
  • Construction of associated infrastructure; such as stormwater control, road crossing, new spillage collection and a transfer system.

Furthermore, DRA recently completed the 3D scanning of existing conveyors and accompanying infrastructure. The compiling of the 3D model has commenced and will inform the engineering of the various transfer towers and the new PC2 Conveyor onto the next phase, it said.

Exxarro, in 2018, initially awarded DRA a contract to construct a 500 t/h coal handling and preparation plant at the Belfast Implementation project, in Mpumalanga.

“The client’s faith in DRA showcases the proficiency in implementing large-scale coal projects and further solidifies the organisations’ reputation for successful project delivery (even under these new circumstances),” it said.

Alistair Hodgkinson, Senior Vice President at DRA, said: “Grootegeluk is just one of many projects under DRA that provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our engineering capability. This is a complex brownfields project that will require attention to detail to achieve successful construction during a tight shutdown deadline; the client values our reputation for being able to deliver challenging brownfields projects successfully.”

The project commenced in the September quarter and is forecasted for completion by the June quarter of 2021.

MineWare integrates mining value chain with new Argus tool

MineWare has introduced an advanced Material Classification module for its Argus Shovel Monitor to, it says, enable mine sites to save millions of dollars by reducing the amount of lost or contaminated ore.

The module integrates precise material information from each bucket, per the mine plan, with any fleet management system to give machine operators, haul truck drivers and processing personnel more accurate knowledge and feedback on the type of material being loaded and hauled, it said.

MineWare Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Roy Pater, said by knowing upfront what exactly is being loaded at the face, the Argus Material Classification Module improves what material is being moved through the value chain – from pit to plant.

“Argus sets up the entire workflow for better success, providing the right feedback to more people and processes downstream to make informed decisions,” he said. “Shovel operators can now see in real time, via an intuitive, colour-coded display screen, the type and grade of material being loaded, not just the quantity of material.

“Unlike traditional systems that just track material via machine position, Argus precisely monitors each bucket fill and position, classifying the material in real time via a block model overlay on the Argus screen. The operator knows exactly what they’re digging, and where. Argus removes subjectivity when interpreting boundaries and reduces the risk of grade contamination at the dig face.”

Pater said operators no longer need to change grade manually or make assumptions on what they are digging, with the improvement in classification of material upstream having a positive effect on operations downstream.

“Better classification of material in the pit leads to better production output by knowing exactly what’s going in the truck and where it needs to go,” he said.

Argus feeds this material information from the shovel through to the mine’s fleet management system in real time.

Pater said: “The driver then knows exactly where to take the material based on its type and concentration – whether that’s a stockpile, waste point or straight to the crusher for processing.”

Poor stockpile management, ore loss, dilution and grade contamination are common challenges for mining operations, costing millions of dollars annually, according to Pater, with many of these downstream problems and efficiencies in mining directly linked to upstream load and haul processes.

“The misallocation of even a single bucket of high-grade ore can lead to significant monetary losses for mines, either in the pit or in the processing plant,” he said. “At the other end of the spectrum, highly acidic waste material must also be allocated correctly to ensure its safe removal and disposal.”

Pater said the new technology meets the global mining industry’s need for instant, on-demand access to information across a mine that can only be achieved by sharing data in real time between the various mining systems.

“By connecting more of the dots and closing the feedback loop between loading, hauling, dumping and crushing, Argus addresses these issues head on,” he said.

Detailed material classification compliance reports also help geologists, surveyors and reconciliation engineers meet their legal reporting obligations, with easier access to more accurate data on what and how material has been distributed on site, MineWare says.

Argus is an advanced monitoring system for electric and hydraulic loaders, designed to manage payload, mine compliance, machine health and situational awareness.

WA gold mine looks for payload boost in Austin Ultima truck body trial

One of Western Australia’s key gold mines is trialling Austin Engineering’s new Ultima truck bodies on several of the operation’s 240 t haul trucks as it looks to optimise and maximise its haulage fleet payloads.

The trial has the potential to be converted into a fleet-wide body upgrade, according to Austin, continuing a program that started in 2014 when the engineering company fitted its JEC bodies and increased payload by more than 20 t/load at the operation.

The new Ultima body (pictured on a truck) will take the payload up to 240 t/load and further maximise the haul fleet’s availability and productivity, Austin said.

Going back to the previous payload increase program, the JEC bodies were fitted to the haul fleet after the mine identified a series of production-oriented challenges – including weight of the OEM bodies, the high cost of maintaining the bodies (and subsequent non-availability of the haul truck) and non-achievement of target payloads – impacting on performance and productivity of the load-haul fleet, according to Austin.

Initially 11 bodies were ordered and ultimately the mine’s load-haul fleet was retrofitted.

The customised bodies lifted payload capacity to 230 t/load – an increase of around 20 t/load over the OEM bodies – an outcome of the weight differential between the OEM tray and the JEC body. “Along with increased payload, the body change-out improved haul fleet availability and performance – the result of less frequent unscheduled body repairs, an outcome of the replaceable floor in the JEC body, which eliminated the need for heavy, maintenance-intensive wear line plates,” Austin said.

Now, with the trial progressing, the long-serving JEC units are in line to be replaced by the Ultima bodies which, due to further advances in the payload capacity vs body weight equation, will lift payload to 240 t/load and still meet all OEM dump truck specifications, according to Austin.

“The Ultima haul truck body has the potential to be a significant gamechanger in haul fleet operation due to its advanced steel and design technologies,” Austin said. “A lighter-weight module design, it features improved structural integrity for superior impact and wear resistance, extended fatigue life and lower maintenance costs – all targeted to maximised payload, improved cycle efficiency and significantly reduced total cost of ownership.”

A ‘V’ profile floor, designed to actively channel the load to the centre of the tray, improves machine stability and safety, according to Austin. The floor design also reduces dump cycle times (empty is achieved at 3/4 tipping).

Although the new tray is lighter and stronger than current OEM bodies – which translates to a 10-15% weight saving without sacrificing payload – its design reduces overall tray wear, which significantly increases availability and improves productivity of the mine’s load-haul cycle, Austin said.

The miner’s expectation of the Ultima body is for 240 t/load and, according to the manufacturer, when matched with the appropriate loading tool – such as the 32 m³ bucket on the mine’s shovel excavator – this load figure will be consistently and efficiently achieved.

Just as it did for the JEC units, Austin will maintain a condition monitoring program for the new bodies and advise the mine on any maintenance issues, it said.

The miner is also using Austin bodies in other operations around the world. Specialised hauler bodies have been customised to add significant value and reduce operational costs in underground mining operations, it said.

Komatsu boosts productivity on P&H electric rope shovels

To maximise the performance of one of the hardest working pieces of equipment at a mine site, Komatsu has launched a new line of dippers for its P&H electric rope shovels.

The new TRC dipper series is named for the three design innovations that make up its next-generation technology designed to increase productivity, reduce total cost of ownership and enhance safety, the company said.

The three innovations include:

  1. A trapezoidal shape that maximises capacity without adding additional weight;
  2. A roller latch system and door that lowers door stress levels resulting in improved life and reduced rebuild costs; and
  3. A cast equaliser that provides up to 1.98 m of additional dig and dump height, creating more flexibility to keep up with changing mine plans.

These new dippers are designed to help mine operators improve productivity through a design that increases dipper volume, maximises full digging forces and provides reliable door opening and closing, Komatsu said.

“Total cost of ownership is lowered, compared to traditional dipper designs, through the use of components that will frequently last rebuild to rebuild and design factors that reduce wear,” Komatsu said. “Longer living components and a reduction in wear translates to fewer maintenance needs, to lower cost and drive for zero harm.”

Brian Fox, Vice President for Surface Products, Aftermarket and Technology at Komatsu Mining, said: “We’ve got a deep history of working closely with our customers in the mining industry to develop the tools they need to solve the unique challenges posed by mine sites.

“The design and technology built into our new TRC dippers is based on the knowledge and experience we’ve gained over 135 years in the mining business.”

Premier Coal replenishes fleet with Liebherr R 9400

Premier Coal has recently taken delivery of a new Liebherr R 9400 hydraulic excavator at its operation in the Collie Coal Basin of Western Australia.

The new R 9400, which was delivered to the Yancoal Australia subsidiary earlier this month, will replace a R 994B on site and join another R 994B, a R 995 and two R 996Bs in the excavator fleet, Liebherr said.

The R 9400 follows the Liebherr design philosophy of maximising the machine’s performance by improving the efficiency of all individual subsystems. Engineered for optimum serviceability the machine is designed to ensure maximum uptime, the OEM said.

Designed for rough application, the R 9400’s heavy-duty three-piece fatigue-resistant undercarriage provides efficient superstructure weight distribution and reduces ground-bearing pressure enabling the necessary stability and reliability, according to Liebherr.

Premier Coal is Western Australia’s largest coal producer, mining about 4 Mt/y, according to the company. It is managed by Yancoal Australia on behalf of its majority shareholder Yanzhou Coal Mining Company.

A modern open-pit operation, Premier has a 240 t truck and large shovel fleet along with crushing, blending, and train and truck loading facilities, it said.

Premier’s coal has outstanding combustion characteristics, according to the company, as well as low ash and sulphur making it suitable for many applications including steam raising (power generation), cement making, and direct heat reduction. Its coal is currently used to generate the bulk of Western Australia’s power supplies, Premier said. It is also used in alumina and synthetic rutile production.

Pioneer Solutions on the complexities of mining truck design and development

Developing a new mining truck is a large, complex task where numerous questions and challenges must be resolved, according to Christopher B Althausen, Director of Sales & Marketing at Pioneer Solutions LLC.

Althausen will be speaking at the upcoming Truck & Shovel Conference, in Singapore, on September 19, presenting, “Mining truck design and development: challenges, hurdles and solutions“.

During his presentation, he will do his best to answer these questions: How should the project be started? What design methodologies and standards should be used? What are the best strategies for technological advancements, autonomy, electrification and safety? How should manufacturing, prototyping, testing, and support be planned, executed, and managed?

While all these topics are important, his presentation will focus on two foundational design elements critical for developing a new mining truck with competitive, low cost-per-tonne performance: (1) developing an efficient, whole-machine concept and (2) designing reliable structural components.

To hear Althausen speak at the event – along with 17 other speakers – click here to register.

Bis’ 20-wheel Rexx haul truck up for the challenge at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine

Rexx, the 20-wheel mine haul truck designed and built by Bis, has been drafted in for a challenging assignment at the Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia, Bis says.

The Gold Fields-owned mine, near Laverton, identified the dual powered 20-wheel dump truck as being suitable for the task of helping shift thousands of tonnes of waste material out of the Wallaby Pit to a stockpile 15 km away.

Bis CEO, Brad Rogers, said the campaign not only capitalised on Rexx’s strengths, including its versatility and range, but also provided a challenging environment to further test the truck in different conditions.

“Rexx is performing extremely well at the mine, proving its ability to come out of the Wallaby pit with a 160-t payload,” he said. “As part of the testing during the trial, Rexx has also completed numerous hill starts fully loaded, on the incline.”

Rogers said the work at Granny Smith provided a “perfect demonstration” of the range capability of the new truck, with Rexx required to complete round trips of 30 km from the pit to the stockpile location.

He added that Rexx has more than four times the distance capability of competing dump trucks and an on-demand power system that lowers fuel consumption. The vehicle also has the capacity to carry enough fuel for at least two 12 hour shifts, eliminating downtime needed for refuelling.

Granny Smith General Manager, Andrew Bywater, said: “We are embracing innovation and technology across our mining operations and this is a great example of how we can work with our business partners to create advances in the industry. We see this as a real opportunity to explore potential improvements in trucking efficiency, and are encouraged by what we have seen to date.”

The work at Granny Smith follows extensive testing at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin mine where Rexx proved its ability to deliver up to a 30% reduction in operating costs, compared with conventional dump trucks.

The truck has also operated fully loaded in pits below the water table and handled the sticky and boggy conditions with ease, Bis said.

Rogers said the versatility of Rexx, including interchangeable bins, had sparked interest not only in the resources industry – internationally and in Australia – but with potential customers across a range of sectors including construction and civil.

“Rexx is the latest example of how Bis finds the best and inventive ways to haul, transport, handle, process and deliver our customers’ critical commodities,” he said.

Bis has been shortlisted for the Australian Financial Review Most Innovative Company awards, which is set to be announced in August 2019.

Michelin goes up a size with XDR 3 surface mine haul truck tyre

After six years of development and testing, Michelin North America, has introduced the MICHELIN® XDR® 3 surface mine haul tyre in size 27.00R49.

Addressing the productivity and endurance issues found in today’s surface mines, the XDR3 – developed for a range of rigid dump trucks with payload capacity up to 400 tons (363 t) – is designed with new compounds and a revolutionary new tread pattern that helps provide exceptional tyre life, the company said.

“The use of corrosion-isolating cables in the tyre architecture is a significant upgrade in situations where this equipment is always moving as it is operated for up to 23 h/d in extreme terrain,” the company added.

These innovations allow customers to select the benefit that best fits their needs, according to the company. Customers can choose not to increase speed or load and expect a 10% increase in tyre life. Or, customers could choose either to increase speed by 10% or increase load by 10% and achieve the same tyre life as the previous generation. “This flexibility allows Michelin to better support customer needs and goals,” the company said.

Jake Thompson, Michelin North America’s B2B Mining Marketing Manager, said: “Michelin’s most popular tyre has been tested on multiple truck brands and is designed for punishing environments where the goal is safety and performance.

“Michelin responds to customer needs by providing long-lasting, innovative products that solve their most demanding business challenges in the specific environments where they operate.”

The MICHELIN XDR3 is designed for operator safety: the tread pattern provides excellent load distribution across the contact patch, lowers contact pressure and reduces wear rate, according to the company. In addition, the tread pattern is designed for better endurance, thanks to “revolutionary heat dissipation”. This helps prevent tyre overheating, which can result in failure and, in turn, jeopardize operator safety.

“The XDR3 is MEMS-ready and helps reduce rim slip through a new flat-bead wire, which is designed to strengthen the clamping force on the wheel and increase its contact surface with the rim,” the company said.

Metso Truck Body hits the heights at Terrafame Sotkamo mine

Metso may have only just released its new Metso Truck Body, but it has already proven its worth during tests at Terrafame’s multi-metal mine in Sotkamo, Finland.

The mine has been the first one in the world to test the Metso-designed, light-weight body, which can hold almost nine tonnes more payload, improving the efficiency of the mine’s hauling operations.

As an added benefit, the rubber lining of the body cuts the perceived noise in half during loading and significantly reduces vibration.

Metso officially launched the new truck body at the Bauma fair, in Munich, earlier this month.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen, Head of Mining Department at the Terrafame Sotkamo mine, said: “The experience we’ve had during the first few months of testing the body is positive. The capacity and the durability of the body match Metso’s promises. Higher payload and driver comfort are both top priorities for us. The feedback from the drivers has been very positive.

“Metso seems to have done a great job in designing this light-weight body. Despite the higher, 325-t total load, the elevated rear flange manages to keep the boulders on-board without problems,” he continued.

The rubber-lined, light-weight body was installed on Terrafame’s oldest haul truck, a Hitachi EH3500, in December 2018. Prior to installation, the truck already had an impressive track record of 50,000 hours of operation, according to Metso. The new body hauled its first loads from the Kuusilampi open pit just before Christmas.

The mine’s truck fleet is in operation 24/7. Currently, the ore is loaded from the 60-m-deep pit on to the trucks with a Caterpillar 910 Series excavator. One truck drives approximately 40 rounds in a day, equivalent to around 6,500 t of payload.

Timo Sarvijärvi, Head of Mining Sales, Metso Finland, said: “A light weight without compromising durability was our driver in designing the Metso Truck Body. During the test period, we are keeping track of the hauled tonnage and collecting driver feedback.

“In addition to the higher payload, the body is lighter to carry when empty, which further increases cost efficiency. Moreover, we have recorded a reduction of around 10 dB in the noise level on a rubber-lined standard body, which means that rubber is 50% quieter compared to steel. We expect at least a similar reduction in the Terrafame trial.”

Kristiina Karjalainen, Haul Truck Driver at the Sotkamo mine, was among the first drivers to have tested the new Metso Truck Body. She said: “The new rubber-lined truck body has indeed cut noise significantly. Now the loading sounds I hear in my cabin resemble more of a whiz than a loud rumble. There’s been a noticeable reduction in vibration as well.”

According to Karjalainen, the first 40-t bucket load has always been the hardest for the driver. After that, the rock bed smoothes out the noise.

“The side shields of the new light-weight body work as they should, too, protecting the side view mirrors from falling boulders. I would definitely like to see a rubber-lined body installed on truck number 10, the one that I usually drive,” she added.

The Terrafame Sotkamo multi-metal mine, which produces nickel, zinc, copper and cobalt, reached its intended production level during last year. Yet, there’s plenty of material left to haul, with the mine recently applying for a permit to process 18 Mt of ore and 45 Mt of overburden annually.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen said: “In 2021, the amount of overburden to excavate will double, as we proceed with the Kuusilampi pit expansion and remove the large layer of rock covering the orebody.

“Before that, we will have to rethink the responsibilities and the composition of both our own as well as our contractor’s hauling processes. As the amount of hauled material grows, maintaining cost efficiency throughout our truck operations becomes more and more important.”

Anglo’s O’Neill sets 12-month goal for hydrogen-fuelled trucks

During Anglo American’s 2018 sustainability performance presentation this week, Technical Director, Tony O’Neill, said the company was working on an innovative solution to power haul trucks by hydrogen using solar panels.

By oversizing the photovoltaic generation capacity at a site, the company would be able to capture enough hydrogen to potentially power a haul truck.

O’Neill said this was all part of the company’s plan to create a “smart energy mix that allows us to become carbon neutral”.

“That leads us straight to hydrogen,” he said.

The approach the company is working on required a different mindset from O’Neill and his team.

“What some in my team have done is say, ‘OK, we’re not worried about a return. As long as the project washes its face, what does that do?’ And, what does it do, particularly, if you oversize your power consumption enough that you can actually generate hydrogen?”

The decision-making process changes with such a viewpoint, he said.

“All of a sudden, we had enough hydrogen, so we could stick it in our trucks. We looked at the trucks and re-engineered the way they work. Voila, we found we could get 5-10% more out of our trucks,” he said.

And, this line of thinking and re-engineering has allowed O’Neill to make a bold statement:

“Our aim, is to get, hopefully, in the next 12 months, a truck running around using hydrogen.”

Solutions like these could provide energy security, price resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, move Anglo to a “hydrogen economy”, and help it develop the next generation mining vehicles, the company said.