RCT says major mining companies have strongly endorsed the implementation of its remote water refilling systems across all types of water carts and standpipes operating on global mine sites.

The package forms part of RCT’s ControlMaster® Automation & Control technology offer and has been used for many years in water carts in mines while also crossing over to industrial applications.

The ControlMaster Remote Water Refill solution allows cart operators to park at a refilling station and activate the standpipe’s water pump without leaving the machine’s cab. This eliminates the operator’s exposure to the mine’s environment and hazards associated with egress from heavy mining equipment.

Once the water cart reaches 95% capacity, the system’s in-built sensor will turn off the standpipe’s water pump and the machine operator can drive away.

Mining companies have reported the solution is saving significant cycle times at the refilling standpipe and reduces excess water waste associated with errors in manually operating the water pump.

“RCT’s clients believe the system enables the carts to redeploy much faster compared to if the operators were manually activating the pump,” the company says.

The system can be controlled from a cab-mounted interface or via a handheld transmitter depending on the mine site’s preferences.

RCT Account Manager, Phill Dean, said the cost-effective device provides important productivity returns.

“This solution saves a significant amount of operator downtime across the entire water cart fleet and enables more dust suppression activities,” he said. “The technology is easy to install and requires no specialised skills to operate it and contributes to more consistent site operations.”

Dean added: “As with all of RCT’s products, the Remote Water Cart Refill System is technologically-agnostic and has a proven history of being implemented in all water carts and a broad range of standpipes regardless of manufacturer.”