Electrification of mining equipment and utilization of renewable energy sources promote sustainable mine development

Trend two

The source and utilization of mining equipment electrification power is an important development direction for technical equipment suppliers to seize the future mining market

Mining equipment, as the main source of carbon emissions in mines (according to statistics, 40% to 50% of carbon emissions come from the diesel used in mining equipment, and the other 30% to 35% from the production of non-renewable energy electricity), has become the focus of the realization of full electrification in mines. At present, the mining industry is forming a mining enterprise, equipment manufacturing enterprises, energy production enterprises as one of the mine electrification solution team, For example, the Mine Electrification Alliance established by South32, OZ Minerals, Barminco, Epitop, Sandvik, Dassault and other major mining companies and technology suppliers, And the greenhouse gas alliance formed by Komatsu, Rio Tinto Group, BHP Billiton, Chile's National Copper and Boliden. As mining companies focus on reducing carbon emissions and reducing costs, equipment manufacturers have also begun to increase research and development and manufacturing of mining equipment electrification.

Komatsu, an original equipment manufacturer, is embarking on a development program for hydrogen-powered mining trucks, with the goal of having such trucks in operation by 2030. But in reality, hydrogen energy is just one part of the big mining companies looking to a decarbonized future (battery power, hydrogen fuel cell power, battery-fuel cell hybrid power), and rail AIDS and the latest ultra-low emission engines will all be part of the decarbonized development of mining trucks. Masayuki Moriyama, president of Komatsu's mining business unit, said that Komatsu will actively develop mining trucks with multiple power sources, and plans to mass produce the next generation of micro-excavators powered by lithium-ion batteries in 2022, and mass produce small and medium-sized electro-hydraulic excavators in 2023 to 2024.

According to Sandvik's forecast, as mining companies focus on reducing carbon emissions and reducing costs, the market size of battery-powered underground mining equipment will accelerate in two to three years, and in 10 years, the number of battery-powered underground mining equipment sold by Sandvik may exceed that of diesel powered equipment. Sandvik hopes to achieve its goal of providing a full range of battery-powered underground mining equipment by 2022. For example, Sandvik recently introduced the new DL422iE fully automatic top-hammer deep hole drilling rig with a pure electric drivetrain, replacing the use of high-emission and polluting diesel fuel while improving equipment utilization and productivity through continuous, automated and remote operations. The device can charge itself during drilling, or it can obtain electricity from the mine power supply system. By the end of 2021, Sandvik expects to offer a full range of battery-powered drilling RIGS covering the full range of underground blasting drilling applications.

In February 2021, Komatsu said its prototype 2650CX hybrid excavator was in operation at Asarco's Mission copper mine and Climax Molybdenum's molybdenum mine. The design combines the cost-effectiveness of the high productivity of the electric rope shovel with the flexibility and maneuverability of the diesel hydraulic excavator and can be used in similar hydraulic excavator or rope shovel operating scenarios. Compared with hydraulic excavators, hybrid excavators reduce diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 50 percent, saving 14 million liters of diesel fuel and reducing 37,000 tons of carbon emissions over their lifetime. The hybrid excavator uses SR hybrid drive technology to capture naturally generated renewable energy. Diesel fuel is converted to electricity by a switched reluctance generator to power lifting, gathering and turning motors. When the 2650CX lowers its bucket or slows the swing, the motor becomes a generator, powering the machine and cutting off the fuel supply. During a typical load cycle (including digging, turning, tipping, and returning), the engine does not consume fuel about 17 percent of the time, which helps to reduce fuel consumption and extend engine life. To maximize efficiency, the machine uses electricity instead of hydraulics to regenerate energy. Therefore, compared with hydraulic excavators, the hydraulic fluid required is reduced by 50% to 60%. This means that the device delivers additional economic and environmental benefits by reducing fluid costs, reducing hydraulic lines and fittings, and reducing environmental impact.

In March 2021, MacLean Engineering said it is developing and testing a new concrete shotter-mixer combination, which is expected to make it the only original equipment manufacturing company capable of providing fully electrified articulated concrete shotters for underground mining. The SS5 battery-powered concrete jet in this combination is nearly 2.13 meters wide and is the first concrete jet ever built by MacLean Engineering to have a forward-facing cab that provides a better view of the jet operation from the cockpit. Next to the SS5 concrete jet will be a 2.59m-wide TM3 battery-powered concrete mixer. If the working area, the battery charging capacity in the mine and the air conditions are suitable, the SS5 concrete jet can use pure battery power for concrete injection. In addition, the SS5 concrete jet is equipped with the "first of its kind" automatic accelerated feeding system and the Auto Doser software platform, which can reduce concrete consumption during the spraying process, improve the construction quality of wall shotcrete, and more importantly, provide a safer working environment for mine operators. In addition, advanced scanning technology is used to monitor the thickness of shotcrete, which will further guarantee the quality of shotcrete for roadway and working surface walls, and reduce consumption by reducing excessive shotcrete. Tests have shown that by using rapid feeding and real-time scanning technology, costs can be saved by 30% to 60% and shotcrete consumption can be reduced by 20%.