A power change that changes everything - INNOVATION
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INNOVATION
Epiroc
A power change that
changes everything
The Swedish company leads the charge towards sustainability in mining through
battery-electric, zero-emission equipment. After more than 60,000 operating hours,
Epiroc is expanding his solutions with the second generation in loaders, mine trucks and
rigs for face drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement
by Ettore Zanatta
Epiroc new generation battery fleet
12 ONSITEUNDERGROUND - march 2020
T
here is a big change in pro-
gress from Epiroc towards a
complete conversion of his
fleet to electrical machines,
capable of ensuring a signif-
icant reduction of risks for the operator
and the work environment.
Several battery-driven machines are
already at workin mines around the
world, at the moment. An example? The
first-generation electric equipment that
Epiroc launched in 2016: it has logged
more than 80,000 hours of operation
worldwide and many mining companies
are using Epiroc’s first-generation bat-
tery-driven machines. Brazilian mining The Boomer M2 Battery is a battery
company Nexa Resources, for example, powered face drill rig with zero emissions
is using a Scooptram ST7 battery loader
in Peru, while the Swedish state-owned Battery electric vehicles are outperform- tilation. Ventilation requirements vary
mining company LKAB plans to use ing their diesel counterparts. The torque from mine to mine, but by and large,
Epiroc’s zero-emission vehicles as itex- and power curves for the electric vehicles there is a huge benefit to minimizing
pands its mining operation in northern are far superior to those of a compara- ventilation needs. Old mines where in-
Sweden in a sustainable way. A year af- ble diesel engine. At zero revolutions per frastructures are not large enough to
ter Epiroc’s launch of its new-generation minute, an electric vehicle has full torque support ventilation for deep or remote
battery electric mining equipment; the while a combustion engine stalls. With a areas can find great relief and increased
company won orders for those machines battery-powered machine, the hydraulic mining potential in battery-run ma-
from customers in several countries in- functions are separated from the traction, chines. Mines yet to be developed will
cluding Finland, Australiaand Canada. providing on-demand power and mak- not need to develop the infrastructure
So Epiroc - as well as other leading min- ing the machines significantly stronger necessary for diesel operations, provid-
ing equipment manufacturers - combines in all its functions. As an example, the ing a huge early cost reduction.
to offer battery electric loaders and mine torque, acceleration and power deliver- Lower cooling requirements. Heat is
trucks in small, medium and large capac- ies of battery technology give an electric often a problem in underground mines
ities. Many types of medium and large- mine truck a large advantage going up a and all energy that is used ends up in
face drilling, production drilling and rock ramp. Furthermore, battery electric ve- heat. Reducing and optimizing energy
reinforcement rigs are actually available hicles have the capacity of regenerating consumption reduces heat emissions.
in the market. Machines are sized to work energy while traveling down the ramp, Diesel engines generate a large amount
together seamlessly within the mines, of- extending driving range and reducing of heat, which never becomes any sort
fering logistical conveniences. The port- overall energy consumption. On aver- of work. Some heat is expelled through
folio of these electric machines is contin- age, on-ramp haulage for electric vehicles the exhaust pipe, while some remains in
ually expanding as well. While the shift to typically offers a 10 percent gain in pro- the system, needing to be cooled by fans
battery electric power underground gains ductivity when all factors are considered. and pumps. Electric vehicles produce far
momentum, some mining companies re- less heat and use energy more efficiently.
main relatively unfamiliar with or wary Improved work environment
of the technology. Following is an over- The difference in work environment Energy consumption
view of battery electric technology com- between using diesel powered and bat- Electric vehicles are much more efficient
pared to diesel power, from benefits to tery-powered machines is significant. at turning energy into work. 10 kWh of
necessary infrastructure to where to start Noise levels, air quality and heat con- diesel power will only produce around
with implementation. ditions are all improved dramatically 3 kWh of work while 10kWh of battery
with electric vehicles. Changing out one power is able to produce 7 to 8 kWh of
Benefits of electric or two machines can have a profound work, in part due to a regeneration func-
equipment impacton a specific portion of a mine. tion. Fires associated with diesel from
Battery-driven machines offer in real Mine-wide implementation benefits all ruptured hydraulic hoses and diesel
a variety of benefits for top manage- underground personnel. lines with a hot surface that ignites the
ment, mine managers, environmental Then: electric vehicles produce no ex- mist. For this reason, with electric vehi-
stakeholders and underground person- haust, improving worker health and cles there is no fuel and no surface hot
nel alike. safety while reducing the need for ven- enough to ignite a mist of oil.
march 2020 - ONSITEUNDERGROUND 13
INNOVATION
Efficient operations and
lower emissions
Diesel engines do not function well at
high altitudes. The thin air makes it dif-
ficult to get proper combustion and cre-
ates a lot of smoke. This canbring pro-
ductivity to a halt. Electric vehicles func-
tion well at high altitudes, eliminating
these issues.
While it is beneficial to run a diesel en-
gine that meets the latest exhaust emis-
sions regulations, no diesel engine can
compare to battery electric power when
it comes to carbon dioxide and emis-
sions reductions. There are many addi-
tional factors to consider when looking
at environmental impact, from battery Scooptram ST14 Battery, fully battery
production and delivery to how the en- electric loader with 14-tonne capacity
ergy that will charge the battery is cre-
ated. Swedish battery manufacturer renewable energy and deliver the bat- Focus on the operativity
Northvolt, an Epiroc partner, is work- teries using the least taxing method on An effective example of where the
ing to build batteries using 100 percent the environment. Epiroc path is heading is represented by
Scooptram ST14 Battery, a 100% fossil-free
loader for underground application based
ITALIAN ABSTRACT
on the well proven Scooptram ST14 as
suitable for development as for production
“A POWER CHANGE THAT CHANGES loading. Energy regeneration ensures low
EVERYTHING” energy consumption and extend drivining
range. With the electric drive, Scooptram
È questo il pay-off del costruttore svedese, che sta focalizzando le sue energie e ST14 Battery outperforms diesel equiva-
le sue risorse su un grande cambiamento in atto: la completa conversione del- lents, especially ongrade. Scooptram ST14
la sua flotta di macchine diesel in versioni elettriche, in grado di assicurare una Battery, in particular, improves the envi-
riduzione dei rischi per l’operatore e per l’ambiente di lavoro. ronment both locally operations and glob-
Epiroc guida il cambiamento verso l’utilizzo - anche in ambito estrattivo minera- ally. It means zero exposure for the work-
rio - di apparecchiature elettriche a batteria, a emissioni zero. Dopo oltre 60.000 force for diesel particulates and toxic gases
ore di test di funzionamento, il costruttore svedese sta ora ampliando le sue so- such as nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and
luzioni con una nuova generazione di caricatori da galleria, carrelli e piattafor- carbon monoxide (NOx, HC and CO).
me da miniera e macchine specializzate nella perforazione e il rinforzo di roccia. Being fossil-free, this machine makes a
Molte di queste nuove macchine a batteria, più convenienti dei modelli diesel difference when it comes to carbon foot-
sotto diversi aspetti, sono già al lavoro nelle miniere di tutto il mondo, al mo- print and greenhouse gases. Scooptram
mento. La società mineraria brasiliana Nexa Resources, ad esempio, utilizza un ST14 Battery is optimized for productivi-
caricatore Scooptram ST7 in Perù, mentre la società mineraria statale svedese ty in many ways. Tramming is provided by
LKAB prevede di utilizzare a breve questi veicoli a emissioni zero di Epiroc per a high power traction motor connected to
espandere le sue attività minerarie nella Svezia settentrionale in modo sosteni- a high efficiency driveline. Hydraulic func-
bile. Un anno dopo il lancio da parte di Epiroc delle sue macchine di estrazio- tions are powered from a separate auxil-
ne elettrica a batteria di nuova generazione, poi, l’azienda ha ricevuto ordini da iary motor that delivers hydraulic pow-
clienti in diversi Paesi tra cui Finlandia, Australia e Canada. Un caso esemplare er on-demand. The battery is designed
di macchina “sostenibile” ma allo stesso tempo produttiva in quest’ambito è il for maximum energy capacity and quick
caricatore Scooptram ST14 Battery, utilizzabile in applicazioni sotterranee al 100% swapping. Scooptram ST14 Battery has a
senza combustibile fossile, sviluppato adattando e ottimizzando le potenzialità considerably reduced number of service
del collaudato modello Scooptram ST14: ciò implica zero esposizioni a partico- points and moving parts, as well: this re-
lati diesel e gas tossici come ossidi di azoto, idrocarburi e monossido di carbo- sults in longer service intervals, lower parts
nio (NOx, HC e CO). Essendo priva di fossili per ciò che concerne il suo utilizzo, consumption and lower running cost. ■
dunque, questa macchina fa la differenza per quanto riguarda l’impatto a livello
(The text was elaborated on the article published
ambientale e assicura al contempo un’elevata produttività.
on Mining Engineering - www.me.smenet.org)
14 ONSITEUNDERGROUND - march 2020You can also read
