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Mechanization in
the deep
John Chadwick looks at LHDs,
underground trucks, drill jumbos and
support units – better underground
roads, fuel cells
T
T
rackless machines continue to systems. It is a
evolve and become more complete road
productive. Nevertheless, it is maintenance and
disappointing to observe the road building
number of underground (and machine that rips
surface) mines that have yet to embrace up road surfaces, spreads gravel and The solid steel Caterpillar front axle on Getman’s
correct road maintenance. No underground grades, creating working roads for other Roadbuilder has a 32° oscillation, 18° wheel lean and
machine will perform to its full potential if equipment to pass. “Typically you’ve got 50° wheel-turn while chain box final Caterpillar drives
the haul roads are not of good quality – a mess: sloppy, muddy, hard-going are splined to the heavy-duty, no-spin Caterpillar rear
even if the task is only moving a jumbo conditions,” says President Dana Getman. axle.
from one face to another. Furthermore, “The best thing is to come along and
poorly maintained roadbeds are also keep that clean. The Roadbuilder goes
expensive when trackless vehicles through the mess and makes it flat. It just antifreeze circulates back into the shell
succumb to premature wear and tear. The does a lot of heavy-duty maintenance and the cycle starts again. A fin redesign
tyre shortage is not confined to surface work.” from previous chiller designs reduces exhaust
equipment and it is never good economic One significant Roadbuilder technology gas temperature from between 430 and
practice to shake machines around more development is Getman’s exhaust chiller 540°C down to between 66 and 120°C
than is necessary. that reduces exhaust temperatures to and increases the water/glycol antifreeze
Recent diesel technology developments below 150°C and reduces maintenance temperature only 21°C (from 50 to 90°C).
have made trackless machines safer, more and exhaust filter costs. The new design Getman says that compared to other
efficient and more cost-effective than ever features an air-to-water shell and tube exhaust cooling technologies, its new
before. To achieve their full potential, heat exchanger. Hot exhaust gases are chiller delivers substantial cost savings.
good underground roads are essential, directed to an inlet port in the exchanger A fibreglass exhaust filter is also new,
especially with the current tyre supply shell and passed over finned tubes reducing the risk of fire and poisonous
challenge. Getman’s RDG-1504C carrying water/glycol fumes that can endanger miners’ health.
Roadbuilder incorporates many of antifreeze. The fins and Diesel exhaust temperature spikes can
these important advances to help tubes transfer exhaust burn adhesive filters and release toxic
create quality roadway heat to the antifreeze, fumes. The new filter, from Filter Service
which then exits to be and Testing, uses metal straps to hold the
cooled by a end caps onto the filter, rather than
fan-cooled adhesives. A special, heat-resistant
radiator. fibreglass foam gasket seals the caps and
Then the provides a tight seal on the filter element.
The gasket is rated at 650°C; higher than
the 480°C a diesel exhaust can reach. .
Replacing only the filter element offers
mines an economical solution to filter
maintenance. Getman is the first
manufacturer to install the filter on its
mining equipment, and will use it in
conjunction with the exhaust chiller.
“This is another important step in our
efforts to lead the way in increasing
safety,” Getman said. “By adding
this innovative filter to our
Produce underground exhaust chiller system, we’ll
roadbed material with be able to further improve
MTI’s HydraCrusher. air quality and lower the
risk of fires.”
A
110 kW at 2,200 rpm. The new electronically- tlas Copco’s ST1520 LHD - the first of these units in Australia went to
controlled smaller engines include design Consolidated Minerals’ Reliance nickel operations in Kalgoorlie. Michael
improvements such as cylinder head/ Aspinal, Underground Manager, at the company’s Beta Hunt mine said
combustion chambers and high-pressure recently: “The unit has been working very well for the past five months now and
unit fuel injectors to deliver similar or has 1,700 engine hours. The operators are very happy with it and it is now the
more power than older engines. preferred unit on site.” The ST1520 is reported to be faster when tramming, more
Electronic engines constantly adjust the comfortable to drive, thanks to the good legroom, and the engine does not overheat.
timing and duration of fuel injection This nickel operation was originally developed in the 1970s but was out of action
relative to operating conditions and for several years. Recently it has been pumped dry and is now in
external factors such as intake air development for low level production at a rate of 200,000
temperature, intake boost pressure, t/y with a 70% waste to 30% ore ratio. There are
coolant temperature, throttle proven ore reserves for five years of
position, engine speed and production.
loading. This optimized tuning The ST1520 is primarily used for
reduces emissions, fuel mucking in the main decline, but it also
consumption and maintenance works on some of the incline development
while enhancing engine protection and headings. Reliance’s Atlas Copco fleet
diagnostics. includes the Rocket Boomer L2D for
Its clean, but it moves dirt. Getman development drifting, the Boomer 104 for
says the RDG-1504C Roadbuilder moves narrow vein production drilling and
more dirt than any motor grader MT5010 Minetrucks for hauling. An
available in the USA. It produces more on-site Atlas Copco service team keeps
than 7,120 kg of tractive effort while them running and available.
applying more than 6,600 kg of
working effort into the 3.7-m
Caterpillar 120H mouldboard blade.
Roadbed maintenance can be
expensive if mines have to hoist
waste rock to surface for crushing and
then send it back down for grading and
top dressing. Mining Technologies
International’s (MTI) HydraCrusher, an
LHD bucket with a built-in, hydraulically
operated crusher is one solution. Its
much cheaper to handle waste
underground and create a
stockpile of roadbed
material. Adjustable jaws
chew coarse material of
up to 305 mm and
crush it to any desired
size – down to 19-mm
from the Americas and the move will gain Load and haul serviceability (working from heights, etc.)
closer access to the main business hub Agreeing with Sandvik Mining and and emissions of noise, gases and fluids
and Advent’s (the new owner) key office Construction colleagues quoted earlier on are the areas to be addressed.
in Boston, USA. the future and looking generally at the These things will be achieved, he says,
A programme to maximize operating Toro LHD and truck products, Product through basic technical solutions that
efficiency is already underway. This aims Line Manager Riku Kesäläinen foresees encompass hydraulics, mechanics,
to reduce existing cost structures by better control of the mining process powerline, electrics, etc. There will be
identifying the location at which a meaning ‘transparency’ of the underground new designs and new technologies,
product is made most competitively, then operations with onboard data collection, particularly in electronics, IT and
consolidating BL’s manufacturing plants more communication and more data communication.
so the company can single source processing. Also, open systems will be Kesäläinen too sees fuel cells playing an
products from global Centres of required and provided. important role in the future. The main
Excellence. The success of these centres is Increased process/equipment utilization task to get that going is to find ways of
in the hands of the team of global requires automation, monitoring, safely handling hydrogen underground.
product managers, working closely with predictability, reliability and diagnostics. He also foresees, in the near future, Toros
regional management to ensure a And the requirements for even safer without cabs operating on the Automine
common approach to global strategy and operation embrace both operator safety system – thus saving the tramming of
local customer needs. and machinery safety. Ergonomics, dead weight.
To simplify the structure and maximize
efficiencies, the business has been divided
into Drilling Services, which is already well
established, and Products & Equipment,
which encompasses the manufacturing
operations. BL is currently finalizing the
structure of Products & Equipment.
CEO Paul Brunner says the way forward
will focus on a three-track growth strategy
designed to mitigate the effects of relying
on the cyclical ‘boom or bust’ nature of
mining and to consolidate BL’s leadership
in its core businesses. The first track is in
strategic acquisitions. Once Boart
Longyear has bedded down in the Advent
fold and concluded the process of
restructuring and consolidating existing
operations, both organic and acquisition
growth will be key strategic drivers.
A second target is to increase mining
market penetration in under-represented
territories. “We enjoy a broad geographic
footprint in the global mining market and
will seek to further penetrate mining
markets in Brazil, India, China and
Russia.” The third goal is diversification
into non-mining drilling services.
The StopeMaster is a classic BL product,
a fully electric-hydraulic tophammer
longhole drill rig, offering increased
productivity, at low capital investment,
with decreased maintenance costs. Last
month we noted interesting StopeMaster
sales to the CIS, but what is this rig? Well,
compact enough to get into the tightest
drilling sites underground, it is designed
for efficient dismantling, and reassembly
for rapid transport into captive areas. It is
ideally suited for drop raises, cable bolting,
fan drilling and parallel drilling.
Deep hole accuracy is enhanced through
superior guidance of the durable feed
system and Hercules centralizer. It is
designed to produce consistent, high
performance regardless of varying operator
skill levels or conditions. Importantly, it
allows longer intervals between scheduled
preventative maintenance and this has
been proven through millions of metres
of drilling experience.
Roof control
Based on experience from long-term
testing of Atlas Copco’s first Scaletec rig in
Sweden’s Malmberget mine, a number of
new features have been incorporated in
the second unit. Operator comfort has
been further improved by reducing
Automation
One of the key drivers for Toro’s
Automine system for LHDs and trucks is
improved safety and working conditions,
made possible by allowing the operators
to work from a surface control room.
Oppenheimer alluded to De Beers current vibrations. A new operators chair with
Automine offers: heavy reliance on open-pit mines and built in pneumatic shock absorber both
● Semi-automated cycles with automated said: “What we are proving here is that eliminates vibrations and offers a number
tramming and dumping, tele-operated we can thrive underground.” of adjustment options to suit each
bucket loading and on-the-fly mode He noted today’s open pit can become individual operator. The front end of the
change the underground mine of tomorrow machine was previously only supported
● One operator for several LHDs and efficient ways of mining by conventional hydraulic jacks, but now
● Condition and production monitoring underground, using block-cave methods also uses the shovel blade to ensure a
● Production area isolation and automation, would provide an stable set-up.
● Traffic control exciting future for De Beers. He explained Safety and visibility have been improved
● Interfaces to external systems that Finsch began as an open pit, and the by moving the boom attachment
● Scalability to different applications same would happen to other De Beers further forward. The cabin lift and tilt sys-
Potential savings in labour costs are assets, including Venetia mine, which tem combined with a new design with
60-75 % (haulage automation with large would need to go underground in the next steel bar protection across the windscreen
fleet). For example take this truck haulage ten years. makes it easy for the operator when scal-
case (see box below): The system uses six 50 t T50Ds to haul ing in higher areas. Hydraulic hoses have
The current Automine LHD references are: kimberlite ore from a tipping point to an been relocated to better protect them
● Finland - Inmet Mining, Pyhäsalmi mine underground crusher in the new Block from rock falls.
– one T0011 LHD Four, the deepest mining section at Excellent manoeuvrability is achieved by
● Chile – Codelco, El Teniente mine – Finsch. Block Four extends the life of the positioning system’s proportional
three T0010 LHDs (Pipa Norte section) Finsch by a further nine years. With functions. The configuration of the
and three more T0010 LHDs in Diablo drivers, South African mining legislation control sticks and buttons has been
Regimiento section would restrict tramming speed to adjusted according to operator experience
from the Malmberget tests. That original for example strategically located water Cemento Melon’s underground Navio
machine already featured a newly nozzles for dust suppression and the mine lies 15 km northeast of La Calera in
developed boom system with a built-in choice between electrical or diesel- Chile’s 5th Region. It mines some
hammer angle compensation for reduced hydraulic tramming and scaling. The 3,380 t/d of limestone. Navio has long
boom positioning time. complete unit comprises an SB 300 Scaler been a leader in the use of trackless,
Scaling is traditionally one of the most hydraulic breaker, a Scaler boom, an mechanized equipment in Chile. Because
hazardous jobs underground. Using M-series carrier, a 75-kW electric motor, of the development of drifts and production
mechanized rigs can drastically cut the RCS, hydraulically driven compressor and benches, mechanized scaling is a priority.
accident rate. Operators enjoy a safe water pump. Its transportation height is 3 Limestone being a stratified sedimentary
working environment with good working m, length 13.5 m and width 2.2 m. Its rock, falls are one of the main potential
area visibility. Productivity as well as total weight is 19 t. safety hazards in the mine.
quality of scaling will increase. The control Earlier this year Navio put into
system for the carrier has been integrated operation its second Paus RL-852TSL
into the RCS (Rig Control System). Meyco’s Logica 10 mounted on a Cobra is not scaler unit equipped with a hydraulic
The Scaletec design is based on years of commercially available but soon will be. This is the hammer. This is an innovative concept
rock excavation experience. For example, cutting edge of spraying robot technology for the developed by Paus, optimizing the scaling
the carriers for the twin-boom Boomer application of shotcrete. operation since - unlike other designs that
jumbos and the position the hydraulic
Scaletec MC rigs are hammer pointing at
almost identical, which the rock (only one
reduces the need for point of percussion)
storage of unique causing fragility and
parts, thereby simplifying overbreak - the
maintenance routines RL-852TSL attacks the
when working with a rock using a
full package of Atlas telescopic arm work-
Copco equipment. ing together with the
Scaletec is a new hydraulic hammer,
member, but already scratching the walls
an integrated part of and roof to knock off
the Atlas Copco the loose rocks.
product family. Paus and Schopf
Scaletec offers a have combined their
number of functional sales and service
features and options, activities for
gjerstad dux
customers in mining. The two LHD ranges ready to start, within minutes. As soon as on. The hydraulic valve from the shotcrete
have been merged. In addition the spraying is finished, the equipment has to boom was moved to the table, fastened
international partners will market the Paus be removed so that the next part of work to the mount and re-hosed. The boom
truck and utility vehicle range jointly. cycle can begin immediately. The three rest was attached to the mount allowing
“As a result of the merger customers main components are Meyco’s Suprema for components to be easily removed for
will now have the largest loader range on concrete spraying machine, the Minima repair.
the market with a total of nine models. spraying manipulator, which can be In addition to these changes, Finning
We have already started marketing in the packed away very neatly and can be installed two 500-W work lights to the
traditional mining areas of South America, extended without needing additional back of the cab. For health and safety, a
Africa and Eastern Europe and are expecting room, and a 4 x 4 articulated Paus carrier. fire suppression system and a catalytic
the first successes shortly,” report Dr The whole unit is very robust. muffler to scrub the vehicle’s exhaust
Hermann Brüggemann, managing partner The Cobra now includes Meyco’s TDC were added. Other additions included a
of Schopf and Franz-Josef and Wolfgang (Total Dosing Control) system. For 2006 600 A main battery fuse, a central heater
Paus, managing partners of Hermann there are some significant new features: system and a stand to mount the
Paus. “For customers of both companies cable reel and electric cabinet are hinged shotcrete remote controls.
there will be significant advantages from to allow instant and full access to the Shotcrete is mixed at the surface,
an integrated product range and service diesel motor; heated electric cabinet and poured into 1,000 kg bags and transported
all from one place. With a well diversified remote control to prevent condensation; down into the mine. Underground, it is
dealer network we are now also in a and central lubrication will reduce wear dumped into the portable mixer carried
position to pit ourselves against the major and tear on moving parts and cut by the modified backhoe. The sprayer
competitors.” maintenance time. connects to the mixer with a 50-mm thick
At Ekati diamond mine, the hose, using air pressure to blast the
Shotcrete excellence underground maintenance superintendent shotcrete onto walls. The machine can be
Meyco says it benefits from being a part Jack Wanner turned to Finning to build a operated from either inside the cab, or
of the UGC International organization shotcrete machine based on Cat’s 420D outside by remote control.
within Degussa Construction Chemicals. backhoe. “We looked at some other One benefit of the modified 420D
Using know-how and synergies, shotcrete- machines, but they were a bit too unstable, backhoe is convenience. Parts are easily
spraying systems are developed and which is why we elected to go with the available at the mine site. Ekati has a
harmonized for greatest efficiency leading 420D backhoe and put the shotcrete number of 400 series backhoes on
to a better product. These include wet- sprayer on the back,” he explains. “The surface so there’s no need to stock
and dry-spraying machines, manipulators 420D is a little wider so it is more stable.” different fuel filters. That’s a serious issue
(large and small), complete mobile units Finning’s equipment preparation team for the mine because it is very expensive
and special constructions for specific removed the backhoe attachment, the to ship parts.
projects. Meyco’s own research and rear swing frame, the valve group and The machine has become indispensable.
development is dedicated to shotcrete hand controls. The rear backhoe mount Wanner ordered another modified 420D.
and the improvement of quality in both was sheared off. A mounting plate to “It has worked out well. Its spraying
application and end result. accommodate the shotcrete sprayer was shotcrete every day. It is now part of the
The Cobra S is the latest generation designed and welded to the rear of the regular mining cycle," he says. “We
Meyco spraying mobile for mining. All the machine. The team designed a table to wanted to see how it worked but it has
necessary components on one chassis and mount the attachments needed for the really done the job, so much so that we
the ability to get to all parts of a mine are sprayer and bolted those to the mounting need another machine. The ingenuity of
very important. In today’s tight time plate. Separate welds on the mounting Finning in designing the shotcrete sprayer
schedules, it is imperative that spraying plate allowed the shotcrete arm, and the ability to maintain the equipment
set-up is achieved, and the machine is transformer and cable reels to be bolted is impressive.” IM