100-Ton Hauler Saves Fuel, Nixes Maintenance Hazards
Liebherr recently unveiled the new 100-metric-ton (mt) T 236 mining truck, which features the vertically integrated Litronic Plus Generation 2 alternating current (AC) drive system, and is optimally paired with the company’s R 9100, R 9150, R 9200 or R 9250 mining excavators. Empty vehicle weight is 80 mt. Horsepower (hp) is 895 kilowatts (kW). Maximum speed is 55 kilometers per hour (km/h). It is designed to meet Tier 2 standards.
Drive system components include Active Front End technology. Capturing electrical energy during retarding events, the drive system delivers controlled engine speed with almost no fuel consumption, the company reported. The variable hydraulic system lowers parasitic energy usage to provide maximum power and lower fuel consumption.
The T 236 features a double pole battery, starter motor and hoist system isolators as standard. In addition, the truck provides an innovative drive system inhibit, electrically interlocked to grounding devices for each plug and drive power module. It operates on 690 volts AC (VAC) and 900 volts direct current (VDC), and site technicians conduct system maintenance. Liebherr’s Litronic Plus Isolation system, through the elimination of hazards by design, ensures the safety of maintenance personnel.
The in-line electrical power train layout minimizes cable length. Maintenance-free IP 68-rated plug and drive power modules ensure reliable operation in all-weather situations, the company reported. The truck uses an oil immersed braking system with four corner retarding capabilities.
Liebeherr said the truck is currently not commercially available, but pre-series units will be released in select markets.
www.liebherr.com
Shovel Control Software Reduces Operator Faults
Caterpillar’s new control system software, the Operator Assist–Enhanced Motion Control system, available for its 7495 Series Rope Shovels and as an update, is designed to simplify machine operation, allowing the shovel to be operated in a manner that both promotes high production and protects the machine from inadvertent misuse. The new system can enhance production by reducing the occurrence of operating faults, such as hoist-stall, boom jack, crowd impact, crowd over-speed and in-bank swing.
The company said the return on investment is “typically less than six months,” and the benefits include more reliable crowd rope replacement schedules, full design life for hoist ropes, reduced wear on crowd brakes, and longer life for hoist gear case components. By intelligently controlling machine motions under certain conditions, the system reduces downtime for maintenance and repair. This translates to added production and lower cost per ton, Caterpillar reported.
The software is available for Bucyrus 495 shovels and three 7495 machine classes: 7495 (ER601143 and up); 7495 HF (ER801136 and up); and 7495 HD (ER701167 and up). The update typically takes two hours.
www.cat.com
Excavator Has ‘Best-in-Class’ Engine Power and Breakout Force
Komatsu’s 700-ton PC7000, available in face shovel and backhoe configuration, “offers the lowest cost per ton in its class,” said Michael Hall, Komatsu Australia’s national product manager.
The shovel is matched to plus-200 ton trucks, such as Komatsu’s 830E, 860E and 930E haul units. The diesel drive variant features two Tier 2-rated Komatsu SSDA16V159E-2 engines, rated at 2,500 kW. (Two squirrel cage [electric drive] 1,200-kW motors are optional.) At 10.5 meters (m) long, with a maximum travel speed of 2.5 km/h, it has a bucket (backhoe and front shovel) capacity of 36 m3 at 1.8 mt/m3 material density. The 682-mt backhoe’s bucket breakout force is 1,671 kilonewtons (kN). The 674-mt front shovel’s bucket breakout force is 1,994 kN.
KOMTRAX Plus, Komatsu’s machine monitoring system, is standard on the PC7000. Modular Mining’s ProVision system offers additional capabilities, such as bidirectional data transfer; improved bench level adherence to plan; delineation of blocks and polygons; improved production efficiency; and enhanced safety via hazard alerts, restricted area identification and proximity warnings.
www.komatsu.com
Standardized Motor Design for Quick Availability
Siemens’ new Simotics HV high-voltage motor series covers a power range up to 70 megawatts (MW), can be used for a wide range of applications, and can reportedly be built and commissioned rapidly. The system features an optimized base frame, which reduces noise and vibrations and makes the motor able to cope with extreme ambient conditions, helping to maximize the availability of the overall plant, the company reported. All the models of the Simotics HV HP series are available as synchronous or induction motors, in a high- or low-temperature version, with gas and dust explosion protection and with a wide variety of cooling methods. The motor series complies with a wide number of industry and country-specific certification requirements such as API, TR CU, CSA and NEMA.
www.siemens.com/simotics
Data Management Software Features Automation
MICROMINE’s latest data management software, Geobank 2017, is claimed to deliver improved usability, functionality and performance, with a variety of user benefits relevant to both exploration and mining operations, the company reported. The package’s Sample Tracker (function) enables batch loading or lab data, essential at operations with on-site labs, as well as several automated functions that reduce manual database configuration and management. With Excel lab file importer, “this (package) is something our Russian clients have asked for and we have delivered,” Product Strategy Manager Mark Gabbitus said. “The labs over there traditionally provide sites with analysis results in multitab Excel spreadsheets. In the past, this required the database administrator to export the data to CSV and then import. Now it’s set and forget.”
www.micromine.com
Hauler Truck Tire Line has Improved Durability
Michelin has introduced the new MEMS-ready Earthmover (40.00 R 57 and 53/80 R 63) XDR3 tire line for rigid body trucks operating in surface mines. Three design innovations increase tire life by a minimum of 10% over its predecessor, the MICHELIN XDR 2, the company reported. A new tread pattern improves heat dissipation up to 8° C; puts more rubber in contact with the driving surface; and features interlocking shoulder blocks for reduced movement on cornering and further reduction of wear. Four-compound rubber results in more uniform composition, higher wear resistance and higher thermal capacity. The steel cables are 10% stronger and encapsulated in rubber to reduce corrosion and wear.
The 40.00 R 57 MICHELIN XDR3 is currently available. The 53/80 R 63 hits the market in January.
www.michelin.com
Roller Tracker Corrects Conveyor Belt Drift
The Martin Roller Tracker, a return belt tracking system from Martin Engineering, automatically corrects when the belt wanders off center. The ribbed polyurethane roller tracker does not contact the belt edge, eliminating fraying and facilitating tracking for single-direction or reversing belts.
The 190-mm-diameter tracker reacts quickly to fluctuations in the belt path. Built on a central pivot attached to vibration-free mandrel, the unit is lifted 5 mm under the belt to retain a tight grip. When the belt drifts off-center, the assembly tilts to the opposing side and steers it back to the normal position. By retaining a consistent path on the return side, the belt passes over the tail pulley and enters the loading zone centered.
www.martin-eng.com
