As a part of a technique to cut back carbon emissions from its operations and obtain a ‘net zero’ standing by 2050, Gold Fields is investing in three Caterpillar R2900 XE diesel-electric loaders for its underground mines in Western Australia.
The gold miner’s ESG technique, launched in December 2021, was on the identical time embedded as one in all three pillars within the firm’s technique. Gold Fields has demonstrated this focus over the previous couple of years, particularly with regards to its efforts to decarbonise its mining operations.
In addition to establishing and commissioning a number of photo voltaic vegetation, renewable microgrids and low-carbon fuel generators throughout a few of its operations in South Africa and Australia, Gold Fields has been on the forefront of decarbonising the load and haul a part of the underground mining cycle.
In 2021, Gold Fields began trialling a Sandvik LH518B 18 t battery-electric underground LHD, along with a 50-t-payload battery-electric Z50 truck, additionally from Sandvik. The machines had been put by means of their paces on the Hamlet North mine, a part of the St Ives operation, close to Kambalda in Western Australia. The outcomes of those trials had been shared with members of the Electric Mine Consortium (EMC).
Rob Derries, Unit Manager: Innovation & Technology at Gold Fields Australia, says the outcomes from testing the loader and truck at St Ives have proven the necessity for a substitute for help the battery swap performance for its native underground mines.
“The depth of our mines and the resultant ramp inclines indicate that a battery swap system alone will be a challenge from an infrastructure or financial perspective when rolling out on a larger fleet-wide basis,” he instructed IM.
Alongside this work, Gold Fields has trialled a hybrid diesel-electric drive Komatsu WX22H (previously the Joy 22HD), which makes use of a Kinetic Energy Storage System to seize and reuse braking vitality from every of the 4 wheels, decreasing gasoline burn and boosting productiveness, based on the OEM and Gold Fields.
Now, the corporate has dedicated to bringing three Caterpillar R2900 XEs into two of its underground mining operations, based on Derries.
Built on the platform of Caterpillar’s hottest underground loader, the R2900G, this LHD includes a change reluctance electrical drive system alongside a Cat C15 diesel engine, which gives as much as 335 kW of energy. The OEM says the machine comes with about 30% elevated gasoline effectivity in contrast with the R2900G, with its decrease engine revolutions per minute leading to lowered gasoline burn, warmth, noise, vibration and exhaust emissions.
Derries mentioned Gold Fields doesn’t think about the R2900 XE a “hybrid” machine given it has no battery or vitality storage element on board, however harassed that it nonetheless gives the lowered gasoline burn and productiveness benefits the corporate is on the lookout for as a part of its modernisation technique.
“From the field-follow trial reports we have seen, it can produce a 35% fuel burn reduction,” he mentioned. “This is why we consider it to be part of our plan to transition our operations to zero emissions, just like the Epiroc machine we are working on.”
Last yr, Gold Fields entered right into a Memorandum of Understanding with Epiroc to develop and check a proof of idea for the 65-t class Minetruck MT65 E-Drive with the purpose of getting a prototype diesel-electric truck operating on the miner’s Granny Smith mine, close to Laverton in Western Australia, in late 2024.
Derries says the corporate can be persevering with discussions with all OEM companions on potential battery-electric car deployments at its Australian underground mines, explaining that variations on trolley infrastructure, battery charging and battery swapping had been being evaluated.
EMC collaboration builds confidence
The field-follow trials Derries references had been integral to Gold Fields making the funding within the Caterpillar diesel-electric autos.
“In Australia, there were four field-follow units that Cat sent out, all of which went to EMC member operators,” he mentioned. “The feedback and learnings that came back from these trials, which was shared internally within the consortium, provided the confidence we needed to make the investment decision.”
The EMC is a rising group of main mining and repair corporations, all of whom are pushed by the crucial to speed up progress in direction of the totally electrified zero CO2 and 0 particulates mine. In the quick time since institution, the consortium’s membership has grown almost two-fold with over 40 tools trials in 15 completely different areas mobilised.
Outside of those Caterpillar R2900 XE subject comply with models, Westgold Resources took supply of the primary business R2900 XE at its Midwest operations in Western Australia, as a part of an settlement with WesTrac. The mining firm has since agreed to buy one other six of the diesel-electric autos.
A separate R2900 XE is because of be delivered to a different mining operation in Australia later this yr, IM understands.
Derries says Gold Fields has felt the advantages of signing as much as the EMC.
“The EMC is a great platform for operators like us to gather information without having to trial everything out there,” he mentioned. “Like the businesses that shared their information from the R2900 XE field-follow trials, we shared the learnings from our Sandvik trials – not simply our operational efficiency information.
“We were then able to do a cross check between our battery-electric trial data and the field-follow trials from the Caterpillar machines, giving us the confidence to invest in the three LHDs.”
Derries says the brand new models are anticipated to reach at its operations within the subsequent 12 months.
