THREE major resource companies, BHP, Vale and Rio Tinto are calling for innovators to change the way haul truck systems operate in the mining sector.
To initiative such a change, the three companies are getting together to establish a global competition for technology innovators to develop new concepts for large-scale haul truck electrification systems, dubbed as the Charge On Innovation Challenge.
Through the competition, it is hoped that innovators would help players in the mining industry to significantly help cut emissions from surface mine operators and unlock safety, productivity and operational improvements.
Additionally, the challenge is expected to attract additional interest from resource companies that maintain substantial haul truck fleets and are looking for innovative concepts to deliver electricity to large battery-electric haul trucks.
Being the founding patrons of the challenge, BHP, Vale and Rio Tinto are also in partnership with Australia’s mining equipment, technology and services (METS) industry body, Austmine.
“METS and mining companies are united on the Challenge to reduce emissions across the supply chain,” said Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs Stewart.
“With 80% of METS companies supplying products and services outside mining, the Challenge leverages the experience and innovation of industries in the automotive, battery makers, aerospace, defence and other sectors,” she continued.
Currently, stationary charging systems require substantial time to charge large trucks, which would result in significant lost productivity. The mining industry needs multi-megawatt scale fast charging concepts capable of delivering around 400kWh to charge (and propel) a truck within the truck’s haul cycle (load, travel, dump, return, queue).
“We are confident that we will find a solution to the delivery of electricity to trucks in the complex operating environment of a large surface mine. We expect the challenge will attract companies from a broad range of sectors including mining, automotive, aerospace, agriculture, and defence to deliver selected charging concepts to create a standard product that can interface with all trucks,” Stewart explained.
Supporting the statement, BHP Minerals Australia president Edgar Basto said: “We hope the challenge will stimulate innovative ideas, some of which could be immediately applied to existing diesel-electric equipment and help fast-track implementation of longer-term solutions.”
As it is, several non-traditional mining sector vendors are actively developing technologies that can be applied to mine electrification.
Therefore, the challenge might spur innovations that leads to charging solutions in mining, accelerate commercialisation of solutions, and integrate innovations from other industries into the mining sector. – May 17, 2021
