Modern Mining April 2015

COVER STORY

Komatsu 960E-2KT drives Komatsu’s mechanical might is being harnessed in the development of Swakop Uranium’s massive Husab mine, arguably Namibia’s largest ever commercial undertaking. While the Komatsu fleet will total in excess of 50 products on completion of delivery, the most powerful and visually impressive will be its string of 23 Komatsu 960E-2KT electric dump trucks (EDTs), some of which are already engaged in the development of the mine’s pit areas.

T he 960E series is currently the largest off-road mining vehicle produced by Komatsu and despite its size, power output and pay- load capability is outstandingly fuel efficient. Komatsu’s long road to Husab began around five years ago, when the mine’s project team conducted a global survey of heavy-duty min- ing equipment to identify which suppliers and products would be best suited to the opera- tion’s needs. Husab Engineering and Maintenance Manager Jaco Duvenhage explains that during an exhaustive research and technical evalua- tion process, particular attention was paid to turnaround times – the key to the cost-effec- tiveness of an operation the size and scope of which will make it the world’s second-largest uranium mine. “The development team realised at the out- set that the right machinery for its purpose would deliver a combination of rapid cycle times and fuel efficiency while at the same time incurring low maintenance and running costs,” says Komatsu South Africa Manager Mining Business Frikkie Booyens. Another given was the ability of the equip- ment to work in the intense heat of the Namib Desert, with temperatures reaching up to 40°C during the summer months. What followed was a travel marathon involving several visits to Komatsu’s truck manufacturing headquarters in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States and mining sites around the world to see products in action at the sharp edge of the industry. Trolley system The quest to find the ideal EDT was accom- plished when Komatsu presented its electric

trolley system which delivers an alternative form of energy to propel trucks. “The system was developed in conjunction with the Siemens Group and operates within the mining environment in basically the same way as an inner city commuter tramway,” says Booyens. Trolley assist infrastructure comprising overhead cables, transformers and related equipment is established along the operation’s haul roads and transmits power to the truck via pantographs. “This has the dual effect of increasing out- right performance in terms of speed while decreasing the consumption of diesel by as much as 40 % or more. The effect on cycle times is dramatic,” he adds. And it’s not difficult to see why. At Husab, heavily laden haul trucks will wind their way from the bottom of the pit to the stockpile area over a difference in eleva- tion of in excess of 400 m. A fully laden truck packing an all-up weight of well over 500 met- ric tonnes is a very thirsty machine, but not so with the Siemens trolley option.

22  MODERN MINING  April 2015