The mine of the future will be electric, because this does away with carbon monoxide pollution from smelly diesel engines. That’s a deadly gas from burning fossil fuel for transport, cooking, warming, and lighting that is causing global warming too. But there are more benefits than just that, according to Swedish engineering group Sandvik, and we explore these there.
The Mine of the Future Will Be Electric Powered
Electric power is still a small part of Sandvik’s business by its own admission. But its president of mining and rock solutions Henrik Ager believes this will change. That’s because they are moving toward designing their heavy duty, mobile equipment around the electric motors and batteries. Instead of merely replacing the propulsion unit.
Moreover, the new generation of electric plant is simply more efficient. Its instant power means it can load faster and drive faster up and down a ramp. Mining Weekly explains their latest 65-ton loader has a run time of up to 2 hours and a battery swap takes five minutes.
“This means that for the same amount of output you can have smaller tunnels in an underground mine,” Ager explains. “Smaller tunnels means you move less waste as you build the mine. And you save costs on building or developing the mine.”
Mining of the Future Will Be Healthier Too
But there are many tangible benefits for people working in deep mines. Here we think of reduced emissions, less heat and less noise all of which are beneficial for their health. “It’s usually quite hot in underground mining,” Ager explains. “There are dust and fumes.
“But by using electric equipment underground we eliminate the emissions from the equipment, and remove 87% of the heat generated by traditional diesel equipment.
“Electric equipment requires higher capital expenditures, but the operating costs such as fuel and maintenance are less. Factor in the savings on ventilation and cooling, and you have a really strong business case. Ten years from now maybe it’s all we do.”
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