it is important to be circulating the cool-
ing fluid (air) through the heading even
when the LHD is not operating."
Additionally, regulations on ventilation
air volume per diesel power kW vary from
country to country.
If battery-powered equipment replaces
diesel equivalents in existing mines, com-
paratively little can be done with the estab-
lished infrastructure. "Fans can be slowed
down or stopped and mine expansion can
be designed with less airflow or air cooling
needs. There are limits to the air velocity
in mine airways, which is a function of air
quantity and mine airway area. Hence, less
air means mine airways, such as shafts and
raises, might be reduced in size, which
saves a lot in development costs, and
may mean underground booster fans don't
need to be installed," Mousset-Jones said.
"Many existing mines use their main de-
cline as an air intake and main haulage way
for their trucks. This means that fresh air
entering the mine is contaminated with die-
sel fumes before it ever reaches the working
areas. For an existing mines, making the
trucks electric removes this problem."
Equipment maintenance and "miner
health" savings factor into the equation.
Presume the effects of diesel fumes
on the health of miners could be eliminat-
ed. "The savings from this benefit are dif-
ficult to quantify, but can be significant
in terms of increased miner productivity,
miner and family wellbeing, and reduced
work absences," Mousset-Jones said. "In
addition, the energy efficiency of electric
power is superior to diesel power and
maintenance costs are less for electric
equipment. There is no need to set up
fuel bays underground and the piping
system to bring fuel underground, which
is costly. It reduces the mine fire potential
in the fuel bays and for diesel-powered
equipment, which is not uncommon for
the latter, and which is a significant safe-
ty issue in mines."
The cost saving potential of going
electric is obviously compelling, however,
diesel machines have all but cornered the
market. Gaining traction against the estab-
lished competition may prove to require
more power and torque than anticipated.
Sandvik's LH307B is available with a service pack designed to keep the loader productive 365 days a year, the
company reported. The pack includes maintenance kits and planned repairs of major components over the equip-
ment's life. (Photo: Sandvik)
LHD BATTERIES
JANUARY 2017 • E&MJ; 39 www.e-mj.com