Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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H+L 2013 PREVIEW assessment scores (spot time in simulation) and job performance (real world spot time). A significant relationship was discovered suggesting that data from assessments conducted in a high fidelity simulator can be used to predict operator job performance. The afternoon session will conclude with Improving Mine Efficiency and Productivity, presented by Michael Saunders, global business director, Napoli Group. The Napoli Group is a specialist surface mining productivity consulting and training company based in Australia that focuses on the "micro" elements of the production process. They specialize in increasing production with reduced maintenance and operational costs also increasing "effective utilization" of equipment. In a bit of a departure from the other presentations, Saunders will be interviewing Frank Dinapoli, the group's founder, and a past client using a "real life" example of how they were able to develop, implement and produce production efficiency increases of more than 30% over a 12-month period. The interview will cover the processes they followed including operation standards, operation procedures, organizational departments, personnel and site culture in order to achieve the substantial increases in production rates across the entire operation. Operations Tuesday morning opens with a session on Operations. In his presentation, An Electric Drive System for the Largest Haul Truck in the World, Walter Koellner, senior director mobile mining equipment, Siemens, will describe what went into the development of an electric drive system for the new 500-ton BelAZ haul truck, which will be the largest haul truck when it's released this year. The presentation will discuss the sophisticated controls that will be used to safely guide this juggernaut. The abundance of shale gas reserves around the world has made natural gas an attractive fuel source for mining equipment. In his presentation Dual Fuel for Mining: Same Power, Substantial Savings, Christopher Pritchard, natural gas product manager, Cummins, will explain how mine operators can harness the savings associated with a natural gas fuel source while retaining the power needed for mining equipment. Dual Fuel engine technology provides the ability to substitute natural gas for diesel in the combustion process, delivering the same transient response, torque curve and power density critical to high horsepower engine operations, while at the same time lowering operating costs. Following on the power theme, but from a different angle, Wayne Chmiel, product manager-electric rope shovels for Cat Global Mining, will present Off-grid Power Solution for Electric Rope Shovels. Cat's patented energy storage and power management technology allows ultra-class electric machines to operate effectively on diesel generator power. When connected to a power utility, this technology lowers the machine's peak demand, offering more flexibility on trailing cable and substation sizing, and potentially reducing the impact to the surrounding community that shares the power system. After the mid-morning break, the session resumes with Moving Crawler-mounted Equipment Effectively. Philipp Hartlieb, a professor from Leoben University in 82 E&MJ; • APRIL 2013 www.e-mj.com