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MINE DEVELOPMENT 68 E&MJ; • JUNE 2016 www.e-mj.com increase the overall volume of air that must be moved. In May, Atlas Copco took a step toward potential reduction of un- derground ventilation requirements by unveiling its frst battery-powered under- ground production unit, the 7-ton-capaci- ty Scooptram ST7 Battery. Acknowledging that electric-powered LHDs, or "scoops," have been around for quite some time, the company simply points to the fact that this new battery-powered LHD isn't tethered to a cable, making it more op- erationally fexible and eliminating the attendant problems of limited range and cable maintenance. "Loaders and trucks consume about 80% of the diesel fuel underground. The loaders are most often used in dead ends of the mine, which are the most dif- fcult to ventilate. To make the greatest impact on work environment and venti- lation costs, it was an obvious choice… to launch a battery driven loader as our frst product of this type," said Lars Senf, vice president–marketing at Atlas Copco Underground Rock Excavation division. The company claimed that, with zero emissions and up to an 80% reduction in heat generation compared to diesel power, ventilation costs for mines using battery-driven units can be reduced and expensive refrigeration systems can po- tentially be eliminated, at least in the long term. And, as mining companies seek to gain more control over their op- erations, the teleremote-ready Scooptram ST7 Battery can answer the challenge by providing owners with automated func- tionality. The Scooptram ST7 Battery also shares common parts with the many die- sel Scooptrams in operation around the globe, simplifying service and inventory requirements. Not to be outdone, Sandvik Mining said it will soon introduce its DD422iE drill jumbo, which uses power from an onboard battery during tramming—plug- ging into mine power at the work site to carry out normal drilling duties while recharging the battery for the next ma- chine move. The battery also can be recharged while the jumbo is tram- ming downslope by utilizing electric energy generated by its braking system. Equipped with a multivoltage electrical system, the jumbo operates in power en - vironments ranging from 380 to 1,000 volts and either 50/60Hz. It also will offer a range of automation capabilities—one of which is an optional 3-D scanning fea- ture that automatically scans overbreak and underbreak to save users time in the drilling cycle, potentially generating extra development footage every month. Answering the Basics At any stage of an underground operation, at the most basic level, supervisors and other operations personnel have a con- stant need to know: Where is the equip- ment? What is the status of each unit? How are the crew and equipment pro- gressing on their assigned tasks? Modu- lar Mining Systems said that with its DISPATCH Underground 2015 FMS in place, the answers to these questions and more are always available in real-time, from anywhere in the mine, at the touch of a button. With numerous system enhancements and new features, a migration from the Linux OS to Windows and an extensive user interface redesign, the latest ver- sion of DISPATCH Underground 2015 is packaged as a full-featured solution capable of automating any underground development or production process or workfow. Using proven core functionality and optional modules, the system is scal- able and confgurable to suit operational needs. Real-time equipment positioning, time tracking, production reporting and purpose-built hardware on the mobile equipment are standard features with each deployment. Modular's FMS automates task gen- eration based upon several factors, in- cluding equipment and location status. When fnishing a task at a working face the operator uses the mobile feld com- puter to record the task. This action au- tomatically creates a new task (based on a user-defned workfow) for the next equipment unit required in the mining process. When confgured, automated task gen- eration guarantees that operators receive tasks only when a location is ready to receive work, thus increasing awareness among the operators when they are able to work at specifc locations. As the ac- tive faces are serviced in faster intervals, the overall utilization of locations and equipment increases. Additionally, task automation has the potential to decrease the time a working face remains idle be- tween steps in the mining process, which signifcantly reduces the execution time for an entire mining cycle. The DISPATCH Underground system's hardware and software innovations en- able uninterrupted data capture in com- munication dead zones, and automatic data upload to the system database when communication is re-established. This functionality, known as Store&Forward;, allows ongoing actions and status chang- es to be correctly time-stamped and lo- cation-tracked, based on RFID position readings. With Store&Forward;, produc- tion and cycle time data is captured and recorded for production reporting. An additional beneft of DISPATCH Underground FMS, according to Modu- lar, is increased personnel utilization. By automating traditionally manual process- es and workfows, the system enables supervisors to focus on critical decisions and actions required to keep a complex operation running smoothly; its built-in tools enable supervisors to defne crew rotations, create work calendars, and confgure shifts. An optional Crew Lineup Management module allows supervisors to identify equipment location at shift change and quickly make location-based assignments for incoming crew. Atlas Copco says its new Scooptram S7 Battery can work for more than 4 hours in most applications before needing a charge. A quick recharge during lunch break can extend its operation to a full shift.