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
Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/887604
NARROW VEIN 56 E&MJ; • OCTOBER 2017 www.e-mj.com Equipment manufacturers are constantly looking at ways to improve mining equip- ment. With underground mining, meth- ods differ based on geology and equip- ment that works well in one application will not necessarily transfer seamlessly to another mining plan. This holds true especially for narrow-vein mining, where miners need to use robust equipment in a more confined space. In narrow-vein applications, the use of specially designed equipment allows min- ers to limit the size of the gallery, further reducing dilution. More importantly, it lets them safely increase productivity as they replace jacklegs, air-powered muck- ing machines and track haulage. The equipment makers have trans- ferred many of the features from larg- er equipment to the smaller machines. Some are even offering new battery-pow- ered units that can compete with die- sel-powered units as far as breakout in the muck pile. The move away from diesels will simplify maintenance. Other types of equipment, such as drifters and scalers, have been modified for use in small headings and stopes. Aramine Develops Battery-powered Mini-loader Equipment manufacturers must consider a variety of safety regulations worldwide as they design and manufacture equipment for narrow-vein mining applications. When it comes to safety in confined spaces, Ar- amine has a professional who specializes in ergonomics and regulations in its R&D; department. With all that data, he creates a standard for Aramine to follow, explained Marc Melkonian, president of Aramine. "We take great care to analyze EC stan- dards, ISO norms and the different regu- lations in major purchasing countries such as Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada, etc.," Melkonian said. "This is one of the big difficulties of our job." From a health and safety perspective, one of the biggest problems for under- ground mining is emissions generated from diesel-powered engines. Those con- cerns are exacerbated in narrow head- ings. To help solve this issue, Aramine created the first diesel miniLoader with an exhaust purifier, Melkonian explained. "We then developed an electric machine with a trailing cable, the battery-powered machine was already on our mind, but this technology was not reliable enough at the time and very expensive," Melkonian said. "Today after two years of R&D;, we have a reliable and competitive product and we trust this new machine. The battery-powered L140B is an opti- mized and advanced version of the L120B and can carry more capacity with the same autonomy and energy consumption. "Customers tested these machines in the mines prior to this launch and today they are operating in several different mines," Melkonian said. "The true challenge for the miners is to change their habits, but our machine reliability and ease of use have immediately pleased them." What makes the L140B special is the fully integrated battery system, which was designed by Aramine. It allowed the re- moval of not only the diesel engine, fuel tank and filters, but also the hydrostatic transmission and its tank, filters and hos- es. "The L140B is the only battery-pow- ered machine on the market with a full electrical transmission that makes it very special as maintenance and downtime have been considerably reduced," Melko- nian said. "Preventive maintenance inter- vals have been extended to 250 hours." These battery-powered machines offer the same or even more breakout force than the diesel-powered units. They use an elec- tric transmission, which adjusts the torque depending on the under-foot conditions to give just enough power and avoid excessive tire wear, Melkonian explained. "We offer two versions and both can run for an entire shift depending on the way it's used." "The standard machine offers four hours of autonomy, mucking three to four faces," he added. "It has an extremely simple charging system. The charger is integrated into the machine and the oper- ators simply plug it in as required." An op- tional version features a quick disconnect battery module for mines that prefer to run the machine full time. The L140B is also available with a radio remote control (RRC) version. The system is already integrated into all L140Bs, which makes this option very competitive and cheaper than the L130 or L150 models. "We have also a fully automated version, remote controlled in partnership with HLS," Melkonian said. The L140B is ideally pass-matched with an Aramine miniDumper T500D, which has been designed to carry three L140B buckets. Aramine has acquired greater know-how during the development of the battery-powered machine, Melko- nian explained, and the company has sev- eral new projects in the wings. Fletcher Focuses on Safety and Productivity Based on input from its metal/nonmetal customers, J.H. Fletcher & Co. has been looking at ways to reduce risk and improve mining processes, including narrow-vein Meeting the Narrow-vein Challenge Design improvements provide safer, more productive machines By Steve Fiscor, Editor Aramine's L140B is the only battery-powered machine on the market with a full electrical transmission.