ABB stated that eMine, which is designed to electrify mining equipment across hoisting, grinding, hauling and material handling, provides integral design planning and thinking to maximise the value of electrification. It can help to optimise the design of the hauling process with electrical solutions that match mine constraints and help meet production targets.
The company said eMine will help mine operators to map their journey towards an all-electric mine, with steps from phasing out diesel to embedding a new mindset and new team skills. eMine can fully integrate electrification and digital systems from the mine to the port, further reducing overall costs and improving mine performance while significantly lowering environmental impact.
In addition, ABB unveiled the ABB Ability eMine FastCharge, a fast and powerful charging system for electric mining haul trucks that is currently in the pilot phase and is designed to interface with all brands of haul trucks. It also incorporates the ABB Ability eMine Trolley System, which ABB said can significantly lower energy costs and environmental impact by reducing diesel consumption by up to 90%. ABB Ability eMine FastCharge will be included in eMine from 2022.
ABB said that eMine FastCharge can function as "a cornerstone of the transition to fully electrified mines across the industry". The solution, which is being designed for the harshest mining environments, is flexible and fully automated and can be installed anywhere to minimise the downtime of mobile assets. It can charge any electric truck at up to 600kW, which ABB stated is the highest power available on today's market, and can do this without human intervention.
The charging time of eMine FastCharge will vary depending on the battery capacity onboard the haul truck and its operational profile; however, the company stated that a suitable state of charge could be reached within 15 minutes in many instances.
Max Luedtke, global head of mining at ABB, said: "The global mining industry is undergoing one of the most significant and important transformations of our generation - and that is to become zero-carbon. ABB Ability eMine is an exciting milestone to help convert existing mining operations from fossil fuel energy to all-electric. Mines can become even more energy efficient with vastly reduced levels of CO₂ emissions, while at the same time staying competitive and ensuring high productivity."
Mehrzad Ashnagaran, global product line manager, electrification and composite plant at ABB, added: "We are celebrating 130 years in the mining industry and decades in the electrification of mining equipment. Today we are extending our engineering capabilities and investment to electric transport, to bring new solutions to meet the growing demand of our customers. Besides the environmental benefits, fuel price volatility, making electricity more cost competitive, and legislation are driving the move to electric-powered mines. ABB not only understands these requirements, but we can also equip the industry to meet them."
The eMine portfolio is underpinned by ABB Ability MineOptimize, a platform that optimises engineering in the design of the plant or mine and facilitate the transition to the digital and CO₂ free mine of the future.
