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ABSTRACT
In light of Canada’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and conditions in increasingly deeper mines, the trend in Canadian mines is to move away from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and toward battery electric vehicles (BEVs). However, the limited driving range and the longer time required to recharge a battery than refuel a tank could reduce BEV availability and negatively affect production targets. Understanding the differences between these two technologies is critical when designing a new mine or transforming an existing fossil fuel-based fleet into an electric fleet. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to compare diesel cassette trucks (DCTs) and electric cassette trucks (ECTs) in terms of net fuel and energy consumption, respectively. MacLean Engineering heavy-duty DCTs and ECTs were field-tested at Vale’s North Mine surface ramp at 5 and 15 km/h and loaded with the same weight. The controlled 2.5-km test route comprised 10 sections of 0, 5, 10, and 20% uphill and downhill inclination grades. This paper compares DCT and ECT performance in terms of ability to maintain the target speed under different operational conditions and fuel and energy consumption. The energy captured through regenerative braking and charging information was also evaluated for the ECT. An energy to fuel ratio (kWh/L) was calculated for various operating conditions. Furthermore, the data were used in a hypothetical duty cycle to estimate DCT and ECT availability within a work shift.
RÉSUMÉ
À la lumière de l’objectif du Canada d’atteindre zéro émission nette d’ici 2050 et des conditions dans les mines de plus en plus profondes, la tendance dans les mines canadiennes est d’abandonner les véhicules à moteur à combustion interne conventionnels vers des véhicules électriques à batterie (VEB). Cependant, l’autonomie limitée et le temps de recharge d’une batterie versus faire le plein d’un réservoir pourraient réduire la disponibilité des VEB et affecter négativement les objectifs de production. Il est essentiel de comprendre les différences entre ces deux technologies lors de la conception d’une nouvelle mine ou de la transformation d’un parc de véhicules à combustibles fossiles en un parc de véhicules électriques. L’objectif premier de cette étude était donc de comparer les camions modulaires diesel (DCT, de l’anglais diesel cassette truck) et les camions modulaires électriques (ECT, de l’anglais electric cassette truck) en termes de consommation nette de carburant et d’énergie, respectivement. Les DCT et ECT lourds de MacLean Engineering ont été testés sur le terrain à la rampe de surface de la mine du Nord de Vale, à 5 et 15 km/h et avec le même poids. L’itinéraire d’essai contrôlé de 2,5 km comprenait 10 sections de 0, 5, 10 et 20 % d’inclinaison en montée et en descente. Cet article compare les performances des systèmes DCT et ECT en termes de capacité à maintenir la vitesse cible dans différentes conditions opérationnelles et de consommation de carburant et d’énergie. L’énergie captée par le freinage régénératif et les informations de charge ont également été évaluées pour l’ECT. Un rapport énergie/carburant (kWh/L) a été calculé pour différentes conditions de fonctionnement. En outre, les données ont été utilisées dans un cycle de travail hypothétique pour estimer la disponibilité du DCT et de l’ECT au cours d’une période de travail.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. An earlier presentation of this work was published in the Digitalization in Mining North America 2022 Conference prior to undergoing the CIM Journal peer-review process.
ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE
There are no ethical issues associated with this manuscript.
REVIEW STATEMENT
Paper reviewed and approved for publication by the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
J. Le
J. Le (PEng) is a Senior Engineer with NRCan-CanmetMINING. He has over 15 years’ experience in engineering management and designing mobile equipment for underground mines. He successfully completed the entire cycle of designing, manufacturing, testing, and maintaining diesel and battery electric machines. Recently, he was chair of the new CSA M424.4 committee and contributed to the GMG BEV Guideline. He has dedicated his career toward green technologies to improve operational efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the mining industry.
M. Levesque
M. Levesque is the Engineering Technical Lead for the data-driven technologies team at NRCan-CanmetMINING. Michelle is a chemist and holds Master’s and PhD degrees in Natural Resources Engineering. Focusing on the development of tools and technologies for improving efficiencies with the mining sector, Michelle has worked on various projects aimed at improving sustainability in mining.
E. Acuña-Duhart
E. Acuña-Duhart is an energy efficiency specialist with the NRCan-CanmetMINING team in Sudbury and works on the transition from diesel to electric vehicles in mining. He holds a Master’s in Operations Management and a PhD in Natural Resources Engineering. His focus is to develop tools and methodologies for improving energy efficiency and productivity in the mining sector.
E. Tomini
E. Tomini is a data scientist with NRCan-CanmetMINING and works on implementing artificial intelligence- and data-driven solutions for the mining industry. Emma has a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Laurentian University, a Master’s degree in Data Science and Analytics from Ryerson University, and has worked on artificial intelligence projects related to predictive maintenance, energy management, and value chain optimization.
A. Mohsenimanesh
A. Mohsenimanesh is an electric vehicles research scientist at NRCan-CanmetENERGY in Ottawa. His main R&D activities have focused on modeling, development, and evaluation of off-road vehicles, with particular focus on instrumentation, control, and electrification; structure and mechanical properties of materials; and big data analysis. He has published one book, one patent, and more than 30 journal articles, conference papers, and refereed scientific reports.
H. Ribberink
H. Ribberink leads the Transportation Electrification R&D team at NRCan-CanmetENERGY in Ottawa. He has a Master’s degree in Applied Physics and uses modeling and simulation techniques to evaluate advanced technologies. He has over 10 years of experience in researching many aspects of electric vehicles, such as cold weather performance, battery degradation, and required charging infrastructure.
A. Griffiths
A. Griffiths is MacLean Engineering’s Fleet Electrification Product Manager, based out of the MacLean corporate head office in Collingwood, Ontario. He has been with the company for over 26 years, serving in a range of manufacturing and design engineering, cost accounting, account management, and business development positions across MacLean’s mining, municipal, and environmental divisions. Integrating battery propulsion to the company’s Ground Support, Ore Flow, and Utility Vehicle product lines is the latest chapter in Anthony’s front-line implication in MacLean’s almost 50 years of designing mobile equipment solutions for the global hard rock mining industry.