38 Fuel economy

Fuelling savings in tough times

Operational efficiency is increasingly important during the current downturn. Ailbhe Goodbody looks
at how miners can achieve a reduction in fuel consumption and save some dollars

F
uel economy is critical to mines
minimising operating costs to
deal with the current drop in
Fuel represents both commodity prices and demand.
the number one Fuel represents the number one
operating cost operating cost for truck haulage – on
for truck average, 30-40% of operating costs,
haulage and sometimes up to 80-90%, is due to
Photo: Cummins fuel, so effective management is very
important to the financial performance
of an operation, and the current
downturn in commodity prices has only
increased this focus in recent years.
Tod Stedman, product marketing
manager, electric-drive trucks at
Komatsu America Corp, says: “Fuel
economy is always important to mining
operations, but when the industry hits a
rough patch, the need for fuel efficiency
is magnified.”
Fuel savings of even just a few
percentage points can save thousands
of dollars per year, even in the smallest
fleet; for a large mining operation, if the
hauling fleet can use 1% less fuel, it can
mean millions of dollars in annual
savings.

April 2015 www. .com

 Fuel economy 39

Kaushik Nagendran, mining
marketing director at Cummins, says:
“Operations managers are insisting on
accurate measurement of fuel
consumption, with detailed analysis to
understand levers that can be pulled to
help reduce fuel use.”
As a result, sites that were previously
focused on productivity measures such
as tonnes/hour are now looking at other
metrics such as litres/tonne.
John Ingle, marketing and perfor-
mance manager at Caterpillar, notes:
“What we’re hearing from customers is
not necessarily requests for changes in
technology. Instead, customers are
asking about changing procedures and
processes to optimise such activities as
idling and shift changes to improve fuel
economy.”
Telematics that report such
information as idle time can also be
used to optimise processes. Adam
Pearce, business development manager
at Parker Racor, explains: “Whereas in
the transportation industry, economy is
the top consideration, in mining,
avoiding downtime is key.”
In this article we will explore some of
the main technologies and strategies
that mines are employing to reduce
their fuel costs, as well as key issues
that are driving these changes.
Emissions regulations
In 2004, the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) introduced
Tier 4 emission standards for large-scale
off-highway vehicles. The plan, which is
being phased in from 2008 to 2015,
created emission standards that
required a large reduction in particulate
matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)
in off-highway engines. Similar
emissions standards were phased into

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40 Fuel economy
The Hitachi EU countries between 2006 and 2014. Greg Smith, general manager, mining
EX3600 The emissions regulations have support group at Hitachi Construction
excavator compelled engine manufacturers to Machinery Co, adds: “Our customers
continually improve the efficiency of their have demanded that while it is essential
engines. The challenge has been attempt- that the emissions regulations are met,
ing to achieve this while also needing to they do not want this to be at the
burn more fuel to achieve production sacrifice of performance.
levels. Pearce notes: “Although Tier 4 “Accordingly, one of Hitachi’s key
does not limit CO2 or fuel efficiency objectives is to ensure emissions
directly, to achieve the NOx and compliance, while at a minimum
particulate regulations has meant that maintaining the same production per
engine efficiency has increased.” litre of fuel burnt ratio. Thankfully,
Blutip Power Technologies
Anglo American and Blutip Power Technologies power engines, causing more efficient in-cylinder
executed a contract in December 2014 to supply combustion to take place, resulting in reduced
Blutip’s Advanced Universal Controller (AUC) for fuel consumption without any reduction in the
haul trucks at Anglo’s Australian coal operations. engine’s power output.”
The agreement was signed after Anglo saw The AUC integrates with engine control
significant fuel savings with the AUCs on models (ECMs) and has no impact on the ECM’s
Caterpillar 797, 793, 789 and 785 haul trucks at its outputs (such as maintenance diagnostics) apart
Dawson, Capcoal and Drayton mines during 2014. from the remapping. The Blutip AUC typically
Andrew Lindsay, vice-president of engineering provides fuel savings of 5-6%, with even higher
and technology development at Blutip, says: fuel savings possible in applications with higher
“Blutip’s AUC effectively remaps high-horse- engine-load factors (such as excavators and
gensets).
The company is seeing significant demand for
the fuel savings that its AUC can provide for
high-horsepower engines. In addition, Blutip is
seeing strong demand for the data analytics and
related services that it can provide to its
customers through use of the AUC. These
services include the capability to predict fuel
usage as haul-truck routes change over time and
to assess other fuel savings technologies (such as
fuel additives) in the field.
Blutip has mining customer-support personnel
on the ground in Australia, South America and
The Blutip Power Technologies Advanced North America where its AUCs have been
Universal Controller (AUC) for haul trucks installed.
April 2015
Hitachi has bettered this and achieved
an increased production capacity at a
lower relative fuel consumption with the
latest models.”
However, emissions regulations alone
don’t create demand for better fuel
economy. Stedman notes: “Our
customers expect better fuel economy
regardless of emissions mandates.”
So while emissions regulations have
driven the mining industry to better fuel
efficiency, it is not necessarily in the way
that one would predict. Ingle adds:
“NOx regulations actually negatively
affect fuel consumption. Since fuel is the
single largest operating cost, it has
pushed us to look at other ways to
improve fuel efficiency.”
Nagendran says: “Many expect that
the emissions regulations will drive new
engine technology, and with that
technology, OEMs can at a minimum
off-set any fuel-consumption increases
that result from the tighter emissions
requirements.
“Many customers expect that the
added technology will help improve
overall fuel consumption relative to
previous emissions regulations.”
The subsequent changes to the way
engines are built have in turn brought
changes in the standards for ‘acceptable’
diesel-fuel cleanliness standards. Scott
Grossbauer, global director, clean fuel &
lubricant solutions at Donaldson Co,
says: “The new high-pressure common
rail (HPCR) engines are by default more
efficient, because they require fuel that
is clean on a nearly microscopic level. In
essence, engines have been made to
improve fuel economy as well as reduce
emissions, but require cleaner fuel to
operate and remain at an optimal level.”
Engine technologies
There are plenty of engine technologies
that can be used to reduce fuel use in
truck fleets, some of which are
proprietary to certain manufacturers.
Nagendran comments: “One of the
easiest ways to reduce fuel consumption
is to reduce non-productive running
time. Other technologies focus on
improving the system-level optimisation
of the engine and powertrain in various
pieces of equipment.”
Randy Murphy, senior mining sales
manager, Americas at MTU, adds:
“Numerous technologies are used
successfully today to reduce fuel
consumption, including ECU calibrations,
various turbocharging technologies,
valve timing, after-cooling, improved
common-rail fuel injection systems and
faster microprocessors.”
MTU states that several mines around
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the world are now realising the benefits
of eliminating after-treatment.
Mark Bennett, senior manager, global
mining accounts at MTU, says: “By
integrating MTU’s Tier 4i and Tier 4 final
technology in new and repowered
equipment, mine sites are able to
achieve emissions standards without
exhaust after-treatment at 750bhp
[559kW] and above to reduce fuel
consumption, maintenance costs and
downtime, and complexity.”
Technological advancements in
fuel-delivery systems, turbocharging and
general combustion have enabled MTU
to meet Tier 4 exhaust emissions using
less fuel than Tier 2 engines.
In addition, Cummins has been
working with several major mining
companies on site-specific as well as
global fuel-economy projects along with
its OEM partners.
Cummins distributor Cummins Rocky
Mountain recently completed a repower
project at ASARCO’s Ray copper mine in
Arizona, US – the teams removed Tier 1
engine modules from a fleet of Liebherr
T282B haul trucks and replaced them
with Cummins Tier 2 QSK60 engines.
This resulted in 8.6% lower fuel
consumption at the site.
Fuel economy 41
Fuel filtration
Fuel is the source of energy for all
conventionally powered equipment.
The better that fuel is handled, and the
higher the quality of the fuel, the more
efficiently the engine will operate.
The relationship between fuel
filtration and economic fleet operation is
almost completely connected with
maintaining engine efficiency.
Effective fuel filtration will make any
mining operation more efficient by
eliminating costly downtime. On major
mining sites, unplanned downtime for
any reason is a significant problem.
Cleaner fuel burns more efficiently
with fewer waste products. The dirtier
the fuel, the more heat is generated
and the less effective the transfer of
energy achieved.
Nagendran explains: “Filtration is a
key technology to making the sure the
fuel meets the needs of today’s
high-precision fuel systems and keeps
them operating at their full capability.” high-performance filter on fuel bowsers Cat Power
Good ways of reducing downtime and pumps. Demand
through fuel cleanliness include adding With good filtration and water Management
pre-filtration systems such as turbine separation, the fuel cleanliness at the System cabinets
filters to ensure filter efficiency and injector remains high and the engine on the top deck
service intervals, and improving performance and efficiency will remain of a Cat 7495
fuel-delivery cleanliness by using a at consistent design levels. shovel

Pearce says: “Poor filtration giving
low injector cleanliness will wear and
damage injection-system components,
reducing efficiency and putting
equipment at high risk of downtime.”
Murphy agrees: “When injector wear
is reduced, truck fleets can maintain
control of fuel injection over longer
periods, and as a result, over-fuelling is
minimised. Measuring fuel pressure
drop across filters also allows the
engine controller to optimise fuel
injection, which improves fuel
consumption and cylinder-component
life.”
Following OEM guidelines for filter
type, installation and maintenance will
result in the best possible fuel
efficiency of any engine platform. Ingle
notes: “We are seeing our clean-fuel
module help reduce the amount of
wear on fuel-system components,
including fuel pumps and injectors. This
not only keeps the fuel system
operating at peak efficiency, but it also
reduces maintenance and extends the
lives of components.”
As HPCR engines become more
prevalent due to new emissions
standards, operations managers are
learning the importance of clean diesel.
Grossbauer says: “When we say ‘clean’,
we’re not talking about the old ‘clear
and bright’ visual test. Diesel must be
clean on a level that you can’t judge
with the human eye, or you risk
increased downtime due to plugged
on-board filters (at best) or even ruined
injectors (at worst).”
While diesel fuel is typically
delivered to bulk tanks in a state that
meets all fuel-industry specifications for
cleanliness, it is often not acceptable
by OEM standards and can be unfit for
use in the HPCR engines that have
been developed to meet Tier 4
emissions standards.
Grossbauer states: “As a result,
we’re seeing increased interest in bulk
filtration, so that end-users can get
www. .com April 2015
Fuel economy 43
maximum use out of on-board filtration detected and dealt with before being A Cat 7495
systems, not to mention the engine pumped into the equipment.” shovel and 797F
itself.” Also, removing contaminants allows trucks at the
In addition, while injector erosion on-board filtration systems to do their Kearl oil-sands
can degrade fuel economy and injector job better and remain problem-free project in
failure is a cause of significant until regularly scheduled maintenance Alberta, Canada
downtime, on-board filter plugging can can be performed.
be just as serious if fuel is dirty or Donaldson Co recommends a
unstable when pumped into the three-tiered approach:
vehicle. • Use of high-efficiency filtration at the
As a result, on-board filtration inlet of a bulk tank will protect against
systems have had to advance as engine taking delivery of dirty fuel;
technology has advanced, which means • An effective breather filter on the tank
that they have to be extremely efficient will then help combat ambient dirt
under all operating conditions (such as and moisture; and
vibration or flow fluctuation) in order to • Filtering fuel as it is being dispensed “When we
offer adequate protection. into the equipment is a final failsafe
Grossbauer cautions: “But that against contamination that happens say ‘clean’,
protection comes with a price, as within the tank. we’re not
high-efficiency filters can plug when
faced with fuel issues. A plugged filter Technology focus talking
is a filter that has done its job, but In a bid to save its customers money, about the
downtime is downtime, and changing Caterpillar is providing different power old ‘clear
on-board filters that plug without and fuel-map settings on its load-and-
warning can be a costly headache.” haul equipment. The company has and bright’
He adds: “So, when we talk about developed a suite of engine calibra- visual test.
fuel filtration and jobsite efficiency, it’s tions optimised for various mining haul
important to discuss bulk filtration as cycles and environments, allowing
Diesel must
well as on-board filtration. By pumping customers to balance fuel cost and be clean on
fuel through a high-efficiency bulk filter, productivity concerns. a level that
any problems with the fuel can be Ingle explains: “One of the benefits
you can’t
judge with
the human
eye”
A haul truck in
a service bay
Photo: Donaldson
Clean Solutions

of mechanical-drive trucks has always
been that they burn very little fuel
during retarding. Building off that base,
we have looked at areas where we
could improve engine and truck
performance. Cat electronically
controlled transmissions smooth
shifting but also enable the engine to
run at optimum engine speeds, which
improves fuel efficiency.”
The company is also introducing a
clean-fuel module that helps reduce the
amount of wear on the engine. It keeps
the engine running smoothly for a
longer period of time, which helps
maintain higher fuel efficiency.
Ingle says: “Miners have recognised
that minimising idle time and removing
extra stops in the production cycle can
Trolley assist
Trolley-assist systems, which involve
adapting diesel-electric trucks to run
using power supplied from an
overhead line, have some advantages
in terms of reducing fuel costs.
While under trolley-assisted power,
the engine returns to idle – signifi-
cantly reducing the engine load factor
in a condition when the majority of fuel
is typically burnt (such as uphill, fully
loaded, or under diesel power only).
The potential fuel savings from a fleet
of trolley-assist trucks is huge.
Smith says: “In my opinion, this is
not as commonly implemented as it
should be. The requirement for the
long-term commitment and up-front
commercial investment in infrastruc-
ture seems to have been the negating
factor.
“The return on investment and
overall cost of operation over a typical
mine life is extremely compelling, but
the willingness of companies to invest
long term with such industry
www. .com April 2015
bring fuel savings. Other successful
efforts have focused on haul-road
maintenance.”
Recently, a Caterpillar team analysed
a mine’s haul roads. Potholes were
causing trucks to slow and then
re-accelerate, which wastes fuel.
Removing the potholes and keeping
rolling resistance down by using motor
graders paid off. Reducing rolling
resistance a full percentage point and
eliminating larger road problems
delivered as much as 4% greater
productivity while using 10% less fuel.
Ingle explains: “Many mining
companies are now focused on fuel
efficiency – the amount of material
moved per unit of fuel – rather than
fuel burn. This measure more accurately
uncertainty has proven to have limited
this solution to a handful of mines
globally.”
However, trolley assist is not without
its drawbacks; it can reduce fuel costs,
but it comes with its own issues. Ingle
cautions: “Mines using trolley need to
make massive infrastructure invest-
ments so that power lines are available
for trucks, and the mine must be
designed to make efficient use of the
trolley system. Additionally, each truck
must carry the weight of its power-col-
lection system even when it is not
powered through trolley wires.”
Stedman adds: “To realise the full
benefit of a trolley system, the mine
would need to invest substantially in
infrastructure, and meet certain
mine-design criteria. However, with
these parameters in place, a customer
can expect significantly lower fuel
consumption, increased productivity
and an overall reduction in operating
costs.”
Fuel economy 45
reflects the goal of achieving the lowest Cummins Rocky
mining costs.” Mountain
Caterpillar also offers productivity recently
analysis, which uses scale trucks and completed a
time study to measure and optimise repower project
how haul trucks are used in mine sites. at ASARCO’s
The analysis often identifies ways to Ray copper mine
reduce fuel costs. in Arizona
The company’s integrated hybrid
offering (see box on p46) features a Cat
generator set as the core of the system,
which provides a dependable source of
uninterrupted power. Power from solar
and wind offset the need for power from “Miners
the generator set, reducing fuel have
consumption in the range of 30-70%.
Hitachi has been working on its new
recognised
AC-drive technology, utilised in the that
EH3500AC-3, EH4000AC-3 and minimising
EH5000AC-3 rigid-frame dump trucks It
has been introduced to multiple mine idle time
sites around the world and has resulted and
in consistent reductions in fuel
consumption relative to tonnes moved
removing
per litre of fuel burnt. extra stops
Smith remarks: “The efficiency of the in the
AC drive system combined with the
trailing-arm suspension system (unique production
to Hitachi trucks) has delivered a cycle can
substantiated lowering of fuel
consumption in these applications and
bring fuel
significantly lower fuel costs.” savings”
Hitachi has also introduced its
electric-powered mining-excavator
range, which delivers the same
productivity expectations as diesel-
powered configurations, while utilising
a far more economic and environmen- The MTU 12V
tally friendly alternative in electric 4000 engine.
motors. Advances in fuel
Komatsu states that for some of its delivery,
Australian customers, more precise turbocharging
tuning of the engine and drive system and combustion
yielded significantly improved fuel use. have enabled
The company will make these MTU to meet
modifications available to any global Tier 4 exhaust
customer with appropriate mine site emissions using
applications. less fuel than
Komatsu and its engine supplier Tier 2 engines
46 Fuel economy
The Komatsu Cummins recently completed a project
730E-8 truck at to better match fuel demand to power
work. Haul-road requirements in its high-horsepower
design/condition engines. It now uses 1-2% less fuel, in
and operator most instances.
behaviour can Stedman says: “Another technology
both have a big we’re exploring is liquid natural gas
effect on fuel (LNG). Although deployment of LNG for
efficiency high-horsepower mobile equipment in
still in its infancy, it offers the potential
for overall fuel-cost savings to some of
our customers. If natural-gas prices stay
low, Komatsu believes this solution will
be a popular alternative to traditional
fuelling technology.”
Simulators and training
The use of operator training and
simulators can significantly boost overall
equipment operation efficiency and
help cut fuel consumption; for example,
through achieving more consistent and
efficient dig cycles from excavator
operators.
Truck drivers can also employ more
economical driving techniques; by
having operators run trucks in a
simulated environment, the trainer can
make sure they understand the best
way to operate their trucks to be
fuel-efficient.
Stedman explains: “With Komatsu’s
Frontrunner Autonomous Haulage
System, by removing the operator and
allowing the truck to run to its optimal
Onsite power generation
As with mining equipment, making
sure that power generators are used
efficiently is an easy way to improve a
“The use of mine’s fuel efficiency. Nagendran says:
operator “Some of the same things we’d apply
to mining engines can be applied in
training and powergen applications as well.”
simulators The hybrid approach to power
generation has some benefits; it
can signifi­ brings the best of all technologies
cantly boost together in a micro-grid system that
overall lowers the overall cost of energy and
reduces carbon and gaseous
equipment emissions. It aims to lower the amount
operation of fuel consumed by replacing it with
electrical energy, in turn also lowering
efficiency” emissions.
The price of renewable energy has
rapidly declined over the past decade,
so many mines are evaluating solar
and wind energy options for reducing
on-site diesel-fuel consumption. In
addition, natural gas and heavy fuel oil
are viable alternatives to diesel for
many mine locations. Smith suggests:
“Ultimately, we are looking towards
the elimination of fossil fuel-driven
design parameters, we have seen
significant improvements in fuel
efficiency.”
Cipta Kridatama, one of Indonesia’s
leading mining contractors, used
Immersive Technologies simulators to
train haul-truck operators and last year
reported a reduction in fuel consump-
tion of about 6.9%. The site now
operates 5.8% under its budgeted litres
per hour fuel consumption, and Cipta
Kridatama estimates that it can save
US$500,000 per year as a result.
In 2013, Immersive also partnered
with Australian contractor Downer to
launch a fuel-efficiency technology that
generators and replacing them with
clean, renewable energy sources.”
Caterpillar is working on an
integrated hybrid offering that
combines wind, solar and energy
storage with its traditional generator-
set products and turbines into a
seamlessly controlled micro-grid
solution.
Rick Rathe, global rental power
manager at Caterpillar, says: “These
projects begin with a site visit and
energy audit. After we optimise the
demand side of the equation, we then
use analytical tools to determine the
optimal amount of solar, wind and
energy storage. These predictive tools
allow us to design a customised
solution with the best mix of available
technologies for each customer’s site.”
generators on less fuel
Caterpillar has developed technology
that will permit mining companies to
power the Cat 7495 or 7495 HF
electric rope shovels on just 4MW of
generator power.
April 2015
is aimed at providing mine management
with an affordable way to address the
challenges of rising fuel costs and
environmental responsibility.
The technology, which is embedded
in Immersive’s Advanced Equipment
Simulators, is designed to give
mining-equipment operators the skills
and knowledge they need to operate in
a productive manner while assessing
and eliminating behaviours that directly
relate to excess fuel consumption. For
example, the technology includes
detailed monitoring of operator
behaviours such as levels of throttle and
brake application for specific situations.
The standard practice uses multiple
generators with a total of 8MW or
more capacity to achieve rapid
response when peak power is
required. Of course, multiple
generators increase maintenance and
fuel costs. Additionally, generator-
powered electric rope shovels require
additional systems to dissipate
regenerated energy, because they
cannot feed electricity back into the
power grid.
The Cat Power Demand Manage-
ment System stores regenerative
energy created during swing
deceleration and bucket lowering, and
the system uses that power during
periods of high demand to reduce the
generator load cycle. Ultra capacitors
enable the system to store and release
energy quickly.
This technology has been validated
as an off-grid solution at the
Caterpillar proving grounds in Arizona,
US. After field trials at an operating
mine, it is expected to be commer-
cially available later in 2015.
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