Mine Vehicle On-site Trolley Assist

Project Goal: Determine the effect of an electric trolley assist system on cycle times, productivity and overall unit cost of an example mine.

Diesel fuel and engine maintenance is a significant expense at many mining sites. An electric trolley assist device can reduce unit cost of a mine. To save on fuel and maintenance expenses, this type of system enables haul trucks to run off external electric power, usually provided via an overhaul wire, instead of their internal engines.

This project used the example of Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in Western Australia, which has a permanent road infrastructure, to assess performance of three orientations of various trolley assists. Adapting the trolley assist model to Komatsu Ltd. equipment allowed for a mirror of the original non-trolley output for control purposes.

Analysis of Google Earth Pro data considered factors such as travel distance, slope grade and equipment speed relative to grade. Microsoft Excel was used to calculate and determine cycle times. Queuing theory factored in efficiency considerations. And, power available to the electric drive system affected limits on the number of vehicles the trolley could handle.