Image: Caterpillar.
Caterpillar has released a lower emission, fuel and energy cost trolley assist system for Cat electric drive mining trucks.
The Cat trolley assist retrofit kit is available for the 795F AC truck and the trolley design is compatible with three of Cat’s other electric drive mining trucks, the 794 AC, 796 AC and 798 AC.
As well as boasting lower running costs and environmental impact, the Cat trolley assist system boosts speed-on-grade for greater productivity.
The trolley system significantly reduces diesel emissions within mines by substituting electricity during the most demanding part of the truck work cycle.
Powering a 337 metric tonne payload 795F AC by trolley on a 10 per cent grade as it climbs the ramp out of the pit saves up to 40 litres of diesel fuel per kilometre of trolley line.
The trolley system’s commercial introduction comes after an almost two-year pilot project that was completed with four 795F AC trucks using 700 metres of electric trolley line at Boliden’s Aitik mine in Sweden.
“We feel that trolley assist can play a role in achieving mining companies’ greenhouse gas reduction goals,” Caterpillar electrical senior product team leader Eric Ruth said.
“Simultaneously, trolley assist boosts productivity by increasing speed-on-grade.
“In fact, testing at Aitik mine has shown that a 795F AC equipped with trolley assist is the most powerful mining truck in the world!”
Using the trolley system, a loaded 795F truck can run at 28 kilometres an hour on a 10 per cent physical grade, and speed-on-grade can increase as much as 100 per cent compared with diesel only mode.
Other advantages of Cat’s trolley assist system include superior uptime, reduced repair costs and a quick-drop feature to protect overhead trolley lines.