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also play a major role in market transfor- Anglo Rolls Out Hydrogen-powered Haul Truck
mation over the coming years and in the Anglo American recently unveiled a proto- for external energy. This energy, stored in
net-zero future. This may sound counterin- type of the world’s largest hydrogen-pow- the battery, together with the hydrogen,
tuitive at first, but our engineers have made ered haul truck designed to operate in extends the truck’s range and reduces the
mtu engines much more efficient and envi- everyday mining conditions at its Mogalak- out of cycle time for the trucks, since hy-
ronmentally friendly over the past decades wena platinum group metals (PGM) mine drogen refueling is significantly faster than
and continue to optimize them for less fuel in South Africa. The 2-MW hydrogen-bat- recharging batteries.
consumption and lower emissions. Cou- tery hybrid truck, generating more power As part of the integrated nuGen solu-
pled with hybrid technology and sustain- than its diesel predecessor and capable of tion, Anglo has also built a hydrogen pro-
able fuels, internal combustion engines, carrying a 290-metric-ton (mt) payload, duction, storage, and refueling complex
including diesel engines, are an important is part of Anglo American’s nuGen Zero at Mogalakwena that incorporates the
part of our roadmap toward net zero.” Emission Haulage Solution (ZEHS). largest electrolyzer in Africa and a solar
Starting in 2023, Rolls-Royce will re- This is the first time a truck of this PV field to support the operation of the
lease mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines size and weight (510 mt laden, which in- haul truck. nuGen is part of FutureSmart
for use with sustainable fuels, such as cludes a 220-mt gross vehicle weight and Mining, Anglo’s innovation-led approach
e-diesel and second-generation biofuels, a payload capacity of 290 mt) has been to sustainable mining, which brings to-
thus enabling climate-neutral operation converted to run on hydrogen that will be gether technology and digitalization to
in almost all applications. Electrification produced on-site in hybrid combination drive sustainability outcomes, includ-
will also play an important role. with a battery. ing its commitment to carbon-neutrality
“The mining industry aims for fully The nuGen truck uses a hybrid hydro- across its operations by 2040.
battery-electric trucks to achieve net-ze- gen fuel cell providing roughly half of the “nuGen is a tangible demonstration of
ro GHG emissions,” van Schalkwyk ex- power and a battery pack for the other our FutureSmart Mining program changing
plained. “But, to maintain the current half, to allow energy recovery from brak- the future of our industry,” Anglo American
autonomy of diesel-powered trucks with ing. Hydrogen enters the fuel cell from CEO Duncan Wanblad said. “With diesel
more than 12 hours before refueling, bat- the tank and mixes with oxygen to create emissions from our haul truck fleet ac-
teries need to be continuously recharged water in a chemical reaction catalyzed by counting for about 10%-15% of our total
during operation. The only proven tech- platinum. This generates electricity that Scope 1 emissions, this is an important
nology for dynamic external charging is is used to power the motors that drive the step on our pathway to carbon neutral op-
trolley assist. However, these systems are wheels. The only emission from the vehi- erations by 2040. The mining industry is
not always easy to deploy economically.” cle is water vapor. playing a considerable role in helping the
Rolls-Royce hopes to solve this chal- The 2-MW hybrid battery/hydrogen fuel world decarbonize, both through our own
lenge through technology, which it is ex- cell powerplant, which replaces the diesel emissions footprint and the metals and
ploring with its Hybrid Haul Truck Concept. engine installed, has been designed by An- minerals that we produce that are critical to
This is the first in a number of develop- glo American and First Mode in Seattle, low carbon energy and transport systems.”
ments that will lead toward the creation of USA. The power management and battery Over the next several years, Anglo plans
fully-electric trucks. The concept foresees a systems in the truck have been developed to convert or replace its current fleet of
vehicle that is battery powered and carries to improve overall efficiency by recovering diesel-powered trucks with this zero-emis-
a dynamic charger to avoid the limitations energy when the haul trucks travel down- sion haulage system, fueled with green
described above. To keep things afford- hill, through regenerative braking. By har- hydrogen. If this pilot is successful, the
able and simple, it would initially feature a vesting the regenerative energy created company could remove up to 80% of die-
downsized diesel engine that, when paired when driving downhill, it reduces the need sel emissions at its open-pit mines.
with sustainable fuels, is GHG-neutral.
“At the core of the concept are the en-
ergy storage solution and a sophisticated
power and energy management system for
multiple sources of power, i.e., the bat-
tery plus the source of recharging,” van
Schalkwyk said. “With improving energy
density of batteries and the advent of ad-
vanced dynamic charging solutions, the
concept allows for gradual downsizing
and eventual elimination of the combus-
tion engine and scaling up of the battery
to arrive at full electrification.”
van Schalkwyk was clear that the route
to electrified haul truck solutions is a
journey — potentially, a long one.
“These vehicles won’t just arrive and
take over from diesel one day to the next,” This is the first time a 290-mt haul truck has been converted to run on hydrogen. (Photo: Anglo American)
he said. “We are convinced that our evo- We have already developed self-learning al- strator is operational at our plant in Fried-
lutionary approach makes CO2-saving gorithms for engine control, which will help richshafen, Germany, and, from 2025, we
technology for mining trucks available in us to optimize the operation of our engines. plan to deliver series-manufactured fuel
the fastest possible way. It also offers the “In fact, we are currently implementing cell systems in the megawatt range.
best protection of valuable assets as it Engine Health Monitoring technology as “We are also working on internal
can be retrofitted to existing machines.” part of a pilot project with several custom- combustion engines, which can run on
The concept was presented for the ers in the mining industry. The technology hydrogen. From 2023, mtu engines and
first time at the MINExpo 2021 trade- will enable mines to take preventive mea- conversion kits could become available
show in Las Vegas, U.S., and, according sures before engine component failures for use with up to 100% hydrogen. All
to van Schalkwyk, it garnered much pos- and thus minimize downtime. The system of these technologies will be relevant for
itive feedback. The team is currently en- allows the monitoring of entire fleets down mining applications in the future.”
gaged in dialogue with customers to ana- to the level of single parts. The final prod-
lyze their needs and refine the concept. uct which we will offer will be fully scalable Making Battery Technology
“We have many years of experience to exactly fulfill our customer’s needs.” Work for Heavy Haulage
with hybrid drive systems,” added van As hinted earlier, Rolls-Royce is cur- Diesel engines, hybrid solutions and alter-
Schalkwyk. “The first train powered by rently transforming itself from an engine native power options all require specialized
mtu Hybrid PowerPacks has recently en- manufacturer to a provider of integrat- vehicle platforms, but this hasn’t phased
tered passenger service in the U.K. after ed, sustainable power solutions. As part the OEMs. John Schellenberg, mining
thorough development. Our hybrid rail- of this, the company has founded a new product manager for trucks at Hitachi
drive system enables fuel and thus CO2 Sustainable Power Solutions business Construction Machinery, joined E&MJ to
savings of up to 25% while also offering unit, which focuses exclusively on devel- discuss the challenges and opportunities.
improved train performance.” oping sustainable and climate-friendly “Diesel engines will have a place in
solutions across all applications. mining for some time,” he said. “Not all re-
From Diesel and Digital “The mining application is a good ex- gions have the local infrastructure require-
to Hydrogen ample of a field for which our whole eco- ments to adopt zero-emission solutions.
Another area that offers both immediate system of future technologies is relevant, Modernized regions that have well devel-
and future reductions in engine emis- from sustainable fuels to hybrids, digital oped infrastructure or the ability to invest
sions is digitalization. Rolls-Royce is cur- solutions to energy storage systems and in infrastructure will drive the adoption of
rently working on digital systems that will hydrogen,” van Schalkwyk said. “Hydro- greener solutions. But globally, there are
bring benefits to both mine operators and gen-related technologies include fuel many places that are still developing and
the environment. cells and hydrolyzers. We have taken sig- don’t have that foundation yet. Some devel-
van Schalkwyk explained: “By capturing nificant first steps on this path: the mtu oping nations will be able to bypass current
drive system data and analyzing it in real fuel cell element for climate-neutral ener- diesel technology and transition directly
time, we will be able to optimize the oper- gy supply had its world premiere at the UN to a zero-emission solution, because their
ation of our engines, increase uptime and Climate Conference COP 26 in Glasgow local geography or resources are aligned to
availability, and reduce fuel consumption. at the end of 2021. A fuel cell demon- take advantage of the new technology. How-
ever, other nations will not have this luxury,
and will need to rely on carbon-based tech-
nologies to grow and develop.”
Hitachi Construction Machinery has a
strong background in all things electrical.
As such, the company’s current lineup of
mining trucks is built for diesel-electric
operation, with the choice of either Cum-
mins or mtu engines. Trolley and trolley-as-
sist technologies have also been part of
Hitachi’s truck solution package since the
1980s, and so this is a natural option on
all of the company’s mining truck models.
“Battery solutions have been part of Hi-
tachi’s rail portfolio for more than 10 years,
so transitioning rail/battery technology to
the truck lineup is a natural progression,”
Schellenberg said. “This is the direction
Hitachi Construction Machinery is pursu-
ing; utilizing our current technology and
adapting it to new applications. This limits
development risk, and helps our customers
Rolls Royce unveils its mtu Hybrid Truck Concept at MINExpo 2021. (Image: Rolls Royce) have confidence in our approach.”
The alliance’s initial target is advancing means collaborating with OEMs to provide important that mining operations undergo-
Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept, open-standard, vendor-agnostic solutions ing electrification also optimize their grid
which debuted at MINExpo 2021. The ul- that evolve as clients’ needs change.” connection to manage fluctuations in sup-
timate aim is to develop a series of haul- The “all-electric” mine market is grad- ply and demand, combined with accurate
age vehicles that can run on a variety of ually taking shape and the ecosystem of production forecasting and energy storage.
power sources, including diesel-electric, electric solutions, such as connectors, Again, this will increase in importance as
electric, trolley (wired), battery power and batteries and charging capabilities is mines become more automated too.
even hydrogen fuel cells. steadily evolving and maturing. However,
As part of this, Komatsu has an aggres- the need to run continuously in demand- LNG: Benefits for Today
sive trolley development and testing sched- ing industrial conditions imposes addi- and Tomorrow
ule starting in the second half of this year tional challenges, and there is a parallel For mines that have high diesel burn
for both standard and autonomous trucks. market shift toward renewable energy, im- rates, converting haul truck engines to
“The order or priority of these platforms plementation of energy storage solutions, accept a percentage of liquified natural
is in part determined by the market and the and more smart energy management. gas (LNG) is another way that mines can
GHG Alliance members,” Lindell said. “The Trolley assist, automated charging sys- reduce their operating costs today, while
Komatsu power agnostic platform will be tems for hybrid haul trucks and OEM col- also reducing their total GHG emissions.
released on several models and size classes laboration are already helping operators to GFS Corp.’s EVO MT System for haul
traditionally supplied with electric drives. achieve net-zero targets, but Ashnagaran trucks (and other mining machinery) has
“Members of the GHG Alliance pro- said it’s important to note that they are all been designed to allow for the relatively
vide guidance on demand and timing interconnected. For this reason, solutions simple retrofit of existing machinery with
through engagement on zero-emission such as trolley assist should not be viewed minimal downtime and no risk to produc-
strategy planning, which helps drive pri- in isolation, but rather as one component in tion relative to LNG operation.
orities,” Lindell said. “Early planning the industry’s journey to carbon neutrality. “Our design philosophy is to maximize
and collaboration are key to developing ABB provides technologies with open, cost savings for the customer while simul-
a successful long-term transition to the OEM-agnostic standards that provide a taneously ensuring that the trucks are al-
zero-emission economy.” complete solution and avoid customers ways able to operate on 100% diesel fuel
from being locked-in with a single specif- should the need arise,” Jason Green, pres-
Trolley’s Place in the ic vendor. ident at GFS Corp., said. “Although LNG
Electric Mine Ashnagaran explained: “ABB’s eMine availability is improving on a global basis,
Trolley assist is a proven technology in solution is backboned by ABB Ability the distribution and supply chain is not as
mining; one that has seen a renewal of MineOptimize, a unique approach to dig- robust and competitive compared to dis-
interest over the past five years. ABB ital transformation that unifies electrifi- tillate fuels and we believe it’s important
has been at the forefront of this revival. cation, automation and digital systems that operators have the ability to switch
It’s trolley installation at Boliden’s Aitik in a single system that is fully vertically back to 100% diesel mode in the event
operation (and now Kevitsa) in Sweden and horizontally integrated, from pit to that the LNG supply is disrupted.”
has attracted a lot of industry attention port. MineOptimize is the culmination of LNG is an attractive option for mines
and, such was the project’s success, the 40 years of ABB experience in providing that see fuel costs as one of their biggest
companies have now signed an agreement large-scale integrated electrical power operating expenses, alongside things like
with Epiroc to adapt the technology for use and control solutions. tires and explosives.
underground at the Kristineberg mine too. “ABB has extended this unique ap- “To make natural gas conversions worth-
Mehrzad Ashnagaran, global product proach to its trolley system. Here again, we while, mines need to have a certain level of
line manager for electrification and com- integrate electrification, automation and diesel fuel consumption,” explained Green.
posite plant at ABB, spoke to E&MJ digital technologies within an ecosystem “We find that midsized and larger mines
about the benefits and considerations that includes other OEMs and technolo- with a lot of machinery and a high fuel load
required for success with trolley-assist. gy partners. No one can make this jour- see the most benefit because, when build-
“The transition to all-electric mines is ney alone; instead, this unique, triangular ing a business case, mines need to factor
being driven by the need for the industry to model allows ABB and its project partners in, not just the retrofit costs, but also the
decarbonize and commit to net-zero emis- to accompany customers during their tran- investment in LNG infrastructure for on-
sions in line with evolving environmental sition to all-electric motors and mines.” site fuel storage and refueling.”
legislation, chiefly by eliminating diesel According to Ashnagaran, it can take A local source of LNG is also important.
from haulage trucks, a significant source time for customers to understand that in- At first glance, some projects may look vi-
of CO2 in many open-pit mines,” he said. tegrating a trolley assist system requires a able, but if the closest LNG terminal is
“This can only be achieved if digi- mine redesign and there are operational 1,000 kilometers away, then ongoing
tal, automation and electrification solu- implications around strategy, scheduling transportation and logistics costs can be
tions like trolley assist and automated and skill sets. significant. Aftermarket conversions can
charging systems for hybrid haul trucks Integrating a trolley system and also affect OEM and engine warranties.
are cost-competitive compared with ex- charging infrastructure also changes the Depending on the technology that’s
isting fossil fuel alternatives. For special- mine’s energy load requirements, often being retrofitted, a percentage of the
ist technology providers like ABB, that making them more volatile. It’s therefore truck’s diesel consumption is substituted
with LNG; Green explained that the maxi- pler if mines could deal exclusively with and, where applicable, sustainable fuel
mum ratio GFS recommends is 70% LNG LNG but, to my knowledge, nobody offers substitutions, or accompanied by electric
to 30% diesel, although in reality, the mix 100% gas-fired engines for haul trucks motors, trolley assist and energy storage
is usually in the range of 40%-50% LNG yet; there are too many technological and as part of a hybrid solution.
with the balance made up by diesel. logistical limitations.” However, in the mid-long term (20+
“It depends on the duty cycle of the While most conversion projects are years), as miners begin to shrink their
haul truck and its operating mode,” he driven by cost savings, the emissions ben- carbon footprint and take more radical
explained. “Whenever the engine is op- efits that LNG offers are attracting more steps toward net-zero, the makeup of the
erating under mid- to high-load, that’s and more attention. global fleet will gradually begin to tip in
when it’s possible to optimize LNG sub- Green explained: “While some mining favor of electrified and fully-electric op-
stitution. When the truck is operating at companies are now pushing ahead with tions and, eventually, future technologies
light loads, idling or going down into the alternative fuels and/or technologies, we such as hydrogen.
pit, those modes are much less effective believe that the vast majority of mining It’s also worth remembering that, while
for diesel substitution.” machines will continue to use diesel for trucks are a very visible source of GHG
LNG has a lower energy density than the foreseeable future. Hybrid and bat- emissions, they are only one category of
diesel so, on a volume basis, it takes about tery solutions will become more com- equipment on site that’s responsible for
1.6-1.7 gallons of LNG to provide the monplace as those technologies contin- them. Excavators, dozers, crushing and
same amount of energy as 1 gallon of die- ue to develop.” milling equipment… all of these items
sel fuel. Because of this, more LNG must and more generate CO2 emissions, wheth-
be stored onboard the truck to provide the Haulage as Part of the er directly or indirectly, and therefore an
same performance as diesel. LNG storage Bigger Picture integrated approach to decarbonization
also requires specialized cryogenic tanks, In conclusion, the future of haul truck encompassing a long-term, reliable and
which can limit their location. power is a tale of two halves. In the short sustainable source of electricity, as well
Scheduling fleet activities to allow for to midterm — at least for the next 10 to as the appropriate power distribution and
refueling of both diesel and LNG is anoth- 15 years — the diesel engine will remain control systems are also crucial. Together,
er consideration. king of the global truck fleet, whether as these solutions offer a substantial oppor-
“That adds another layer of complex- the primary power option with accompa- tunity to make a step change in reducing
ity,” Green said. “It would be much sim- nying emission reduction technologies overall emissions from mining.