According to Tarique Salman, Segment Manager-Surface Excavation Machine, Vermeer Equipment, the mining and quarrying industry sees a huge potential for electric engines and vibration less excavation machines as they prevent emissions and maintain sustainable mining operations.

Innovations in the mining and quarrying industry
The latest evolution of Vermeer’s Terrain Leveler range, the T1255SSDD (Single-Side Direct Drive) continuous surface miner, has been developed to meet the unique needs of the civil, quarry and mining industries. The machine is ideal for hard rock and tunnelling applications to increase productivity and reduce overhead costs.

The equipment offers reduced fuel consumption, emissions and labour costs compared to conventional methods. The machine comes with intelligent technology, SmartTEC electronic control system, which helps maximise machine performance by allowing operators to adjust machine controls where needed and monitor and record machine performance. They can then quickly analyse and adjust controls, assisting operators in optimising productivity with real-time machine control prompts.

Hydraulically driven surface mining systems at Vermeer
The Vermeer T1255SSDD surface miner comes on board with a hydraulically driven dust suppression system, eliminating the need for a separate trail-behind dust suppression system.

The T1255SSDD’s single-sided drive configuration combines the traditional surface miner’s vertical high wall capabilities with the performance and efficiency of a closed-loop hydrostatic drive, enabling precise cutting of:

Square corners: The machine can cut up to 80-degree corners.

Vertical High Wall: operators can extract more ore from the site.

Flat Mine Floor: The machine can produce a flat mine floor or create a 5-10o camber for water run-off.

A pressurised cab limits the operator’s exposure to dust particles and helps to filter out noise. The machine has a “Roll Over Protection System” to enhance the operator’s safety. With the “Operator Presence Sensor” activated, the machine automatically shuts down all operations in case the operator gets off his seat to ensure the safety of people working around the machine and the operator himself.

Innovative technologies complying with emission standards in mining
Despite the positive implications of the new emission regulations on the environment, there are many challenges for the engine and equipment OEMs to face in terms of cost, technology adoption, and availability of fuel matching the requirements.

The new added technologies and components in the engine system to meet the upcoming emission regulations will increase the input cost, which will compel the OEMs to an upward revision of product cost. This may be a burden on the customers as an initial cost. But in the long term, it will benefit the customers in many ways.

The major challenge is the technology itself to meet these regulations. Vermeer has already proven successful in Tier 4f technology. Hence, the first challenge of product and technology is already addressed by Vermeer. The next challenge lies with service engineers in the early stages of the learning curve with electronic engines and handling after-treatment systems. They need to develop competence in this area. The availability of fuel matching the requirements of Tier 4F engines has been a limitation in India. Finally, the more significant challenge lies with the end customer handling and maintaining these machines in the field.

Switching to electric units in mining is the latest trend, and the industry sees enormous potential for using electric engines in various mining equipment.

Cost of ownership, operations, and fuel efficiency.
Economic considerations such as the cost of owning the equipment and operation and fuel costs are some of the most critical factors that play a deciding role in selecting the equipment. The selection of mining equipment also depends much on an individual company’s needs and vision for expansion. Factors like specific projects and short-term needs may lead to customers ending up with equipment having a smaller CapEx.

Procuring construction equipment and solutions
Large mining companies are now desiring technological advancement and environmentally friendly equipment. Considering the growing levels of innovation worldwide, more advanced technologies like Acid Mist Suppressants, Dust Control Systems, Electrostatic Precipitators, Scrubbers, Process Ventilation Systems, and Pollution Control Systems are now available for deployment to efficiently control the alarming rise of pollutants in the environment. However, such advanced technologies are increasingly being adopted by major mining companies, but mass-scale
adoption is still a long way off for the Indian mining sector.

Sustainable solutions for surface mining
In addition to being safe and efficient, precision surface mining methods are helping miners create better sustainability practices. The vibrations caused by blasting can damage nearby infrastructure, including roads, utility lines, pipelines, and buildings. To avoid this, mines are forced to abandon areas near these obstacles. Surface excavation machines produce significantly less vibration and can work closer to existing infrastructure, helping to reduce the amount of mineral-rich material wasted.

The ability to excavate in these areas allows mining companies to extract more material in less space, which can help reduce their operational footprint. Vermeer Surface excavation machines also have the ability to precisely extract the ore from the waste, or ores of varying chemistry, and mine thin seams and non-homogenous ore bodies, which also cuts down on wasted material. Those attributes, along with the reduction of the dust and vibration created by explosives, make surface excavation equipment more sustainable and environmentally friendly than drilling and blasting.

Reducing and managing waste
Vermeer strives to integrate Lean principles into every aspect of the business—quality, cost, delivery, safety, and morale. The company is committed to improving production efficiency and enhancing product quality and reliability and continually evaluates all processes to identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

Recently, Vermeer set a goal to reduce electricity and natural gas consumption by 10 percent. Reducing waste and using energy more efficiently could significantly lower utility costs and keep the company competitive in foreign markets. Vermeer has been recycling manufacturing waste to improve overall efficiency and make its products more environmentally friendly.