Abstract
The mining industry is facing certain problems that hamper its development. Thanks to the research efforts taken, certain improvements were implemented to the fuel combustion processes and the fuel efficiency of diesel engines used in mine dump trucks. Nevertheless, up to 30% of the fuel is wasted because the resultant energy gets dissipated in the surrounding space. The environmental requirements substantially confine the scope of sustainable use of trucks and demand that cleaner and more efficient vehicles were adopted. Another issue evinced itself to add to the environmental issues faced by mining companies, and that is continuously rising fuel prices. Therefore, achieving a significant reduction in fuel consumption by mine dump trucks appears to pose an increasingly pressing problem. One way to increase energy efficiency of open mining operations can be the adoption of electricity driven vehicles. Compared with diesel engines, electric drives have a longer record in the history of mining industry. The renewed interest to trolley trucks can be explained, first and foremost, by the reduced consumption of diesel fuel by mine dump trucks. Apart from the obvious reduction of fuel costs, additional advantages were obtained thanks to advanced technology. The main reason why trolley trucks and diesel-trolley trucks failed to find practical application in open pit mining is that it was basically an attempt to replace the regular diesel dump trucks with diesel-trolley trucks. All benefits delivered by trolley trucks combined help reduce the ore transportation costs by 15% to 20% and eliminate pollution and fumes. The biggest drawback of a trolley truck is its dependence on the power from the trolley line. Thanks to advanced technology of today, most of the disadvantages of a trolley truck can be eliminated without much effort. Trolley trucks could be a good option for the mining sites located in the areas with a considerable gap between the cost of diesel fuel and the cost of electricity. As the trolley lines require proper care and maintenance, it is recommended that trolley trucks are only used on mining site with an extended life. The payback period may be one to two years.
Keywords
Electric mining truck, energy saving, quarry, dump truck, ecology.
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