Can engine upgrades bridge the gap to future technologies?
Murray Clifford asks if engine upgrades are a smart path to greater efficiency?
As mining companies worldwide formulate strategies to transition to more sustainable operations without impacting cost of production, can engine upgrades help to bridge the gap to future technologies? One mining contractor in Australia has discovered that they certainly can.
Targeted upgrades that equip older high-horsepower mining engines with some of the technology fitted to the latest engines can pay big dividends. One company that has recently discovered this is HSE Mining, a contractor based in Australia.
The South Walker Creek coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin produces some 6.5Mtpa of ROM coal from its open cut operations. In 2017, HSE Mining embarked on an upgrade programme for its 2,500hp Cummins Tier 1 QSK60 engines in six Komatsu 830E haul trucks, with a view to reducing its carbon footprint.
HSE’s cost benefit analysis of the proposed upgrade demonstrated clear potential for improved engine life and fuel savings.
The Cummins solution chosen by HSE (named ‘Advantage’ in some territories) focused on the fuel system, with a key upgrade to the fuel injection in which the early high-pressure unit injection system (HPI) is replaced by a high-pressure modular common rail system (MCRS) standard on Cummins’ latest generation high horsepower engines. The upgrade featured other innovations in combustion technology engineered for Tier 4 Final and Stage V emissions compliance, currently the most stringent off-highway emissions standards in the world.
MEASURED ADVANTAGES
The MCRS upgrades brought a raft of operational improvements for HSE Mining. Notably, the operator observed that in-cylinder combustion technology was able to deliver a dramatic reduction of more than 60% in diesel particulate emissions with no aftertreatment. This naturally benefitted maintenance too, with less soot loading in oil.
The metrics for fuel consumption were equally positive. The operator was able to identify a 3% reduction across the first six Komatsu 830E trucks using the new fuel system technology. These fuel consumption gains naturally resulted in GHG emissions benefits with carbon dioxide (CO2) lowered by more than 500,000kg for six trucks over their operation cycles of 6,000hours/year.
The operator’s Tier 1 engines were previously being changed out at 22,000 hours, extended to 26,000 hours based on fuel burn. With the upgrades in place, 32,000-hour engine change-outs became typical. One unit ran to 36,000 hours without issue.
The longer life effectively eliminated one engine change-out in the 80,000-hour life of the truck chassis. Engine component life was also robust, with minimal mid-life component change-outs. Engines since returned to Cummins Master Rebuild Centre have had no core damage or additional core charges, underlining the top-level maintenance practices at the mine.
HSE Mining’s Maintenance Superintendent Aaron Poli recognises the impact of the upgrades. “By upgrading, we’ve significantly reduced our carbon footprint and diesel particulate emissions as well as achieving major cost efficiency gains by burning less fuel and gaining longer engine life,” he notes.
SUPPORT BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY
“If we do have a drama, it’s all hands-on deck from the Cummins team in Mackay, from the fitter on the floor, up through to Wade Ford (product support representative) to Glen Jones (branch manager),” Poli explains. “It’s not often I’ve seen a branch manager get involved as much as I’ve seen Glen Jones involved, which is a positive,” he comments.
Fuel system upgrades are presently available from Cummins Master Rebuild Centres globally.
Murray Clifford is with Cummins.