Cummins Mining Magazine - Summer 2014

MINING BUSINESS WORK

SUMMER EDITION 2014

Behind the seams at Boggabri

Ironing out the Duke

AT MEANDU EX8000 DIGGING THE BIG TONNAGES

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MUSCLING IN

Cummins Mining Magazine Published by Cummins South Pacific.

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CONTENT

Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager… “We plan to have the EX8000 operating around 5,700 hours a year.”

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The world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe excavator is in full flight at Stanwell Corporation’s Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland, digging the big tonnages expected of it.

With its dual Tier II Cummins QSK60 MCRS engines pumping out close to 4000 hp, the 837-tonne EX8000 went into service in September and is moving 2700 to 3000 BCMs (bank cubic metres) an hour.

“The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million BCMs per year over the next three years, removing mainly overburden,” says Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager.

A pointer to the machine’s capability is that it recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day. The EX8000 is equipped with a 45 cubic metre bucket and is moving around 75 tonnes per bucket load, feeding a fleet of 220-tonne capacity Komatsu 830E dump trucks.

One of the biggest hydraulic excavators in the world, the EX8000’s dual 60-litre Cummins QSK60 engines power its hydraulic system – a system of 16 main pumps which move 8000 litres of oil a minute to achieve maximum working force.

Although it’s early days yet for the EX8000 at Meandu Mine, Jim Young is confident the machine will achieve its targets based on his extensive knowledge of the Hitachi product.

“We plan to have the machine operating around 5700 hours a year,” says the man who started at Meandu Mine during its construction in the late 1970s. It’s not surprising that Jim Young knows virtually every square metre of the Meandu complex which today comprises five active pits.

Stanwell is a diverse energy company owned by the Queensland Government and has coal, gas and water assets that are used to generate electricity for Australia’s wholesale electricity market.

MUSCLING IN AT MEANDU

EX8000 recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day.USER REPORT

BEHIND THE SEAMS AT

BOGGABRIA fleet of Cummins-powered haul trucks and excavators is achieving availability targets for mining contractor Downer Mining at Boggabri Coal in the Gunnedah Basin, NSW.

Cummins’ on-site support also rates highly at Boggabri with the mine operating 24/7 and set to produce more than 5.0 million tonnes of coal in 2014.

Downer Mining has been the mining contractor at Boggabri Coal since 2006 when production began. The

mine is owned by Idemitsu Australia Resources, a subsidiary of Japanese petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Construction of the mine began in January 2006 and the first coal was produced in October.

Downer Mining’s current contract with Idemitsu, which runs to December 2016, involves drilling and blasting, mine planning, and loading and haulage.

Overburden haulage at Boggabri is spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks

with a 290-tonne payload capacity, and the force behind their tractive effort is the Cummins QSK60 engine rated at 2700 hp.

The reliability of the 930E trucks is critical as they contribute significantly to a total annual overburden and coal movement of around 36 million BCMs. The oldest 930Es had clocked up around 9,000 hours near the end of 2013, with the youngest at 5000 hours.

Cummins on-site technician Casey Haywood (right) with Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor Adam Morrison.

Cummins power is specified in all the Cat excavators at Boggabri.12 13 CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER 2014

IRONING OUT THE DUKE

One of the three EX2600-6 excavators achieving high availability at Iron Duke.16 17

Four Cummins-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding production and availability targets at BGC Contracting’s iron ore mining operations at Iron Duke in South Australia.

Three of the diggers are 254-tonne EX2600-6 units with Tier 2 Cummins QSK50 engines rated at 1500 hp, while the fourth is a 239-tonne EX2500-5 with a Cummins QSK45 rated at 1350 hp.

All are configured as backhoes and they moved in excess of 15 million BCMs (bank cubic metres) in their first 12 months at the Iron Duke mine.

USER REPORT

CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER 2014

When Contract Power decided to become the first major user of Cummins QSK78 generator sets in the world with the construction of a power station atChristmas Creek in the Pilbara, it could have been viewed as a bold move in such a remote and harsh region.

At the time, Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser dismissed any possible concerns: “We like trying new equipment… we believe it gives us a leading edge over our competitors.”

The power station in question was completed early in 2012, its generators vital to the operation of Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine, in particular the two ore processing facilities that have an annual through-put capacity of more than 50 million tonnes.

This is the biggest diesel power station in Australia, designed and built by Perth-based Contract Power and owned and operated by the same company – a progressive outfit that boasts the ability to do power generation business “anywhere in the world”.

It is also the largest single installation of prime power Cummins QSK78 generator sets in the world, each of the 27 units able to deliver 2 MW.

In a previous issue of Cummins Commentary (Issue 34, August 2011), we featured the first development stage of the power station. Undertaken in 2011, this first stage saw the installation of 14 generators, while the second and final stage was completed early in 2012 with the commissioning of a further 13 QSK78 units.

The reliability of the power station is

critical to Fortescue – Australia’s third largest producer of iron ore behind Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – as it continues to ramp up production.

For Contract Power’s Marc Grosser, “hitting the maintenance targets” is one of the key pointers to the efficiency of the power station.

“Mechanically, the engine/alternator package is performing very well,” he says without hesitation. “Some of the gensets have clocked up over 10,000 hours and are hitting the maintenance targets that we have in place with Cummins.

“Our experience at Christmas Creek is that maintenance costs of the QSK78 genset are lower than competitors’ costs.

“Fuel economy of the QSK78 is also very competitive,” he says.

He points out the maintenance targets set with Cummins include injector change-out at 10,000 hours – a target that is being achieved.

GENERATORS

08 09 Power station at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine comprises 27 QSK78 gensets.

The generation of electrical power in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is critical as its iron ore riches continue to provide Australia with its biggest export earnings.

GENERATION


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Muscling in at MeanduThe world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe excavator is in full flight at Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland.

Generation XThe biggest diesel power station in Australia, at Christmas Creek mine in the Pilbara, features Cummins QSK78 generator sets.

Just keep on diggingTwo of the first operational Tier II Cummins QSK38 engines in the world have exceeded life-to-overhaul targets in mining in south east Queensland.

Holding fire A containerised fire pump incorporating Cummins power has been built for a Pilbara mining project.

Behind the seams at BoggabriA fleet of Cummins-powered haul trucks and excavators is achieving availability targets at Boggabri Coal in NSW.

Ironing out the DukeFour Cummins-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding production and availability targets at the Iron Duke mine in South Australia.

Now we’re pumping A mine dewatering pump, powered by one of the biggest Cummins CustomPaks in Australia, has gone to a mining project in Africa.

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miningCummins

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Cummins Mining is published byCummins South Pacific. 2 Carribbean Drive, Scoresby, Victoria 3179.

EditorMurray CliffordPh. 0419 268 289, Email: [email protected]

Marketing ManagerRachael Reinheimer [email protected]

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Designed as fully integrated power packages, Cummins’ generator sets span 20 kVA to 1250 kVA. And they are backed by Cummins’ unmatched service support network which includes the award-winning 24/7 Cummins Support Centre.

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USER REPORT

Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager… “We plan to have the EX8000 operating around 5,700 hours a year.”

The world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe excavator is in full flight at Stanwell Corporation’s Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland, digging the big tonnages expected of it.

With its dual Tier II Cummins QSK60 MCRS engines pumping out close to 4000 hp, the 837-tonne EX8000 went into service in September and is moving 2700 to 3000 BCMs (bank cubic metres) an hour.

“The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million BCMs per year over the next three years, removing mainly overburden,” says Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager.

A pointer to the machine’s capability is that it recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day. The EX8000 is equipped with a 45 cubic metre bucket and is moving around 75 tonnes per bucket load, feeding a fleet of 220-tonne capacity Komatsu 830E dump trucks.

One of the biggest hydraulic excavators in the world, the EX8000’s dual 60-litre Cummins QSK60 engines power its hydraulic system – a system of 16 main pumps which move 8000 litres of oil a minute to achieve maximum working force.

Although it’s early days yet for the EX8000 at Meandu Mine, Jim Young is confident the machine will achieve its targets based on his extensive knowledge of the Hitachi product.

“We plan to have the machine operating around 5700 hours a year,” says the man who started at Meandu Mine during its construction in the late 1970s. It’s not surprising that Jim Young knows virtually every square metre of the Meandu complex which today comprises five active pits.

Stanwell is a diverse energy company owned by the Queensland Government and has coal, gas and water assets that are used to generate electricity for Australia’s wholesale electricity market.


EX8000 recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day.

Meandu Mine was bought from Rio Tinto in 2008 to secure a long-term fuel source for the two adjacent Tarong power stations.

Construction of the mine began in 1981 after the Queensland Government made the decision to build the first Tarong power station. In 1984, the mine began regular supply of coal to the 1400 MW power station – supply that increased with the construction of the second Tarong power station (443 MW) in 2003.

The mine is currently producing 4.8 Mtpa but has reached as high as 7.2 Mtpa. Downer EDI is providing the mining services at Meandu although Stanwell owns most of the plant.

Hitachi is the preferred excavator brand at Meandu, the oldest machine on site – an EX3500 with dual 880 hp Cummins K38 engines – having clocked up around 84,000 hours since its commissioning in 1992. “It’s on easy work these days where it doesn’t have

to do much walking,” says Jim Young.

Other machines in the excavator fleet include a 518-tonne EX5500-5 which had run 43,250 hours near the end of 2013 (it has dual Cummins QSK45 engines rated at 1350 hp), and a 359-tonne EX3600-6 which had worked 23,000 hours (it is powered by a single Tier II Cummins QSK60 MCRS engine rated at 1944 hp).

The QSK60 with its modular common rail fuel system (MCRS) achieved 18,850 hours in the EX3600-6 before rebuild, and Cummins mining business manager Stewart McKeddie expects a similar life to overhaul with the dual Tier II QSK60 engines in the EX8000.

The 19-strong dump truck fleet at Meandu is spearheaded by Komatsu 830E AC

EX8000 is powered by dual Cummins QSK60 engines pumping out close to 4000 hp.

Meandu Mine has five active pits…pictured are the west and central pits.06 07


units powered by 2500 hp Cummins QSK60 engines. The oldest engines have gone through the 14,000-hour market on their way to the 25,000-hour rebuild target.

Hitachi is currently using Meandu Mine as part of its trial development of a comprehensive suite of technologies aimed at providing more autonomous equipment to the surface mining industry by 2017.

Three 296-tonne payload capacity EH5000AC-3 trucks powered by the Cummins QSK60 engine rated at 2850 hp will eventually be part of the trial at Meandu over a three-year period.

Hitachi points out that dump truck loading, haulage and dumping operation will be entirely automated and that the trucks will be able to interact with other human-operated equipment.

The trucks will use a highly advanced GPS to control their location, speed and direction. The GPS system has the ability

to identify haul roads, intersections and mine locations such as loading areas, stockpiles and crushers. The trucks also have a control system that allows precise speed control, helping them to safely negotiate steep slopes at the mine.

An interesting point is that Komatsu also used Meandu Mine – in 2001-2002 – for development of its automated truck, a number of which are now in use at Rio Tinto mines in the Pilbara, WA.

The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million BCMs per year over the next three years.

Jim Young with Alex Mier, Cummins SE Asia manager for mining.

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GENERATORS

08 09 Power station at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine comprises 27 QSK78 gensets.

The generation of electrical power in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is critical as its iron ore riches continue to provide Australia with its biggest export earnings.

GENERATION

When Contract Power decided to become the first major user of Cummins QSK78 generator sets in the world with the construction of a power station atChristmas Creek in the Pilbara, it could have been viewed as a bold move in such a remote and harsh region.

At the time, Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser dismissed any possible concerns: “We like trying new equipment… we believe it gives us a leading edge over our competitors.”

The power station in question was completed early in 2012, its generators vital to the operation of Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine, in particular the two ore processing facilities that have an annual through-put capacity of more than 50 million tonnes.

This is the biggest diesel power station in Australia, designed and built by Perth-based Contract Power and owned and operated by the same company – a progressive outfit that boasts the ability to do power generation business “anywhere in the world”.

It is also the largest single installation of prime power Cummins QSK78 generator sets in the world, each of the 27 units able to deliver 2 MW.

In a previous issue of Cummins Commentary (Issue 34, August 2011), we featured the first development stage of the power station. Undertaken in 2011, this first stage saw the installation of 14 generators, while the second and final stage was completed early in 2012 with the commissioning of a further 13 QSK78 units.

The reliability of the power station is

critical to Fortescue – Australia’s third largest producer of iron ore behind Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – as it continues to ramp up production.

For Contract Power’s Marc Grosser, “hitting the maintenance targets” is one of the key pointers to the efficiency of the power station.

“Mechanically, the engine/alternator package is performing very well,” he says without hesitation. “Some of the gensets have clocked up over 10,000 hours and are hitting the maintenance targets that we have in place with Cummins.

“Our experience at Christmas Creek is that maintenance costs of the QSK78 genset are lower than competitors’ costs.

“Fuel economy of the QSK78 is also very competitive,” he says.

He points out the maintenance targets set with Cummins include injector change-out at 10,000 hours – a target that is being achieved.

GENERATION


TESTING

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Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser… QSK78 gensets are “hitting the maintenance targets”.

Cummins Perth’s power generation sales executive Bhavani Sambhara (left) with Marc Grosser.

“We’ve had several issues outside the QSK78 engine/alternator package, but Cummins stands behind its product and its warranty which we believe is a very good trait. It’s nice to know that a manufacturer will back its product. Overall, Cummins has reacted very well to our requirements.”

Contract Power’s maintenance regime at Christmas Creek is a no-compromise affair. “There can be no compromises in such a harsh environment as the Pilbara,” says Marc Grosser. “The dust is highly abrasive and ruthless on everything…oil filter integrity needs to be spot on.”

To ensure best possible filtration, Cummins’ Eliminator system is used, replacing the traditional disposable spin-on ‘paper’ element filters. Routine servicing is at 250-hour intervals and oil

sampling is carried out every 500 hours.

The ability of the power station to operate at maximum capacity in very high ambient temperatures – as high as 50 degrees C – also demands peak cooling system efficiency. As Marc Grosser points out, Marble Bar is reputedly the hottest place in Australia and it’s only 150 km north-west of Christmas Creek.

It’s no secret that Contract Power is eagerly awaiting Cummins’ new QSK95 generator set – the biggest genset ever developed by Cummins.

Scheduled to go into production in late 2014, the new 3.5 MW generator set is powered by the QSK95, a 95-litre V16 and the highest output diesel engine ever developed by Cummins.

Marc Grosser has studied the QSK95 closely and describes it as an “awesome platform” for power generation. In particular, he rates the design and positioning of the external ‘hang on’ components highly for serviceability and maintenance.

The Cummins engine currently most

Some of the gensets have clocked up over 10,000 hours and are hitting the maintenance targets we have in place with Cummins.

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widely used by Contract Power in power generation is the KTA50, a 50-litre V16 with a reputation for being bullet proof.

Contract Power recently deployed eight 1250 kVA Cummins PowerBox generator sets, each powered by the KTA50, for commissioning of Fortescue’s Solomon mine development, 120 km west of Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak.

The PowerBox is a fully integrated power system with the genset installed in an ISO container. Contract Power engineered eight trailers specially for the commissioning and the

PowerBoxes were mounted on these trailers along with transformers and 6000 litres of diesel fuel capacity.

Leon Hodge’s Contract Power is today a group of companies providing power generation solutions both in Australia and overseas. Hodges started out in business in the early 1990s as a lone contractor with a ute, providing remote on-site servicing and supply of power generation equipment to the mining industry in Western Australia.

He didn’t exactly having a burning ambition

at the time to build a big business. “My intention then was to keep food on the table, look after the kids,” he recalls.

Within a couple of years Hodges had over 20 employees and was one of the few companies providing a 24/7 on-call service to mining clients.

In 1995 Contract Power began building power stations. Today, the company boasts the ability to do business “anywhere in the world” and, in fact, conducts business in six countries across three continents.

The ability of the power station to operate at maximum capacity in very high ambient temperatures – as high as 50 degrees C – demands peak cooling system efficiency.

One of eight 1250 kVA Cummins PowerBox generator sets, mounted on specially built trailers, deployed by Contract Power for commissioning of Fortescue’s Solomon mine development.


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Two of the first operational Cummins QSK38 Tier 2 MCRS engines in the world have exceeded life-to-overhaul targets in mining in south east Queensland.

Powering Hitachi EX1900-6 excavators in service with Golding Contractors, one QSK38 achieved 19,199 hours while the other reached 18,653 hours before change-out.

Initial planning was for a 16,000-hour life.

The highest-hour QSK38 achieved its milestone at Evolution Mining’s Mt Rawdon gold mine, while the other engine exceeded its target at the Kogan Creek coal mine.

We recently visited the Kogan Creek mine near Chinchilla (300 km west of Brisbane) where the 18,300-hour QSK38 had just been replaced with a certified support bank engine from Cummins’ Master Rebuild Centre in Brisbane.

The mine provides coal – 2.5 million tonnes a year – to fuel the adjacent Kogan Creek power station.

Golding Contractors developed the mine from a greenfield site and began operations in 2006 under an 11-year contract to mine the thin seam deposit to a suitable quality for power generation.

The power station – one of Australia’s most efficient coal-fired power stations – can provide up to 750 MW of baseload electricity, enough to power around one million homes.

Cummins QSK38 in Hitachi EX1900-6 excavator achieved 18,653 hours before change-out.

ENGINE LIFE


19,199 hours - Mt Rawdon 18,653 hours - Kogan Creek

QSK38 ENGINE LIFE

Both the mine and power station are owned by CS Energy, a Queensland Government owned corporation and an electricity generator, trader and retailer.

The QSK38 is an evolution of the long established 38-litre V12 Cummins KV-series platform, a mining industry benchmark for reliability and durability in its horsepower class.

A Tier 2 emissions engine, the QSK38 is rated at 810 kW (1086 hp) at 1800 rpm in the Hitachi EX1900-6 which has an operating weight of 192 tonnes. A feature of the Tier 2 engine is the modular common rail fuel system (MCRS) that ensures low emissions, quieter operation, smoother power delivery and faster load acceptance.

At Kogan Creek, the EX1900-6 is working with two other Cummins-powered diggers – a Komatsu PC3000 and Hitachi EX1800-3 – which feed a fleet of 14 dump trucks. Golding selected these size diggers because of the nature of the coal seams, and they move a total of 5.0 million BCMs a year.

Golding maintenance superintendent at Kogan Creek, Ben Victor, confirms that “only scheduled maintenance” has ever been carried out on the QSK38.

A contributor to the long engine life is obviously Golding’s maintenance regime. “We make sure we put time into preventive maintenance and we’ve never missed our contract obligations to the power station,” he says.

Routine servicing intervals are also strictly adhered to. “We carry out oil changes every 250 hours and we fit new fuel filters and air cleaners every 250 hours regardless of the condition they’re in,” he points out.

Cummins’ service and diagnostic tool, Insite, is used by the Golding maintenance team at Kogan Creek. During the QSK38 change-out, time was made available for a Cummins representative to demonstrate the high-level diagnostic capability of the Insite tool such as cylinder cut-out testing and other procedures that reduce troubleshooting time.

All members of the Golding maintenance team take pride in ‘ownership’ of the entire mining equipment fleet on site. The diggers, as always, are the backbone of the operation, and their engine reliability and durability is a critical requirement to meeting the production targets.

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Kogan Creek mine provides 2.5 million tonnes of coal a year to the adjacent power station. Photo courtesy of CS Energy.

Photograph by Nadine Shaw Photography.

Only scheduled maintenance has ever been carried out on the QSK38.

Cummins mining business manager Stewart McKeddie (left) with Golding maintenance superintendent Ben Victor

(centre) and maintenance supervisor Scott Poulsen.

Golding developed Kogan Creek mine from a greenfield site and began operations in 2006 under an

11-year contract to mine the thin seam deposit.

A containerised fire pump, incorporating an 8.3-litre Cummins C-series diesel engine, has been designed and built by Perth-based Dynapumps for a mining project in the Pilbara, WA.

The dual electric/diesel fire pump system has been installed at the project by the construction arm of Forge Group, an engineering, procurement and construction service provider to the power and infrastructure, mineral and resources, and oil and gas sectors.

Housed in a 40 ft sea container with lighting, access doors, louvers, ventilation and monorail, the fire pump is to AS2941 standard. The container is acoustically attenuated to 85 dBA @ 1.0-metre and the construction

enables quick on-site hook up to the fire ring main.

Mounted within the container are electric and diesel-driven ISO5199 pumps capable of a duty flow of 6000 litres/min @ 92-metre head each. The diesel pump is driven by the Cummins 6CTA engine rated at 260 hp.

“We used a Cummins engine for this project because of the high focus on quality and reliability of equipment by Rio Tinto, especially when it comes to critical safety equipment such as fire pumps,” says Jason Moore, applications engineer for Dynapumps.

“Given the long design life of this fire pump system, we needed an engine that could ‘go the distance’ with local support and parts availability

to minimise any downtime of safety systems while operating in the harsh environment of the north west.”

Dynapumps points out there are major benefits of constructing a pump set within a shipping container. The container helps increase the operational reliability of the pump by protecting it from the harsh conditions of a mine site. It also reduces the amount of cleaning and maintenance required to keep the radiators and cooling fans working efficiently by protecting the pump from the environmental elements. In the event of a fire, the sea container will slow the fire’s progress down significantly and protect the pump from the flames for a period of time.

Holding fire

The ‘duress pendant’ is a feature of the real-time

monitoring of Cummins field service technicians.

FIRE PUMP

Dual fire pump system incorporates a diesel pump powered by Cummins.


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MINE REPORT

Cummins power is specified in allthe Cat excavators at Boggabri.

BEHIND THE SEAMS AT

BOGGABRIA fleet of Cummins-powered dump trucks and excavators is achieving availability targets for mining contractor Downer Mining at Boggabri Coal in the Gunnedah Basin, NSW.

Cummins’ on-site support rates highly at Boggabri with the mine operating 24/7 and set to produce more than 5.0 million tonnes of coal in 2014.

Downer Mining has been the mining contractor at Boggabri Coal since 2006 when production began. The

mine is owned by Idemitsu Australia Resources, a subsidiary of Japanese petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Construction of the mine began in January 2006 and the first coal was produced in October.

Downer Mining’s current contract with Idemitsu, which runs to December 2016, involves drilling and blasting, mine planning, and loading and haulage.

Overburden haulage at Boggabri is spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks

with a 290-tonne payload capacity, and the force behind their tractive effort is the Cummins QSK60 engine rated at 2700 hp.

The reliability of the 930E trucks is critical as they contribute significantly to a total annual overburden and coal movement of around 36 million BCMs. The oldest 930Es had clocked up around 9,000 hours near the end of 2013, with the youngest at 5000 hours.

Cummins on-site technician Casey Haywood (right) with Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor Adam Morrison.


Downer Mining’s mechanical availability target for the 930Es is 89%, and the Komatsu fleet is exceeding that target. Engine load factors are averaging 40% and fuel burn points to a 20,000-hour overhaul.

Like any mine, Boggabri has targets to meet – targets that are the focus of Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor Adam Morrison as he looks at ways to reduce downtime to ensure highest possible availability of equipment.

Support from equipment suppliers is obviously a key factor in the execution of his task.

Cummins’ on-site support at Boggabri has been in place for two years, and for most of that time has been the responsibility of technician Casey Haywood, a young man who takes immense pride in the company’s service support capability and the relationship that is built with the customer. He’s supported by the Cummins Tamworth field service team and also product support representative Mick Karafilis.

“We don’t have dramas with Cummins here,” says Adam Morrison. “What we want to see is a proactive approach from our suppliers and we get that with Casey.”

Adam Morrison’s greatest focus is on the “money makers” in the

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We don’t have any dramas with Cummins here...

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operation – the excavators. All are Cummins-powered Cat units – three 600-tonne 6060 machines with dual 1500 hp Cummins QSK45 engines which are moving overburden, and a 300-tonne 6030 with dual Cummins QSK19 engines rated at 675 hp.

The 600-tonners are moving 2000 BCMs an hour, have engine load factors as high as 75%, and are exceeding their mechanical availability target of 90%.The oldest 6060 – a face shovel – had clocked up 11,500 hours near the end of the 2013.

While fuel burn and load factors point to a QSK45 life to overhaul of 12,000 hours, planned change-out is in fact 15,000 hours. A 500-litre oil reserve system on

the excavators sees 1000-hour oil drain intervals.Downer Mining has a maintenance crew dedicated to the excavator fleet, reflecting a disciplined approach to maintenance overall.

All the Cummins engines at Boggabri – both in the trucks and excavators – are equipped with the Cummins Eliminator oil purification system. Eliminator replaces the traditional disposable spin-on ‘paper’ element filters and is a combination of an automatic, self-cleaning full-flow filter and an integral centrifugal bypass unit. The system provides better filtration, helps with servicing efficiency and lowers labour costs. The fact there are no spin-on filters also means a big waste reduction.

Downer Mining’s Adam Morrison (second from left) with Cummins’ service support team (from left) Mick Karafilis, Jason Linke and Casey Haywood.

Overburden haulage is spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks powered by Cummins QSK60 engines rated at 2700 hp.



One of the three EX2600-6 excavators achieving high availability at Iron Duke.20 21

Four Cummins-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding production and availability targets at BGC Contracting’s iron ore mining operations at Iron Duke in South Australia.

Three of the diggers are 254-tonne EX2600-6 units with Tier 2 Cummins QSK50 engines rated at 1500 hp, while the fourth is a 239-tonne EX2500-5 with a Cummins QSK45 rated at 1350 hp.

All are configured as backhoes and they moved in excess of 15 million BCMs (bank cubic metres) in their first 12 months at the Iron Duke mine.


USER REPORT


BGC is carrying out the mining operations for Arrium, a company that originated in 2000 when it was spun off from BHP as OneSteel.

At the time, the company – with its Whyalla steelworks in South Australia – was solely a domestic manufacturer and distributor of steel products.

The name change from OneSteel to Arrium occurred in 2012 to highlight the company’s evolution away from being a pure steel maker.

In 2005 the decision was made to enter the iron ore export business, and today Arrium is the fourth largest producer of iron ore in Australia with its mining operations in South Australia.

Arrium is aiming for sustained export sales of 12 Mtpa of hematite ore while also supplying magnetite iron ore feed to its steelworks at Whyalla. The company

achieved a major milestone is June with an export run rate of 12 Mtpa.

BGC began mining operations at Iron Duke in the Middleback Ranges near Whyalla in November 2012, and in late 2013 expanded its operations to the Iron Knob area for Arrium – the first time full mining has been carried out in the area since the late 1990s.

Iron Knob is the birthplace of the steel industry and was once home to the largest commercially-viable quantity of iron ore in Australia. In fact, BHP started mining at Iron Knob in 1899.

At Iron Duke – a mine that opened in 1989 – BGC’s operations include drilling and blasting, and ore extraction and haulage. In the first 12 months of operation, the BGC fleet’s monthly movement of ore and waste was in the range of 1.3 to 1.5 million BCMs.

“We hit the ground running from day one,” says BGC plant operations manager Frank Wightman.

The fact that the diggers are the backbone of the operation is emphasised by Wightman who points out that their mechanical availability is in the high 90s compared with the targeted 95%.

“We’ve been set challenging production targets and we’re meeting those targets,” he says. “In fact, we’re consistently exceeding the targets and we put that down to the new fleet of diggers.

“That’s the reason we went with the new diggers. It takes one part of the risk away.”

He points out there are high expectations for the Tier 2 Cummins QSK engines with their modular common rail fuel system, and to date they’re playing a key role in the reliability of the digger fleet.

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BGC plant operations manager Frank Wightman (centre) with Cummins customer support representative Andrew Bettess (left) and Cummins mining business manager Jason Linke.

“We have a lot of Cummins engines in our other operations and we don’t have a lot of problems, full stop,” he says. “We’re getting good support from Cummins too.”

He points out that fuel burn is monitored closely – consumption is checked monthly – and the figures go into life cost modeling as a key factor behind “purchasing decisions”.

Routine servicing at Iron Duke is carried out fortnightly when the machines are taken out of service for one shift. New fuel filters are fitted every 250 hours while oil/filter changes are every 500 hours.

For most of the first 12 months at Iron Duke, BGC’s haul truck fleet included five Komatsu HD1500 units powered by Cummins QSK45 engines rated

at 1500 hp. The 144-tonne payload capacity trucks played their part, too, in BGC achieving production targets.

The five Komatsu trucks have since been transferred to Iron Knob and there’s the likelihood of a further six HD1500 units to be added to this operation. One digger, a Hitachi EX2600-6, is working initially at Iron Knob and will be joined by a Cummins QSK60-powered Komatsu PC4000 by mid-2014.

We’ve been set challenging production targets and we’re meeting those targets...

At Iron Duke BGC’s operations include drilling and blasting, and ore extraction and haulage.

Komatsu HD1500 trucks have played their part in meeting production targets.


A leading dewatering specialist, WMM started designing and manufacturing dewatering pumps in Australia in 1976. WMM is one of three divisions of the Weir Group, headquartered in Scotland, which provides engineering solutions to the minerals, oil and gas, and power markets globally.

The Multiflo MF-420EX heavy-duty dewatering pump was ordered by Kalumbila Minerals, a fully-owned subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals (FQM) for its Sentinel copper project in Zambia. Worldwide, FQM

DEWATERING

24 25

A mine dewatering pump, powered by one of Cummins’ biggest CustomPaks in Australia and capable of pumping 250 litres/second at 200 metres head, has been manufactured by Weir Minerals Multiflo (WMM) for a mining project in Zambia, Africa.

Now we’re pumping

operates seven mines – including the Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western Australia – and is currently developing other world class projects. At the request of FQM the unit was custom-engineered and manufactured to be powered by the Cummins QST30 CustomPak.

The CustomPak powerpack is designed around Cummins’ QST30 engine, a 30-litre V12 rated at 1050 hp. In high duty cycle mining applications such as rotary blasthole drilling, the QST30 is

noted for its reliability and durability.

Cummins CustomPaks have earned a reputation for robustness and the ability to operate in intense heat. All CustomPak cooling systems provide for continuous operation in ambient temperatures of plus 50 deg. Celsius.

WMM points out that its Multiflo MF-420E pump was upgraded in late 2011 to achieve the higher pressure ratings the market was seeking. This was done by

improving the wet-end casing, allowing the system to go from running at 1400 rpm to a maximum of 1700 rpm.

With operations based in Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and in Balikpapan, Indonesia, WMM is a leading supplier of custom-engineered dewatering pump units in the Asia Pacific region.

Dewatering pump capable of pumping 250 litres/second at 200 metres head.


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Cummins Mining Magazine - Summer 2014