Critical Enabling Role of Overland Conveying in Electrification Initiatives in Mining

2019

Richard Munson, BEUMER Group

The efficiency of mining operations is heavily influenced by major mechanical and electrical installations. There is, accordingly, a progressively sharpening focus on mining electrification—with primary emphasis on processing and processing-related equipment and systems. Intra-operational handling of bulk, mined materials, paradoxically, receives less attention but represents a key opportunity for both sustainability and economic optimization in the broader context of electrification. This paper presents and validates a model of electrified bulk material transport that offers key advantages over diesel and fossil fuel transport methods, as well as over conventional conveyor-based methods. Comparing lifecycle effects of a single-flight overland conveyor-based method with (a) multi-flight conveyor-based methods and (b) truck-based transport methods, this paper qualifies and quantifies single-flight conveying as a sustainable, economically optimized enabler of mining electrification initiatives.

Keywords: Mining, Electrification, Transportation, Operations, Sustainability