Vale, Glencore, Newcrest and others join BluVein’s next gen trolley charging project
Seven major mining companies have financially backed BluVein
and its “next generation trolley-charging technology” for heavy mining
vehicles, with the industry collaboration project now moving forward with final
system development and construction of a technology demonstration pilot site in
Brisbane, Australia.
BluVein can now refer to Northern Star Resources, Newcrest
Mining, Vale, Glencore, Agnico Eagle, AngloGold Ashanti and OZ Minerals as
project partners.
Some additional mining companies still in the process of
joining the BluVein project will be announced as they officially come on board,
BluVein said, while four major mining vehicle manufacturers have signed
agreements to support BluVein controls and hardware integration into their
vehicles.
BluVein, a joint venture between EVIAS and Australia-based
Olitek, is intent on laying the groundwork for multiple OEMs and mining
companies to play in the mine electrification space without the need to employ
battery swapping or acquire larger, heavier batteries customised to cope with
the current requirements placed on the heaviest diesel-powered machinery
operating in the mining sector.
It is doing this through adapting charging technology
originally developed by Sweden-based EVIAS for electrified public highways. The
application of this technology in mining could see operations employ smaller,
lighter battery-electric vehicles that are connected to the mine site grid via
its ingress protection-rated slotted Rail™ system. This system effectively
eliminates all exposed high voltage conductors, providing significantly
improved safety and ensures compliance with mine electrical regulations,
according to BluVein. This is complemented with its Hammer™ technology and a
sophisticated power distribution unit to effectively power electric motors and
charge a vehicle’s on-board batteries.
BluVein has been specifically designed for harsh mining
environments and is completely agnostic to vehicle manufacturer. This
standardisation is crucial, BluVein says, as it allows a mixed fleet of mining
vehicle to use the same rail infrastructure.
While underground mining looks like the most immediate
application, BluVein says the technology also has applications in open-pit
mining and quarrying.
It is this technology to be trialled in a demonstration
pilot in a simulated underground environment. BluVein says it plans on starting
the trial install early works towards the end of this year for a mid- to
late-2022 trial period.
The BluVein project will be managed by the Canadian Mining
Innovation Council (CMIC).
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