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MINING BUSINESS WORK<br />
MUSCLING IN<br />
AT MEANDU<br />
EX8000 DIGGING THE<br />
BIG TONNAGES<br />
Behind the seams at Boggabri<br />
Ironing out the Duke<br />
SUMMER EDITION <strong>2014</strong><br />
www.cummins.com.au
04 05<br />
08 09 Power station at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek<br />
mine comprises 27 QSK78 gensets.<br />
16 17<br />
One of the three EX2600-6 excavators achieving high availability at Iron Duke.<br />
When Contract Power decided to<br />
become the first major user of <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK78 generator sets in the world with<br />
the construction of a power station at<br />
Christmas Creek in the Pilbara, it could<br />
have been viewed as a bold move in<br />
such a remote and harsh region.<br />
At the time, Contract Power general<br />
manager Marc Grosser dismissed any<br />
possible concerns: “We like trying new<br />
equipment… we believe it gives us a<br />
leading edge over our competitors.”<br />
The power station in question was<br />
completed early in 2012, its generators<br />
vital to the operation of Fortescue’s<br />
Christmas Creek mine, in particular<br />
the two ore processing facilities that<br />
have an annual through-put capacity<br />
of more than 50 million tonnes.<br />
EX8000 recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day.<br />
This is the biggest diesel power station<br />
in Australia, designed and built by<br />
Perth-based Contract Power and<br />
owned and operated by the same<br />
company – a progressive outfit that<br />
boasts the ability to do power generation<br />
business “anywhere in the world”.<br />
It is also the largest single installation<br />
of prime power <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK78<br />
generator sets in the world, each of<br />
the 27 units able to deliver 2 MW.<br />
In a previous issue of <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
Commentary (Issue 34, August 2011),<br />
we featured the first development<br />
stage of the power station. Undertaken<br />
in 2011, this first stage saw the<br />
installation of 14 generators, while the<br />
second and final stage was completed<br />
early in 2012 with the commissioning<br />
of a further 13 QSK78 units.<br />
The reliability of the power station is<br />
A fleet of <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered haul mine is owned by Idemitsu Australia<br />
trucks and excavators is achieving Resources, a subsidiary of Japanese<br />
availability targets for mining<br />
petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan<br />
contractor Downer Mining at Boggabri Co., Ltd. Construction of the mine<br />
Coal in the Gunnedah Basin, NSW. began in January 2006 and the first<br />
coal was produced in October.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ on-site support also rates<br />
highly at Boggabri with the mine operating Downer Mining’s current contract with<br />
24/7 and set to produce more than Idemitsu, which runs to December<br />
5.0 million tonnes of coal in <strong>2014</strong>.<br />
2016, involves drilling and blasting, mine<br />
planning, and loading and haulage.<br />
Downer Mining has been the mining<br />
contractor at Boggabri Coal since<br />
Overburden haulage at Boggabri is<br />
2006 when production began. The spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks<br />
The world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe<br />
excavator is in full flight at Stanwell Corporation’s<br />
Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland,<br />
digging the big tonnages expected of it.<br />
With its dual Tier II <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 MCRS engines<br />
pumping out close to 4000 hp, the 837-tonne EX8000<br />
went into service in September and is moving 2700<br />
to 3000 BCMs (bank cubic metres) an hour.<br />
“The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million<br />
BCMs per year over the next three years,<br />
removing mainly overburden,” says Jim<br />
Young, Meandu Mine asset manager.<br />
A pointer to the machine’s capability is that it recently<br />
loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day. The EX8000 is<br />
equipped with a 45 cubic metre bucket and is moving<br />
around 75 tonnes per bucket load, feeding a fleet of<br />
220-tonne capacity Komatsu 830E dump trucks.<br />
One of the biggest hydraulic excavators in the<br />
world, the EX8000’s dual 60-litre <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60<br />
engines power its hydraulic system – a system<br />
of 16 main pumps which move 8000 litres of oil<br />
a minute to achieve maximum working force.<br />
Although it’s early days yet for the EX8000<br />
at Meandu Mine, Jim Young is confident the<br />
machine will achieve its targets based on his<br />
extensive knowledge of the Hitachi product.<br />
“We plan to have the machine operating around<br />
5700 hours a year,” says the man who started<br />
at Meandu Mine during its construction in the<br />
late 1970s. It’s not surprising that Jim Young<br />
knows virtually every square metre of the Meandu<br />
complex which today comprises five active pits.<br />
Stanwell is a diverse energy company owned by<br />
the Queensland Government and has coal, gas and<br />
water assets that are used to generate electricity<br />
for Australia’s wholesale electricity market.<br />
Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager… “We plan to have the<br />
EX8000 operating around 5,700 hours a year.”<br />
critical to Fortescue – Australia’s third<br />
largest producer of iron ore behind<br />
Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – as it<br />
continues to ramp up production.<br />
For Contract Power’s Marc Grosser,<br />
“hitting the maintenance targets” is<br />
one of the key pointers to the<br />
efficiency of the power station.<br />
“Mechanically, the engine/alternator<br />
package is performing very well,” he says<br />
without hesitation. “Some of the gensets<br />
have clocked up over 10,000 hours<br />
and are hitting the maintenance targets<br />
that we have in place with <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
“Our experience at Christmas Creek is<br />
that maintenance costs of the QSK78<br />
genset are lower than competitors’ costs.<br />
“Fuel economy of the QSK78 is<br />
also very competitive,” he says.<br />
He points out the maintenance targets<br />
set with <strong>Cummins</strong> include injector<br />
change-out at 10,000 hours – a<br />
target that is being achieved.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong><br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> on-site technician Casey Haywood (right) with<br />
Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor Adam Morrison.<br />
with a 290-tonne payload capacity, and<br />
the force behind their tractive effort is the<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 engine rated at 2700 hp.<br />
The reliability of the 930E trucks is<br />
critical as they contribute significantly<br />
to a total annual overburden and coal<br />
movement of around 36 million BCMs.<br />
The oldest 930Es had clocked up around<br />
9,000 hours near the end of 2013,<br />
with the youngest at 5000 hours.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong><br />
CONTENT<br />
mining<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong><br />
mining<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong><br />
04<br />
YOUR MINING MAGAZINE<br />
Muscling in at Meandu<br />
The world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe excavator is in full<br />
flight at Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland.<br />
USER REPORT<br />
08<br />
Generation X<br />
The biggest diesel power station in Australia, at Christmas<br />
Creek mine in the Pilbara, features <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK78 generator<br />
sets.<br />
04<br />
MUSCLING<br />
IN AT MEANDU<br />
GENERATORS<br />
12<br />
Just keep on digging<br />
Two of the first operational Tier II <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK38 engines<br />
in the world have exceeded life-to-overhaul targets in<br />
mining in south east Queensland.<br />
GENERATION<br />
15<br />
Holding fire<br />
A containerised fire pump incorporating <strong>Cummins</strong> power<br />
has been built for a Pilbara mining project.<br />
08<br />
The generation of electrical power in Western Australia’s<br />
Pilbara region is critical as its iron ore riches continue<br />
to provide Australia with its biggest export earnings.<br />
16<br />
Behind the seams at Boggabri<br />
A fleet of <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered haul trucks and excavators is<br />
achieving availability targets at Boggabri Coal in NSW.<br />
20<br />
Ironing out the Duke<br />
Four <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding<br />
production and availability targets at the Iron Duke mine in<br />
South Australia.<br />
24 Now we’re pumping<br />
A mine dewatering pump, powered by one of the biggest<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> CustomPaks in Australia, has gone to a mining<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong><br />
project<br />
Mining<br />
in Africa.<br />
Magazine<br />
Published by <strong>Cummins</strong> South Pacific.<br />
16<br />
20<br />
BEHIND THE SEAMS AT<br />
BOGGABRI<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> power is specified in all the Cat excavators at Boggabri.<br />
12 13 CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong><br />
IRONING OUT<br />
THE DUKE<br />
Four <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding<br />
production and availability targets at BGC Contracting’s<br />
iron ore mining operations at Iron Duke in South Australia.<br />
Three of the diggers are 254-tonne EX2600-6 units with<br />
Tier 2 <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK50 engines rated at 1500 hp, while the<br />
fourth is a 239-tonne EX2500-5 with a <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK45<br />
rated at 1350 hp.<br />
All are configured as backhoes and they moved in excess of<br />
15 million BCMs (bank cubic metres) in their first 12 months<br />
at the Iron Duke mine.<br />
USER REPORT<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> Mining is published by<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> South Pacific.<br />
2 Carribbean Drive, Scoresby,<br />
Victoria 3179.<br />
Editor<br />
Murray Clifford<br />
Ph. 0419 268 289,<br />
Email: murray.clifford@cummins.com<br />
Marketing Manager<br />
Rachael Reinheimer<br />
rachael.reinheimer@cummins.com<br />
02 03
On Site,<br />
On Demand,<br />
On Time.<br />
Whatever your power requirement, <strong>Cummins</strong> has a range of heavy-duty generator sets ready-to-run at<br />
your mine site.<br />
These generator sets are ready for mine site and mobile application, meaning they are toughened to<br />
withstand the harshest operating conditions.<br />
Designed as fully integrated power packages, <strong>Cummins</strong>’ generator sets span 20 kVA to 1250 kVA.<br />
And they are backed by <strong>Cummins</strong>’ unmatched service support network which includes the awardwinning<br />
24/7 <strong>Cummins</strong> Support Centre.<br />
Find your nearest <strong>Cummins</strong> branch at www.cummins.com.au or call +61 3 9765 3120.<br />
To request product information or to arrange for a <strong>Cummins</strong> representative to contact you please get<br />
in touch with us by clicking here.<br />
Experience our rental capabilities<br />
power.cummins.com<br />
Our energy working for you
USER REPORT<br />
MUSCLING<br />
IN AT MEANDU<br />
04 05
EX8000 recently loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day.<br />
The world’s first Hitachi EX8000 backhoe<br />
excavator is in full flight at Stanwell Corporation’s<br />
Meandu coal mine in south east Queensland,<br />
digging the big tonnages expected of it.<br />
With its dual Tier II <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 MCRS engines<br />
pumping out close to 4000 hp, the 837-tonne EX8000<br />
went into service in September and is moving 2700<br />
to 3000 BCMs (bank cubic metres) an hour.<br />
“The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million<br />
BCMs per year over the next three years,<br />
removing mainly overburden,” says Jim<br />
Young, Meandu Mine asset manager.<br />
A pointer to the machine’s capability is that it recently<br />
loaded 110,440 tonnes in a day. The EX8000 is<br />
equipped with a 45 cubic metre bucket and is moving<br />
around 75 tonnes per bucket load, feeding a fleet of<br />
220-tonne capacity Komatsu 830E dump trucks.<br />
One of the biggest hydraulic excavators in the<br />
world, the EX8000’s dual 60-litre <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60<br />
engines power its hydraulic system – a system<br />
of 16 main pumps which move 8000 litres of oil<br />
a minute to achieve maximum working force.<br />
Although it’s early days yet for the EX8000<br />
at Meandu Mine, Jim Young is confident the<br />
machine will achieve its targets based on his<br />
extensive knowledge of the Hitachi product.<br />
“We plan to have the machine operating around<br />
5700 hours a year,” says the man who started<br />
at Meandu Mine during its construction in the<br />
late 1970s. It’s not surprising that Jim Young<br />
knows virtually every square metre of the Meandu<br />
complex which today comprises five active pits.<br />
Stanwell is a diverse energy company owned by<br />
the Queensland Government and has coal, gas and<br />
water assets that are used to generate electricity<br />
for Australia’s wholesale electricity market.<br />
Jim Young, Meandu Mine asset manager… “We plan to have the<br />
EX8000 operating around 5,700 hours a year.”
EX8000 is powered by dual <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60<br />
engines pumping out close to 4000 hp.<br />
Meandu Mine was bought from Rio Tinto in<br />
2008 to secure a long-term fuel source for<br />
the two adjacent Tarong power stations.<br />
Construction of the mine began in 1981<br />
after the Queensland Government made<br />
the decision to build the first Tarong<br />
power station. In 1984, the mine began<br />
regular supply of coal to the 1400 MW<br />
power station – supply that increased<br />
with the construction of the second<br />
Tarong power station (443 MW) in 2003.<br />
to do much walking,” says Jim Young.<br />
Other machines in the excavator fleet<br />
include a 518-tonne EX5500-5 which had<br />
run 43,250 hours near the end of 2013<br />
(it has dual <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK45 engines<br />
rated at 1350 hp), and a 359-tonne<br />
EX3600-6 which had worked 23,000 hours<br />
(it is powered by a single Tier II <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK60 MCRS engine rated at 1944 hp).<br />
The QSK60 with its modular common<br />
rail fuel system (MCRS) achieved<br />
18,850 hours in the EX3600-6 before<br />
rebuild, and <strong>Cummins</strong> mining business<br />
manager Stewart McKeddie expects<br />
a similar life to overhaul with the dual<br />
Tier II QSK60 engines in the EX8000.<br />
The 19-strong dump truck fleet at Meandu<br />
is spearheaded by Komatsu 830E AC<br />
The mine is currently producing 4.8<br />
Mtpa but has reached as high as 7.2<br />
Mtpa. Downer EDI is providing the<br />
mining services at Meandu although<br />
Stanwell owns most of the plant.<br />
Hitachi is the preferred excavator<br />
brand at Meandu, the oldest machine<br />
on site – an EX3500 with dual 880<br />
hp <strong>Cummins</strong> K38 engines – having<br />
clocked up around 84,000 hours since<br />
its commissioning in 1992. “It’s on easy<br />
work these days where it doesn’t have<br />
06 07<br />
Meandu Mine has five active pits…pictured are the west and central pits.
Jim Young with Alex Mier, <strong>Cummins</strong> SE Asia manager for mining.<br />
“<br />
The EX8000 is expected to move 14 million<br />
BCMs per year over the next three years.<br />
“<br />
units powered by 2500 hp <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK60 engines. The oldest engines have<br />
gone through the 14,000-hour market on<br />
their way to the 25,000-hour rebuild target.<br />
Hitachi is currently using Meandu<br />
Mine as part of its trial development<br />
of a comprehensive suite of<br />
technologies aimed at providing<br />
more autonomous equipment to the<br />
surface mining industry by 2017.<br />
to identify haul roads, intersections and<br />
mine locations such as loading areas,<br />
stockpiles and crushers. The trucks also<br />
have a control system that allows precise<br />
speed control, helping them to safely<br />
negotiate steep slopes at the mine.<br />
An interesting point is that Komatsu also<br />
used Meandu Mine – in 2001-2002 – for<br />
development of its automated truck,<br />
a number of which are now in use at<br />
Rio Tinto mines in the Pilbara, WA.<br />
Three 296-tonne payload capacity<br />
EH5000AC-3 trucks powered by the<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 engine rated at 2850<br />
hp will eventually be part of the trial at<br />
Meandu over a three-year period.<br />
Hitachi points out that dump truck<br />
loading, haulage and dumping operation<br />
will be entirely automated and that<br />
the trucks will be able to interact with<br />
other human-operated equipment.<br />
The trucks will use a highly advanced<br />
GPS to control their location, speed and<br />
direction. The GPS system has the ability<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
GENER<br />
GENERATORS<br />
The generation of electrical power in Western Australia’s<br />
Pilbara region is critical as its iron ore riches continue<br />
to provide Australia with its biggest export earnings.<br />
08 09 Power station at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek<br />
mine comprises 27 QSK78 gensets.
ATION<br />
When Contract Power decided to<br />
become the first major user of <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK78 generator sets in the world with<br />
the construction of a power station at<br />
Christmas Creek in the Pilbara, it could<br />
have been viewed as a bold move in<br />
such a remote and harsh region.<br />
At the time, Contract Power general<br />
manager Marc Grosser dismissed any<br />
possible concerns: “We like trying new<br />
equipment… we believe it gives us a<br />
leading edge over our competitors.”<br />
The power station in question was<br />
completed early in 2012, its generators<br />
vital to the operation of Fortescue’s<br />
Christmas Creek mine, in particular<br />
the two ore processing facilities that<br />
have an annual through-put capacity<br />
of more than 50 million tonnes.<br />
This is the biggest diesel power station<br />
in Australia, designed and built by<br />
Perth-based Contract Power and<br />
owned and operated by the same<br />
company – a progressive outfit that<br />
boasts the ability to do power generation<br />
business “anywhere in the world”.<br />
It is also the largest single installation<br />
of prime power <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK78<br />
generator sets in the world, each of<br />
the 27 units able to deliver 2 MW.<br />
In a previous issue of <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
Commentary (Issue 34, August 2011),<br />
we featured the first development<br />
stage of the power station. Undertaken<br />
in 2011, this first stage saw the<br />
installation of 14 generators, while the<br />
second and final stage was completed<br />
early in 2012 with the commissioning<br />
of a further 13 QSK78 units.<br />
The reliability of the power station is<br />
critical to Fortescue – Australia’s third<br />
largest producer of iron ore behind<br />
Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – as it<br />
continues to ramp up production.<br />
For Contract Power’s Marc Grosser,<br />
“hitting the maintenance targets” is<br />
one of the key pointers to the<br />
efficiency of the power station.<br />
“Mechanically, the engine/alternator<br />
package is performing very well,” he says<br />
without hesitation. “Some of the gensets<br />
have clocked up over 10,000 hours<br />
and are hitting the maintenance targets<br />
that we have in place with <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
“Our experience at Christmas Creek is<br />
that maintenance costs of the QSK78<br />
genset are lower than competitors’ costs.<br />
“Fuel economy of the QSK78 is<br />
also very competitive,” he says.<br />
He points out the maintenance targets<br />
set with <strong>Cummins</strong> include injector<br />
change-out at 10,000 hours – a<br />
target that is being achieved.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
TESTING<br />
Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser…<br />
QSK78 gensets are “hitting the maintenance targets”.<br />
Some of the gensets<br />
have clocked up<br />
over 10,000 hours<br />
and are hitting the<br />
maintenance targets<br />
we have in place<br />
with <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
“We’ve had several issues outside the<br />
QSK78 engine/alternator package, but<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> stands behind its product and its<br />
warranty which we believe is a very good<br />
trait. It’s nice to know that a manufacturer<br />
will back its product. Overall, <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
has reacted very well to our requirements.”<br />
Contract Power’s maintenance regime<br />
at Christmas Creek is a no-compromise<br />
affair. “There can be no compromises in<br />
such a harsh environment as the Pilbara,”<br />
says Marc Grosser. “The dust is highly<br />
abrasive and ruthless on everything…<br />
oil filter integrity needs to be spot on.”<br />
To ensure best possible filtration,<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ Eliminator system is used,<br />
replacing the traditional disposable<br />
spin-on ‘paper’ element filters. Routine<br />
servicing is at 250-hour intervals and oil<br />
sampling is carried out every 500 hours.<br />
The ability of the power station to<br />
operate at maximum capacity in very<br />
high ambient temperatures – as high<br />
as 50 degrees C – also demands peak<br />
cooling system efficiency. As Marc Grosser<br />
points out, Marble Bar is reputedly the<br />
hottest place in Australia and it’s only<br />
150 km north-west of Christmas Creek.<br />
It’s no secret that Contract Power<br />
is eagerly awaiting <strong>Cummins</strong>’ new<br />
QSK95 generator set – the biggest<br />
genset ever developed by <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> Perth’s power generation sales executive<br />
Bhavani Sambhara (left) with Marc Grosser.<br />
Scheduled to go into production in late<br />
<strong>2014</strong>, the new 3.5 MW generator set<br />
is powered by the QSK95, a 95-litre<br />
V16 and the highest output diesel<br />
engine ever developed by <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
Marc Grosser has studied the<br />
QSK95 closely and describes it as<br />
an “awesome platform” for power<br />
generation. In particular, he rates the<br />
design and positioning of the external<br />
‘hang on’ components highly for<br />
serviceability and maintenance.<br />
The <strong>Cummins</strong> engine currently most<br />
10 11
The ability of the power station to operate at maximum capacity in very high ambient<br />
temperatures – as high as 50 degrees C – demands peak cooling system efficiency.<br />
One of eight 1250 kVA <strong>Cummins</strong> PowerBox generator sets, mounted on specially built trailers,<br />
deployed by Contract Power for commissioning of Fortescue’s Solomon mine development.<br />
widely used by Contract Power in power<br />
generation is the KTA50, a 50-litre V16<br />
with a reputation for being bullet proof.<br />
Contract Power recently deployed eight<br />
1250 kVA <strong>Cummins</strong> PowerBox generator<br />
sets, each powered by the KTA50, for<br />
commissioning of Fortescue’s Solomon<br />
mine development, 120 km west of<br />
Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak.<br />
The PowerBox is a fully integrated<br />
power system with the genset installed<br />
in an ISO container. Contract Power<br />
engineered eight trailers specially<br />
for the commissioning and the<br />
PowerBoxes were mounted on these<br />
trailers along with transformers and<br />
6000 litres of diesel fuel capacity.<br />
Leon Hodge’s Contract Power<br />
is today a group of companies<br />
providing power generation solutions<br />
both in Australia and overseas.<br />
Hodges started out in business in the early<br />
1990s as a lone contractor with a ute,<br />
providing remote on-site servicing and<br />
supply of power generation equipment to<br />
the mining industry in Western Australia.<br />
He didn’t exactly having a burning ambition<br />
at the time to build a big business. “My<br />
intention then was to keep food on the<br />
table, look after the kids,” he recalls.<br />
Within a couple of years Hodges had<br />
over 20 employees and was one of<br />
the few companies providing a 24/7<br />
on-call service to mining clients.<br />
In 1995 Contract Power began<br />
building power stations. Today, the<br />
company boasts the ability to do<br />
business “anywhere in the world”<br />
and, in fact, conducts business in six<br />
countries across three continents.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
Two of the first operational <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK38 Tier 2 MCRS engines in the<br />
world have exceeded life-to-overhaul<br />
targets in mining in south east<br />
Queensland.<br />
Powering Hitachi EX1900-6 excavators in<br />
service with Golding Contractors, one QSK38<br />
achieved 19,199 hours while the other<br />
reached 18,653 hours before change-out.<br />
Initial planning was for a 16,000-hour life.<br />
The highest-hour QSK38 achieved its<br />
milestone at Evolution Mining’s Mt Rawdon<br />
gold mine, while the other engine exceeded<br />
its target at the Kogan Creek coal mine.<br />
We recently visited the Kogan Creek mine near<br />
Chinchilla (300 km west of Brisbane) where the<br />
18,300-hour QSK38 had just been replaced<br />
with a certified support bank engine from<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ Master Rebuild Centre in Brisbane.<br />
The mine provides coal – 2.5 million tonnes a year<br />
– to fuel the adjacent Kogan Creek power station.<br />
Golding Contractors developed the mine from<br />
a greenfield site and began operations in 2006<br />
under an 11-year contract to mine the thin seam<br />
deposit to a suitable quality for power generation.<br />
The power station – one of Australia’s most<br />
efficient coal-fired power stations – can provide<br />
up to 750 MW of baseload electricity, enough<br />
to power around one million homes.<br />
12 13
ENGINE LIFE<br />
QSK38 ENGINE LIFE<br />
19,199 hours - Mt Rawdon<br />
18,653 hours - Kogan Creek<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> QSK38 in Hitachi EX1900-6 excavator<br />
achieved 18,653 hours before change-out.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
<strong>Cummins</strong> mining business manager Stewart McKeddie<br />
(left) with Golding maintenance superintendent Ben Victor<br />
(centre) and maintenance supervisor Scott Poulsen.<br />
Both the mine and power station are owned by CS<br />
Energy, a Queensland Government owned corporation<br />
and an electricity generator, trader and retailer.<br />
The QSK38 is an evolution of the long established 38-litre V12<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> KV-series platform, a mining industry benchmark<br />
for reliability and durability in its horsepower class.<br />
A Tier 2 emissions engine, the QSK38 is rated at 810 kW<br />
(1086 hp) at 1800 rpm in the Hitachi EX1900-6 which<br />
has an operating weight of 192 tonnes. A feature of the<br />
Tier 2 engine is the modular common rail fuel system<br />
(MCRS) that ensures low emissions, quieter operation,<br />
smoother power delivery and faster load acceptance.<br />
Kogan Creek mine provides 2.5 million tonnes of coal a year<br />
to the adjacent power station. Photo courtesy of CS Energy.<br />
Photograph by Nadine Shaw Photography.<br />
At Kogan Creek, the EX1900-6 is working with two other<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>-powered diggers – a Komatsu PC3000 and Hitachi<br />
EX1800-3 – which feed a fleet of 14 dump trucks. Golding<br />
selected these size diggers because of the nature of the coal<br />
seams, and they move a total of 5.0 million BCMs a year.<br />
Only scheduled maintenance<br />
has ever been carried out on<br />
the QSK38.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ service and diagnostic tool, Insite, is used by<br />
the Golding maintenance team at Kogan Creek. During the<br />
QSK38 change-out, time was made available for a <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
representative to demonstrate the high-level diagnostic<br />
capability of the Insite tool such as cylinder cut-out testing<br />
and other procedures that reduce troubleshooting time.<br />
All members of the Golding maintenance team take pride<br />
in ‘ownership’ of the entire mining equipment fleet on<br />
site. The diggers, as always, are the backbone of the<br />
operation, and their engine reliability and durability is a<br />
critical requirement to meeting the production targets.<br />
Golding maintenance superintendent at Kogan Creek,<br />
Ben Victor, confirms that “only scheduled maintenance”<br />
has ever been carried out on the QSK38.<br />
A contributor to the long engine life is obviously Golding’s<br />
maintenance regime. “We make sure we put time into<br />
preventive maintenance and we’ve never missed our<br />
contract obligations to the power station,” he says.<br />
Routine servicing intervals are also strictly adhered<br />
to. “We carry out oil changes every 250 hours and<br />
we fit new fuel filters and air cleaners every 250 hours<br />
regardless of the condition they’re in,” he points out.<br />
14 15<br />
Golding developed Kogan Creek mine from<br />
a greenfield site and began operations in 2006 under an<br />
11-year contract to mine the thin seam deposit.
FIRE PUMP<br />
Holding fire<br />
A containerised fire pump,<br />
incorporating an 8.3-litre <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
C-series diesel engine, has been<br />
designed and built by Perth-based<br />
Dynapumps for a mining project in<br />
the Pilbara, WA.<br />
The dual electric/diesel fire pump<br />
system has been installed at the<br />
project by the construction arm<br />
of Forge Group, an engineering,<br />
procurement and construction<br />
service provider to the power and<br />
infrastructure, mineral and resources,<br />
and oil and gas sectors.<br />
Housed in a 40 ft sea container<br />
with lighting, access doors, louvers,<br />
ventilation and monorail, the fire pump<br />
is to AS2941 standard. The container<br />
is acoustically attenuated to 85 dBA<br />
@ 1.0-metre and the construction<br />
enables quick on-site hook up to the<br />
fire ring main.<br />
Mounted within the container are<br />
electric and diesel-driven ISO5199<br />
pumps capable of a duty flow of 6000<br />
litres/min @ 92-metre head each. The<br />
diesel pump is driven by the <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
6CTA engine rated at 260 hp.<br />
“We used a <strong>Cummins</strong> engine for this<br />
project because of the high focus on<br />
quality and reliability of equipment by<br />
Rio Tinto, especially when it comes<br />
to critical safety equipment such<br />
as fire pumps,” says Jason Moore,<br />
applications engineer for Dynapumps.<br />
“Given the long design life of this fire<br />
pump system, we needed an engine<br />
that could ‘go the distance’ with<br />
local support and parts availability<br />
to minimise any downtime of safety<br />
systems while operating in the harsh<br />
environment of the north west.”<br />
Dynapumps points out there are<br />
major benefits of constructing a<br />
pump set within a shipping container.<br />
The container helps increase the<br />
operational reliability of the pump by<br />
protecting it from the harsh conditions<br />
of a mine site. It also reduces the<br />
amount of cleaning and maintenance<br />
required to keep the radiators and<br />
cooling fans working efficiently<br />
by protecting the pump from the<br />
environmental elements. In the event<br />
of a fire, the sea container will slow<br />
the fire’s progress down significantly<br />
and protect the pump from the flames<br />
for a period of time.<br />
The ‘duress pendant’ is a feature of the real-time<br />
monitoring of <strong>Cummins</strong> field service technicians.<br />
Dual fire pump system incorporates a diesel pump powered by <strong>Cummins</strong>.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
MINE REPORT<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> power is specified in all<br />
the Cat excavators at Boggabri.<br />
16 17
<strong>Cummins</strong> on-site technician Casey Haywood (right) with<br />
Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor Adam Morrison.<br />
BEHIND THE SEAMS AT<br />
BOGGABRI<br />
A fleet of <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered dump<br />
trucks and excavators is achieving<br />
availability targets for mining<br />
contractor Downer Mining at Boggabri<br />
Coal in the Gunnedah Basin, NSW.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ on-site support rates highly<br />
at Boggabri with the mine operating<br />
24/7 and set to produce more than<br />
5.0 million tonnes of coal in <strong>2014</strong>.<br />
Downer Mining has been the mining<br />
contractor at Boggabri Coal since<br />
2006 when production began. The<br />
mine is owned by Idemitsu Australia<br />
Resources, a subsidiary of Japanese<br />
petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan<br />
Co., Ltd. Construction of the mine<br />
began in January 2006 and the first<br />
coal was produced in October.<br />
Downer Mining’s current contract with<br />
Idemitsu, which runs to December<br />
2016, involves drilling and blasting, mine<br />
planning, and loading and haulage.<br />
Overburden haulage at Boggabri is<br />
spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks<br />
with a 290-tonne payload capacity, and<br />
the force behind their tractive effort is the<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 engine rated at 2700 hp.<br />
The reliability of the 930E trucks is<br />
critical as they contribute significantly<br />
to a total annual overburden and coal<br />
movement of around 36 million BCMs.<br />
The oldest 930Es had clocked up around<br />
9,000 hours near the end of 2013,<br />
with the youngest at 5000 hours.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
“ We don’t have any dramas<br />
with <strong>Cummins</strong> here...<br />
“<br />
Downer Mining’s mechanical availability target for the<br />
930Es is 89%, and the Komatsu fleet is exceeding<br />
that target. Engine load factors are averaging 40%<br />
and fuel burn points to a 20,000-hour overhaul.<br />
Like any mine, Boggabri has targets to meet – targets<br />
that are the focus of Downer Mining’s reliability supervisor<br />
Adam Morrison as he looks at ways to reduce downtime<br />
to ensure highest possible availability of equipment.<br />
Support from equipment suppliers is obviously<br />
a key factor in the execution of his task.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ on-site support at Boggabri has been in place<br />
for two years, and for most of that time has been the<br />
responsibility of technician Casey Haywood, a young man<br />
who takes immense pride in the company’s service support<br />
capability and the relationship that is built with the customer.<br />
He’s supported by the <strong>Cummins</strong> Tamworth field service team<br />
and also product support representative Mick Karafilis.<br />
“We don’t have dramas with <strong>Cummins</strong> here,” says Adam<br />
Morrison. “What we want to see is a proactive approach<br />
from our suppliers and we get that with Casey.”<br />
Adam Morrison’s greatest focus is on the “money makers” in the<br />
18 19
Downer Mining’s Adam Morrison (second from left) with <strong>Cummins</strong>’ service<br />
support team (from left) Mick Karafilis, Jason Linke and Casey Haywood.<br />
Overburden haulage is spearheaded by 17 Komatsu 930E trucks<br />
powered by <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60 engines rated at 2700 hp.<br />
operation – the excavators. All are <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered Cat units<br />
– three 600-tonne 6060 machines with dual 1500 hp <strong>Cummins</strong><br />
QSK45 engines which are moving overburden, and a 300-tonne<br />
6030 with dual <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK19 engines rated at 675 hp.<br />
The 600-tonners are moving 2000 BCMs an hour, have engine<br />
load factors as high as 75%, and are exceeding their mechanical<br />
availability target of 90%.The oldest 6060 – a face shovel –<br />
had clocked up 11,500 hours near the end of the 2013.<br />
While fuel burn and load factors point to a QSK45 life<br />
to overhaul of 12,000 hours, planned change-out is<br />
in fact 15,000 hours. A 500-litre oil reserve system on<br />
the excavators sees 1000-hour oil drain intervals.<br />
Downer Mining has a maintenance crew dedicated<br />
to the excavator fleet, reflecting a disciplined<br />
approach to maintenance overall.<br />
All the <strong>Cummins</strong> engines at Boggabri – both in the trucks and<br />
excavators – are equipped with the <strong>Cummins</strong> Eliminator oil<br />
purification system. Eliminator replaces the traditional disposable<br />
spin-on ‘paper’ element filters and is a combination of an<br />
automatic, self-cleaning full-flow filter and an integral centrifugal<br />
bypass unit. The system provides better filtration, helps with<br />
servicing efficiency and lowers labour costs. The fact there<br />
are no spin-on filters also means a big waste reduction.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
IRONING OUT<br />
THE DUKE<br />
Four <strong>Cummins</strong>-powered Hitachi excavators are exceeding<br />
production and availability targets at BGC Contracting’s<br />
iron ore mining operations at Iron Duke in South Australia.<br />
Three of the diggers are 254-tonne EX2600-6 units with<br />
Tier 2 <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK50 engines rated at 1500 hp, while the<br />
fourth is a 239-tonne EX2500-5 with a <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK45<br />
rated at 1350 hp.<br />
All are configured as backhoes and they moved in excess of<br />
15 million BCMs (bank cubic metres) in their first 12 months<br />
at the Iron Duke mine.<br />
20 21<br />
One of the three EX2600-6 excavators achieving high availability at Iron Duke.
USER REPORT<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
BGC plant operations manager Frank Wightman (centre) with <strong>Cummins</strong> customer support<br />
representative Andrew Bettess (left) and <strong>Cummins</strong> mining business manager Jason Linke.<br />
BGC is carrying out the mining<br />
operations for Arrium, a company<br />
that originated in 2000 when it was<br />
spun off from BHP as OneSteel.<br />
At the time, the company – with its<br />
Whyalla steelworks in South Australia<br />
– was solely a domestic manufacturer<br />
and distributor of steel products.<br />
The name change from OneSteel to<br />
Arrium occurred in 2012 to highlight<br />
the company’s evolution away<br />
from being a pure steel maker.<br />
In 2005 the decision was made to<br />
enter the iron ore export business,<br />
and today Arrium is the fourth largest<br />
producer of iron ore in Australia with its<br />
mining operations in South Australia.<br />
Arrium is aiming for sustained export<br />
sales of 12 Mtpa of hematite ore while<br />
also supplying magnetite iron ore feed to<br />
its steelworks at Whyalla. The company<br />
achieved a major milestone is June<br />
with an export run rate of 12 Mtpa.<br />
BGC began mining operations at Iron<br />
Duke in the Middleback Ranges near<br />
Whyalla in November 2012, and in late<br />
2013 expanded its operations to the<br />
Iron Knob area for Arrium – the first<br />
time full mining has been carried out<br />
in the area since the late 1990s.<br />
Iron Knob is the birthplace of the steel<br />
industry and was once home to the<br />
largest commercially-viable quantity<br />
of iron ore in Australia. In fact, BHP<br />
started mining at Iron Knob in 1899.<br />
At Iron Duke – a mine that opened<br />
in 1989 – BGC’s operations include<br />
drilling and blasting, and ore extraction<br />
and haulage. In the first 12 months<br />
of operation, the BGC fleet’s monthly<br />
movement of ore and waste was in the<br />
range of 1.3 to 1.5 million BCMs.<br />
“We hit the ground running from day<br />
one,” says BGC plant operations<br />
manager Frank Wightman.<br />
The fact that the diggers are the backbone<br />
of the operation is emphasised by<br />
Wightman who points out that their<br />
mechanical availability is in the high 90s<br />
compared with the targeted 95%.<br />
“We’ve been set challenging production<br />
targets and we’re meeting those targets,”<br />
he says. “In fact, we’re consistently<br />
exceeding the targets and we put that<br />
down to the new fleet of diggers.<br />
“That’s the reason we went with the new<br />
diggers. It takes one part of the risk away.”<br />
He points out there are high expectations<br />
for the Tier 2 <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK engines with<br />
their modular common rail fuel system,<br />
and to date they’re playing a key role<br />
in the reliability of the digger fleet.<br />
22 23
At Iron Duke BGC’s operations include drilling and blasting, and ore extraction and haulage.<br />
We’ve been set challenging production targets<br />
and we’re meeting those targets...<br />
“We have a lot of <strong>Cummins</strong> engines in our<br />
other operations and we don’t have a lot<br />
of problems, full stop,” he says. “We’re<br />
getting good support from <strong>Cummins</strong> too.”<br />
He points out that fuel burn is monitored<br />
closely – consumption is checked<br />
monthly – and the figures go into<br />
life cost modeling as a key factor<br />
behind “purchasing decisions”.<br />
Routine servicing at Iron Duke is carried<br />
out fortnightly when the machines are<br />
taken out of service for one shift. New<br />
fuel filters are fitted every 250 hours while<br />
oil/filter changes are every 500 hours.<br />
For most of the first 12 months at Iron<br />
Duke, BGC’s haul truck fleet included<br />
five Komatsu HD1500 units powered<br />
by <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK45 engines rated<br />
at 1500 hp. The 144-tonne payload<br />
capacity trucks played their part, too,<br />
in BGC achieving production targets.<br />
The five Komatsu trucks have since been<br />
transferred to Iron Knob and there’s<br />
the likelihood of a further six HD1500<br />
units to be added to this operation.<br />
One digger, a Hitachi EX2600-6, is<br />
working initially at Iron Knob and will be<br />
joined by a <strong>Cummins</strong> QSK60-powered<br />
Komatsu PC4000 by mid-<strong>2014</strong>.<br />
Komatsu HD1500 trucks have played their part in meeting production targets.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
DEWATERING<br />
Now we’re<br />
pumping<br />
A mine dewatering pump, powered by one of<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong>’ biggest CustomPaks in Australia<br />
and capable of pumping 250 litres/second<br />
at 200 metres head, has been manufactured<br />
by Weir Minerals Multiflo (WMM) for a<br />
mining project in Zambia, Africa.<br />
A leading dewatering specialist, WMM started<br />
designing and manufacturing dewatering<br />
pumps in Australia in 1976. WMM is<br />
one of three divisions of the Weir Group,<br />
headquartered in Scotland, which provides<br />
engineering solutions to the minerals, oil<br />
and gas, and power markets globally.<br />
The Multiflo MF-420EX heavy-duty<br />
dewatering pump was ordered by Kalumbila<br />
Minerals, a fully-owned subsidiary of First<br />
Quantum Minerals (FQM) for its Sentinel<br />
copper project in Zambia. Worldwide, FQM<br />
24 25
Dewatering pump capable of pumping 250 litres/second at 200 metres head.<br />
operates seven mines – including the<br />
Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western<br />
Australia – and is currently developing<br />
other world class projects. At the request<br />
of FQM the unit was custom-engineered<br />
and manufactured to be powered by<br />
the <strong>Cummins</strong> QST30 CustomPak.<br />
The CustomPak powerpack is designed<br />
around <strong>Cummins</strong>’ QST30 engine, a<br />
30-litre V12 rated at 1050 hp. In high<br />
duty cycle mining applications such as<br />
rotary blasthole drilling, the QST30 is<br />
noted for its reliability and durability.<br />
<strong>Cummins</strong> CustomPaks have earned<br />
a reputation for robustness and the<br />
ability to operate in intense heat. All<br />
CustomPak cooling systems provide<br />
for continuous operation in ambient<br />
temperatures of plus 50 deg. Celsius.<br />
WMM points out that its Multiflo MF-<br />
420E pump was upgraded in late 2011<br />
to achieve the higher pressure ratings the<br />
market was seeking. This was done by<br />
improving the wet-end casing, allowing<br />
the system to go from running at 1400<br />
rpm to a maximum of 1700 rpm.<br />
With operations based in Coolum on<br />
Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and in<br />
Balikpapan, Indonesia, WMM is a leading<br />
supplier of custom-engineered dewatering<br />
pump units in the Asia Pacific region.<br />
CUMMINS SOUTH PACIFIC SUMMER <strong>2014</strong>
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