Caterpillar’s new 789D autonomous water truck, or AWT, has been designed to help prevent haul road over- and under-watering.
Able to be fully implemented into a mine’s Cat Command autonomous haulage fleet to control haul road dust, the Cat 789D AWT has been built on the field-proven 789D mining truck chassis and integrates the truck, tank and Cat water delivery system, or WDS, connected with Cat MineStar technology.
“To meet customer requirements for dust control, Caterpillar implemented a MineStar-integrated watering model based on many years of site watering studies and Cat WDS performance data,” Caterpillar general manager technology and global sales support Corey Wurtzbacher said.
“This model allows the truck to monitor traffic, weather and road conditions, prioritise what areas need watered, when the areas need watered, and how many passes it should take to apply the correct amount of water saturation, for the given conditions.”
The 789D is the largest Cat water truck, accomodating up to 165,000L depending on tank configuration. Being fully autonomous, the truck reduces shift changes, meal breaks and other operational delays to improve efficiency.
The AWT also interacts with other autonomous equipment on-site and integrates with customer mining processes and systems managed by MineStar.
“The integration of Caterpillar’s many years of autonomous truck operations and water delivery development have been combined to make a high performing autonomous watering solution,” Wurtzbacher said.
The automated system’s flat, controlled spray pattern delivers optimal litres-per-square-metre coverage across the haul road. Larger, heavier droplets designed to reach the ground aids in reducing spray loss to wind and evaporation.
“Reducing health hazards associated with airborne particles, automated water delivery supports the reduction of dust that limits operator visibility for staffed equipment to enhance overall site safety,” Caterpillar said.
“Remote tank fill control, complete with auto shut-off to prevent overfilling, eliminates the need for a worker to be involved in the refilling process, reducing the potential of slips and falls.”
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