A large portion of global carbon emissions are created from haulage equipment and machinery. Hexagon is here to help address this issue.
According to a 2019 report from the Rocky Mountain Institute, there are around 28,000 large haul trucks operating globally.
Almost all of these haul trucks are diesel-powered, with each consuming around 900,000 litres of diesel and emitting 68 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per annum, making these vehicles a significant contributor to global carbon emissions.
To combat this sustainability hurdle, Hexagon’s mining division has stepped in to help.
Describing itself as “an enabler of a sustainable future, providing solutions that address the main environmental and social challenges that companies and nations face today”, Hexagon has a diverse range of products and solutions that can help mining companies reduce their haulage emissions.
ESG and fuel optimisation
Hexagon has advanced its MinePlan Schedule Optimiser, a digital solution that determines the most productive cut mining sequence to achieve the highest project profitability, and then generates practical short-to-long-term project schedules.
One of the flagship benefits of the solution is the way it improves equipment efficiency by including the ability to constrain time spent hauling material for a more practical schedule, as well as minimising or maximising haul hours.
The MinePlan Schedule Optimiser can now measure an electric haul truck’s energy usage and downhill energy generation.
“Load and haul represent the majority of greenhouse gases within a mine and a large source of costs,” Jesse Forgues, head of product – resource optimisation, Hexagon’s mining division, said.
“By modelling alternative energy sources and integrating them within our current solutions, such as the MinePlan Schedule Optimiser, we can ensure the mine plan is being assessed to minimise energy usage costs, which positively impact mineral extraction costs and ultimately trickle down to the end consumer.”
For the last decade, Hexagon’s MinePlan Haulage solution has been providing inputs into MinePlan Schedule Optimiser.
“This is an important step in the planning process and reflects the extraction sequence using the fleet available,” Forgues said.
“Fuel consumption is modelled based on the route and vehicle type. Fuel consumption is then calculated for each route, allowing the user to quantify trade-off scenarios based on fuel usage.”
This process can now be followed for an electric haul truck.
“We can model the kilowatt hours required to move the required amount of tonnes against the optimal routes, considering both the energy usage uphill and the energy generation downhill,” Forgues said.
“This approach results in a mine plan that reflects the specific model or models of truck being assessed.”
This integration will help mining companies increase their efficiency and profitability while reducing emissions.
“The integration between MinePlan Haulage and MinePlan Schedule Optimiser boils down to enabling better decision-making that is considerate of all aspects of the mine plan, ensuring that the economics of the plan are well understood,” Forgues said.
“It also allows for seamlessly understanding trade-offs of different fleets and mixed fleets so that optimal outcomes can be determined with minimal user intervention.”
Hexagon is committed to supporting its customers and suppliers in their CO2 reduction plans, further evolving the company’s journey towards a greener future.
“Hexagon’s sustainability strategy is to empower and create a positive ESG impact either through our solutions and partnerships, or through our value chain and people,” Hexagon chief strategy officer Ben Maslen said in the company’s 2023 sustainability report.
“Strengthening our performance on the sustainability side will feed directly into a stronger performance on the business side and vice versa, and our success in business is tightly linked to our contribution to sustainability.”
“Our goals and expectations are deliberately set high, and whether you are a valued shareholder, customer or employee, we look forward to sharing our journey and progress with you.”
This feature appeared in the August 2024 issue of Australian Mining.
