Mining sector spells out the good and bad of the Budget
Siemens AC drives over DC in Indonesia
Siemens has secured its largest single order for drives for mobile mining equipment. It will provide AC-drives for 50 new Hitachi EH4500 trucks to operate at Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) in Indonesia. 79 of the trucks already operate at the mine.
Hitachi EH4500.
“Siemens is thrilled with this large order,” said Clive DeSouza, mining trucks business manager, Siemens Industry Solutions division. “With this win, KPC will now have the largest fleet of mining trucks with Siemens drives operating in the world.”
Siemens claimed that its AC drives require almost no maintenance because of brushless operation and are capable of higher top speeds and better gradeability than conventional DC drive technology.
Siemens drive technology incorporates patented safety features: anti-rollback, which prevents trucks from rolling back on inclines; slip-slide control, which helps control skidding in wet weather conditions and a cruise control feature.
The trucks are expected to be fully operational by December 2012. When completed, KPC’s fleet will include 129 Hitachi EH4500 trucks.
KPC is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of thermal coal, and operates six to 12 individual pits at any time. Its coal production volume was 40.3 million tons in 2009.
Contact: www.siemens.com/mining
