Liebherr Mining, following a release from Collahuasi earlier this month, has confirmed the commissioning of a full trolley solution at the copper mine in northern Chile.
The first fully operational trolley line in Chile, this solution consists of T 284 trucks with retrofitted pantograph connections and all relevant infrastructure. The full scope of this trolley solution, from engineering and component supply to training and support, was delivered by Liebherr, the OEM said.
The site, in the Tarapacá region of Chile, posed unique challenges when it came to designing the trolley line as it is situated at 4,500 m above sea level, where it is subject to extreme environmental factors such as high winds and seismic activity.
Four Liebherr T 284 360-tonne mining trucks are now operating under the project’s 1-km trolley line.
The delivery of this complete trolley solution marks a significant achievement for Liebherr, it says. The scope of the complete trolley solution included the engineering and manufacturing of the infrastructure, power system and the trucks’ on-board hardware; implementation and commissioning on site; and training and support for Collahuasi’s employees.
Oliver Weiss, Executive Vice President, R&D, Engineering and Production, Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS, said:“ While the Collahuasi project is the first time we’ve delivered a full trolley solution, we’ve worked extensively with trolley technology. We’ve supplied 38 360-t trolley trucks in Panama, 15 360-t trolley trucks in Zambia and 7 100-t trolley trucks in Austria. The combination of this experience with our in-house expertise and close collaboration with Collahuasi resulted in this excellent outcome.”
Collahuasi’s trolley line can support two T 284 ultra-class trucks operating simultaneously, thanks to the power system’s two 5.5 MW transformers. Components for the trolley line were sourced globally, with Liebherr Chile managing the process on the ground.
Gonzalo Garcia, MD, Mining, Liebherr Chile, said: “We leveraged our global network to find the best possible resources for this project. The engineering of the trolley system’s masts and catenary line took place in Chile. The transformers and the e-house that protects them were designed and built in South Africa. And auxiliary components like the tension wheels and contact and messenger wires came from various places in our international supply chain.”
While Collahuasi was responsible for completing the civil works needed to facilitate the installation of the trolley line, Liebherr Chile provided expert assistance with haul road specifications and onsite construction, it says.
Retrofitting the pantograph technology to Collahuasi’s four T 284s was managed by Liebherr’s sales and service company in Chile, Liebherr Chile, with support from Liebherr’s truck production facility in Newport News, Virginia, USA. To reduce downtime, the retrofit process was completed in stages. First, modifications were made to the trucks’ superstructures in order to make them trolley ready. Then, when construction of the trolley infrastructure was beginning to wrap up, technicians from Liebherr Chile fitted the pantographs to the truck.
Liebherr says it has provided extensive training to Collahuasi’s truck operators to ensure the trolley line is used to its maximum potential.
Now that Collahuasi has assumed operational control of the trolley line, Liebherr will continue to support mine staff with additional training and will also provide technical expertise when needed.
Weiss concluded: “This project is a clear example of what’s possible through strategic partnership. We look forward to seeing the long-term results and hopefully expanding Liebherr’s trolley footprint in the future.”