Serving to to forestall haul street overwatering and underwatering is the brand new Cat 789D autonomous water truck (AWT) designed to boost productiveness by enabling mine operations to digitally observe water consumption and cut back waste.
Totally integrating into the mine website’s Cat Command autonomous haulage fleet to manage haul street mud, the market’s first commercially accessible AWT is constructed on the field-proven 789D mining truck chassis and integrates the truck, tank and Cat Water Supply System (WDS), related with Cat MineStar expertise.
That includes Command for hauling, the brand new 789D AWT provides the identical potential for larger utilization than staffed tools. The totally autonomous truck reduces shift modifications, meal breaks and different operational delays to enhance effectivity.
Complying with watering plans, the water truck interacts with different autonomous tools and integrates with buyer mining processes and programs managed by MineStar.
The 789D is the biggest Cat water truck product providing that may accommodate as much as 165,000 l (43,588 gal), relying on tank configuration. The AWT senses when the water tank is operating low and may be programmed to combine with the water refill station to totally automate the water refill course of. The auto shutoff characteristic prevents tank overfilling.
“To satisfy buyer necessities for mud management, Caterpillar applied a MineStar-integrated watering mannequin based mostly on a few years of website watering research and Cat WDS efficiency information. This mannequin permits the truck to watch site visitors, climate and street situations, prioritise what areas want watered, when the areas want watered, and what number of passes it ought to take to use the right amount of water saturation, for the given situations. The mixing of Caterpillar’s a few years of autonomous truck operations and water supply growth have been mixed to make a excessive performing autonomous watering answer,” says Corey Wurtzbacher, common supervisor and vp expertise and world gross sales help at Caterpillar.
When Caterpillar got down to develop an autonomous water truck, integration with Cat MineStar Command for hauling and the Cat WDS was key to your entire integration course of. The staff started constructing communication between the truck on-board programs and the workplace management consol to work along with the Cat WDS interface.
To make sure seamless operation and correct communication between the water supply system and MineStar, a compatibility verify has been applied in Cat WDS to verify all truck management programs are operating appropriate software program and reporting any onboard failures to the MineStar system for applicable corrective motion.
Totally built-in into the truck’s design, the unique Cat WDS varies waterflow based mostly on truck velocity and routinely determines the right amount of water wanted to manage mud. Figuring out the place, when and the way a lot water to dispense, the 789D AWT helps clients preserve water, a scarce useful resource at many mining areas around the globe.
When truck velocity drops beneath the minimal watering velocity setting, decided by website operations, the system halts water supply to assist forestall overwatering, poor traction, and injury to haul street intersections and different stopping areas.
When truck velocity exceeds the minimal watering velocity setting, the system begins depositing the desired quantity of water commanded by MineStar. Cat WDS actively displays water degree and routinely turns off watering as soon as the tank is empty. To cut back potential injury, the system has a number of safeguards in place to forestall the water pump from operating dry. This characteristic helps delay water pump life and extends service intervals.
The automated system’s flat, managed spray sample delivers optimum litres-per-square-meter (gallons-per-square-foot) protection throughout the haul street. Bigger, heavier droplets designed to succeed in the bottom aids in decreasing spray loss to wind and evaporation.
Decreasing well being hazards related to airborne particles, automated water supply helps the discount of mud that limits operator visibility for staffed tools to boost general website security. Distant tank fill management, full with auto shut-off to forestall overfilling, eliminates the necessity for a employee to be concerned within the refilling course of, decreasing the potential of slips and falls.
Mines can rapidly swap the 789D AWT from autonomous mode to staffed mode as obligatory for duties like entrance water cannon operation. The cannon has a capability of distributing as much as 2,839 l/min (759 gal/min) with a sprig distance reaching 60m (200ft). Even with staffed operation, Auto Mode water supply automates the watering course of to leverage variable water circulation and automated dedication of the right amount of water wanted to manage mud.
