Serving to to stop haul highway 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.
Absolutely integrating into the mine web site’s Cat Command autonomous haulage fleet to manage haul highway mud, the market’s first commercially out there AWT is constructed on the field-proven 789D mining truck chassis and integrates the truck, tank and Cat Water Supply System (WDS), linked with Cat MineStar expertise.
That includes Command for hauling, the brand new 789D AWT gives the identical potential for better utilization than staffed gear. The absolutely 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 gear and integrates with buyer mining processes and methods managed by MineStar.
The 789D is the most important 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 function prevents tank overfilling.
“To satisfy buyer necessities for mud management, Caterpillar applied a MineStar-integrated watering mannequin primarily based on a few years of web site watering research and Cat WDS efficiency information. This mannequin permits the truck to observe visitors, climate and highway situations, prioritise what areas want watered, when the areas want watered, and what number of passes it ought to take to use the correct quantity of water saturation, for the given situations. The combination of Caterpillar’s a few years of autonomous truck operations and water supply improvement have been mixed to make a excessive performing autonomous watering answer,” says Corey Wurtzbacher, normal supervisor and vp expertise and world gross sales assist 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 workforce started constructing communication between the truck on-board methods 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 substantiate all truck management methods are operating appropriate software program and reporting any onboard failures to the MineStar system for acceptable corrective motion.
Absolutely built-in into the truck’s design, the unique Cat WDS varies waterflow primarily based on truck pace and routinely determines the correct quantity of water wanted to manage mud. Realizing 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 places around the globe.
When truck pace drops under the minimal watering pace setting, decided by web site operations, the system halts water supply to assist forestall overwatering, poor traction, and injury to haul highway intersections and different stopping areas.
When truck pace exceeds the minimal watering pace setting, the system begins depositing the required quantity of water commanded by MineStar. Cat WDS actively screens 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 stop the water pump from operating dry. This function helps lengthen 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 highway. 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 gear to boost general web site security. Distant tank fill management, full with auto shut-off to stop 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 vital 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 twig distance reaching 60m (200ft). Even with staffed operation, Auto Mode water supply automates the watering course of to leverage variable water circulate and automated willpower of the correct quantity of water wanted to manage mud.
