Since 1939, Dayton-Phoenix Group has been a companion in heavy {industry}, supplying mission-critical options throughout rail, mining and different off-highway markets.
With many years of expertise working on this planet’s harshest environments, it has achieved a popularity for sturdiness, scale and endurance.
The corporate, because it seems to be forward, is concentrated on offering sensible and accountable options: delivering fiscally conservative, return on investment-driven know-how that reduces gasoline use, improves effectivity, cuts upkeep prices and extends asset life.
“The socially accountable by-product of this strategy is significant sustainability with decrease emissions and serving to operators in the direction of web zero carbon targets,” Jacob Dahle, Head of Sustainability and Development, says.
As a mainstay at The Electrical Mine convention collection (produced by Worldwide Mining Occasions) and with a number of of the corporate’s electrification and decarbonisation initiatives reaching main milestones just lately, IM touched base with Dahle and John Gordon, Chief Business Officer, to seek out out extra.
SYNC, VOLT, APEX
In seeking to present options that supply return on funding, lowered upkeep, gasoline financial savings and the flexibility to implement these options with minimal disruption to present fleets, Dayton-Phoenix has give you a number of platforms value exploring.
Included inside that is APEX, an answer designed as an aftermarket improve to the prevailing dynamic braking system on Komatsu vans; SYNC, a platform combining APEX radial grid know-how with a high-power battery pack to seize braking vitality and cut back engine load throughout haul cycles; and VOLT, a modular, swappable battery-electric tender that integrates with present diesel locomotives.
Engineered to suit the footprint of the OEM grid hatch – equating to no added deck weight and no structural modifications – SYNC accelerates return on funding whereas delivering larger steady braking energy, quicker cycle instances and elevated truck availability, the corporate claims. This offers a 15-22% diesel discount in a typical mine fleet, based on Dayton-Phoenix.
Dahle mentioned the corporate is already exploring the combination of latest and rising battery chemistries alongside industry-trusted chemistries throughout the SYNC platform. The know-how is battery-agnostic, enabling operators to benefit from whichever battery kind makes probably the most sense for his or her mine, he added.
Miners are additionally paying attention to the corporate’s VOLT know-how for the rail sector, realising the potential freight emission and value advantages that may very well be had.
Dahle explains: “In heavy-haul rail, VOLT offers a modular, swappable battery-electric tender that integrates with present diesel locomotives. It’s designed to chop as much as 77% diesel gasoline consumption on sure routes, delivering each fast return on funding and vital emissions reductions.”
As a result of VOLT is modular, it will probably scale from operators which have only a single locomotive to full-fleet deployment throughout a Class-1 railroad with out requiring pricey locomotive infrastructure overhauls, based on the corporate.
“The important thing profit is flexibility: Operators can use their present diesel-electric locomotives as full battery-electric or hybrid models with minimal modifications, whereas nonetheless sustaining the choice for standard diesel-electric operation as wanted,” Dahle mentioned. “This compatibility avoids the expense of latest locomotive purchases, whereas driving hundreds of thousands in working price reductions per fleet lifecycle alongside significant sustainability positive factors.”
The brand new radial resistor know-how that comes beneath APEX affords quite a few benefits over the normal box-style resistors, probably the most notable being a big weight discount, based on Gordon. “Whereas theoretically, this might enable mines to haul further payloads, it’s extra possible that they may proceed hauling the identical quantity and profit from gasoline and upkeep financial savings as a result of lowered weight,” he instructed IM.
Initially, this improve will likely be rolled out to the electrical drive Komatsu haul vans, with the 930E being the primary retrofit possibility. On this regard, the corporate has been constructing real-world momentum by testing and validation of what it calls the APEX-930 on these vans, placing the platform by its paces in demanding environments.
“The system has confirmed its power…dealing with heavy payloads, reaching high operational speeds and delivering superior dynamic braking efficiency,” Dayton-Phoenix mentioned just lately. “APEX is constructed to outperform conventional hatch-style techniques with a radial design that enhances cooling, extends service life and improves car uptime.”
Dahle put some numbers behind these statements, saying the APEX-930 affords a circa-760 kg discount on weight over the usual OEM answer, reducing pressure on the deck. He additionally talked up a “vital” dBA lower in sound throughout operation; a discount in insulation stress and minimised dwell-related heating for longer grid life; plus decrease lifecycle prices by lowered upkeep, fewer replacements and elevated truck uptime, equating to a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} per truck lifecycle.
Dahle concluded on the Dayton-Phoenix providing: “General, the frequent thread is practicality. These are issues operators can put to work proper now, get fast payback on, and transfer the needle on sustainability on the identical time.”
