Industrial and mining group Atlas Copco is introducing Cummins Tier 4 interim (4i) engines, which produce low emissions and high fuel efficiency, as an option on five of its underground loaders and one of its underground trucks, the company reports.

The Cummins Tier 4i engines will be available as an option on the Scooptram ST7, ST7LP, ST1030, ST1030LP and ST14 underground loaders as well as on the Minetruck MT2010 underground truck.

“The new Tier 4i engines have lower emissions along with higher fuel efficiency. This means that fuel consumption is reduced and the required ventilation is lowered, which results in savings in operating costs. In addi- tion, the lowered emissions results in a healthier working environment for all personnel on the mine,” says Atlas Copco product manager Ben Thompson.

The Tier 4i engine features improved performance and torque response through variable geometry turbocharging and an enhanced fuel system. This can provide up to 5% greater efficiency than the equivalent Tier 3 engine.

The automatic, or passive regeneration, of the diesel particulate filter requires no operator assistance, while still maintaining high machine performance. In addition, no diesel exhaust fluid is required for the Cummins Tier 4i, which will also contribute to lower costs and fewer production stops.

Meanwhile, Atlas Copco announced in June that it is expanding its range of blasthole products with the addition of the reverse circulation (RC) kit for the DM45/50 mid-range blasthole drill. Based on proven systems, components and technology, the RC kit is designed to meet the demands of today’s expanding mining market by offering the added dimension of in-pit grade control.

A number of components are included with the optional kit, which can also be retrofitted on drills currently in the field. The cyclone arm allows for sampling from the ground, or platform, level with a vertical raise and lowering function. A cyclone rotation of 160° provides safe access for cleaning, maintenance, and attaching new sample hoses from ground level. The cyclone is a heavy-duty system designed specifically with such flexibility in mind.

Some of the features of the cyclone assembly include a hydraulic upper knife valve and pneumatic lower knife valve for collecting and isolating the sample, a hydraulic hinge between the dump box and cone splitter that allows for easy cleaning, and a fixed cone splitter with primary and duplicate sample chutes. All cyclone and sample functions are controlled from the operator’s cabin.

A 66 ℓ dump box, with a steep cone for limiting sample hang-up also forms part of the sample collection feature. The primary and duplicate ports can easily be adjusted from 4% to 5%. The RC carousel has four 114 mm rod cups and offers on-board capacity of 44 m.

Some other components included with the RC kit are a blast box/discharge, a blow-down valve that offers internal valving that does not require any external three-way valving or unneces- sary hosing above or around the rotation head, an above head dual swivel that eliminates the need for a below head air swivel, and a fully integrated sample hose management system that has been designed with safety and practicality in mind.

The DM45 and DML RC drills offer hole diameters ranging 114 mm to 146 mm, with maximum hole depths of 44 m based off on-board capacity.

Further, in May, Atlas Copco announced the launch of its Explorac 100 RC-drilling rig designed specifically for exploration drilling to depths of 100 m to 200 m. It combines a compact and robust design with the power necessary for fast collection of samples.

The new RC rig is designed specifically for RC drilling and other down-the-hole drilling (DTH) applications and has a lifting capacity of 10.5 t.

RC is gaining ground as a preferred technology to collect samples in initial exploration, orebody development and in-pit grade control owing to its cost efficiency and fast collection of dry samples.

“The launch of Explorac 100 is a firm response to increasing demand for personal safety and environmental care. It offers the efficiency and performance required by contractors, such as fast setup and drilling speeds, easy maintenance, reduced noise levels and minimum oil spillage, and enables the collection of high-quality samples requested by geologists. “Following the launch earlier this spring of the Explorac 235 for medium-depth drilling, this launch confirms our position in the RC segment,” says Atlas Copco geotechnical drilling and exploration division VP marketing and capital equipment Martin Sommers.

The Explorac 100 has a rugged and compact design, which makes it easy to move around even in rough terrain. Yet drillers will enjoy the power necessary to get more quality samples out of the ground faster.

Atlas Copco can provide a complete solution for RC drilling, including drilling rigs, compressors, boosters and drill strings.