Western Australia-based engineering company Murray Engineering has noted a 100% increase in demand in the last year for its Microfresh stainless steel diesel particulate catalyst for light vehicles operating on mine sites, says business development manager Martin Abbott.

He tells Mining Weekly that the diesel particulate was developed as a result of an overwhelming demand for hardrock mining-suitable technology, and for where diesel emissions are also a major concern.

“As diesel emissions were ranked as a Class 1 carcinogen in 2012, demand for Microfresh catalyst technology is continuously increasing, as mine sites scramble to mitigate their diesel emissions,” says Abbott.

He notes that, while Murray Engineering initially had to approach Australia’s mining industry to raise awareness of the Microfresh catalyst technology, mine sites now approach Murray Engineering for diesel emissions management solutions and particulate technology to use in underground mines and reduce harmful diesel particulates.

The catalysts, which were developed by Murray Engineering and diversified industrial group Freudenberg over a five-year period, have been fitted to light vehicles, loaders, trucks, integrated tool carriers, generators, roof bolters and sprayers, as well as a variety of other mine site equipment at several mines in Australia and worldwide.

Each catalyst is custom-made according to individual applications, which ensures that the solution is effective and robust, with negligible maintenance requirements, says Abbott.

He adds that tests on the catalyst have revealed a reduction of more than 85% in carbon- dioxide emissions, which is well below the allowable 0.1 mg of submicron elemental carbon in any one cubic metre of air.

Meanwhile, Murray Engineering automation and control systems manager Luke Clements has also noted an increase in demand for the company’s control and automation systems, in addition to increased demand for the diesel particulate catalyst.

“Our control and automation systems use laser guidance and teleremote control technology. They are primarily fitted to underground loaders to automate the machine through its tramming cycle,” he says, adding that the systems improve productivity and reduce machine damage.

Clements further points out that production has increased by more than 30% in some cases, owing to these automation systems, while return on investment of the systems is quickly realised as production increases and machine downtime is reduced owing to less impact damage.

African Footprint
Murray Engineering GM Craig Lindsay-Rae notes that the company has supplied services for several mines in Mali, Zambia, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and South Africa. These services include providing teleremoting and automation systems for underground mining, high-voltage electrical distribution boards and substations, as well as rebuilding certain machines such as dump trucks and loaders.

The company’s flagship facility in Pinjarra, has a fully serviced 2 000 m2 assembly workshop, which specialises in mining industry-related panels, substations and portable power systems.

Lindsay-Rae emphasises that Murray Engineering’s electrical project teams are trained and inducted for work at major mining groups, as product assembly requires a high level of efficiency and knowledge about safety and technology.

Further, Murray Engineering has received enquiries for high-voltage electrical cable lowering projects and will supply its new human-machine interface integration systems to the mining industry as they come on line from September, Lindsay-Rae says.

“These systems comprise state-of-the-art technology, enabling the user to customise onboard systems to interface into one onboard screen, which enhances operational safety and simplifies data harvesting for fault diagnostics and performance reporting,” he explains, adding

that, while momentum to mechanise has been strong in Australia for decades, owing to higher labour costs, the productivity gains from mechanisation are also proving to be attractive in low- labour-cost markets.

“Although the level of mechanisation in Australia far exceeds that of Africa, the rate of mechanisation in Africa is greater,” he concludes.