Zero 240VAC Power Required for Mining / Drilling Lighting and Hydraulic Service Units
Drilling and mining operators carry real added costs from onsite gensets — certified tradesmen, fuel, maintenance. Here's how to run without one.
Zero 240VAC Power required for Mining / Drilling Lighting and Hydraulic Service Units
Drilling/mining operators have these added costs:
- Need to have a 240V AC certified tradesman on location if there is a genset or transformer power issue.
- High cost of fuel and maintenance for a 240V genset running in background mode.
- Multiple gensets for hydraulic services and lighting towers.
Safiery has Technology to solve these three problems and reduce the cost of operation for drilling and mining companies. The solution is very simple. There are NO 240V AC Gensets.
A little background first:
- The industrial world first saw fossil fuel as an easy resource.
- Safety conditions were not the number one issue.
- It was common to see large gensets running continuously supported by self-taught diesel mechanics.
- That is more than a decade ago and today safety is number one and fuel is treated as a discretionary cost to be minimized.
Running a diesel genset at low load (idling):
- Runs at low energy efficiency.
- Non-renewable fuel is burnt excessively,
- Carbon is just pouring out of this rig unnecessarily.
Historically, 12V and 24V were the DC choices of power for hydraulic motors and electronic control systems. These choices are not based on energy efficiency but at levels originating from the auto industry. For high current flow greater than 100Amps (1200W in 12V or 2400W in 24V), cable losses and round trip energy efficiency results in a poor outcome.
The Safiery Mining Services Pack solves these problems in an easy to use and scalable package. We use technology less than a year old from the electric vehicle industry to generate and transfer power at 96% efficiency.
Here is an Energy Assessment for a Drilling Services Unit with Light tower.
| Drill Services Components | Voltage | Duty Cycle | Power | Energy / 24 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Leg Hydraulic motor/ power pack | 24V | Running at a duty cycle of 5 min 4 times a day | 5,000W | 3,300Wh |
| Lifting Drill Rods Hydraulic motor /power pack. (crane and other hydraulic applications) | 24V | Running at a duty cycle operation of 5 mins on / 10 mins off continual | 7,000W | 20,400Wh |
| Fuel pump | 24V | 1 hour a day | 500W | 525Wh |
| 24,225Wh | ||||
| Lighting Services | Voltage | Duty Cycle | Power | Energy / 24 hours |
| 4 sets of LED Light Packs. Each Pack is 360W giving 54,000 Lumens. Total is 216,000 Lumens | 48V | 12 Hours/Day | 1,500W | 17,280Wh |
| Total | 41,505Wh | |||
| Replenishment Power | Voltage | Duty Cycle | Power | Run Time / 24 hours |
| Low Voltage Alternator on efficient Small diesel Engine | 48V or 24V | 40% | 5000W Continuous 6,500W Peak | 8.3 |
| Batteries | 48V | 7,200 Wh | ||
| 24V | 5,650 Wh | |||
| DC TO DC Power Transfer | Power | |||
| Bi-directional 96% Efficient | 24V to 48V to 24V | 3,000W Peak 2,500W Continuous | 6-10 hours / 24 hours |
What’s the likely fuel consumption?
Running the Drilling Services Unit AND the Lighting tower in a 24 hour period.
Optimum efficiency is at 2100 RPM with 5.5kW output.
Fuel consumption is 250 gms/kwh. This is approx. 10.5kg fuel /day. That’s about 12-14 Litres/Day.
Why multiple Voltages?
The higher the voltage, the lower the internal losses and the smaller the cable size.
Overall efficiency is higher. For motors, there is higher torque available. Most Industrial DC power systems will shift to 48V over time. At this voltage, electrical support can be provided by trained staff who do not need to hold a high voltage AC ticket.
LED Lighting operates more efficient at 48V.
For 24V power systems a 24-48V Bi-directional DC to DC is used that is 3,000W in either direction. It is 96% efficient.
What if 240V has to be available for other services?
48V Inverter chargers can plug into the 48V power source using IP67 plug in cabling. These units can be truck based and deliver up to 3,000 to 6,000W. The 6,000W model is only 11kgs in weight and absolutely new high frequency technology. Should these units need maintenance or support, this can be done in a workshop and not on location. An alternative unit can be plugged in to go as a hot swappable replacement.
What is “Load Balancing” Technology?
- None that we can think of.
Summary
- No 240V AC Genset
- Fewer plant pieces
- Less Fuel Consumption
- Less Maintenance
- Lower carbon emissions
