By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Mon, 2009-05-11 05:30
Improving operational, environmental, and financial performance
In discussions regarding electric vehicles, the argument is often heard that electric drives have to surrender to internal combustion drives when it comes to output power. That is a myth, as is proved by giant electrically driven mining trucks of 3,000 hp.
These trucks are used in mines throughout the world. They convert power from a diesel engine into electricity, which is then used in an electric drive system. The main reason for this energetic detour is to ease braking and speed regulation. Using an internal combustion engine for such a powerful truck would require an enormous gearbox and a complex braking system, involving a considerable amount of maintenance.
Siemens recently developed a new technology for improving the performance of this kind of electric vehicle: trolley trucks.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2009-04-30 13:39
Rocks travelling down to the smelter produce 90 GWh a year
At the Los Pelambres opencast Copper Mine in Northern Chile, carbon free electricity is produced in a very original way. Crushed rock containing copper ore is used to generate electricity as it travels down from the high-altitude mine to the processing plant located in the valley below.
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