Sandvik and Byrnecut partner for diesel-electric equipment

Byrnecut and Sandvik have partnered to develop new diesel-electric mining equipment with the aim of boosting sustainability, efficiency and productivity underground.

As part of an agreement signed at The Electric Mine 2024 conference in Perth, the companies will work together to develop underground loaders and trucks featuring electric drivetrains.

Byrnecut Australia managing director Pat Boniwell welcomed the collaboration.

“Diesel-electric equipment has a proven ability to combine the low-maintenance benefits of electric machines with the flexibility of diesel,” he said.

“We have a long association that will help shape the new Sandvik diesel-electric range.

“We’re also looking forward to passing the benefits of this collaboration on to our customers.”

Diesel-electric machines have a diesel engine that drives a generator which provides electricity to motors responsible for movement and operating equipment.

Unlike conventional diesel engines, diesel-electric machines generally have no torque converter and fewer rotating components, allowing for a more flexible design. This requires less maintenance and enables lowers operating costs while maintaining high availability.

Sandvik president Mats Eriksson says the future of mining is likely to include a combination of multiple technologies.

“An immediate switch to full battery-electric isn’t feasible for every operation,” he said.

“We have extensive expertise in both battery-electric and conventional diesel technology within Sandvik and we believe combining this expertise will lead to new productive solutions for our customers.”

The partnership between Byrnecut and Sandvik will initially involve establishing a common vision for optimising Sandvik diesel-electric machines for Byrnecut’s needs.

Byrnecut will then work with Sandvik on the design of the machines and provide feedback at various testing stages, including pre-factory testing, operational testing and trial testing.