Battery Electric Roof Bolter versus Diesel Roof Bolter—Results of Field Trials at a Polish Copper Mine

Artur Kozłowski and Łukasz Bołoz ()
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Artur Kozłowski: Łukasiewicz Research Network–Institute of Innovative Technologies EMAG, Leopolda 31, 40-189 Katowice, Poland
Łukasz Bołoz: Department of Machinery Engineering and Transport, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, A. Mickiewicza Av. 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: Battery-powered electric machines have been replacing classic combustion vehicles for many years in the automotive and heavy industry. This change has a positive impact on the environment and, in the case of working machines, also on the safety and comfort of operators. In underground mining plants, due to limited working space and difficult environmental conditions, the use of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) in place of combustion machines with diesel engines brings even greater benefits in terms of the operator’s work conditions. This article presents the results of comprehensive tests of two roof bolters in a BEV and a vehicle with a combustion engine. The tests were performed in underground conditions, during normal operation of the machines. They covered many aspects of machines’ operation, such as availability; traction properties; battery use; cooling system; efficiency; costs; safety; and ergonomics in terms of gas emissions, noise, vibrations, and generally understood work comfort. The research results showed a significant advantage of the battery-powered machine over the one with a combustion engine. The tests in question are unique due to their scope and the fact that they were carried out in underground conditions, during normal operation, both for the internal combustion machine and its battery-powered equivalent.

Keywords: underground machine; roof bolter; BEV; safety; ergonomics; comfort; field test; exposure to noise; exposure to vibrations; exposure to dust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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