FLEETS

Cat's dust buster using less water

CATERPILLAR believes its latest water truck, fitted to its 785D truck frame, can manage haul road dust while reducing the amount of water needed to do it.

Staff Reporter

Using the Cat Water Delivery System combined with Minestar Edge connectivity it solves overwatering and underwatering issues with its Automode spray system. It continually adjusts water flow during operation to achieve the desired coverage and flow rate, reducing the risk of accidents due to poor visibility while conserving water.

The Automode spray controls automatically determine water coverage based on the activated number of heads and truck speed. It offers a maximum flow of 3785 litres per minute.

The system's water pump starts and stops automatically when the truck slows or stops to prevent overwatering and poor traction at intersections. The pump automatically turns off when the tank empties to stop the pump running dry. 

There is a manual mode that lets the operator set a constant water flow rate, regardless of speed.

The WDS has variable active spray heads to regulate water spray and flow letting the 785D version deliver a water flow rate ranging from 130-2270L/min per spray head. The spray system automatically controls the head opening to achieve Automode coverage or manual mode flow rate.

WDS system components include the water cannon, oil cooler, variable displacement pump, hydraulic oil tank, electronic control boxes and hydraulic motor and water pump.

Water cannon operation is integrated into the cab's joystick controls. The water cannon can be discharged while idling to save fuel.

It has a maximum flow rate of 4732L/min at a high idle and has a maximum spray distance of 61m.

There is also an auto shut-off to prevent overfilling.

The remote tank fill control lets the operator stay inside the cab during refilling to reduce accidental slips and falls.

 

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions