LTO batteries in mining applications
28 October 2020
Power Electronics / Power Management
By Daniel Haywood, Power Extreme Technologies.
The mining industry in Africa provides numerous jobs and essential raw materials for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, critical to rebuilding economies and industry after the Covid-19 epidemic. However, the air pollution in underground mining operations is a major concern for mining companies as well as the miners working in these conditions. Mining companies spend millions of dollars annually circulating fresh air down to the mineworkers.
Some of the biggest contributors to the air pollution in mining tunnels are diesel powered vehicles and the gases and fumes released from lead-acid battery charging, for electric locomotives and other electric systems still using outdated battery technology. The worldwide push to electric zero-emission vehicles and equipment will go a long way towards solving this problem. One of the biggest challenges for the mining industry and vehicle manufacturers is the battery technology used.
Power Extreme’s LTO battery solutions answer a number of these issues. With the development of new electric excavators, locomotives, and other utility vehicles, and the drive for zero-emission and regulatory requirements to slash facilities’ carbon footprints, the LTO battery technology manufactured by Power Extreme will resolve several of the difficulties associated with older battery technologies.
Some of the problems addressed by the lithium titanate oxide (LTO) batteries are their much faster charging rate, zero emissions during charging, significantly higher cycles count in comparison to lead-acid batteries and better safety performance specifications that other lithium technologies.
By addressing the limitations of other battery technologies, the LTO batteries produced in South Africa by Power Extreme will result in a significant cost saving to the mines in terms of the money spent on circulating fresh air, regular replacement of batteries, faster turnaround between shifts because of the fast charging capabilities, less potential for chemical spills and the associated hazards and the requirement for less battery packs for electric mining vehicles.
The AfriStreme family of batteries produced by Power Extreme Technologies in South Africa can be adapted to suit a vast range of applications, both aboveground and underground.
Further reading:
Rugged railway-grade DC-DC power modules
iCorp Technologies
Power Electronics / Power Management
iCorp Technologies has introduced the AIPUPOWER ZCD100 and ZCD150 Series, a family of rugged DC-DC converters designed to meet the demanding electrical and environmental requirements of railway and transportation systems.
Read more...
Four-quadrant regenerative grid simulator
Conical Technologies
Power Electronics / Power Management
The IT7900EP series high-performance regenerative grid simulator from ITECH is a full four-quadrant AC grid simulator capable of both sourcing and sinking power.
Read more...
90 W PSU with 150% boost capability
Brabek
Power Electronics / Power Management
RECOM’s cost effective REFIN2U-S90/CL DIN rail AC/DC boasts a 90 W rating with a boost capability of 150% for 4,5 seconds to allow for surge loads.
Read more...
Standalone USB PD controller
Future Electronics
Power Electronics / Power Management
The STUSB4531 from STMicroelectronics is a standalone USB Power Delivery sink controller designed to streamline the implementation of USB-C power negotiation in sink devices without requiring a full software stack on a host microcontroller.
Read more...
Power module enhances AI data centre power density
Altron Arrow
Power Electronics / Power Management
Microchip’s MCPF1525 power module with PMBus delivers 25 A DC-DC power and is stackable up to 200 A.
Read more...
MIL-Spec DC-DC power converters
Vepac Electronics
Power Electronics / Power Management
PowerGood has introduced a range of 15 W to 600 W military DC-DC power converters engineered for mission critical defence applications.
Read more...
Compact power MOSFET for high current switching
Future Electronics
Power Electronics / Power Management
onsemi’s NTMFSC2D6N08X is a high-performance 80 V N-channel power MOSFET engineered for demanding switching and power conversion applications.
Read more...
DC link capacitors for demanding applications
RS South Africa
Power Electronics / Power Management
TDK Corporation has announced the B3271xP series of DC link film capacitors, offering high thermal robustness for demanding automotive and industrial power electronics.
Read more...
N-channel power MOSFETs
TRX Electronics
Power Electronics / Power Management
The TSM2N7002 series from Taiwan Semiconductor are logic-level N-channel power MOSFETs designed with low drain-source on-state resistance, reducing conduction losses and improving efficiency in switching applications.
Read more...
Smart power protection, simplified
TRX Electronics
Power Electronics / Power Management
onsemi electronic fuses (eFuses) deliver integrated, intelligent protection by combining overcurrent, overvoltage, over-temperature, reverse polarity, and inrush current safeguards in a single compact IC.
Read more...
printer friendly version