Analysis of the performance of battery powered LHDs in sublevel caving using discrete event simulation

Load-haul-dump (LHD) machines are powered by diesel, electric, battery, or hybrid systems. Diesel LHDs are efficient but produce noise and emissions. Trolley electric lines or cables are impractical for LHDs, while batteries offer high flexibility during operations but require frequent recharging. Despite the advantages of battery LHDs, studies are limited. This study used discrete event simulation to evaluate the performance of battery LHDs focusing on battery swapping stations and energy consumption in traditional and fork production layouts in a sublevel caving mine. The results showed the battery machines are more energy-efficient when working in a traditional layout than a fork layout. The daily energy consumption is 0.64% less in a traditional layout than a fork layout. The results also showed the selected battery swapping stations are optimal because productivity is not significantly affected by changing the swapping locations.