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haulage & loading 2013 preview continued conditions without negatively impacting production. While the relationship between heavy equipment operator training and safety is well understood in mining, the relationship between training scores and mine site operational performance is relatively less known. Karl Rhoads, strategic training specialist, Immersive Technologies, will present, Predictive Analyses of Simulation Training Results, which specifically examines the relationship between training and assessment scores (spot time in simulation) and job performance (real world spot time). A significant relationship was discovered suggesting that data from assessments conducted in a high fidelity simulator can be used to predict operator job performance. The afternoon session will conclude with Improving Mine Efficiency and Productivity, presented by Michael Saunders, global business director, Napoli Group. The Napoli Group is a specialist surface mining productivity consulting and training company based in Australia that focuses on the "micro" elements of the production process. They specialize in increasing production with reduced maintenance and operational costs also increasing "effective utilization" of equipment. In a bit of a departure from the other presentations, Saunders will be interviewing Frank Dinapoli, the group's founder, and a past client using a "real life" example of how they were able to develop, implement and produce production efficiency increases of more than 30% over a 12-month period. The interview will cover the processes they followed including operation standards, operation procedures, organizational departments, personnel and site culture in order to achieve the substantial increases in production rates across the entire operation. Operations Tuesday morning opens with a session on Operations. In his presentation, An Electric Drive System for the Largest Haul Truck in the World, Walter Koellner, senior director mobile mining equipment, Siemens, will describe what went into the development of an electric drive system for the new 500-ton BelAZ haul truck, which will be the largest haul truck when it's released this year. The presentation will discuss the sophisticated controls that will be used to safely guide this juggernaut. 28 www.coalage.com The abundance of shale gas reserves around the world has made natural gas an attractive fuel source for mining equipment. In his presentation Dual Fuel for Mining: Same Power, Substantial Savings, Christopher Pritchard, natural gas product manager, Cummins, will explain how mine operators can harness the savings associated with a natural gas fuel source while retaining the power needed for mining equipment. Dual Fuel engine technology provides the ability to substitute natural gas for diesel in the combustion process, delivering the same transient response, torque curve and power density critical to high horsepower engine operations, while at the same time lowering operating costs. Following on the power theme, but from a different angle, Wayne Chmiel, product manager-electric rope shovels for Cat Global Mining, will present Off-grid Power Solution for Electric Rope Shovels. Cat's patented energy storage and power management technology allows ultra-class electric machines to operate effectively on diesel generator power. When connected to a power utility, this technology lowers the machine's peak demand, offering more flexibility on trailing cable and substation sizing, and potentially reducing the impact to the surrounding community that shares the power system. After the mid-morning break, the session resumes with Moving Crawler-mounted Equipment Effectively. Philipp Hartlieb, a professor from Leoben University in Austria, will discuss how the Sleipner transport system for tracked machinery makes it possible to reduce the relocation time remarkably. Coinciding reduction in maintenance costs is another major asset of the system. It can be demonstrated by field measurements showing that economic benefits are outstanding without making any changes to the existing fleet. Dan Nower, global manager, optimization and machinery health management for Emerson Process Management, will present Vibration Monitoring of Electric Rope Shovels. Automated vibration monitoring of multiple systems on the shovel can determine the machine's condition at all times. This reduces unplanned downtime and keeps critical shovels in production. The Tuesday morning session will conclude with a lively debate on hydraulic excavators vs. electric shovels. In Battle of the Titans—Hydraulic Excavator vs. Rope Shovel Performance, Tim Joseph, professor, University of Alberta, will defend the rope shovel, while John Sammut, Komatsu Mining Shovels, will advocate on behalf of the hydraulic excavator. Maintenance The Tuesday afternoon session will focus on maintenance. Dr. Christian M. Bauer, Ph.D. mining, Pall Corp., will lead off with Best Practices in Fuel Supply Chain Cleanliness Management. Modern mine sites are among the world's largest consumers of diesel fuel, with an annual consumption of more than 200 million liters. Delivered diesel fuel can contain as much as 20 mg/l solid contaminants, but vehicle onboard fuel filters are not designed to tolerate high contamination levels without significant impact on service life; most engine manufacturers have issued specific fuel cleanliness requirements, particularly for engines with common rail fuel injection systems. Therefore, contamination control throughout the entire fuel supply chain is critical. In this presentation, Dr. Bauer will discuss case studies highlighting best practices in fuel supply chain cleanliness management. In her presentation, Improve Equipment Reliability and Reduce Costs with Clean Oil, Caren Caffrey, account manager for C.C. Jensen Inc., will discuss cleaning oil as a practice. Routine oil changes in mobile equipment rear differentials, cost time and money, and do little to improve equipment reliability. The high viscosity oil drains slowly and leaves a trail of varnish, wear particles and dirt behind to contaminate the new oil. Cleaning the oil to OEM recommended levels with a depth filter media reduces contaminants like wear particles, water and varnish and extends the oil life while improving equipment reliability. In one example, oil life increased from 18,000 to 25,000 hours and wheel rebuilds decreased from 16 to 12 per vehicle per year thus saving ~$500,000 annually. In his presentation, Field Trial of Synthetic Gear Lubricant in Electric Wheel Motors, Don Howard, new product innovation-mining, Bel-Ray Co., will provide a detailed interpretation of the analytical data generated during a two-year field trial of an ISO VG synthetic gear lubricant in 16 AC electric wheel motors. The field trial was undertaken as part of the wheel motor manufacturer's oil qualification program. Inflation pressure is the single most important factor relating to tire performance. Tom Stephenson, HMS Tire Co., will present TireLink: New Tool Balances Tire Pressures between Dual Positions on a Haul April 2013