According to the company, when a major copper mining operation learned of a new overburden-loading dipper that P&H Mining Equipment had developed with its P&H MinePro Services service support network on behalf of a large coal mining operation in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, USA, it set in motion an effort to develop a copper ore-loading dipper aimed at providing similar performance gains in some copper mine settings.

To achieve that objective, P&H and MinePro worked with the copper mine to identify key factors such as material being loaded, dipper geometry and shovel power systems dynamics that can affect shovel dipper performance.

Throughout this process, P&H employed a research and development engineering partner in Australia to apply a systematic approach for testing and evaluating promising dipper designs.

P&H identified several dipper geometry configurations and transformed them into scale models. The models were then subjected to repetitive dig cycles in a test bin loaded with material simulating copper ore. Comparative data and video analysis pointed to one dipper concept in particular that generated significant and consistent performance gains over the previous standard copper dipper, including:
• 6% increased payloads,
• 3.5% faster dig times, and
• 1.4% less energy expended per ton moved.

P&H transformed that design into a 74- yd3 P&H Optima “copper” dipper installed on a new P&H 4100XPC electric shovel in a major mine in North America. Detailed information concerning the dipper’s performance was not disclosed, but P&H claims performance results for the new copper dipper met the mine’s requirements, leading to orders for more such dippers from that mine as well as others in South America with similar material handling conditions.

Beyond coal overburden and copper dippers, P&H Mining Equipment said it and P&H MinePro Services are working on additional dipper designs customized for unique material handling conditions encountered in other major mining commodities.