How Huawei & Huaneng Ruichi Boost Coal Mining Efficiency
Mined coal is crucial for numerous countries, playing a key role in their social and economic growth.
To boost safety and efficiency, a fleet of 100 Huaneng Ruichi autonomous electric mining trucks have begun operations at the Yimin open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, China.
The fleet has been deployed through a joint innovation project between Huaneng Inner Mongolia Eastern Energy, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, Huawei and State Grid Smart Internet of Vehicles.
The integration of these advanced electric vehicles marks a significant milestone, making the Yimin mine the first globally to achieve a comprehensive vehicle-cloud-network synergy, thereby significantly enhancing its production safety and supporting the coal supply chain.
Li Shuxue, Chairman of Huaneng Inner Mongolia Eastern Energy Co., Ltd., said that the company is actively implementing the new national energy security strategy and working to drive an energy transition in mining transportation.
As a key part of these efforts, it is replacing fuel vehicles with electric ones to build safer, more intelligent and greener mines.
About the Huaneng Ruichi trucks
The deployed Huaneng Ruichi trucks have established three notable records in the domain of autonomous electric mining trucks:
- Largest payload
- Fastest running speed
- Lowest operating temperature
Each truck is engineered to haul up to 90 tonnes and can function continuously even in extreme conditions down to -40°C.
Remarkably, these trucks operate at 120% the comprehensive efficiency of their manually driven counterparts.
The area around the Yimin mine is rich in biodiversity with wetland, grassland and shrubland according to research from the China University of Mining and Technology.
Removing emissions from vehicles in the area could help to prevent harm to nearby ecosystems.
Autonomous truck operations
Huawei Cloud's role encompasses providing a Commercial Vehicle Autonomous Driving Cloud Service (CVADCS), which facilitates real-time operational location updates through a sophisticated crowdsourced mapping system.
This cloud infrastructure minimises waiting times, optimises routes rapidly and boosts operational efficiency.
These are the first autonomous mining trucks in China without a driver’s cabin, keeping personnel safely away from equipment hazards and harsh environments.
Zhang Ping'an, Executive Director of Huawei and CEO of Huawei's Cloud Computing Business Unit, noted that Huawei has developed AI algorithms for open-pit mining.
These algorithms enable precise sensing for autonomous vehicles and efficient collaboration on the cloud, which is uniquely suited to accelerating the coal mining industry's transition from manual to intelligent operations.
5G-A in the Yimin mining area
Additionally, a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network has been deployed at the site, offering network precision necessary for autonomous driving routes and ensuring seamless vehicle-cloud integration.
Yimin stands out as the first open-pit mine empowered by 5G-A technology, achieving 500 Mbps uplink speeds and a mere 20ms latency.
This advanced network supports high-definition video backhaul and cloud-driven dispatch of autonomous mining vehicles.
These technological enhancements, integrating advanced 5G capabilities, are poised to support continuous, around-the-clock operations for more than 300 autonomous vehicles in future expansions.
Huawei's ongoing collaboration aims to continue transforming and upgrading mining equipment to reduce environmental impacts.
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