Full marks in Svappavaara for FlexiROC T45

August 13, 2013

The iron ore mining giant LKAB has been putting the new FlexiROC T45 surface drill rig to the test at its open pit operation in Svappavaara, in northern Sweden. The results were as dramatic as the landscape.

Atlas Copco’s new FlexiROC T45 drill rig, introduced at this year at the Bauma fair in Germany, is considerably less “thirsty” and overall more efficient than its predecessor, the ROC F9. That’s the conclusion at the open cast Svappavaara mine in the far north of Sweden, which is owned and operated by LKAB, one of the world’s largest mining companies.

During tests at the mine, the rig, equipped with the COP 2560 rock drill, logged 500 impact hours, 200 hammer hours and a total of 12 500 drillmeters. It was used to drill 89 mm holes to an average depth of 15 m, mostly in iron-rich rock.

Atlas Copco Service Technician Patrik Lindqvist says: “The biggest advantage with the FlexiROC T45 is undoubtedly the fuel consumption. With its Tier 4 engine and exhaust purification system, it used 20.5 liters of diesel per hour, compared to 35 liters for the ROC F9. That’s a big reduction in operational cost as well as CO2 emissions.”

Air on demand

Lindqvist explains that the FlexiROC T45 operates on demand. “The operator tells it how much air is required for the compressor and that’s exactly the amount of air he gets. Previously, a full air load was always delivered which meant that a lot of diesel was being used as the rig had to be run at a higher rpm. It was the same with hydraulics. However, with the new rig, you simply get the amount of pressure you ask for. There’s no waste and you save fuel.” Read the full story at Mining and Construction online.

Epiroc operated under the trademark “Atlas Copco” prior to January 1, 2018.