Komatsu’s P&H hybrid shovel ready for mining market

After extensive reliability testing over the past few years, Komatsu’s P&H 2650CX hybrid shovel has accumulated nearly 22,000 hours of validation and verification, making it ready for the market.

Extensive customer focus groups highlighted a need in the mining space for a piece of equipment that would combine the reliability of P&H electric rope shovels with the flexibility of the company’s hydraulic excavators to provide an alternative to the 500 tonne to 635 tonne hydraulic excavator at a reduced total cost of ownership.

The first 2650CX went to work in 2016 and has been tested in extreme mining environments, including hot summers and winters at high elevation. Over its time in the field, it has demonstrated a 40% to 50% reduction in fuel consumption compared to hydraulic excavators, while maintaining equal or better production.

The 2650CX uses twin-diesel engines rated for 2,386 kW, rather than being tethered to a high-voltage trail cable, like P&H electric rope shovels. With no trail cable required, the hybrid shovel has the mobility to easily tram to different areas of the mine site, giving it the flexibility to operate in remote locations or greenfield mines.

A loading tool leveraging three types of digging forces makes the 2650CX a unique and productive machine. It uses the hoist and crowd digging forces of P&H electric rope shovels and adds a third force, a breakout force, which is key to flexible digging paths.

With a payload capacity of 59 tonnes enabling a four-pass match to 227-tonne haul trucks, the P&H 2650CX Hybrid Shovel will accommodate trucks ranging from 135 tonnes to 360 tonnes.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)