Expanded view of Equipmake’s spoke motor
The switch from diesel to electric power is seen to be gathering pace in the mining industry, as the benefits of reduced emissions and lower vehicle and machinery operating costs become evident.
Electrification specialist Equipmake, has a range of high performance, cost-effective advanced electric motors for mining equipment and vehicles, offering benefits such as power density, low running costs and reduced emissions.
Based in Norfolk, in the UK, Equipmake provides electric vehicle (EV) technology to automotive original equipment manufacturers and specialist supercar manufacturers, producing a range of products from industry-leading electric motors to power electronic systems, as well as complete EV drivetrains, operating across marine, off-highway, agriculture and aerospace sectors.
The company says that its motors are particularly suited for used by drills, excavators and trucks and lists a number of advantages, such as minimal maintenance compared to fuelled equipment, lack of emissions and increased safety for mining operatives working in confined spaces.
Equipmake APM motors incorporate many industry-leading innovations and are believed to be the most power dense in global series production, using technology born out of managing director Ian Foley’s career in top-level motorsport.
A former Lotus and Benetton Formula 1 (F1) engineer, Foley’s research into electric motors and flywheels in the mid-2000s led to him playing a key role in the development of Williams F1’s hybrid system, used in the 2009 F1 season. The resulting hybrid flywheel arrangement went on to further success in endurance racing with Porsche and Audi.
The high-speed flywheel developed for the Williams programme was essentially a composite electric motor and Foley applied his expertise to develop a new design, Equipmake’s APM range of ‘spoke’ electric motors.
The permanent magnet motors use a spoke architecture (so-called because the magnets are arranged like the spokes of a wheel) to bring a major cooling advantage. The company explains that because the motor can be kept cool, it can produce greater power and torque, use less expensive magnet materials and conventional manufacturing methods, so can be made smaller, lighter and more cost-effective.
Equipmake offers two compact, power dense motors for mining applications, which both use the company’s spoke architecture to maximise cooling capability.
The APM 120 includes the following features:
- Peak power of 125 kW at 12 000 rpm
- Continuous power of 75 kW and peak torque of 130 Nm
- Light weight of 14 kg, with a power density of just under 9 kW per kg
- Integrated gearbox
- Compact size of 200 mm in length and 170 mm in diameter
- Features of the APM 200 model include:
- Peak power of 220 kW at 10 000 rpm
- Continuous power of 110 kW and peak torque of 450 Nm
- Light weight, weighing just 40 kg, it has a power density of over 5 kW per kg
- Integrated gearbox
- Compact, measuring just 247 mm in length and 318 mm in diameter
Both motors can be specified with or without an integrated gearbox and can be mounted horizontally or vertically. Equipmake also makes all supporting power control electronics, including its own high-performance inverter which incorporates the latest silicon carbide diode technology to improve power capability and enable the inverter to run at high switching frequencies.