Volvo Penta Power at Pogo is a Golden Combination for Operators

摘要

With 30 miles (18 km) of underground tunnels, Sumitomo's Pogo mine, located 85 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, is home to two large high-grade gold-bearing quartz veins that yield more than 2,500 tons of ore each day. In production since 2006, Pogo is one of the state's top gold mines. At the mine, a Sandvik LH 517 LHD works two shifts-up to 20 hours each day-loading out of the face and into trucks. The machine was purchased in late 2013 and is equipped with a Volvo Penta Tier 4 Interim TAD1361VE engine, which has since clocked more than 1,800 hours. The Pogo mine faces several challenges that the Volvo Penta engine has helped to address. In an area where winter temperatures typically hover around -12°F (-24°C) but can plummet to -60°F (-51°C), it's important to keep the inside of the mine as warm as possible. Ventilation air is heated to 40°F (4°C) year round at significant cost: the Pogo mine is the biggest user of propane in the state of Alaska.