Epiroc has announced two additions to the Pit Viper blasthole drill rig family, the Pit Viper 231 E and Pit Viper 235 E.
The new electric-driven blasthole drills offer operators safer, cleaner and more sustainable operations while maintaining productivity and reliability.
Equipped with Epiroc’s Rig Control System (RCS), both drills offer advanced on-board and off-board automation that significantly enhances safety, accuracy, and productivity.
Epiroc’s electric-driven blasthole drills are zero-emission machines, making operations cleaner and more sustainable.
With electric power at the core, the blasthole drills eliminate the need for traditional fuel, leading to savings in operational costs.
“The Pit Viper 231 E and Pit Viper 235 E are part of our vocation to create greener drills that enable our customers to produce metals and minerals in the most sustainable way possible,” said Yara Hussein, Epiroc’s Global Product Manager – Midrange Blasthole.
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The Pit Viper 231 E can drill 152 mm to 250 mm holes with up to a 16.1 metre capability.
The Pit Viper 235 E can drill holes up to 171 mm to 270 mm diameter. Both machines provide a full range of options to meet current and future needs, without compromising safety or operational cost-effectiveness.
The Pit Viper 231 E and Pit Viper 235 E drill rigs support Epiroc’s core mission of driving innovation in the mining industry for the benefit of customers and the environment, as Epiroc aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by half from its operations, transportation and the use of products by 2030.
HVO100 compatible
Epiroc has also announced its surface drill rigs are now verified to be compatible with HVO100 fuel. HVO100 leads to a substantial reduction of particulates, reducing the impact on the environment.
The possibility to use HVO100 fuel is applicable to Epiroc’s SmartROC, FlexiROC, PowerROC, Christensen, Explorac and Boyles product families.
“Epiroc has ambitious sustainability targets for 2030, and we continuously strive to improve our offering by finding more sustainable solutions. The ability to use HVO100 in our surface drill rigs is an important step towards meeting these targets,” said Martin Johansson, Global Product Portfolio Manager, Epiroc Surface division.
HVO100 is a hydrotreated vegetable oil that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from diesel engines. It can be used both as an alternative fuel to diesel or mixed with diesel. A diesel engine running on HVO100 produces up to 90 per cent less harmful emissions, when compared with one running on fossil-based diesel fuel.
HVO100 should be treated as diesel fuel, and it works the same way when it comes to service and installation.
The current infrastructure for distribution is also like diesel, which makes the move to HVO100 a smoother process compared to alternative technical solutions.
Customers can start to use HVO100 in their rigs straight away. Technical data varies between models and engines. Epiroc will update all the manuals accordingly to clarify the exact impact.
