Mammoth 'Ore Eater'

Kleiner Bericht über eines des spektakulärsten Projekte in der Oil-Mining-Technologie

- Each vehicle will replace fifteen 400-tonne trucks-

After 40 years of evolving some of the world's largest mining equipment, bigger is still better at the pioneer Alberta oilsands complex Fort McMurray. A new machine eclipses the current industry icon, monster dump trucks weighing 700-tonnes when carrying 400-tonne loads. The same giant shovels that now load the huge dump trucks in four passes of their 100-tonne scoops will feed the new machine. But the mobile ore eater will do double duty by crushing the ore as well as starting its transportation along the bitumen separation and synthetic oil production. The new machine swallows up to 5,500 tonnes of ore per hour. The ore eater chews raw oilsands to small bits and drops them onto a portable conveyor system. The belt goes to a "slurry facility" that blends the initial mine product, a mix of sandy oil and water.