Mining sites electrifying their machinery encounter a problem that has little to do with the machines. The distances are long, the power is concentrated at the plant rather than at the working face, the altitude is often significant, and a machine that runs out of charge at the bottom of a pit is not easily rescued. MPMC POWERTECH CORP., established in 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai Pudong, publishes mobile charging equipment alongside containerised generation and mining deliveries across several continents, which makes its range worth assessing for this duty.
MPMC BCH Series mobile BESS charger — BCH-800-600
Distance Is the Mine's Real Constraint
On most mine sites the electrical infrastructure was designed around the processing plant, and the working areas were served by diesel because diesel travels in a tank. Electrifying machinery reverses that assumption without reversing the cable layout, and the cost of extending distribution to a face that will move again next season is rarely justifiable.
A mobile charging unit resolves this by carrying energy to the machine rather than running cable to the position. The unit is replenished where power already exists and deployed where the work is, which matches how a mine actually changes shape.
Altitude and Temperature Change the Numbers
Many orebodies sit at elevations where derating applies to equipment specified at sea level, and this catches out buyers who transferred a specification from a lowland project.
|
Condition |
Published MPMC position |
What to request |
|
Altitude |
Maximum 3,000 m on BCH-275-200 and above, derating above 2,000 m; 4,000 m on compact models |
Derated output at the site's actual elevation |
|
High ambient |
−20°C to +50°C with derating above 45°C on larger models |
Output curve across the expected ambient range |
|
Low ambient |
−20°C lower limit published across the range |
Cold-start behaviour and any pre-conditioning requirement |
|
Dust and corrosion |
C4 coating standard on BCH-275-200; C4 standard with C5 optional on BCH-800-600 |
Class selected against measured exposure; sealing of the battery pack |
|
Safety provisions |
Aerosol fire suppression to CE; explosion-proof breather listed on BCH-800-600 |
Documentation for the exact model and destination |
The altitude figure deserves particular attention because it applies to the charging equipment as well as to any generator supporting it, and the two derating calculations are separate.
Matching Charging to Shift Patterns
Mines run to shift structures rather than to daylight, which gives charging planning a rhythm that construction lacks. Shift changes, crib breaks and planned maintenance windows are predictable, and they are where charging belongs.
MPMC's published range covers 80 kW to 600 kW rated DC output with 70 kWh to 1,075 kWh of storage, with two CCS2 guns on models from the BCH-275-200 upward at 250 A and 350 A respectively. Which model suits follows from how much energy the machines consume per shift and how long the predictable windows are, so both should be measured before selection rather than estimated.
MPMC BCH Series mobile BESS charger — BCH-275-200
Replenishing the Unit at a Remote Operation
MPMC lists AC input from grid, generator set or solar on models from the BCH-275-200 upward at 80 kW to 560 kW depending on model, and a CCS2 DC input allowing recharge from a fast-charging point, listed at approximately one hour for the BCH-275-200.
At a mine the usual arrangement is replenishment near the plant where power is available, with units rotating out to the working areas. That turns charging into a logistics schedule rather than an electrical design, and the number of units required follows from the rotation cycle rather than from peak charging demand alone.
Monitoring Equipment That Is Rarely Attended
MPMC lists an EMS with 4G connectivity and OCPP 1.6 support, an open cloud-ready API, remote monitoring and command over Ethernet, and a self-developed SCADA platform with alarm and fault management, ten years of data retention and StarLink satellite communication as a backup link.
Connectivity is worth confirming specifically at a mine, since 4G coverage in a pit is frequently poor and the satellite backup may be the primary path rather than the reserve. Whether alarms reach a party able to respond, and how quickly, matters more than the monitoring feature list.
Fitting Into the Site's Wider Power Arrangement
Charging equipment rarely arrives at a mine in isolation. The same operation usually runs containerised generation for the plant, storage to smooth engine loading and lighting across the working areas, and buying these from one source gives a single control platform and one spares relationship.
MPMC lists containerised generation from 800 to 3,750 kVA, an HBD-R storage series from 30 kW to 610 kW continuous positioned as a generator set partner, and HSL and HBL light towers, all under its own SCADA and EMS.
Related Mining Deliveries
MPMC lists a Chilean mining installation of 500 kWh using HBD-50-100 and HBD-250-400 units as a mobile storage plant, an Australian mining programme of 14.7 MW using 245 GSB hybrid power stations, and 5.2 MW of mining equipment power in Australia on Cummins KTA50-G3 engines. A Norwegian reference at 2 MWh describes remote machinery charging at 500 kW per unit with CCS2 output of 360 kW at 400 A.
These describe the class of project supplied rather than a guarantee for a different orebody, machine mix or elevation.
Mine Deployment Confirmations
• Request derated output at the site's actual elevation and ambient range.
• Measure energy consumed per machine per shift before selecting a model.
• Map the predictable charging windows in the shift structure.
• Plan the rotation cycle between replenishment point and working areas.
• Specify coating class and pack sealing against measured dust and chemical exposure.
• Confirm the communications path, including satellite backup, and who receives alarms.
https://www.mpmc-group.com/
MPMC Powertech Corp.
