CAT TROLLEY ASSIST SYSTEM

FOR ULTRA-CLASS ELECTRIC DRIVE MINING TRUCKS

CAT® TROLLEY ASSIST REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Trolley assist offers mines the ability to reduce engine emissions and increase mine
electrification. The reduction in diesel fuel consumption lessens greenhouse gases,
ELECTRIFYING NOx, and PM emissions. It promotes a more sustainable mining operation.

+ More environmentally friendly mode of operation

MINES + Between 20% to 60% reduction in CO2 emissions
+ Potential for carbon tax credits
TO REDUCE
COMPATIBILITY
EMISSIONS. The Cat trolley assist retrofit kit is currently available for the 795F AC truck.
The trolley design is compatible with all other Cat ultra-class electric drive
trucks (794 AC, 796 AC, 798 AC) – and will be available in the future.
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
While connected to the trolley line, the Cat 795F AC can nearly double its speed.
A recent study showed an increase of 100% speed-on-grade from 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
to 28 km/h (17.4 mph).
100%
CATERPILLAR DESIGNED
Putting over 4500 kW to the ground, the 795F AC (connected to trolley) AND INTEGRATED
is the Most Powerful Mining Truck in the World Today!
The Cat trolley assist attachment is the only one in
+ Up to 100% speed-on-grade improvement vs. diesel mode the industry fully designed, integrated, and built to
+ Higher Productivity Caterpillar specifications — leveraging the 100%
+ Faster Cycle Times Caterpillar-designed and integrated AC drive train.

The attachment includes:

+ A purpose-built, thoroughly-tested trolley structure
+ Pantographs
+ Support Systems
+ And the necessary components
REDUCE FUEL BURN, INCREASE ENGINE LIFE to fully integrate onto a Cat ultra-class
electric drive mining truck.
Diesel Fuel Burn Substitution
When connected to the trolley system, the truck’s propulsion system becomes The ruggedized pantographs are designed to
powered purely with electricity from the power grid, minimizing the use of the Caterpillar specifications and work seamlessly
diesel engine and utilizing the full potential of the wheel motors. with the rest of the attachment for optimal
performance.
Improved Engine Life + 100% Caterpillar-integrated drive train
Thanks to the significant decrease in diesel fuel burn while on trolley, engines optimizes performance & serviceability
are exposed to less wear and tear — thus increasing the engine’s life until
+ Reduced maintenance costs
overhaul.
+ Validated structures deliver more uptime
+ 90%+ reduction in diesel fuel burn with trolley active and lower repair costs
+ Savings of up to 40 liters of diesel per cycle per 1 km of trolley line
+ Increase machine engine life by up to 25%

 CAT TROLLEY ASSIST
SYSTEM SITE
INFRASTRUCTURE
REQUIREMENTS

The Cat Trolley Assist System requires incremental truck iron and significant site infrastructure footprint to enable its
operation. There are five key elements of the site infrastructure, they are: AC substation, DC substation(s), support poles,
catenary lines, and the load height check. Site infrastructure for the trolley system must be provided by a third-party.

AC SUBSTATION
Site infrastructure starts with a large AC substation. The AC substation shapes AC power
from the local power grid for use by the smaller DC substations along the trolley assist route.
Typically, only one AC substation is needed for the entire trolley system.

DC SUBSTATION(S)
The DC substations are placed approximately every 1 km along the trolley route. Fed by the AC
substation, these DC substations convert the AC power into 2,600 V DC power for the trolley lines.
The total number of DC substations varies depending on the haul route length and the desired
number of trucks targeted for simultaneous operation.

SUPPORT POLES
CATENARY LINES Support poles consist of a vertical base poles and catenary routing
Supported by the catenary routing poles, and are placed approximately every 40 m along the haul road.
poles, two catenary conductors Poles are placed as far apart as possible to maintain a suitable
are ran immediately overhead catenary arc. Vertical base poles, which typically need 3-4 m of a
the haul road on the trolley assist base to be installed, are placed immediately to the side of the haul
segment. These two catenaries road on the side of the direction of uphill travel. Catenary routing
are DC conductors, and are poles are cantilever mounted to the vertical base poles and extend
directly connected to the DC approximately ¼ of the way over the haul road. Upfront design
substation(s). Carbon brushes on consideration is recommended If mine plan requires relocation of
the pantograph directly contact trolley lines.
the catenary lines for the duration
of the trolley assist segment.

LOAD HEIGHT CHECK

Before the first support pole and start of the trolley line, a
system is used to detect the pile height of the truck and ensure
that it is below the catenary height. The load height check
system features two poles and a laser check to measure the
truck pile height, and a red/green light immediately afterwards.
The red/green light alerts the operator if the pile height is
below the catenary height and it is okay to proceed (green),
or if the pile height it at or above the catenary height, and the
truck must process with non-trolley trucks (red).
 REDUCE COSTS
THE CAT TROLLEY ASSIST ATTACHMENT OPERATES AT A HIGHER VOLTAGE THAN MOST COMPETITIVE TRUCKS.
The higher operating voltage significantly reduces electrical system losses in power transmission from the DC power lines to
the wheel motors. This provides many benefits — such as lower infrastructure costs, reduced maintenance costs, and improved
operational efficiency.

IMPORTANT ELECTRICAL VALUES AND DIMENSIONS

THE TABLE BELOW CONTAINS ELECTRICAL VALUES FOR A SINGLE TRUCK ON THE CAT TROLLEY ASSIST SYSTEM.

SINGLE TRUCK VALUES (referenced from the point the power is taken off the trolley line)

Maximum Trolley Power Draw 4,500 kW

Operating Voltage range 2,150 – 2,800 VDC

Full Power Voltage Range 2,450 – 2,800 VDC

Full Power Current Range 1,836 – 1,636 ADC

Reduced Power Voltage range 2,150 – 2,450 VDC

THE TABLE BELOW CONTAINS VARIOUS REQUIRED DISTANCES AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR TROLLEY OPERATION.

TROLLEY DIMENSIONS AND SPECS

Negative DC Trolley Line Pantograph Directly Above the Operator Cab

Positive DC Trolley Line Pantograph on the Right Side of the Truck

Distance between lines 3,985 mm

Pantograph Width of Carbon Brushes 2,445 mm

SUPPORT
The Cat trolley assist attachment comes with the full
support of the Cat dealer network. 100% of the trolley
components have a Cat part number and are supported
by the Cat parts network.

A full set of operation, maintenance, and repair service

publications are developed and published on the trolley
attachment, and Cat dealers are trained and positioned
to support the trolley system.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q: When on Trolley, can the A: The operator can modulate speed in trolley assist using the accelerator
operator slow the truck to pedal in a similar fashion to a normal diesel propel mode. If the truck speed
their desired speed and then drops below 8 km/h (5 mph) while on trolley line, the trolley will disengage
accelerate if they need to? and switch back to diesel mode automatically for safety reasons. There are
several additional safety measures built into Cat trolley assist.

Q: What is the line height A: The contact wire to road surface should be set to +/- 100 mm of the
variation amount and frequency? target height. During operation, the system is designed to accept a line
height variation of up to +/- 500 mm at a frequency of 1 Hz. 500 mm reflects
a combination of road surface and machine suspension / tire changes
during operation.

Q: What are typical grade A: Trolley requires dedicated road maintenance, the road must be in
values that must be maintained good shape. Potholes, ruts, and other deficiencies could cause a truck
to reduce the road tolerance on trolley to disengage if it loses contact with the lines. The pantographs
rejection rate, and how much allow for +/- 1 m of lateral movement, and +/- 500 mm of vertical movement
vertical and lateral movement is dynamically. The working range of the pantograph is 1.5 m.
allowed on the truck before the
pantograph disconnects?

Q: Is there a ground fault A: Truck components feature a ground fault protection; however, this is not
protection mechanism on the a personal protection system. The sub station should also contain a ground
truck, or does that lie on the fault protection.
infrastructure side?

Q: What mitigation should be A: To reduce arcing / sparking, the support poles should be placed 40
taken to reduce arcing / sparks m apart, and the road should be regularly graded. The contact wires,
when contact with the line when set with the hangers, should be parallel to the road +/- 100mm. The
is interrupted due to uneven pantograph is designed to respond to vertical changes, but for sudden
road surfaces? How does the vertical changes the pantograph features a quick-drop system. Maintaining
truck behave under these line tension is important, as drooping in the line will cause a sudden
circumstances? snapping of the line at the hangers, resulting in the pantograph arcing.

PEDJ0634-01 (05-2021)
(Global)

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