HOTSTART From the Field - Hitachi Japan

Few places in the world are more extreme in their weather than Inner Mongolia where the winters are very long, cold and dry with frequent blizzards. Even in these conditions, there is still work to be done.  In November 2013, HOTSTART partnered with Hitachi Japan to provide an oil heater solution for their EX-8000 Gigantic Excavator in use at the Huaneng Yimin Coal and Electricity Company mining operation based in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia. The 2,000 megawatt coal plant excavates coal in a 24/7 operation to provide power for the Asian region.

During November, the average temperature in the village of Hulunbuir is -10°C. The extreme cold during the winter can wreak havoc on the mining equipment when it is not in use or down for maintenance. The EX-8000 is the only electrically powered excavator in service in the world. This multi-million dollar machine has a life expectancy of five years so keeping it running is essential for the mining operation. The EX-8000 can fill a standard Terex MT4400 Rock Truck with 254 tons of raw coal with just three scoops, providing greater efficiency and productivity compared to other shovels on site. To help combat the effects of the temperatures on the equipment, HOTSTART’s heaters were sought out to heat and circulate the hydraulic fluid and oil in the excavator. Heating and circulating the hydraulic fluid and transmission oil while the excavator is off-line allows for easier startups. Time is money when the EX-8000 is out of commission. 

Huaneng Yimin Coal and Electricity Company's mining operation located in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia.

Hitachi Japan's EX-8000 Gigantic Excavator is the only electrically powered excavator in service in the world.

Field Service Technician Jason Cook in front of the EX-8000 Gigantic Excavator.

Jim Vroman, HOTSTART Heavy Machinery Market Manager, and Jason Cook, HOTSTART Field Service Technician, traveled to Tokyo, Japan to meet with the engineering team of Hitachi Japan to discuss the project and review the plans for heating the low pressure section of the hydraulic fluid system. From Tokyo, Jim and Jason traveled to Beijing, China to meet with HOTSTART’s distribution partner Harsen Industries Ltd. who would assist them with their travel in the region and communication with the customers at Huaneng Yimin. 

The installation and regular use of the HOTSTART heaters would provide a more reliable heating method for the EX-8000 compared to the previous manual method. Prior to adding the HOTSTART equipment, the Huaneng Yimin team would regularly wrap the gigantic machine with canvas, start two fuel fired heaters underneath the belly of the machine and lay numerous small hand warmers along the topside. For an excavator that is 35 feet wide by 33 feet high (10.6m wide by 10m high), wrapping the machine with canvas for heating was a laborious task in of itself.

Once on site, the original plan to install 2 OWT Oil Heaters, 3 OSM Forced Circulation Oil Heaters and 6 Immersion Heaters was altered due to unexpected maintenance issues at the mining location. But not one to let an opportunity pass, Jason Cook turned the installation service trip into a customer service training class. Jason provided one-on-one training to the Huaneng Yimin team on the installation, operation and maintenance of the engine heaters.

HOTSTART's Immersion Heaters installed on the Hitachi Japan EX-8000 Gigantic Excavator.

HOTSTART's OWT Heaters installed on the Hitachi Japan EX-8000 Gigantic Excavator.

In January 2014, Jason Cook traveled back to Huaneng Yimin to follow up on the installation and work with the maintenance crew to complete the commissioning of the heaters. Weather conditions were worse in January with the temperature at -44°C. The extreme cold resulted in challenges not normally encountered with a standard heater installation. Due to the extreme cold and the excessive hose length to and from the heater, the electric hydraulic control of the EX-8000 that diverts oil to the necessary systems was unable to move the cold oil when first starting up. In order for the OSM Heater attached to the electric hydraulic control section to be effective, the maintenance team would need to purge the cold oil daily before startup. Purging the cold oil would let the heated oil in the element tank circulate freely without having to force the cold oil through the system first. This additional step was incorporated into the routine of the maintenance team to ensure quick starts. At the end of the trip, all the installed heaters were fully operational and Hitachi Japan was pleased with the onsite support Jason Cook provided. Hitachi expressed its satisfaction with HOTSTART’s product quality and level of service by partnering with HOTSTART to develop additional heater solutions for future projects.