Designers of mining facilities play a significant role in defining the overall mine greenhouse gas
emissions performance. This demands an appreciation of all the greenhouse gas emissions sources,
including Scope 3 emissions, which will form an increasing fraction of the emissions as we transition
our generation sources to renewable energy.
Traditionally overland conveyors are designed to operate as fast as practical, and through this
approach, achieve relative minimisation of: conveyor belt tensions; belt width; mechanical equipment
masses; structural steel quantities; and concrete quantities. It is well understood that higher belt
speeds reduce capital cost and improve project economics. Operating at higher speeds introduces
operating costs through system energy losses and increased wear rates.
This paper assesses the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions for a typical iron ore overland conveyor
to demonstrate how the design criteria and engineering decisions impact greenhouse gas emissions
and project economics. An analysis of the decarbonisation potential and project economics using a
range of operational parameters has been completed, developing a marginal abatement cost for
each system configuration, creating a basis for integration of low emission overland conveyor
designs as part of the broader facility decarbonisation strategy.