Some of the largest mines in the world depend on Mesabi radiators to help power their fleets and combat a wide range of working conditions. From extreme heat to frozen cold and deep in the earth to high in the sky – there’s hardly a mine in any environment that hasn’t been touched by a Mesabi.
There’s a reason why the largest and most highly respected mines across the globe stock their fleets of haul trucks, bulldozers, and auxiliary equipment with Mesabi radiators. Apart from its reliable functionality that guarantees long-lasting performance and minimal machine downtime, a Mesabi radiator is, above all else, a resilient component of the equation of mining productivity.
It really is no wonder then why eight of the largest mines in the world dress their fleets with Mesabi radiators. The resilience of a Mesabi radiator helps to combat environmental conditions such as high altitudes and scorching heat, significantly reduces machine downtime and repairs, and ultimately saves company expenses.
Here’s how Mesabi heat exchangers power eight of the world’s most prolific mines:
Goldstrike Mine, Nevada, U.S. – Since 1983, Nevada has stood at the forefront of America’s gold extraction, accounting for more than 80% of the U.S. current annual gold output, according to Steve Voynick for Rock & Gem magazine. Located within the Carlin Trend, a prolific gold mining district in northeastern Nevada, the Goldstrike Mine is one of the largest gold mines in the world. Goldstrike is an open-pit and underground mine that operates at approximately 5,580 feet above sea level – a high altitude that limits the amount of air flow into a machine’s engine.
Mesabi cooling packages by L&M Radiator are made to maximize air flow, allowing machines to breathe easy even at extreme altitudes. The flexible cores are also made without solder joints bonding the tubes to the tanks, creating a system that can flex and bend and not break. It’s no surprise that Mesabi radiators are on nearly every single piece of mining equipment at Goldstrike.
Carajás Mine, Pará, Brazil – The Carajás Mine is located in the Carajás Mountains of northern Brazil, operating as the world’s largest iron ore mine. Carajás is an open-pit mine, containing an estimated 7.2 billion metric tonnes of iron ore, as well as gold, manganese, bauxite, copper, and nickel. The mine is run by the Brazilian mining corporation Vale, which began operation in 1942 and is now one of the largest mining companies in the world. You can find many of the company’s Komatsu haul trucks dressed with Mesabi radiators, contributing greatly to the trucks’ performance and operating lifespan.
Oyu Tolgoi Mine, South Gobi, Mongolia – Mesabi radiators are found on many pieces of both OEM and aftermarket equipment at the Oyu Tolgoi Mine, one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world. This open-pit and underground mine is located in the South Gobi region of Mongolia, meaning it is subject to the desert’s severe winters and dry summers.
Mesabi heat exchangers at this mine must out-wit and out-tough both polarized conditions. The mine’s Komatsu 960E trucks, Komatsu WA600, CAT 6060 RAD/CAC, and Sandvik Underground Trucks are dressed with Mesabi products to combat the intense cold in this region of Mongolia.
El Teniente, Sewell, Chile – The world’s largest underground copper mine is one of seven divisions owned by Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer. El Teniente operates in extreme altitudes of 10,000-15,000 feet above sea level, located in the Andes Mountains, about 60 miles southeast of Santiago along the Andean Copper Belt.
Because air mass is lower in these higher altitudes, it’s much more difficult to get enough cooling into a machine’s engine compared to air flow at sea level. At such extreme conditions, it’s vital for all machinery to operate efficiently. If a machine breaks down or dies for good, the altitude makes it that much more difficult and costly to replace. It’s a good thing the inimitable design of a Mesabi radiator allows for increased airflow, so operating at high altitudes is no problem.
Grasberg Mine, Papua, Indonesia – In the Timika Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia near Puncak Jaya, the Grasberg Mine operates as one of the largest gold and copper reserves in the world. According to Mining Technology, the open-pit and underground mine has produced more than 528 billion ounces of copper and 53 million ounces of gold to date. Due to the year-round heat and humidity of this remote location, the Mesabi radiator has been a preferred choice for the Grasberg Mine because of its unrelenting cooling capabilities and field repairable design.
Grasberg’s underground operations have more than one hundred CAT R1600G Rad / CAC and CAT R1700G RAD / CAC Mesabi Bolt In Core models onsite, and most of its aftermarket equipment runs with Mesabi cores as well.
Kiruna Mine, Kiruna, Sweden – Located in northern Sweden, the Kiruna Mine is the largest underground iron ore mine in the world. This mine is home to Europe’s largest known deposit of Rare Earth Elements (REE), which are the building blocks for many of today’s green initiatives such as electric vehicles (EVs). With a massive ore body that stretches 4 kilometers long, 80 meters thick, and plunges 2 kilometers down into the earth, Kiruna turns to Mesabi to efficiently and effectively uphold its 100-year-old operation.
Chuquicamata Mine, Antofagasta, Chile – With minimal vegetation, the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is home to an abundance of minerals: copper, gold, silver, and other industrial metals. Here, the Chuquicamata Mine is the world’s largest open-pit copper mine and the second deepest open pit mine, producing 650,000 metric tons of copper annually, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Mesabi radiators excel in hot, arid desert environments, where their primary role is to maintain cooling and combat heat, thereby ensuring continuous operation of machinery. You’ll even find an L&M Radiator plant right outside of this mine, standing at the ready to feed this industry giant.
Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah, U.S. – Formerly known to Salt Lake City locals as the Kennecott Copper Mine, the Bingham Canyon Mine operation is the largest man-made excavation and deepest open-pit mine in the world. It’s located southwest of the city in the Oquirrh Mountains, where haul trucks, excavators, motor graders and more extract large quantities of copper and gold, silver, molybdenum, and tellurium. Bingham has many Mesabi coolers on its truck fleet and auxiliary equipment, fighting against flying dust and debris to keep up with industry demands.
The resilience and reliability of Mesabi radiators is unquestionable. The Mesabi impact is global, setting a new standard of uptime and reliability at the largest mines across the world. L&M Radiator provides the number one heating and cooling cores available today. Join the ranks and add Mesabi radiators to your fleet today.
L&M Radiator: Powering the Mining Industry Across the Globe
For more information about Mesabi products, visit Products or www.Mesabi.com
For more stories similar to this one, visit The Mesabi Exchange.