Case Study Civil Demucking

Introduction

The Kiruna iron ore mine in northern Sweden, operated by Swedish mining group LKAB, is the largest of its kind in the world. With an annual output of over 30 million tonnes of raw ore—extracted exclusively via underground mining—the operation places the highest demands on vehicle logistics.

As part of the planning for a new wash, service, and repair hall, a solution was sought to clean the heavily soiled vehicles from the massive fleet both efficiently and quickly. The extreme underground conditions lead to severe dirt accumulation on wheeled and tracked vehicles, making thorough cleaning essential before any maintenance or repair work can be performed.

Challenges

• Heavy soiling from underground operations, especially on large dump trucks and tracked vehicles
• High time consumption and inefficient manual cleaning methods
• Need for a resource-saving and environmentally friendly solution
• A wide variety of vehicle types, from small mini-excavators to dump trucks up to 4.5 meters wide

Solution: The MobyDick HD-2 Demucking System

After a thorough evaluation, LKAB chose the MobyDick HD-2 Demucking System from FRUTIGER. The system operates on the principle of “high water volume – low pressure,” ensuring effective cleaning in a short amount of time.

Installed in late autumn 2020, the system was integrated into the foundation of the new wash hall and has since enabled fully automatic cleaning of mining vehicles.

Key features of the MobyDick HD-2 include:

• Cleaning with up to 12,000 liters of recycled water per minute
• High-performance nozzles for fast and thorough removal of stubborn dirt
• Integrated spray lance for targeted post-cleaning of hard-to-reach areas
• Automatic sludge separation using a side recycling tank with flocculant
• A closed water circuit system for complete reuse of wash water

Results and Benefits for the Customer

• Significant time savings: Vehicle cleaning now takes minutes instead of several hours
• Increased efficiency: Maintenance and repair tasks can be performed without long delays
• Environmentally friendly operation: The closed-loop water system saves large quantities of water and chemicals
• Improved work safety: Service personnel benefit from a more comfortable and less strenuous cleaning process

Several performance tests were conducted to assess the new system. It was shown that up to 1,000 kilograms of dirt were removed from large vehicles per cleaning cycle. All other tests were also passed successfully on the first attempt.

Conclusion

The implementation of the MobyDick HD-2 Demucking System at the Kiruna iron ore mine represents a major step forward in the automatic cleaning of mining vehicles. The combination of powerful cleaning performance, efficiency, and sustainability delivers long-term optimization of operational processes.