BIG DATA AND DIGITALISATION flexibility you need for back-end integration with legacy systems, so that the data you’ ve already collected can still be used to drive meaningful change and favourable outcomes across your organisation. This is accomplished by using a custom-built cloud as an interoperability layer to combine data from multiple sources and then normalise it for analysis. Even though your data may be stored across a variety of legacy computing systems, Predix will help you put it to good use in your digital industrial transformation journey.”
Communication and interoperability challenges are not unique to the mining industry, but many of the challenges that stand in the way of complete digital industrial transformation are. GE says this is why it developed Digital Mine solutions, a suite of products and services designed specifically to address the transformation pain points of the mining industry.“ Together with Predix, GE’ s Digital Mine will help you solve the interoperability and communications challenges created by a variety of siloed data, far-flung assets, and remote mining locations to ultimately reshape operational strategies, unlock new productivity resources, improve safety and sustainability, and streamline operations.” GE’ s Minds and Machines event was held Oct 25-26 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Mining and big data was a focus of that exhibition with joint presentations from customers including South32, Asarco, and Vale.
Weir on how Big Data is transforming mining
IoT, big data and machine learning are changing the way the industry captures and analyses data, enabling operators and equipment suppliers to identify opportunities to reduce unplanned downtime and optimise operational performance.“ Big data provides us with the opportunity to remotely monitor and diagnose our products in real time. This means many tasks in the future will be performed more effectively and efficiently with the support of intelligent machines,” states Alasdair Monk, Commercial Director for Synertrex ® Technology for Weir Minerals.
Weir points out that it is certainly provoking major changes in the industry, and if executed correctly, can positively impact the performance and efficiency of the entire mine site. Armed with real-time, operational data, both mine site operators and equipment suppliers can better understand exactly how their plant and equipment actually performs. This will help drive productivity improvements in existing plants through reducing unplanned downtime as operators can predict when a part will need replacing based upon both its condition and its application. At the same time it will enable both operators and equipment suppliers to enhance the future designs of their plant and equipment.
“ By utilising big data, Weir Minerals can optimise the configuration and design of their products and services, empowering its customers to run their equipment at the optimal threshold of performance. Weir Minerals’ customers have stated that they require remote condition monitoring and control to increase productivity through three core elements- enhanced equipment, performance, and reliability – delivered in a controlled and safe way. Weir Minerals listened, and developed their own IoT platform, Synertrex ®.”
“ Building upon our customers’ core requirements, we have redefined the performance, reliability and safety of our products and services in our core mining applications, through developing a range of IoT enabled equipment and services,” says Ben Baker, Synertrex ® Technology Director for Weir.
For over 140 years, Weir Minerals says it has been committed to innovation, providing high performance engineered products, services and solutions. Building upon this heritage, it has now developed the Synertrex ® platform to deliver intelligent data driven service solutions.
“ To create the best solutions for our customers, we have partnered with two global industry leaders in IoT and Big Data- Microsoft and Dell. Microsoft has given us access to the best of big data and machine learning, whilst Dell has enabled us to develop an infrastructure platform that uses the latest in edge computing, ruggedised for the mining environment. In partnering with fellow technology leaders, our Synertrex platform combines the best of digital with the best of engineering for the minerals processing industry, ensuring that we continue to provide the best in class products and services for our customers,” states John McNulty, Director of Technology for Weir Minerals.
“ We are currently trialling a range of operation critical equipment applications in preparation for the launch of our Synertrex platform in 2018. Applying the latest digital technology will enable us to safely reduce unplanned downtime and enhance equipment performance across our core range of expertly designed products and services, and raise the market’ s expectations of best in class,” McNulty concludes.
GE argues that many industrial organisations have yet to capitalise on the promise of digital industrial transformation because one of the key drivers for change – data – is trapped in disconnected computer systems
Intelligent maintenance
Maintenance departments face a number of broad and extensive challenges on a minesite, ranging from parts and labour cost reduction initiatives to battles for equipment availability with other mining departments, and addressing a fluctuating queue of unplanned maintenance events. Additionally, maintenance teams are tasked with minimising repeat failures, but are often unable to resolve the root cause without extensive manual analysis of previous failures.
Simon Van Wegen, Product Manager, Maintenance Solutions at Modular Mining Systems states:“ Many of today’ s maintenance management systems and equipment units themselves collect more data than ever before, which can also complicate these tasks – with the complexity of data being collected, how does a maintenance team know which data really matters, and further, what does that data actually mean? While these challenges may seem unmanageable, some maintenance solutions on the market today utilise advancing technologies, such as cloud and edge computing, to leverage data in a way that complements the maintenance workflowmanagement process and drives the right, value-delivering decisions.”
Intelligent maintenance management solutions collect and manage the overwhelming amounts of Big Data that mining equipment generates. Some systems can collect continuous data streams from every component on every piece of equipment, at one site or across many. Van Wegen states:“ But while the amount of data we can collect is undoubtedly impressive, Big Data has created a separate complexity around the management and analysis of that massive database. With all that data, where do you even begin to start your analyses? To avoid getting lost in the sea of overwhelming data, where maintenance teams often spend time looking for patterns or trends that may not actually be useful, mining organisations should
NOVEMBER 2017 | International Mining 17