SURFACE AUTOMATION
Firetail replacement project, the company is also investing in an innovative relocatable conveyor trial at the Cloudbreak mine.
FMG states:“ Together, these projects will contribute to sustained productivity improvements across the business through reduced haulage costs to offset rising strip ratios. The investment will occur over the three year period FY18 to FY20 and will be included in the company’ s sustaining capital expenditure. Benefits will be partially delivered during FY18 and fully during the following financial years.”
Fortescue Chief Executive Officer, Nev Power, said“ Fortescue is continuing to introduce leading edge technology across our business to ensure we remain at the lowest end of the global cost curve. Our focus remains on improving safety and increasing productivity and efficiency to deliver ongoing cost reductions. These projects will encompass technological advancement, workforce skills development and collaboration with our suppliers to harness the best ideas and position Fortescue strongly for the future.”
Elsewhere, at BHP Billiton, an internal email reported on in The West Australian gives some insight into that mining group’ s plans. The email revealed that BHP’ s Jimblebar mine will be the first operation in the mining giant’ s Pilbara iron ore portfolio to move completely to driverless trucks. WA iron ore boss Edgar Basto and Jimblebar General Manager Elsabe Muller said Jimblebar’ s existing fleet of 25 Caterpillar 793F autonomous trucks would be expanded to 50 by the end of the year. They said mine automation was part of the company’ s strategy to improve safety, build capacity and remain globally competitive.
The article says it is understood all affected staff will be offered alternative jobs or new roles working with the driverless trucks.“ Employees will be provided training to further develop their skill sets for the roles required to support autonomous haulage,” the email was quoted as saying.
The third big player, Rio Tinto, is already widely using Komatsu 930-4AT autonomous trucks at Yandicoogina, Hope Downs 4 and Nammuldi, with 76 operating at its sites, but its 20 Mt / y Silvergrass project is also set to be equipped with an autonomous fleet of 22 trucks according to reports.
Autonomy ramping up in the oil sands
IM has previously reported on the autonomous trucks project at Suncor’ s operations, involving six Komatsu 930E-4AT trucks with AHS technology loading a Komatsu PC7000 hydraulic shovel. In its 2017 Sustainability Report, the company states:“ Suncor is the first company to pilot Autonomous Haulage System( AHS) technology in open-pit mines in Canada. Using a
combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, laser and radar technologies, and proprietary software, the autonomous trucks work reliably and safely around other mining equipment, light vehicles and mine site employees. Suncor ' s fleet of AHScapable heavy haul trucks can also be operated in a driver-operated manual mode, if required.”
Suncor has partnered with equipment manufacturer Komatsu for this work. Preliminary field trials were completed using a single autonomous truck at Suncor’ s base mine in 2013 and 2014. Positive results from the field trials supported the decision to carry out a six truck commercial scale evaluation in Suncor’ s North Steepbank Extension mine.“ The objective of the evaluation, which ran from 2014 to mid-year 2017, was to verify the operational parameters required for broader implementation of AHS technology in Suncor’ s oil sands mining operations. Contingent on final project reviews and approvals, AHS technology would be implemented over a three-to-five-year period commencing in the North Steepbank Extension in late 2017. We are also exploring AHS technology for the Fort Hills mine in collaboration with our partners.”
Potential benefits of AHS technology cited by Suncor include enhanced safety performance; improved operating efficiency; reduced fuel consumption resulting in lower GHG emissions; and lower operating costs.
“ With new technologies like AHS, comes the need for new skills and opportunities to learn. Our training plan will continue to build AHS competency and knowledge. As always, we will work with our employees, partners and stakeholders to develop those opportunities as we adopt technologies to improve our business.”
Caterpillar’ s automation journey
Taking one of the few OEMs with a comprehensive surface equipment automation offering in detail, Caterpillar is in its third decade of mining technology development and
Conventional truck and shovel production at the Fort Hills oil sands mine, where majority owner Suncor is exploring AHS technology with its partners. AHS is already running at the main Suncor operations
improvement. Both technology and mining and management processes have evolved tremendously in that period, but the fundamentals of developing and implementing useful and cost-effective technology solutions remain largely the same.
For surface mining equipment automation, Caterpillar told IM it relies on proven machines and robust components that are heavily validated individually and as part of the system. Automation programs are focused on outcomebased solutions that leverage available technologies today while driving toward use of developing technologies, methods and processes.
“ When we build a solution for our customers, we’ re committed to delivering the best possible outcome we can,” says Bill Dears, Caterpillar Mining Technology Product Manager.“ We have great products that meet the majority of needs. But if there is a need that we can’ t meet, we’ ll find a technology product that does.”
Every mine is different and needs the technology solution that works for that operation. As a result, partnership is a critical piece of the strategy to manage velocity, overhead and capacity to create and expand customised solutions. Caterpillar says it is equipped to deliver global 24 / 7 support with boots on the ground to get operations rolling and to keep them running efficiently. Ongoing operational support also assists with change management and continuous improvement. Caterpillar also works with regulators and governing bodies to drive sensible implementation of regulations that allow miners to successfully deploy automated processes.
Caterpillar describes autonomy as a journey,
20 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2017