SURFACE AUTOMATION
100 hours), in 100 hour groups (for the last 500
hours), in 500 hour groups (for the last 2,500
hours) and for the life of the machine. In addition
to the previously mentioned groups, there are
several other custom logs that can be set up to
specify data between shifts or by operator.
“There are several benefits to logging the
performance of the machine. First is for the
operator’s benefit. If they monitor this
information themselves they will have an
opportunity to learn better techniques and
improve their effectiveness with the machine. The
second reason is it is an opportunity for
supervisors and managers to understand how
their machines are being used. There are several
things that can be seen very quickly that can
have a big effect on the operational costs and
overall return on investment. If the data shows
the machine is spending a high amount of time
sitting idle, it can be a trigger to look into the
reason behind it. If the machine is spending a
high amount of time tramming and not working,
there may be some different methods that could
be implemented in the pit layout that will get the
machine working more and tramming less.”
Other situations where performance
monitoring has proven beneficial is in surface
mines or jobsites where there is more than one
machine being run on multiple shifts where there
is a consistent difference in productivity. A
supervisor can quickly see if both machines were
keeping the engines loaded and if operators were
following the prompts the system was giving. “It
may be that both machines are being run to their
potential and the difference in digging conditions
is the sole contributor to the difference in
productivity. No matter the results found, the
supervisors will at the very least be able to make
decisions on real performance numbers rather
than opinions and perceptions, the method of the
past.”
There are three ways to view the data from
performance monitoring: on the display in the
cab of the machine, on a computer after
downloading data with a USB or through Vermeer
Fleet, a web-based telemetry program which
transfers the information through cellular data.
“In all three options the data is presented in very
similar formats and is easy to navigate through
the different time groups. The attached screenshot
is an example of the report created with the USB
download. This report shows the data being broken
down in hourly increments. An operator or
supervisor can quickly see the machine spent a
high percentage of its time working while
maintaining a high average percentage engine load.
In addition, it is clear the operator followed all
suggested prompts the control system suggested.”
Mineral stockyard automation
PROFESSIONAL
INVITATION FOR:
engineers
technicians
TRAININGS
Raw Materials and Water Treatment
based on Membrane Technology
scientific users 19 – 20.09.2017
Freiberg, Germany
researchers Comminution of Minerals
managers and entrepreneurs 26 – 27.09.2017
Freiberg, Germany
others professionals
Automated Materials Characteriza tion
by Mineral Liberation Analysis
17 – 19.10.2017
Freiberg, Germany
MORE INFO / REGISTRATION: EIT RAW MATERIALS – REGIONAL CENTER FREIBERG
www: tu-freiberg.de/weiterbildung, +49 3731 39 2230, [email protected]
26 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2017
BlueScope Steel in Australia uses bulk iron ore
and additives for steel production and as such
operates a primary stockyard for ship unloading
and a secondary stockyard for material blending
and sorting. The company wanted a stockyard
automation solution to cut operational costs,
maximise stockyard area utilisation and boost
reclaiming throughput
FLSmidth has applied its BulkExpert™
unmanned control system at the BlueScope
stockyard, combining a 3D laser scanning
system and RTK GNSS receivers. Only one
central-control-room operator is required to
control a complete stockyard. It provides real-
time, full terrain stockyard information, while
simulation capability allows BlueScope to
predict precisely how upcoming bulk deliveries
can be stacked and reclaimed. FLSmidth told
IM: “It enables the highest possible utilisation
of machines and stockyard area – with
centimetre-level accuracy and efficiency far
beyond the capability of a human
stacker/reclaimer operator.”
The BulkExpert™ system has nearly doubled
reclaiming throughput for BlueScope, from 10-
12,000 to 19,000 t/d. The stable reclaiming feed
improves the quality of material fed through the
mill and makes it easier to achieve precise
blending from different stacks by following a
desired blending ratio more accurately than
would be possible using an operator.
Efficiency and safety have also been increased
because the unmanned BulkExpert™ system