AUTOMATION
On the drill power he stated: “There is also the
issue of diesel and electric. All the drills with
autonomy so far are diesel models but of course
the next step is automating the electric cable
tethered machines to get the value of automation
to those customers as quickly as we can. This
comes with added complexity due to the cable
itself but we are already trialling a single row
option at a commercial mine.”
And finally there are the other associated
tasks around drilling, particularly explosives
loading in the holes, where autonomy also has
potential. “We are of course talking to the major
players on interoperability between drills and
EMUs for example, interfacing between each
others systems and coming up with shared
mission goals.”
Roy Hill’s automated drill program
bears fruit
Roy Hill’s successful implementation of
autonomous drills at its mine is the most recent
example of the company’s commitment to using
innovative technology to improve safety and
maximise efficiency. Located 340 km south-east
of Port Hedland in Western Australia, Roy Hill’s
low phosphorus Marra Mamba iron ore deposit is
one of Australia’s single largest iron ore mines.
Roy Hill initiated the automated fleet of nine
Atlas Copco (Epiroc) Pit-Viper 271 drills to
improve safety by reducing employee’s exposure
to potentially hazardous environment; provide
greater predictability across the operational
drilling fleet; and increase the utilisation of
equipment in high risk situations.
The autonomation of the project was
completed in September 2018, with control
expected to be fully centralised within Roy Hill’s
Remote Operating Centre (ROC) located in Perth
by May 2019. Since the rollout, the company’s
productivity targets have been consistently met
and exceeded. Autonomous drills are
consistently achieving working hours of greater
than 21 hours and drilled metres have increased
by 14% from manned operations.
Removal of the variability associated with
manned drilling has further allowed Roy Hill to
analyse measurements gathered while drilling,
gain greater understanding of the orebody and
improve blasting processes. Rather than follow a
traditional approach, Roy Hill opted to utilise a
non-manufacturer, agnostic autonomous solution
from FLANDERS Inc for the project. “This
innovative partnership has proven to deliver not
only enhanced performance improvements, but a
significant cost advantage in light of the
collaborative way the two parties approached
risk-based decision making.”
Roy Hill’s Head of Mining, Ian Wallace, said
“The move to autonomous drills has played a
significant part in increasing our production
drilling performance and safety at the mine. The
introduction of the technology has reduced the
variation in our daily results, enabling the teams
to focus on operating disciplines, forward
planning and further improvement
opportunities.”
Also, there have been no job losses as a result
of Roy Hill’s move to autonomous drills.
Previously, drillers were operating one drill each,
in an exposed, hot environment on the mine site.
Now, the drillers have transitioned into office-
based Drill Controller roles, operating up to four
drills per person, using a control console and a
screen from an air-conditioned office either at
site or in the Perth ROC. By May 2019, all of
these roles will be operating from the ROC in
Perth, integrated as part of the larger demand
chain.
Ian Wallace said: “Automation projects are
always still predominately about people. This
project has highlighted that by being open,
transparent and committed to people’s
development, advanced technology projects can
be implemented in conjunction with enriching
our people’s career paths. It’s all part of the Roy
Hill culture – to be a high performing iron ore
business where people contribute and realise
their full potential.”
By May 2019, Roy Hill’s nine strong Atlas
Copco (Epiroc) Pit-Viper 271 drill fleet will be
automated and operated remotely from the Perth
Remote Operations Centre.
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