AUTOMATION
drills via ASI, while retaining its own Epiroc
automation offering for its own drills, again new
and retrofit. Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s Senior
Executive Vice President Mining and
Infrastructure, has said ASI’s automation
retrofitting capability would bolster Epiroc’s open-
pit mining offering, which includes production and
exploration drilling equipment. The partnership
with ASI will also reinforce a much deeper shift in
the company’s future product and systems
strategy. “Our strategy when it comes to system
integration…is to be able to offer a solution that
can really drive productivity for our customers. To
do that, you need to combine the full system of
vehicles. You cannot only do it with one type of
equipment. That’s why we have a clear strategy to
be OEM-agnostic in everything we do.”
She continued: “The solutions you will see
here [in Örebro] and, also the capabilities ASI
brings, is [all around being] OEM-agnostic. It
allows us to respond to the needs that the
customers have when it comes to being OEM
agnostic…I do believe that is what the industry
needs, otherwise it will not be possible to reach
the full potential when it comes to productivity.”
Australia’s RCT recently looked to broaden its
automation package with three products suited
to various levels of technology adoption that can
be tailored to mine-specific installations. The
company’s ControlMaster ® automation solutions
encompass surface and underground mines to
help increase productivity and profitability on
site. In the past year, its solutions have
broadened extensively to directly meet industry
demands and will continue to do so into the
future, the company said.
“Unlike other automation solutions on the
market, RCT’s offering is unique in that it’s agile
across all mobile machines, regardless of make
or model; making it ideal for site’s operating
mixed fleets and those not wanting to replace
existing infrastructure,” RCT says.
Enabling automation with robust
private LTE networks
Canada’s Ambra Solutions is a world leader of
private LTE deployment - a key element that
enables mission-critical automation. Dependable
automation requires highly efficient coverage
that is designed according to each environment.
Ambra and its team of engineers custom design
networks with radios at each level, harnessing
maximum speed for automation. Each mine
maintains full proprietorship of their turnkey
private LTE networks including the definition of
its design and the management of its data.
“In comparison to basic mining
telecommunications that enable vocal
communication for example, remotely operated
machines generate an excessively high amount
of traffic.
22 International Mining | APRIL 2019
“Efficient automation is based on coverage,
throughput and robustness. The networks
designed by Ambra are engineered to provide
enough upstream bandwidth required for
manoeuvring remotely operated vehicles thereby
ensuring highly efficient systems. Moreover,
private LTE networks offer an unlimited number
of applications and extensions, empowering
mines to enhance autonomation when ready.”
In 2017, Ericsson and Ambra Solutions worked
together to deliver Canada’s deepest
underground LTE network for the Agnico Eagle
mining site, LaRonde in Abitibi, Quebec. Located
3 km below the surface, the LTE network provides
data and voice mobility services across the site
and enables several Internet of Things (IoT) use
cases to improve safety and mining operations.
The network in LaRonde is utilising band 5 at 850
MHz. The solution is based on the latest Ericsson
Radio System portfolio of basebands and radio
units, software upgradable to provide Massive
IoT capabilities for sensor-based applications
and support 5G New Radio (NR) capability.
Eric L’Heureux, CEO, Ambra Solutions, says:
“The LTE technology is the most cost effective
and reliable solution to provide real-time
coverage to several kilometres of underground
tunnels. A single LTE radio can cover up to 6km of
tunnel, whereas it would take over 60 active Wi-
Fi access points to cover the same area.”
Completed in December 2017, the LTE network
provides connection across the site. It is similar
to that deployed at the mining site of Boliden in
Skellefteå Municipality, Västerbotten County,
Sweden, which was also built using Ericsson
equipment.
Ambra also says it has been working actively
with multiple OEMs such as Caterpillar, Sandvik,
Epiroc, MacLean and Komatsu “to optimise
wireless design and deliver unparalleled networks
for automation. Along with these renowned OEMs
Ambra strives to ensure the LTE design provides
the highest availability that meet or exceed jitter
and latency standards. Furthermore, automation
has been limited far too long to areas with wi-fi
coverage. A private LTE network enables mines to
fully capitalise the network and remotely operate
machinery anywhere in the mine.”
In 2018, The Ambra team realised a first by
remotely controlling a Cat R2900G LHD located 3
km underground, using LTE technology, at the
Agnico Eagle LaRonde gold mine. Ultra-deep
mines are constantly striving to increase efficiency
and productivity as their mines get deeper.
Ambra states: “LTE technology is the most
reliable and cost-effective solution for covering
an entire mine with high-speed data, high-
definition voice, IoT and Push-to-Talk solutions.
Without LTE technology, remotely operating
equipment involves the deployment of multiple
localised Wi-Fi access points, as well as a
constant relocation of the hardware that is
adapted to the area. LTE ubiquitous coverage
allows mining customers to remotely operate
equipment anywhere within their mine. This is a
turning point in operation optimisation as it
allows mining companies to maintain and even
increase optimised production during shift
change and after each blast.”
LHD operators can now work safely from a
controlled environment at the surface using
technology enabled solutions like Cat Command
for underground. Remote control operation
increases production time, accessibility and safety.
Rajant on mission critical networks
While there is a lot of talk on LTE and
automation, Rajant believes that its wireless
mesh, Kinetic Mesh ® , a fully mobile, private
wireless network, delivers on all fronts –
especially reliability and robustness. IM spoke to
Geoff Smith, Rajant EVP Global Sales and
Marketing.
“We believe Rajant is well positioned for
automation network platforms as we have a very
unique technology and have been increasing our
market share in this area. The problem with LTE
is what to do when you lose communications via
the LTE tower going down and when the automated
mining trucks stop, how do you get communications
back and how much lost production will you incur?”
The company says this is more common in the
industry than some may think.
Rajant’s radio system means all radios on all
the pieces of equipment talk to each other, via
piggybacking of data, and therefore are not
wholly network dependent. This frees the
autonomous fleet from client to infrastructure
dependence that comes with WiFi and LTE, says
the company. Rajant also pointed out that most
traditional mesh companies dedicate 5 GHz to
backhaul and 2.4 GHz to mobility. So, what
happens when 2.4 GHz isn’t available?
Rajant can transmit on any frequency at any
time, choosing the best frequency for each
packet sent. On data, Rajant says it is the same
principle as people using LTE when outside for
phones, but fibre Wi-Fi at home. “Kinetic mesh
actually has higher data capacity than LTE. It is
like having private LTE, but with built in
redundancy and reliability where all devices talk
to each other so the mine can keep running.”
Rajant agrees LTE still has its place in mining,
but says that kinetic mesh can support the
critical data needs of heavy autonomous
equipment. An example is when a mine had
deployed LTE, but found it couldn’t provide
sufficient comms to support an autonomous drill.
They utilised a Rajant mesh network for the drill,
but retained LTE for their voice requirements.
A lot of support elements of automation, such
as operator monitoring, rely on video links, which