SLOPE STABILITY MONITORING
Last May 30 IDS GeoRadar also announced
RockSpot, an innovative radar system able to
locate, track and alert on rockfalls in real time
A watchful
eye
Paul Moore reports on the latest in slope stability monitoring,
the importance of which has again been highlighted by
industry events
et again, a pit wall collapse has
highlighted the need for industry to apply
the latest technologies in slope stability
monitoring, after part of the pit wall at the KOV
copper mine owned by Glencore collapsed in a
southeast Congo killing what has been reported
as at least 40 artisanal miners that were
illegally working there. Not only that, the
massive Vale Brumadinho iron ore tailings dam
failure has really focussed mining majors on this
type of technology.
As an example of this, Anglo American is now
using geophysical passive resistivity surveys to
identify phreatic surface levels in tailings dams
and identify any potential soft or
unconsolidated zones. The group has run this
technique across a large portion of its Major
and High CCS rated dams as an additional
check, to better understand the conditions of
the structure. Anglo has also installed fibre
optic cable technology into some of its tailings
dams and will complete three pilot projects by
the end of 2019, providing near real-time
monitoring of strain, deformation and seepage
in its dams. In some cases, satellite technology
will be combined with fibre optic cable
monitoring to complement the performance and
behaviour of the structure. Finally, at the new
Quellaveco copper mine that Anglo is
developing in Peru, the company is taking
further steps by introducing micro-seismic
monitoring of tailings dam foundations using
specialised sensors. “This technology will
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58 International Mining | AUGUST 2019
provide high quality target monitoring of various
structures in the dam body and the foundation,
localising any potential movement. It is also
aimed at the geological and structural features
in the dams and their foundations. We believe
this approach is a first for the industry in
relation to tailings dams performance.”
Reutech says safety & productivity
can go hand in hand
Speaking at the Electra Mining 2018 exhibition,
Jan de Beer, Executive Manager of Reutech
Mining, stated that the majority of the
important players in the industry agree that it is
essential for mining to become safer – but said
it is also clear that productivity and profitability
must increase. De Beer believes that it is
achievable to increase both while creating a
zero-harm environment, and that the increased
implementation of modern technology can
contribute to this drive. Fourteen years ago, a
major mining group requested Reutech Radar
Systems to address the safety risks relating to
falls of ground in open pit mines. Two years
later, in 2006, Reutech Mining was formed with
the delivery of the first-generation Movement
and Surveying Radar (MSR). The company has
since then assisted global clients by providing
advanced technology equipment that increases
mine safety and supports an increase in
productivity. “Reutech Mining delivers products
that assist with the protection of the physical
perimeter monitoring of mines, as well as other
solutions that provide early warnings in terms of
fall of ground in both surface and underground
mines.”
One of the biggest risks in surface mines
remains the fall of ground from big open pit
slopes. Reutech Mining’s latest MSR is its third
generation slope stability radar and is used on
six continents and in 27 countries. The company
says it is the fastest scanning real aperture
radar capable of detecting submillimetre
movement up to 4,000 m away from the rock
face. “The MSR also offers the most advanced
alarm configuration options available on the
market, and it operates in environmental
conditions ranging from -50°C to +55°C. With
data being available in near real time, the MSR
is able to detect small and large areas moving
on the mine slope – allowing its user timeously
to evacuate equipment and personnel from
potential fall of ground risk areas. There are
Reutech Mining’s latest MSR (shown is a
modular version) is its third generation
slope stability radar and is used on six
continents and in 27 countries