MECHANISED COAL
South32 Mining Supervisor, Robert Monkley,
Electrical Specialist, Adam Gallagher, and
Technician, Chris Gaskill, underground at
Illawarra Metallurgical Coal’s Dendrobium mine
in New South Wales
The robotic revolution
As Australia continues to lead in the longwall automation
stakes, Dan Gleeson goes in search of the last few percentage
points to allow miners to achieve fully robotic operations
The underground mechanised coal sector is
on the cusp of a major milestone: fully
autonomous longwall mining.
With every few years that pass, the number of
longwall features that can be automated
increases.
It is widely accepted that miners can now
automate up to 98% of the operation using the
most sophisticated longwall equipment from the
industry’s technology leaders.
These technology leaders, along with some of
the miners adopting their solutions, see the value
in further automating the process, making it their
task to reach the 100% mark first.
“We, too, can automate a high percentage of
the longwall,” James Sudworth, Global C&A
Manager, Longwall Systems at Komatsu Mining,
said. “The elusive 2% is the key next step toward
a fully autonomous longwall system.”
As it stands, many mining companies are
already receiving operational and productivity
gains from automated face alignment, sensorbased
seam guidance systems, automated pitch
steering and the like.
Such tools improve operations by “optimising
production cycles, improving consistency and
continuity of the cutting process, and extending
service life of longwall system components”,
Caterpillar says.
It added: “Most important, automation
reduces exposure of operators to potential health
and safety risks.”
Follow the leader
Australia has been a clear leader when it comes
to the adoption of autonomous longwall
technologies.
Anglo American’s Grosvenor and Moranbah
mines, South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal
complex, Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri North mine,
Peabody’s North Goonyella operation and
Glencore’s Oaky Creek North mine are just some
of the assets used as examples to back up this
statement.
If South32’s operations are anything to go by,
each operation could require a slightly different
approach to adopting automated practices.
South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal Vice
President of Operations, Wayne Bull, told IM:
“We are very proud of our record of innovation
and the use of technology to enhance safety and
aid production. Safety is embedded in everything
we do at South32 and the measures we have
introduced to our Illawarra Metallurgical Coal
operations have added even greater protections
for our workforce.
“Every mining operation is unique and all the
systems we use have been tailored specifically
for our needs. The investments we have made
have put South32 at the forefront of global
longwall mining technology.”
Bull and South32 are keen to talk up the
innovations IMC, in New South Wales, introduced
to earn its status as a technology leader.
Its Dendrobium longwall mine, for instance,
was one of the first coal mines in the world to use
personal proximity detection (PPD) devices in
control mode.
Over a four-year period, the PPD system was
developed with an OEM, using radio proximity
tags attached to operators’ belts that were
monitored and controlled through equipment
software. The full operational rollout occurred at
Dendrobium in 2018.
When it comes to greater automation of
longwall shearers, the company gradually upped
the stakes through equipment software
upgrades.
“This has enabled our longwall shearer
operators to work further away from the
immediate mining area and, where required,
away from the coal face, adding a further layer of
protection for our workforce,” South32 said. “Our
additional automation of the longwall shearer
machinery has included enhanced horizon
control, which helps maintain a consistent mining
horizon and increases accuracy.”
These elements required over 18 months of
work, from initial analysis and identification to
implementation and development with the OEM,
the company said.
And, in line with adopting these autonomous
elements, the company has implemented
machine anti-collision technology between the
longwall shearers and roof supports to protect
both personnel and equipment.
Some other elements adopted at IMC to date
include automated gate end turnarounds and
integration between shearer and roof supports;
automated face alignment; automated second
advance “double chocking”; and a digital twin
along with embedded camera systems on the
longwall face, the company told IM.
Safety improvements are the main benefit the
miner highlighted with this increased automation
uptake, but other advantages include consistent
production rates and product quality, and further
operational control.
Technology top end
Over the border in Queensland, another miner is
making automation leaps of its own.
Even before arriving at site, the Eickhoff SL 900
shearers destined for Anglo American’s
Moranbah mine have got a lot to live up to.
Back in November during a Bulks Seminar
presentation for investors, Tyler Mitchelson, CEO
of Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal business,
revealed a slide titled ‘Ramping up to benchmark
performance’.
Here, he was talking about Moranbah and,
specifically, how the company was going to
increase the cutting rate and longwall operating
hours at the mine from 10 Mt/y of annualised run
of mine production in 2018 to the longer-term
potential of 14 Mt/y.
The company was confident it could add
another 269 t/h to the average cutting rate of
2,142 t/h achieved in 2018 based on 2019
performance alone. It was looking for the new
Eickhoff shearers to increase this by 31 t/h over
2020-2021 through the “increased shearer
80 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2020