SLOPE STABILITY MONITORING
actions , stakeholders and compliance
Monitoring – an overview of asset condition and status including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar ( InSAR ), chemistry , satellite imagery , water quality and quantity
Micro – Detailed data from LiDAR , radar and IoT devices ( monitoring piezometers , inclinometers and seismometers ) feeds
This makes it possible for operators to visualise facilities across multiple sites and quickly identify , assess and minimise failure risk for its TSF assets , while streamlining tailings disclosure and reporting across the company ’ s big asset inventory .
Subtle changes in ground movement are often the first indicator that a TSF is vulnerable . Most TSFs fail because of factors such as foundation weakening , seepage , overtopping and earthquake damage , but ground movement can be difficult to track using conventional methods , particularly when you are dealing with large , complex structures that can have walls over 25 m high and more than 5 km long . K2fly puts these factors under the microscope , tracking minor changes in key variables and sending immediate safety alerts when conditions vary from pre-defined safety parameters .
Changes in soil and physical attributes , such as surface and groundwater , decant pond water levels and quality , and embankment conditions , are tracked using data from devices such as piezometers and monitoring bores , or via water levels and vibration . Land subsidence and movement is detected using remote sensing , such as satellite derived InSAR datasets . This can be visualised in real-time using LiDAR data and combined with specific insights into dam movement using hardware and data from providers such as GlassTerra . “ Combining a rich mix of integrated data to pinpoint subtle changes in condition and landform , is one way our system promotes safety and reduces TSF failure risk . Users receive an alert when changes are detected , can view a graphic analysis on the dashboard , and then drill down into the different tools to extract more detailed information .”
The Dams & Tailings solution has been built to support industry best practice , reducing the burden on companies to manage tailings facilities and meet new tailings compliance requirements , including the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management , Global Mining Review and International Council on Mining and Metals ( ICMM ) expectations . Sophisticated workflows incorporated into the software refine and automate many of the tailings management processes . Operating and licence conditions are captured , tracked and stored , to ensure obligations are met and key risks are efficiently managed . Actions and tasks can be set up , with reminder and escalation
Accumulated movement data & the ADI : a collation alarm
In radar-based slope stability monitoring , when the return ( amplitude and phase ) of the
electromagnetic signal transmitted and received by the radar antenna for a specific scatterer for the selected resolution is deemed poor quality , a number of processes are set in motion to inform the user that the data for that point or points have lost integrity in the form of bad flags .
This may be due to the fact that the scatterer properties have changed sufficiently enough to not be able to provide a strong and stable enough return . The scatterer may have moved significantly in three dimensional space , or the speed at which the scatterer is moving has met and exceeded the phase limit between consecutive scans . The phase limit is determined by the frequency or wavelength utilised by the system , on site atmospherics , the scan time and the speed at which the pit slope is deforming .
If these scatterer points cannot be measured consistently during instability , the ability for the system to alarm based on user selected movement or velocity thresholds is compromised as these measurement values are dependent on the phase and amplitude of the returned signal . The collation alarm is a representation of both the accumulated movement up until the point whereby the integrity of the scatterer is flagged , and the amplitude dispersion index ( ADI ) for a selected area threshold is compromised . This alarm informs the user that the slope is either deforming considerably from a dimensional perspective , or that the pit slope is in an ambiguous state of movement . Reutech Mining is set to present a full paper on this topic at the Australian Centre for Geomechanics ' Second International Slope Stability in Mining Conference in October 2021 which will discuss the concept of scatterer identification , tracking and the qualification of the consistency of the phase return for movement data accumulation , in collation with the ADI for pit slope monitoring purposes .
notifications , along with tools to maintain and track environmental monitoring compliance limits and any exceedances .
Data from IBM ’ s Weather Channel streams directly into K2fly , providing a clear , more accurate context when forecasting , planning and tracking site activities . The capacity to integrate with third party systems , including public registers such as the Global Tailings Portal , ensures K2fly users have an accurate , consistent central source of truth when it comes to managing and engaging with all stakeholders . Custom reports can be produced quickly and easily and exported in various formats to meet requests for information from industry groups such as ICMM , Principles for Responsible Investment ( PRI ) and the United Nations Environmental Program ( UNEP ).
Being cloud-based , with robust security protections and governance controls , you can also give independent and external users , such as insurers , investors , auditors and the Independent Tailings Review Board , access to a quick and effective knowledge bank containing appropriate and vetted TSF data . At its core , this is a solution that enables you to harness the power of existing , current and future data and stores it in a secure and accessible cloud platform . It draws on K2fly ’ s powerful monitoring capabilities , consolidating tailings data from many different sources - satellite imagery , InSAR remote sensing , drone inspections , bore monitoring , pond water level monitoring , dust
monitoring , IoT devices ( monitoring piezometers , inclinometers and seismometers ),
LiDAR , ground-based radar , CCTV and drone inspections - into one easy to use central location .
IM
112 International Mining | AUGUST 2021